Bought a 2015 Explorer in September of 15. Right at 37k miles and this has been the worse vehicle that I have ever owned. I baby all of my vehicles and have had multiple Fords. So far it has had AC problems, 1 Battery, 1 strut mount, and been in the shop multiple times for noises that they can not "recreate".

Right now it needs new strut mounts in the front again and a pulley is loose on the serp belt.

Has Ford fallen off this much or is this just how all new cars are built?

Could be a Friday/Monday build.

How many Highlanders you see running around with this many problems? ARe they less complex?

10andBOUNCE said:

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One day people will learn to stay away from Ferds unless it's a truck.

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This may be the problem. All I have had was trucks before this.

Picard said:

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They took a SUV and made it into a car. And this generation is their first attempt. Not a recipe for success.

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I think it's the other way around. They took a Taurus and made it an SUV. I had one, it was just too small with the car seats and not being able to move front seats back.

My wife's 2011 Flex has already had serious timing system problems.

My 2007 Mustang GT (bought new) has been the most reliable vehicle I've ever had though. 115K miles (last 10k supercharged) other than wear and tear (brake pads, battery, spark plugs) a dead alternator is the only mechanical problem I've had.

I think they've become much more complex in the last ten years and reliability is predictably down.

Mookie said:

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If you bought a 15 in 15 out of factory warranty, I would wager 2 things: you bought a former rental and the actuaries at Ford know what they're doing for warranty calls.

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OP should post the VIN, my hunch is that you're right.

SteveA said:

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How many Highlanders you see running around with this many problems? ARe they less complex?

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Well if they have the problems they most likely aren't in the road....so very few?

Bought it in 15 brand new. Just went out of warranty. Just shocked at the amount of stuff that has gone wrong with it in two years. Love the car but its a complete headache compared to my last Fords.

My coworker bought a new '16 Explorer and had many problems too... traded it in for a Honda Pilot a few months ago.

Bought a new 2016 via 1ags contact. Haven't had a single issue.

^^^^^ shots fired.

Anything that gets traded in right after the warranty expires makes me very suspicious.

Dump it. Not worth keeping if you can't trust a 3 year old car.

10andBOUNCE said:

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agdoc2001 said:

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Bought a new 2016 via 1ags contact. Haven't had a single issue.

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Ford owners are happy to not have issues with a 1 year old vehicle. Toyota owners expect no issues for the first 10 years.

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Or...or...there were several people complaining about issues with newer explorers and I haven't had any. Special bonus feature: they don't look like minivans with interior from 1993 ala the Highlander.

What were the AC issues?

Its a bummer that you have had these issues, batteries generally last 3 years or so in normal use for those that commute and do little highway driving. Depending on how long your explorer was sitting on the lot before it was sold may also lead to shorter life.

The strut mount issue is interesting though. Is it making noise or clunking or what?

1st mount was making noise when turning the wheel. That was within less than 20k. Now it seems like the whole front end wants to pop around when hitting even small bumps. Only thing I could equate it to is when a car has never had the mounts replaced and they are old.

Battery I had no worries about. Bought it late 2015 so it could have been there most of the year with very little recharge.

10andBOUNCE said:

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agdoc2001 said:

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Bought a new 2016 via 1ags contact. Haven't had a single issue.

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Ford owners are happy to not have issues with a 1 year old vehicle. Toyota owners expect no issues for the first 10 years.

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For real.

08 Tundra starting to hesitate a bit on 2-3 shift in cold weather. I'm like WTF - at only 9 years in you do this?? First issue ever in 105k....

Wife's 2013 edge been to Ford house 3 times for recalls & warranty work. Nice ride, feels underpowered, never-again quality control.

JSKolache said:

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10andBOUNCE said:

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agdoc2001 said:

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Bought a new 2016 via 1ags contact. Haven't had a single issue.

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Ford owners are happy to not have issues with a 1 year old vehicle. Toyota owners expect no issues for the first 10 years.

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For real.

08 Tundra starting to hesitate a bit on 2-3 shift in cold weather. I'm like WTF - at only 9 years in you do this?? First issue ever in 105k....

Wife's 2013 edge been to Ford house 3 times for recalls & warranty work. Nice ride, feels underpowered, never-again quality control.

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My 2007 Tundra's tra*nny is always moody. I wouldn't worry too much about unusual shifting, but it was replaced at 79K for a TSB before I bought it. 135K miles now and it's going strong.

Forgot that one. Had the transmission gear shift replaced earlier this year. It stopped regustering the gears and would not recognize being in park and would give a warning when you shut off the vehicle.