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What 2,222 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Ford Explorer Hev

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (2,222)Crash / fire / injury (78)Steering (831)Body & structure (435)Engine (224)Electrical system (160)Fuel system (153)Transmission & drivetrain (119)Suspension (79)Engine & cooling (67)Visibility & wipers (62)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (45)

3 of 2,222 complaints match · Engine & cooling · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Dec 16, 2021Engine & coolingFire

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated they had taken their vehicle to a local dealer for a crack in the water pump which the dealer repaired, After the repair, the contact noticed a burning abnormal odor when turning on their heat from their a/c unit, which caused the contact and his passenger to become light-headed and dizzy. The contact drove to a local hospital where it was confirmed that the reason for the symptoms was due to high level of carbon monoxide levels. The contact called the local dealer about the abnormal odor but the dealer informed the contact they would not be able to fix the issue and inform the contact to reach out to the manufacturer for the failure. The contact decided to take the vehicle's independent mechanic who diagnosed the failure as small oil leaks around the engine that contribute to the odor coming into the interior of the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made of failure. The failure mileage was approximately 129,000.

NHTSA ODI 11444001

Jul 7, 2016Engine & cooling1 injury

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, AN EXHAUST FUME ODOR ENTERED INTO THE CABIN OF THE VEHICLE. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT BECAME NAUSEATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 59,000.

NHTSA ODI 10883250

Oct 9, 2013Engine & coolingBody & structure1 injury

AFTER ALL THE NEW CAR SMELLS BEGAN TO WEAR OFF WE BEGAN TO NOTICE WHAT SEEMED TO BE EXHAUST FUMES WHEN WE WERE DRIVING UP HILLS. WE SOON NOTICED THAT IT HAPPENED ANYTIME UPON HARD ACCELERATION. THE SMELL IS ENOUGH TO MAKE YOUR EYES BURN AND WATER FROM UP IN THE DRIVER SEAT. WE THOUGHT MAYBE IT WAS COMING FROM THE REAR BUT TRIED IN ALL POSITIONS AND OFF AND STILL HAVE IT. THE FORD FIX WITH THE NEW VENT, SEALANT, ETC. WAS DONE AND HAD NO EFFECT ON IT. IT WAS BROUGHT BACK INTO THE DEALERSHIP A SECOND TIME AND THE OPPOSITE VENT WAS REPLACED, STILL NO CHANGE. WE BROUGHT IT BACK INTO THE DEALERSHIP A THIRD TIME AND IT WAS CHECKED FOR IMPROPER BODY SEALS AND WEATHER STRIPS WITH NOTHING FOUND. WE ARE NOW TOLD WE HAVE TO JUST WAIT AND SEE IF FORD COMES UP WITH A FIX. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10547404

Working with the data? Download all 2,222 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 14, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2013 Ford Explorer Hev verdict →