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What 1,665 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 Ford Explorer

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 (1,665)Crash / fire / injury (61)Body & structure (642)Engine (234)Transmission & drivetrain (121)Electrical system (90)Engine & cooling (76)Steering (74)Visibility & wipers (73)Wheels (60)Suspension (55)Fuel system (49)

2 of 1,665 complaints match · Engine & cooling · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Dec 9, 2022Engine & cooling1 injury

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that carbon monoxide was entering the cabin of the vehicle. The contact stated that there was an abnormally strong exhaust odor inside the vehicle after driving short distances. The contact stated that he felt lightheaded while driving the vehicle. No medical attention was sought. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 180,000.

NHTSA ODI 11496791

Jul 27, 2017Engine & cooling1 injury

TWICE SINCE PURCHASING MY NEW EXPLORER I HAVE GOTTEN DEATHLY ILL WHILE DRIVING, HAD TO PULL OVER AND BE TAKEN BY AMBULANCE TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM. I'M 70 YEARS OLD AND HAD THOUGHT IT WAS A MEDICAL ISSUE. HOWEVER, I HAVE BEEN POKED AND PROBED FOR EVERY POSSIBLE ALIMENT AND ALL HAVE COME BACK NEGATIVE AND AM IN GREAT HEALTH. EVEN MY HEART TESTS WERE OUTSTANDING. I SAW THE EXPLORER STORIES ON THE NEWS, LOOKED UP CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING AND NOTE THOSE WERE THE SYMPTOMS I HAD. IN THE INCIDENT LAST WEEK I WAS FEELING WORSE AND WORSE AS I DROVE AND WAS JUST ABLE TO GET OFF THE ROAD BEFORE I PASSED OUT, MY VISION HAD GONE BLANK, I STARTING SWEATING WITH THE AIR ON, AND I BECAME EXTREMELY DIZZY AND DISORIENTATED. I SPENT TWO DAYS IN THE HOSPITAL THINKING I WAS DYING BECAUSE THAT'S HOW I FELT. I'M IN EXCELLENT HEALTH, BIKE 20 MILES DAY 2-4 DAYS WEEK, PLAY LEAGUE HOCKEY, AVID GOLFER THAT HAS COMPETED AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL, ETC. THIS WAS NOT A 'ILLNESS', I'M CONVINCED IT WAS CARBON MONOXIDE POSIONING. UPDATED 11/06/2017*JS THE CONSUMER REQUESTED A STATUS UPDATE. UPDATED 12/07/2017*JS *JS THE CONSUMER STATED THAT HE PASSED OUT WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND REQUIRED HOSPITILIZATION. *JS

NHTSA ODI 11011153

Working with the data? Download all 1,665 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 10, 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 2017 Ford Explorer verdict →