183 complaints reported

2015 Ford Explorer Engine

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
183
Crashes
1
Fires
1
Injuries
8

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Aug 2023

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the HVAC system was inoperable. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the water pump was faulty, causing coolant intrusion into the engine, and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Aug 2023
Jul 2023

3/23 I noticed my coolant reservoir was empty. The vehicle was involved in a minor accident in 12/22 and so I thought coolant slowly leaked out due to the accident. The vehicle was repaired at a collision center so I was concerned they didn't repair or totally missed the leak. I filled it up and took the Explorer for an oil change and that is when the mechanic informed me that I had a small coolant leak. I contacted the collision center and my insurance and both were stating that was from wear and tear. They also proceeded to tell me that is a big issue with the Explorers and certain other vehicles. They mentioned a lawsuit was filed in MA because of this issue. The leak start to get worse, causing me to constantly refill the reservoir with coolant. Always had to have coolant in the vehicle because you just never know. I take the EXPLORER to Ford for a diagnostic and they confirmed it was the internal water pump. This seems to be an issue and recalled because of a defective part or the way the vehicle was built. The leak can happen at any time and mine had 114,000 miles. My other 2010 Ford F150 has 180,000 miles and I have never had this issue. Needless to say, I had to for over $2,300 for the dealership to repair.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2023
Jul 2023

Water pump damaged the engine and water pump replacement cost is high and I cannot afford that kind of service because a stupid designed engine. The part is really cheap compared with the cost of the labor and hours to replace. Suggested from the mechanic replace the engine and the cost is high . I do not have a car anymore and they don’t want to do it.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2022
Jun 2023

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. Additionally, the contact stated that while the vehicle was idling, the vehicle was shuddering. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the contact that the crankshaft pulley needed to be replaced; however, the part was not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 65,417.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Apr 2023
Jun 2023

Premature water pump failure on 2015 Ford Explorer Limited with 51,000 miles. Noticed coolant leak while changing oil. Took it to a mechanic that pressure tested cooling system to discover water pump is leaking.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Feb 2023
May 2023

Waterpump

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Apr 2023
May 2023

Water pump died at 80,000 miles. Seems in my research this is a common probably with class action lawsuits

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2023
Jan 2023

When you drive the vehicle over 40 mph the vehicle let’s out a smell that’s very strong and you have to let the windows down so that you don’t feel sick. The smell makes you have headaches and feel lightheaded.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Oct 2022
Jan 2023

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start as needed. The contact stated that the “Service Required” light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 175,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Dec 2022
Jan 2023

My 2015 ford explorer water pump has failed sending coolant all over. The water pump in an internal component of the engine. I am lucky that I caught the water pump failure when I did and it didn’t completely catastrophically fail. There are numerous reports that the water pumps catastrophically fail and send coolant and metal particles into the motor causing it to also catastrophically fail. If my engine failed while driving on the highway I could have been seriously injured or killed or worse I could have seriously hurt or killed somebody else. I brought my car to ford 7/21/23 where they did general diagnostic tests everything was negative and nothing was found and I was sent on my way. On 7/29/23 I noticed I had a puddle in my driveway and there was definitely a leak I brought my car back to ford where they spent an entire day diagnosing. I was quoted $2500 and my car will take a week to fix. Ford has not offered to pay for any of the repairs even though these poorly manufactured water pumps continue to go bad on thousands of vehicles. There are multiple class action lawsuits against ford for this reason!

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jul 2023
Dec 2022

In 2015, when I leased a Ford Explorer XLT, I was never made aware or otherwise notified that a host of Ford models, including the 2015 Ford Explorer XLT had a long known design flaw in which the water pump, encased in the engine block, had a history of prematurely breaking and causing engine coolant to enter the engine and mix with the oil, and also into the oil pan, causing total engine failure, with no advance warning to and at the peril of the vehicle owner or operator, when the vehicle may come to a complete standstill or stop in traffic or in any operation placing the operator at risk of injury or in jeopardy of causing an accident or being subject to becoming an accident victim, plus creating the need to replace a new engine or a rebuilt engine into the vehicle. catastrophic damage in 2011 to 2020 models, with the replacement costs having to be borne by the owner of said vehicle because no recall had been undertaken, despite of their being a host of victimized owners. This incident happened to me and the 2015 Ford Explorer XLT vehicle I was driving. It occurred while I was in traffic and the exception caused total engine failure with no advance warning, no instrument panel warning and the entire engine had to be replaced at my personal cost of over $7,000. I attempted to negotiate with Ford Motor Company to no avail, and I had to expend the funds to acquire and install a rebuilt engine, at my own expense, to be able to continue to use the vehicle for my livelihood. Numerous correspondence with the dealership of origin, Liccardi Ford of Watchung, NJ, and the Ford Motor Company were fruitless. With all of the incidents and all the victims of this design flaw, a recall should have, in my opinion, resulted, but it did not. To my knowledge, which I have not been able to confirm, the design was corrected in newer models, but no assistance was afforded to the owners of the affected vehicles. I have sold the vehicle and it is not available for inspection.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Dec 2022
Dec 2022

Water pump started leaking at 50k miles

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Dec 2022
Nov 2022

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle decelerated unintendedly, and the contact heard abnormally loud sounds coming from the engine. The contact was able to continue driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the water pump was replaced due to the water pump seal being burned; however, the failure persisted. The dealer diagnosed that the motor pin fixers had failed, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2022
Nov 2022

******* DELETE VOQ ******* THIS COMPLAINT IS BEING MARKED FOR DELETION BECAUSE IT IS AN INADVERTENT DUPLICATE OF ODI# 11493911*DJR ******* DELETE VOQ *******

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Nov 2022
Nov 2022

******* DELETE VOQ ******* THIS COMPLAINT IS BEING MARKED FOR DELETION BECAUSE IT IS AN INADVERTENT DUPLICATE OF ODI# 11493911*DJR ******* DELETE VOQ *******

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Nov 2022
Nov 2022

******* DELETE VOQ ******* THIS COMPLAINT IS BEING MARKED FOR DELETION BECAUSE IT IS AN INADVERTENT DUPLICATE OF ODI# 11493911*DJR ******* DELETE VOQ *******

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Nov 2022
Nov 2022

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, there was a burning odor coming from the vents. The oil pressure warning light was displayed before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the water pump had failed causing coolant to leak into the engine oil, causing the engine to fail. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 168,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Nov 2022
Oct 2022

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled and then lost motive power. The engine temperature warning light was illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, and the contact was advised to tow the vehicle to the local dealer for diagnostic test and repair. The vehicle was then towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle remained at the dealer awaiting the repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Sep 2022
Sep 2022

This vehicle has an internal water pump. Failure can destroy engine. Failure can cause vehicle to stop. Repair costs are approximately $3,500.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jul 2022
Aug 2022

At approximately 101,000 miles noticed a drip of coolant on garage floor . Inspected car , noticed empty coolant expansion tank and leak from water pump weep hole. Took to dealer and confirmed leaking water pump . Vehicle is not equipped with coolant monitor , most people would not of noticed this leak . This has lead to catastrophic engine failure on other Explorers leading to loss of power while driving.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Feb 2022
Aug 2022

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while her daughter was driving at an unknown speed, the contact stated that the vehicle was performing abnormally when the coolant temperature warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the coolant leaks while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the water pump cracked and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Feb 2022
Aug 2022

The timing chain needs replaces. The phasers are causing the timing chain to stretch. As reported here: https://www.f150ecoboost.net/threads/ford-recall-force-on-2011-2015-phasers-and-timing-chain.32250/

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: May 2022
Jul 2022

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, there was an abnormally strong burning odor inside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the turbocharging of the cooling lines was weakening. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact became aware of an unknown recall. The contact contacted the local dealer for the recall repair. However, the dealer informed her that the vehicle could not be repaired under the unknown recall as the VIN was not included. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jul 2022
Jul 2022

Water pump went out and had to have my vehicle towed and I was out of my vehicle for a month and half... Faulty water pump and Ford knows this that is why they have a law suit against them. Then where they put this water put makes the cost even more!!! $1500 labor and $500 water pump then from the water pump going out it mixed oil and water through my engine and leaked all over my compressor so that went out so I had to change that also and that was another $1000.. FORD SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL THES FAULTY WATER PUMPS BECAUSE THEY KNOW THEIR IS A PROBLEM WITH THEM!@!@!@!@

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jul 2022
Jul 2022

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, there was an excessive amount of coolant fluid leaking from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and diagnosed with a defective water pump. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 83,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2015 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2022

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 2015 Ford Explorer has 183 Engine complaints on file. 1 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.