2017 Ford Explorer Engine

The car makes a ticking/rattle sound on cold startup. Preliminary diagnosis is the cam phasers. This is a 2017 Ford explorer with 77,000. It is the same 3.5L V6 ecoboost (GTDI) engine that was in Ford Customer Satisfaction program: 21N03. The issue mirrors tgat in the program document, but the Explorer is not covered by the program.

Complete failure of the water pump at 58000 miles.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle for an annual smog check, the check engine warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where a diagnostic test was performed. The diagnostic showed that the VVT (Variable Valve Timing) connected to the timing phasers had fractured and needed to be replaced. The contact was provided with an estimate for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 73,838.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact discovered that there was coolant underneath the vehicle inside the garage at the residence. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed heat around the exterior of the front of the vehicle. In addition, the contact noticed an abnormal odor around the exterior of the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer, however the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer where it was unofficially diagnosed with a failed coolant pump. The vehicle was taken to another dealer to confirm the failure, and the vehicle was diagnosed with a failed coolant pump. The contact was informed that the coolant pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 36,400.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH, the engine overheated. The contact turned off the vehicle and waited for the engine to cool down before continuing to drive. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the water pump was leaking. The mechanic informed the contact that it was a known failure and referred the contact to the manufacturer for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 108,435.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the message “Engine Overheating” was displayed. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and allowed the engine to cool down. After restarting the vehicle, there was an abnormal clicking sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact then noticed a fluid leak underneath the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the mechanic and the mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the water pump was leaking, causing the engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact discovered that the failure was a known issue; however, the VIN was not under recall related to the failure. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that there was no recall on the VIN related to the failure. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 190,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal without warning. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the mechanic discovered an oil leak coming from the engine. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not under warranty and the contact was referred to the manufacturer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V925000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact was then referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 98,403.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact observed that the coolant reservoir was almost empty, even though the vehicle had just been serviced. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the water pump. The vehicle was repaired. The contact also stated that the water pump had failed and was replaced in February 2023. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 192,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was driving roughly, with white exhaust smoke coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion in the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 110,000.

At 40,000 miles my head gasket failed, causing the engine to have to be replaced. This has now happened AGAIN at 112,000 miles. In reading on line, this is a common problem for the design of this engine. How can a car engine have to be replaced TWICE? This seems to be a significant design flaw and safety issue.

The engine block (2.3L ecoboost) has a coolant intrusion into cylinder 3 causing it to miss fire and overheat. This problem almost left my wife and child stranded on the side of the road. If she hadn't had a safe place to pull over to allow the vehicle to cool down it could have had a catastrophic failure while driving. The dealer pressure tested the coolant system and showed leak in the coolant system. They then removed the number 3 spark plug and scoped the cylinder finding coolant inside cylinder. This coolant leak caused the miss fire and the overheating. Prior to failure the only thing that happened was that the number 3 cylinder had a miss fire. At this time the spark plugs and ingnition coil pack was replaced only to have the problem start up again a few days later. The number 3 and 4 ignition coil pack was then switched and codes cleared. The miss fire for number 3 then showed up again. At this time we set an appointment up with the dealer to look at the issue. Two days before the apointment the engine overheated. We were able to get the vehilce to the dealer and they diagnosed the coolant intrusion into the number 3 cylinder. Prior to the over heat the only warning was the miss fire for number 3 cylinder. No other warnings or codes were available for the engine. Upon researching this issue I found that it was a known issue and that Ford had an extended powertrain warranty for some customers under the customer satisfaction program. However, upon contacting Ford they said that my vehicle was not listed as a candadate for this extended warranty option.

There was cam phaser situation that i was never informed of when this car was purchased. I just hit 80 k and i am now having issues. It appears there is a lawsuit for this. What is ford doing to fix.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH after the vehicle had been serviced, the check engine warning light illuminated. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that there was coolant inside the water pump, and the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 112,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an unknown warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a failed coolant pump. The contact was informed that the coolant pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was advised to tow the vehicle to the dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. In addition, the contact was informed that NHTSA would add the VIN to an unknown recall with similar failure. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000.

At 115,000 miles, had a total engine failure. The engine was a 3.5 twin turbo eco boost. Engine not repairable and would need replacing. The blue book of the vehicle was 15K. The engine replacement cost from Ford was 18K. Overheard the mechanic call these engines on the Explorer, EXPLODERS. Apparently this is common and should have been a concern, but not mentioned to the consumers. Any other details can received from Bill Utter Ford Denton Texas.

I brought my vehicle from a used certified dealer at the time of test drive I asked why such a rough transition when going from gear to gear and I was told it was the ECOBoost engine packed with power. Fast forward after multiple repairs and recalls on this vehicle I’ve made it to my breaking point when my SUV shut down as I was turning onto a busy street coming from my son’s school. The engine literally cut off almost causing a head on collision. This idle function is extremely dangerous. I had multiple belts repaired and many things checked after my car overheated and couldn’t find the culprit. One mechanic explained my fan wasn’t working to assist in cooling off the engine and the vents/grill in front of car was shut causing the engine to over heat. After opening the vents and connecting the car to diagnostic machine there were no codes to fix. Over the next month my suv would become significantly worse rattling when I stop at a red light almost drifting into a car in front of me. No longer overheating but now feeling the car physically shifting gears as if I drive a stick shift and I have an automatic transmission. After doing careful research I learned was some recalls on the fan and eco boost engine explaining the same issues that I’am currently having. Don’t mention fixing the recalls because all the certified dealers are 2-3 weeks behind on fixing and diagnosing these same vehicles. They won’t loan you a car while being repaired which is another cost associated with this vehicle. Please look into this ecoboost engine and overheating issues. Also I was told my engine would go soon do the oxygen intake not exchanging enough oxygen causing oil to push into spark plugs and other parts of the engine it doesn’t belong. This SUV is a complete lemon and should be recalled right away before someone dies from this awful feature. Just last week I saw someone on the interstate with my same vehicle stopping mid traffic. This is dangerous!!!

The vehicles engine has known defects that involves failure of the timing belt and water pump causing enteral damage that sends metal shards enter the oil and causes complete engine failure even with immediate attention when the vehicles engine sensors Alert the driver to an engine problem. After the water pump and or timing belt are changed the engine is already damaged beyond repair. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Once the microscopic metal shards enter the oil, filters are clogged and sensors inconsistently malfunction The engine does not accelerate appropriately and then jolts into acceleration The engine dies at idle Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? I have had the vehicle at the dealership 4 times and had 3 other body shops all confirm the same problem Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Yes Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Yes - Dec 2024 - the vehicle was overheating and the water pump and timing belt were immediately replaced

Own a 2017 Ford Explorer 2.3L EcoBoost with 116K miles, out of the blue the vehicle started to overheat the engine, with no coolant left in the reservoir. Took it to a mechanic who stated that the engine is not that old and that it was unsure of why the head gasket was blown. It is believed by many including a Class Action Law Suite that Ford is aware of the possible overheating issues with their EcoBoost engines.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the contact became aware that there was white smoke coming from the exhaust. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the turbocharger oil supply tubes had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in for routine maintenance, the mechanic discovered an oil leak coming from one of the turbochargers. The contact later discovered oil leaking on the floor of the garage. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, and the contact was informed that the turbocharger and turbocharger oil lines needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V925000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 54,966.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that upon depressing the brake pedal, a warning chime sounded, and the "Low Oil Pressure" message was displayed on the instrument panel. The message disappeared after depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for a diagnostic test; however, no fault was found with the vehicle. However, the contact was informed that the oil pressure sensor needed to be replaced, and the contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there were no recalls on the VIN related to the failure. The contact was then referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was 67,000.

The engine did not start and had a burning smell coming out. The SUV was towed to a Ford dealer to find out the engine block has to be replace. The SUV has been well maintain through out the years of ownership. It has 84000.00 miles on it. After some research, my SUV is not the only one that this has happened. It seems FORD explorer with an ecoboost engine have this issue. 2017 Ford Explore with an EcoBoost engine-ENGINE LONG BLOCK AND RETESTING (VERIFIED CONCERN AND PERFORMED DIAGNOSIS, FOUND COOLANT BOTTLE EMPTY AND ENGINE TO NOT CRANK BUT WHEN TURNING KEY THE ENGINE ATTEMPTS TO CRANK BUT STOPS, HAND VERIFIED THAT CRANK SHAFT WAS LOCKED AND FOUND HYDRO-LOCKED ENGINE DUE TO COOLANT INTRUSION) Fail $11,690.90

Coolant on garage floor. Researched and found common among this engine, Called dealer. Said do not drive and get to dealer. Can cause engine seizure and breakdown if internal coolant leakage has started. Dealer stated they see at least one a week of this water pump problem.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, there was an abnormal amount of white smoke coming from the engine and the exhaust. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the turbo and the engine had experienced coolant intrusion and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V925000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) as a possible cause for the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 165,000.