Honest Question

I’m a lifelong Ford owner and follow this thread a bit because I’m interested in the Explorer as a daily. However, all I see is problem posts. Why do you folks love these things so much? This group makes them seem to be very troublesome.

Happy people don’t post about their cars. People with issues do. That’s why you’ll always see more complaints than praises. What you’re seeing in this sub is not an accurate mix of owners. For every complaint thread, there are probably dozens to hundreds of happy owners that have no need to get on the internet and say something about their car.

@Sage
Basically this, I’ve posted two issues on here about my explorer over the past few years… I however, have never posted anything positive.
If this helps any: I was the type of guy that switched cars every two years… not necessary to a new fancy car, but just always needed something else.
Been in my explorer for the longest period, plan on driving it till the wheels fall off. 2013 Limited

@Sage
Interesting theory. So potentially, someone smarter than me could follow a bunch of different car groups and find the best car based on the least number of complaints from miserable people. Basically, the car even the curmudgeons of the world can’t find a reason to complain about.

@Jai
Nope. That has its own set of biases. Cars that are older or driven by more mechanically inclined or enthusiasts are likely to have more chatter online because people want to fix it themselves. For instance, a guy on a budget trying to fix his fourth-owner Subaru is more likely to post online for help. Contrast that with owners of Mercedes Benz who can afford to put their cars in the shop and don’t worry about fixing things themselves. But I bet the Subaru is more reliable overall than the MB.
No, to find that data accurately, you’d need a network gathering sales data, maintenance info, and more. That’s why places like Consumer Reports, JD Power, and Edmunds exist.
Also, it’s not a theory. That’s actually how it works.

@Jai
Check r/4runner… it’s a circle jerk of happy owners posting pics. Edit: not posting this to put down Fords, just showing stark differences in the general type of posts on a sub about a different SUV. I like my Explorer and feel it has offered me good value for the $$$

@Jai
Had to throw in an opinion here. Was on #4runner for a while, had a 3rd gen, and every time I posted, the community was just all happy for you—occasionally one dbag or two of course. Just recently joined and left an Explorer group on FB where people HATED my Ford Explorer and just shit-talked it because that’s what everyone does in the forum. Went through and saw trolls dominating the entire page. People who love their Explorers only get very minimal likes or responses, but something like a cracked back glass and they’re all over it, saying it’s your fault or that it’s happened to them. All I’ve realized from Explorer groups so far is that they’re pretty negative for calling ourselves the #1 4Runner killer. At least they pride themselves in their car, no matter the look or customization.

@Sage

Happy people don’t post about their cars.

This got me curious, as I also sub to r/4runner. I took a look to confirm what I remembered: it’s a circle jerk of happy owners posting pics… so few problem posts. PS. reasonably happy 2009 Exploder AWD owner here… the 4.6 is a decent engine. But if $$ wasn’t any different, I’d rather a 4Runner.

@Roux

@Roux
Cool story.

Reading below, sadly, there are people who can’t stand Ford, because? Who knows? Maybe popularity? There are people who will pay twice for a Toyota, never admit their issues, and swear by them. Even if they don’t have issues, paying a bunch more for the vehicle compared to a Ford and you have to do some work, you didn’t come out ahead.
I’ve always bought Fords, and on my third Explorer (over 20+ years on the first 2); won’t drive anything else. They are Ford’s flagship. IMO, buy American. I’m sure that will get downvoting started, but oh well.
Ford Explorer has always been a beautiful vehicle, and the latest generation looks great, and with the RWD bias, is the best riding yet.

I’m not a fan of the general trend to tiny high compression, turbo’d, Gas direct injected engines… have not proven as reliable as the big V8’s (the good ones anyways). When my 09 gets too worn out & costly to maintain, I’d rather find another 4th gen than a newer one. I’d love a 4Runner but christ, $30k for a 10-year-old SR5 with 200,000 kms on it… ridiculous.

With a forum like this, there’s going to be a bit of a bias towards people needing help. The average car owner isn’t going to realize that forums exist, and a lot of people tend to ask fairly googleable questions on Reddit for some reason. Personally, my first gens were good vehicles, if a little worn out, but I don’t have any experience with newer ones.
If you look in other “commuter car” subs, you’ll see similar trends—lots of people asking about issues as opposed to posting about the latest set of wheels they bought or whatever.

@Remy
I think it’s important to realize that the Explorer literally first released 32 years ago in 1990 for the '91 model year. That’s decently old for a model of car, so there are bound to be problems. My '94 first gen and '05 first-gen Sport Trac are getting old and have their fair share of problems I constantly have to fix, but it’s worth it to me because I couldn’t see myself driving anything else. They’re really great, just getting kinda old. Alternatively, I’m of the curmudgeonly disposition that literally any new car with all their nonsense electronics is going to be problematic from time to time because there’s a much higher quantity of breakable parts. Either way, the known major problems with the platform, like the 4.0 SOHC timing chain tensioners, aren’t that devastating compared to, say, Tacoma frame damage.

@Zev
Funny enough, the electronics in my first gens were the only things I really had to fix, but that was because of the aftermarket alarms that got installed. They’re pretty solid, like any other vehicle, just don’t ask too much of them and keep up with the maintenance and they’ll run a long time.

@Remy
The only major issues I’ve had with the 4 first gens I’ve owned have been the transmission and window motors.

Happy 2015 Limited owner here. First post in this sub.

I bought a 2022 ST in spring and love it. First new car, and haven’t had a car in 8 years (wife has a Hyundai Santa Fe). No complaints at all. Ford and my local dealerships have been great.

We have owned 1999, 2005, 2006, 2008 and have a 2014 Explorer LTD. I have tracked the latest generation problems to see if I want the headache.
Ford’s quest for gas mileage, driven by the EPA and asswipe Climate Worshippers, has made the model & part changes rapid, but unreliable and untested.
Ford Transmissions in these mid-sized SUVs don’t hold a candle to Toyota and Honda.
Spend the same amount of money and buy a Toyota for long-term happiness.

TBH I’ve owned my 2002 Explorer for 14 years and love it. There’s just something about it! No major issues yet though (but I built mine after smashing it, so that probably helps).
It’s big and ridiculous, very smooth and comfortable to drive, and I think one of the best-looking basic SUVs of its time.
Issues are usually the transmission, which can be avoided with proper maintenance, and timing chain issues with SOHC 4.0 engines (I warm mine up properly and never put too much pressure on it so haven’t run into this issue yet).
I previously had a '97 XLT that came with the timing chain issue, but it ran 70k before I destroyed its transmission.