NHTSA Complaint #11006042 — 2016 FORD EXPLORER

FORD EXPLORER CABIN HAS A BAD EXHAUST TYPE SMELL. VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED USED IN DECEMBER 2016. SMELL WAS MORE EVIDENT IN MARCH TO JULY WHEN WE RAN THE AIR CONDITIONER MORE. WHEN WE ACCELERATED TO HIGHWAY SPEED THE SMELL WOULD FOLLOW A FEW SECONDS LATER. THIS WAS EXPERIENCED BY SEVERAL PEOPLE ON MANY OCCASIONS. THIS IS MY WIFE'S DAILY DRIVER. TOWARD THE END OF MAY 2017 SHE BEGAN COMPLAINING DAILY OF DIZZINESS AND HEADACHES. THE SMELL WAS STILL PRESENT AFTER ACCELERATING. WE TOOK THE CAR IN TO A LOCAL FORD DEALER ON JUNE 13. THEY PERFORMED THE RECOMMENDED REPAIR PER THE FORD BULLETIN TSB 170044. WE TOOK THE CAR FROM THE DEALERSHIP ON JUNE 22 AND STILL SMELLED THE BAD SMELL THAT EVENING. RETURNED THE CAR TO THE DEALER THE NEXT DAY (JUNE 23). THEY THEN REPLACED THE MAJORITY OF THE MUFFLER AND TAIL PIPE ASSEMBLY. CAR WAS PICKED UP ON JULY 7 AND DRIVEN THAT EVENING. SMELL WAS STILL NOTICEABLE IN THE CABIN. WENT TO ANOTHER FORD DEALER THE NEXT DAY TO DISCUSS THE PROBLEM AND THEY RECOMMENDED WE TALK TO THE SERVICE DIRECTOR AT THE FIRST FORD DEALERSHIP AND GIVE THEM ONE MORE CHANCE TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THIRD TRIP TO THE SAME DEALER WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. THEY SAID THEY INSPECTED ALL OF THE PREVIOUS WORK AND TEST DROVE THE CAR AND FOUND NO PROBLEMS.THE SERVICE DIRECTOR ALSO TOLD US WE COULD NOT PROVE THERE WAS ANY EXHAUST FUMES OR CARBON MONOXIDE INSIDE THE CABIN. (I TOLD HIM HE COULD NOT PROVE THAT THERE WAS NOT ANY EXHAUST FUMES OR CO IN THE CABIN). CAR STILL HAS A BAD ODOR IN THE CABIN WHEN ACCELERATING TO HIGHWAY SPEED WITH THE AIR CONDITIONER RUNNING. (THE SMELL MAY BE LESS BUT IS STILL NOTICEABLE). WE HAVE ORDERED A BATTERY OPERATED CONTINUOUSLY MONITORING CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTOR TO PUT IN THE CAR. WE HAVE NOT INSTALLED IT YET, BUT WE CAN LET YOU KNOW WHEN WE DO AND ANY RESULTS. WIFES DIZZINESS AND HEADACHES WENT AWAY WHILE THE EXPLORER WAS IN THE SHOP.