NHTSA Complaint #11011304 — 2014 FORD EXPLORER

FIRST LONG TRIP IN MY SUV. MOST OF MY DRIVING IS CITY DRIVING TO AND FROM WORK. WHILE TRAVELING WITH THE FAMILY ON OUR VACATION, WE ALL NOTICED AFTER ACCELERATION (PASSING CARS OR UP INCLINES) THE CAR SMELLED LIKE SULFUR OR A WASTE TREATMENT PLANT (OTHER CLEVER WORDS USED BY MY DAUGHTERS). THIS WAS ALL HIGHWAY (TWO LANE UP TO FOUR LANE) TRAVEL. APPROXIMATELY 600 MILES EACH WAY. WITH THE FREQUENCY OF THE PROBLEM ON THIS TRIP, I REALIZED I'VE SMELLED IT BEFORE BUT JUST ASSUMED I WAS DRIVING PAST A SEWAGE PROBLEM OR TREATMENT FACILITY. I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT AN ISSUE WITH MY CAR THAT WOULD CAUSE A SMELL LIKE THAT. UPON GOOGLING WHAT MIGHT CAUSE THE PROBLEM, I FOUND A LOT OF INFO ON THE ISSUE, INCLUDING A FORD SERVICE BULLETIN (ATTACHED), LAWSUITS AND YOUR ORGANIZATION'S INVESTIGATION OF THE ISSUE. BASED ON WHAT I READ, I FELT I SHOULD LET YOU KNOW I HAVE THE SAME ISSUE. I'VE CONTACTED THE LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP FROM WHOM I BOUGHT THE CAR AND WHO SERVICES THE CAR AND THEY EVENTUALLY FOUND A BULLETIN THAT COVERS THE ISSUE BUT BECAUSE MY CAR IS RECENTLY OUT OF WARRANTY, SAID I NEED TO PAY FOR THE INVESTIGATION AND POSSIBLE FIX(ES). I AM NOT HAPPY ABOUT THAT EITHER AND AM NOW CONCERNED WHETHER THERE IS ACTUALLY A FIX. GIVEN THE KNOWLEDGE FORD HAS ABOUT THIS ISSUE, I WOULD EXPECT FORD TO FIX THIS AT THEIR COST . . . ASSUMING THERE IS A FIX. I'M GOING TO FOLLOW THIS WITH A CALL TO FORD MOTOR COMPANY'S CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO MAKE THEM AWARE.