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EquipmentPart report

2013 Ford Explorer Equipment Problems

Complaints
4about this part
Share
0%of 2,237 total for the year
Median mileage
15,500miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 4 complaints about the equipment of the 2013 Ford Explorer, 0% of the 2,237 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 15,500 miles. 1 a fire, according to the filers.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“There is a foul smell in the vehicle, maybe burning plastic on the vehicle or exhaust. The fumes gets inside the vehicle that can make it unbearable when you have the AC on. You can not stay in the car. The AC has to be turn off and all windows open in order to continue driving. I brought the vehicle back to the dealership for service, last year. The service representative informed me that it was a plastic bag that got stuck in the exhaust. Once its burned off the smell will be gone. However. It does not seem to be the case. …”

NHTSA complaint #10604931, filed 2014-06, 4,000 miles

“Exhaust is entering the passenger compartment through the front and rear air conditioning vents when the engine is accelerated to 3500 RPM or above. I noticed this condition while driving around town,when passing another car or accelerating to enter the freeway, but the problem was really evident on a recent driving vacation from kansas city to seattle wa. We went through several mountainous states and it was terrible, the car was constantly accelerating above 3500 RPM to maintain speed on up hill grades,the car constantly reeked of exhaust. …”

NHTSA complaint #10760932, filed 2015-09, 16,000 miles

“The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that exhaust fumes entered the vehicle through the air conditioning system when the vehicle accelerated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the air vents were sucking the excess exhaust fumes through the air conditioning vents. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 15,000.”

NHTSA complaint #10782897, filed 2015-10, 15,000 miles

“The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, the contact noticed smoke seeping through the air vents inside the vehicle. The dealer stated that a rock fractured the air conditioner condenser. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was notified. The VIN was unavailable. The approximate failure mileage was 19,000.”

NHTSA complaint #10605372, filed 2014-06, 19,000 miles

Related service bulletins

Equipment: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
202120%
202030%
201841%
201730%
201620%
201520%
201410%
201340%
201271%
201161%
200913%
200821%
200731%
2006112%
200561%
2004141%
2003141%
2002602%
2001113%
2000141%
1999272%
1998372%
1997392%
1996161%
199571%
1994323%
1993273%
1992234%
1991295%

Other parts of the 2013 Ford Explorer

Steering
836 complaintsBody and structure
439 complaintsOther or unknown
351 complaintsEngine
225 complaintsElectrical system
163 complaintsFuel system
153 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
119 complaintsSuspension
79 complaintsEngine cooling
67 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
63 complaintsElectronic stability control
45 complaintsBrakes
40 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2013 Ford Explorer

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 29, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology