Overview & Reviews

The 2016 Ford Explorer gets revised exterior styling, a new engine option, updated safety features and a new top-end trim level.

• Abundant high-tech features
• Upscale cabin
• Expected improvement in fuel economy from new turbo engine.

• Less cargo room than many rivals
• Third row only seats two passengers.
• Current model feels big behind the wheel

User Reviews:

Showing 61 through 70 of 97.00

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  Looks Matter + Reliability - 2016 Ford Explorer
  By Terry Robertson - October 20 - 4:44 pm

  I am a long time owner of Hondas and Toyotas, but with the positive changes of reliability ratings overall, it finally made sense to look again. Have to admit we purchased in part because of exterior and interior looks. Honda Pilots now look like magnified CRVs. I could not tell inside the Pilot if I was in a $30K family van or in a $45K SUV. Highlanders now have those bulging red rear lights and that pleasant open-mouth whale shark grill. The Explorer just looks better. Looks and reliability count for something :)

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  Great vehicle, but very pricey. - 2016 Ford Explorer
  By Keith HB - October 18 - 8:48 am

  This is an excellent SUV, and my purchase choice after detailed review of the competitors. Ford is excellent to deal with and the have produced a quality product with this vehicle. Having realistic expectations of how an SUV will be after the initial purchase honeymoon has worn off is important, and you have to understand that you will not get the mileage (MPG) nor the ride comfort of a regular car (sedan). It is after all an SUV. The fuel economy is fair but I did not expect it to sip fuel either. The controls / instrumentation are complicated for those not accustomed to technical navigation through screens of available data, but its also intuitive enough for the average user to get up and running fairly quickly. The only negative is the price (but I knew this going in). $40K + for the decently equipped mid-size SUV is a lot of money and the price rockets as soon as you get into additional options.

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  throttle body - 2016 Ford Explorer
  By john - July 18 - 5:26 pm

  After buying this car only six months with 6500 miles on vacation 600 miles away from home we lost power on a busy road pulling out in traffic. After shutting the car off and restarting it after a few minutes it ran fine for a while and then same problems. Called the closet dealer to where I was vacationing, what a joke, service manager said he wouldnt be able to look at it for about four of days and did not have a car for me to use while my car was in the shop, went to another Ford dealer 10 miles further and they were very helpful. Andy Shaw Ford Thumbs up, Mountain Ford Thumbs down

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  Major Disappointment - 2016 Ford Explorer
  By John - June 11 - 6:16 pm

  My Caddilac SRX and Three Muranos were great cars. Not a single issue with any of these recent cars from the beginning to when I traded them in, all had over 50,000 miles at trade-in. My new 2016 Limited Explorer is have issues with less than 2,000 miles. Pump that runs the seat features sounds like a hamster cage, rear tire inflation sensor defective and causing alarms to go off every 50 miles. No way to disengage rear door from opening with your foot -- doing anything with a hitch, bike rack, boat trailer, and so on can cause the door to open. Car down and up shifts all the time on basically flat roads. Brakes are grinding, and the luggage rack, specifically the rails are not open thus not allowing for your to tie down anything around the rails. I cant understand this concept for an SUV that potentially could be used to strap on top kayaks, boats of all sorts, or really anything.......very bad design. Called Ford Customer Service and got the total brush off. Went to a local dealer and they said make an appointment a week out and well look at the issues.......will need the car for a couple of days and no loaner! I made a bad decision with this vehicle.

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  Throttle Body Issue - 2016 Ford Explorer
  By Tanisha S. - May 13 - 10:51 pm

  I was driving through a bad neighborhood, completely intending to hit the expressway when the system chimes and a wrench appears then the engine light appears. Immediately I lose the ability to accelerate. Scared to stop I literally coast/idle to a safe area for the FORD roadside assistance to come get me. The driver said he already picked up 6 Ford Explorers in the last few weeks with the same issue. WTF! I only have 8200 miles on it. Waiting to hear back now.

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  2016 Needs New Throttle Body @ 8200mi - 2016 Ford Explorer
  By Tom Daly - March 31 - 9:00 pm

  I find that the Explorer has too many creature comforts to list and talk about, but like some of the other customers on this site a faulty throttle body causes concern. The Ford has all the appointments that a Euro/Japanese Lux SUV would have at much lower price point. I got stuck with the vehicle in limp mode on a semi-busy road at rush hour with my two boys. Roadside Assistance was very impressive through the whole thing, but by reading blogs and comments on different forms I believe Ford should issue a formal recall for the throttle body. It was a one day fix and I think I am good now. I still would buy the car again based on the value / dollar spent ratio versus high end SUV competition. Love the new LED and LED fog lamps, its almost like never having to drive in the dark. Brakes are a bit soft and feel challenged to come to a stop quickly. Sound is good and I have had many compliments on the vehicle looks. Some have even said, "nice range rover".

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  Ford Explorer Nightmare - 2016 Ford Explorer
  By Drking7777 - March 31 - 7:42 am

  Been. Ford guy all my life but with this purchased have experienced the worse Ford has to offer. Dealership was not the issue ford and ford quality and customer service set a new low that I did not expect. Three weeks after purchase blind spot and cross traffic indicators began to fail, this lead to nag aviation failure, A/C failure, front windows stopped working, seat adjustments failed, seat memory failed, seat massage ceased working in very uncomfortable position, defrost may be on with no way to turn off, and tire pressure alerts (tires were fine). Purchased last Saturday in March 2016 and by July 13 it was in the shop more than I had it ( 16 weeks of ownership - I drove it 5 weeks with no problems and 1 week with the dealership researching the problem and the remaining 10 week is was in the shop. Ford refused to replace. Dealership remove, seats, carpets, headliner, replace modules, engine harness, and still had problems. After taking a new car apart and putting it back together unknown times and a Ford engineer coming twice to work on it - I was then told it was now fixed - it is no longer a new vehicle, it has accelerated depreciation due to all the mechanical issues and I can no longer trust it for what it was purchased for. Ford response is they fixed it - not thier problem. Buyers beware.

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  Throttle replaced at 8,000 miles, all else great! - 2016 Ford Explorer
  By 2016 Ford Explorer - February 10 - 5:25 am

  First - I do LOVE this car!! Every month when I make the payment, I tell myself that and really do mean it!! BUT. . . . . While vacationing and only at 8,000 miles when the car breaks down and I read that it happens to ALOT of these cars -- really disappointed!! Ford, you need to do something about this. Need to get a recall on this car. I was lucky - I was only in a 45 mph area when all of a sudden the lights come on and the car slows down -- I have time to pull over and take care of things, but I can only imagine if I was on the highway going 70 mph. The other issue I have is the average MPG -- I only get an average of 19 MPG after 8,000 miles of highway and local driving.

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  Dont buy a 2016 Explorer - 2016 Ford Explorer
  By CaliMom - January 31 - 5:10 pm

  I love the smooth and controlled ride of the Explorer but that is the end of my praise. I have owned this SUV for over a year and Im so terribly disappointed. This vehicle is lacking in comfort and reliable electronics. The seat length of both front buckets and 2nd row bench are short, cramped and just all-around uncomfortable. Legroom is non-existant. I have 3 kids and a tall husband and this SUV is way too small for us. The 3rd row is tiny and hard to access. Cargo space is nice but robs the car from much needed leg room. The entire vehicle is just designed narrow and cramped. There is so little room that my purse ends up on the cargo mats daily, covered in dirty shoes. And the electronics... I often refer to my car as having a mind of its own because the horn randomly beeps at me for no reason (much to my teenage daughters extreme mortification). The cargo hatch/door on back also refuses to close on occasion for no reason... and sometimes closes on my head while loading groceries. And... after one year, the door lock has broken on the passenger side, one of the backseat seat belts completely shattered just from tilting the seat forward, and the poorly placed and cheap USB port covers have broken off. Really??? Come on Ford. You can do better.

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  Honest Two Month Review - 2016 Ford Explorer
  By N - January 11 - 9:59 am

  We have had our 2016 Sport for two months now. It replaced a five year old Chrysler minivan. Before buying the Ford, we compared it to the 2016 Honda Pilot, 2015 GMC Acadia, and 2015 Toyota Highlander. All vehicles were the top trim models. We liked the Ford best overall. So far the only issue has been a bad tire pressure sensor, which was at bad at purchase and was replaced the following week. As far as the seats others have been complaining about: I am 511, 220, and have a 36" waist. My wife is 56, 170, and is a size 16. Once we adjusted the seats, the comfort level is fine. We have the heated/cooled leather seats. The vehicle is quiet, punchy, handles well, and has plenty of interior room for three teens and a child. The storage room behind the third row seat is decent, more than any of the vehicles we tested, but not as much as a minivan. This is one of the only downsides and we know it switching from a minivan to a suv. My only other issues would be the hood (seems bigger than it needs to be) and the touchscreen. I like buttons and switches, not touch screens and different menus to change settings. Overall a good vehicle so far.