Overview & Reviews

For 2012, the Ford Explorer offers an optional turbocharged four-cylinder engine that promises six-cylinder performance with four-cylinder fuel economy.

• Available fuel-efficient turbocharged four-cylinder.
• Abundant high-tech features
• Excellent ride and handling balance
• Upscale cabin

• Feels bigger than it is behind the wheel
• MyFord Touch is slow to respond and can be difficult to use.
• Less third-row and cargo room than rivals

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 40.00

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  Great family vehicle! - 2012 Ford Explorer
  By Kendra - October 15 - 4:39 pm

  Bought my 2012 Ford Explorer as a Certified Pre Owned with 36k miles. Have had the vehicle 8 months now and still love it! Now that we are one of few families in our circle with a 7 passenger vehicle, we end up being "the bus" ... recently had 7 adults on board and even the two in the third row were comfortable and commented on how roomy it was for a third row seat. My 8 year old loves the third row and thinks it is great fun climbing in and out. Things I love: Power liftgate Power folding third row Heated and cooled front seats Great sound system Drives very smooth and quiet (except for windshield hissing/whistling - problem is solved by turning up the music!) Handles great Great rear view camera and backup sensors Looks great Great warranty since I bought Certified Pre-Owned Surprisingly good gas mileage for the size Things that bug me: -Had to have the shifting assembly replaced after getting "shift to park" messages when it was clearly in park. Covered under CPO warranty and I only paid $100, but irritating to have to pay anything for what is clearly a Ford defect, as many people have reported the same problem. -The blind spot takes some getting used to. I have gotten much more adept at using my mirrors because the blind spots on the sides are significant. I couldnt find a used model with BLIS which I gladly would have paid for, so this was a big downfall in the beginning -I hate MyFord Touch. It never works properly. Luckily, I already knew this was an issue from my research prior to purchasing the vehicle so I expected it. Works great for voice climate control and using the phone everything else is pretty much crap. I never use the navigation much easier to plug my iPhone in to the USB and use Google maps. -The dark blue color is very hard to keep clean almost as bad as black. Would have preferred white or silver but when youre buying used you have to take what you can find. Overall I love the vehicle and would buy another. This is the first SUV I have ever owned after years of driving Acura sedans. I actually had my heart set on an Acura MDX until I compared the Ford Explorer and realized I could get just as many features and luxury items for a much lower price. Bonus: its much cheaper to work on since its American made! I was always shocked at the repair costs on my Acuras because the parts were so much more expensive. I would recommend this vehicle to anyone looking for a reliable SUV with a luxury feel at an affordable cost!

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  not your casa ford - 2012 Ford Explorer
  By sal - August 9 - 5:31 pm

  Bought it on 2013 had 7k on it,first thing cooling fans went out about a week after I got it had to wait for parts 3 weeks. Next the windows front, shudder when opening and squeal,have had regulators replaced but have had to return at least 5 times so they upgraded my warranty to 70 k because they cant find a solution to the windows. The brakes were recalled took them in replaced but still squeak, dealer said nothing they can do,now power steering has a recall, and before this, instrument panel at times turns off, trim panels on front windshield had to be replaced for noise ,but I still have a window squeal and shudder which there is no repairs for it yet,oh and now the inside door handles are on safety recall, I think ford has really earned its name for "Fix Or Repair Daily"

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  Like it a lot - 2012 Ford Explorer
  By Bob Newell - February 26 - 9:16 am

  Weve had our explorer about 2 years now. Weve taken it across the country a couple of times and have always had a positive experience. Its comfortable, roomy and quiet. We have the AWD Limited model. Ive owned numerous Fords (2 trucks, 2 Mustangs, 2 Taurus, Torino) and we like this one the best.

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  Ford needs to research this problem - 2012 Ford Explorer
  By ralph1956 - January 5 - 7:32 am

  I have a 2012 Ford explorer that has wheel sensors on all wheels and have had to replace them all and now having to replace some again . When the sensor goes bad you have no 4 wheel drive and at times you can not drive at all. This is not reliable to me. Wondering if others are having issues with this also. Also have the check engine light come on and stay on and I am told its because of the gas tank and nothing that can be done to correct this issue.

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  Explorer Quality is Poor - 2012 Ford Explorer
  By kvella - July 17 - 10:23 am

  Purchased a Ford Explorer in January 2012. Within three weeks started experiencing steering problems. Also had seat defects requiring repairs. Ford announced a recall for power steering defects in May 2014. Still fighting with Ford for reimbursement of incurred repair expenses. Interior quality is poor with fading and split seams after only 2.5 years. Overall disappointed with Fords quality and customer service.

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  Just purchased - 2012 Ford Explorer
  By suzyq58 - August 17 - 9:08 pm

  Love my new used car! The salesmen were wonderful and informational and am very happy with my overall experience. I cant wait to take my car out on the road. The service at Fair Oaks Ford was a great experience. I have been a customer for many years and couldnt have been happier with their service department. I look forward to putting many trips on this car.

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  Vehicle is great, MyFord Touch is terrible - 2012 Ford Explorer
  By g2a2k - April 21 - 4:05 pm

  Ford did a very good job in the design of the vehicle. It is great to drive. The part that is not great is the MyFord Touch. I have had problems from the beginning. The dealers have been nice, but have not been able to solve any of the problems I have face such as the navigation system never working and it often shutting down while driving causing me to have my vehicle in the shop at least once a month. For this reason, and all the problems I have had with the My Ford Touch, I would not recommend purchasing a Ford with it since they cant seem to solve the problems with it.

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  Homerun with Explorer - 2012 Ford Explorer
  By htown35 - March 6 - 9:53 am

  I brought my 2012 Explorer in December 2011. I have the XLT Model with Leather, 20 in Rims, Power Liftgate and Dual Power Seats. I love my new explorer. Only 2 problems.... Recall for Engine Cooling at 5K and had to replace the brakes under warranty at 7K. I currently have 10K miles on it. I get a lot of compliments on my explorer. I like the ride, styling and comfort. I do not have MyFord Touch so I dont have any of those issues. I think Ford did a good job overall. First new Ford!!

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  Explorer XLT - I love it - 2012 Ford Explorer
  By htown35 - February 26 - 12:08 pm

  I brought my 2012 Explorer XLT with leather interior, 20 in rims and power liftgate in Dec 2011. The only issues I had was replacing the brakes (covered under warr) at 8,000 miles and a recall for engine cooling. Currently I have 10,000 miles. I like driving my Explorer. It gets a lot of attention with its 20 in rims and dark exterior color. I have gotten 25 MPG on the highway and about 18 in the city. It always has enough power and all features work correctly... Its quiet and I feel very safe in it.

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  Excieted at first but disappointed now - 2012 Ford Explorer
  By g2a2k - February 12 - 7:25 pm

  The ride is extremely smooth and quiet, especially on highway. The Interior is luxurious with upgraded seats. Well engineered on this aspect. With that said, Ive had nothing but problems with MyFord Touch system and it has gotten worse lately. It continually locks up and freezes the entire system to include climate control, entertainment, and telephone. It soon after goes into a never ending loop of resetting that only works part of the time. I have all but given up on using voice commands as the voice recognition in it is poor at best. Despite getting the updates and having it at the dealer numerous times, the problems continue.