janskim Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 For all those who were lucky to get delivery of their new 2011. What does everyone think so far????? Still running my 1998 Explorer(195K) waiting on my 2011 to get built. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janskim Posted January 13, 2011 Author Share Posted January 13, 2011 So know one has any comments on their rides yet? Likes/ Dislikes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tttsample Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 So know one has any comments on their rides yet? Likes/ Dislikes go to ford explorer facebook website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Not Explorer-related, but I see you are from Maryland too, janskim. I'm in Annapolis. Somewhat back on topic: I picked up a 2011 Edge not long ago. If the Explorer is anything like the Edge in terms of quality and content, most everyone should love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedDogRex Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 I picked up my '11 XLT today. Everything was good until on the way home I exceeded 70mph and started to get some wiper vibration noise and some other noise from the left front. The other noise is hard to pinpoint it's source. It doesn't flucuate with the engine revs and goes away once I drop to 60mph and below. It starts between 65-70mph and doesn't get louder or change with speed. I think it's wind related (but you would think it would get louder the faster you go) but I'll be heading back to the dealer tomorrow to try and have them diagnos it. I'll post the outcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomg4121 Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 I'll throw my experience in here. I picked mine up 2 weeks ago and overall love the vehicle. It's very very quiet, has about the same punch as my old 2002 4.0L certainly not a race car, but I knew it when I test drove one. The technology is out of this world and I'm still learning new things this SUV does everyday. I love the looks of both the interior and exterior and recieve compliments from friends and strangers. Several cons however. I have the exact same noise Reddogrex mentioned so I'm a litle more at ease hearing it's just not my vehicle. Reddodrex, let us know what the dealer tells you, I too think it's wind noise as mine is only prevelant over 55-60 mph and is definitely not engine rpm related. Possible transmission noise since it's left front? I have the trailer tow package and also wonder if it's the wind hitting the grill opening to the transmission cooler. Second con and I menioned it before here is the height of getting in the vehicle (I'm only 5'10) without side steps like the previous generations, but again, I knew this before handing over my money and prefer the look of the Ex without it. Another "I knew it before I bought it" item is the width of the vehicle is 6" wider than my 2002 and makes a very tight fit getting into my garage. My opening is 92" and I believe the overall width of the Ex is 89" with the mirrors. Lastly and my biggest complaint was the alignment quality of my driver door. I took it back to the dealer I bought it from and they adjusted it but not to my satisfaction. I have an appointment Tuesday at a dealer near my work to take care of it once and for all. I saw some Edges on other forums had the same issues so it might be something for Ford to study a little bit better. I am picky, but a $38,000 vehicle shouldn't leave the factory this way. All in all, still no regrets buying it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janskim Posted January 15, 2011 Author Share Posted January 15, 2011 Thank you to those that posted feedback so far. Please post your outcomes of the wind noise issue as it will help the rest of us if this is something related in the production/design. From what I saw on the web Ford did alot of testing with regards to pressurizing the inside and wind noise testing to deliver a quieter cabin interior. Suprises me that this is showing up. I now they are under alot of pressue to deliver vehicles and orders exceeded orginal predictions. Hopefully that doesn't equate to having quality control take a back seat to satisfy demand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedDogRex Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 (edited) I didn't get the chance to take the Explorer to the dealer yet. However, I've driven at highway speeds more and think it's coming from the cowl (the noise that I first thought was from the wipers "flapping" at speed). If you tap on the cowl at the ends where it meets the A pillar it has a hollow sound and I could imagine airflow over or under that could cause a shutter/flapping sound. Seems like it should have a firmer fit or some type of sound deadening material under there. The other noise does come from the driver side. I don't think (and sure hope not) it's coming from the transmission. If it was the trans, I would think it would relate with engine/vehicle speeds more. It's more of a constant drone almost like a tire noise but not exactly the same. What makes me think this also is a wind related noise is the noise diminished some when I was driving behind a large box truck and it increased when I changed lanes to pass. I was looking under the hood and there seemed to be gaps (ill fitting in some areas compared to others) in the insulation along the top of the firewall under the cowl area. I'd like to see under the hood of others and see if that's normal or not. I'll try to post pictures of what I'm talking about and would like to know if your's (tomg4121) looks the same. Is your's a XLT or Limited? thanks Edited January 16, 2011 by RedDogRex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomg4121 Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Your further description of the sound (driver side at high speeds) sounding like a drone or tires is right on the money with my sound. I don't have the flapping sound mentioned near your wipers though. My Ex is an XLT. I'm not sure of the cowl area you're referring to. I'll check out your pics when you send them and compare it to mine. Is yours (Reddogrex) also an XLT/4WD/Trailer package? Mine is also not constant, only 60-70% of the time, perhaps when I'm driving into the wind? I'll have to keep a closer eye on it and let you know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryG Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 RedDogRex, that sounds like wind noise for sure. Drafting behind a big truck is a good way to determine if it's a wind problem or not. Did either of you buy from dealer stock? As mentioned, ordered Explorers are not built till after Ford declares the "Okay to Buy" so the first Explorers quality may not be the best. The first Explorers are dealer stock orders and my salesman told me he wouldn't buy one unless it was built after the "Okay to Buy" date. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomg4121 Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 mine was from dealer stock.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedDogRex Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Mine was an early order vehicle. It's a company provided vehicle that we ordered early. I knew it was an early build so I figured that's the reason for the issue we're having. However, I'm surprised that a retail vehicle would've made it out with a similar issue. Mine is an XLT/4wd w/o trailer tow package. Yesterday I was out in the garage checking underneath to see if there was a loose splash shield or something. I did find that the lower valance was not attached good on both sides near the fender well openings. There were two areas on both sides that weren't hooked in place. So I had to unattach it on the ends and reattach to get it to fit right without gaps between the valance and the lower bumper cover. I then went and test drove it and the sound seemed to be lessened some but not gone. Then I considered it may be trans related. So, I put the TMS in the other modes and slowly drove it long enough for the trans to shift through all gears. If you do this be aware of the differences in gearing and don't overdo it or stress it too much (mine only has 200 miles on it right now). Then I put it back in regular mode and hit the interstate. It may just be my imagination but it seemed like the sound was almost gone completely until I got up to 85mph. I'm going to give it another test drive later today with my wife and let her be my extra set of ears. I'll post the outcome later today at's or tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottfmcc Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 I've had the cowl-flap noise on my 2010 Ford Taurus. Kind of a buzzing sound. Not sure if the Explorer is the same, but the cowl on the Taurus is a softer plastic and, if stretched even a little, can be loose enough to vibrate at highway speeds. Ford replaced, but it could be a problem again later. Have seen fit/finish issue on an 2011 Explorer in our parking lot. Hood is clearly misaligned and actually sits off-kilter. Not by a lot, but noticable. Agree with earlier poster. Unit should never have left factory. If my untrained eye can see it, the factory should have. Awaiting my 300A Limited in Ingot Silver. Ordered 1/5. Due to be built 1/31. ETA 2/14. Based on comments here, that seems optimistic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janskim Posted January 22, 2011 Author Share Posted January 22, 2011 Any updates on the wind noise from those that replied here. Curious what your dealers have done or what you have been able to figure out on your own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkleton Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 I drove ~10 hours today, I didn't notice any noise. However the weather was pretty bad, and I was driving less than 70mph. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottfmcc Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 What kind of gas mileage are you seeing? A friend of mine has a FWD Limited, and after 600 miles the average economy says 15.8 MPG. That seems pretty low considering 75% of her daily commute is interstate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkleton Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 What kind of gas mileage are you seeing? A friend of mine has a FWD Limited, and after 600 miles the average economy says 15.8 MPG. That seems pretty low considering 75% of her daily commute is interstate. I got 23 MPG for my 550 mile trip. However the weather was extremely poor and I was going less than the speed limit the whole way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottfmcc Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 I polled several of the folks in my office that have received 2011 Explorers. All were early builds, and 4 of them have the windshield/cowl noise. Has anyone heard if any dealers have resolved the issue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt1411 Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 I polled several of the folks in my office that have received 2011 Explorers. All were early builds, and 4 of them have the windshield/cowl noise. Has anyone heard if any dealers have resolved the issue? What's considered an early build?........Mine was built last week. I find it odd that these issues are coming out now.....for those that arent in business the factory builds tons of prototypes called PPV's (Pre-Production Vehicles) they have PPV1 to PPV4 etc etc Then they build Ford Management prototypes and they provide feedback on these types of issues. Seems odd because they also do unbeleivable testing on these vehicles well beyond what the average consumer would ever put it through. Im very interested to hear the fix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottfmcc Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 What's considered an early build?........Mine was built last week. I find it odd that these issues are coming out now.....for those that arent in business the factory builds tons of prototypes called PPV's (Pre-Production Vehicles) they have PPV1 to PPV4 etc etc Then they build Ford Management prototypes and they provide feedback on these types of issues. Seems odd because they also do unbeleivable testing on these vehicles well beyond what the average consumer would ever put it through. Im very interested to hear the fix Another poster stated that the first 1,200 vehicles were issued to "executives" and were built before the "OK to Buy" was issued. I don't know when that was. However,at my Ford location, we have management-lease vehicles (sometimes referred to as exec units). All vehicles I mentioned that had this windshield noise were such units and were built in either late November or early December. Since I have an Explorer on order, I'm also very interested in the problem! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottfmcc Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 Another poster stated that the first 1,200 vehicles were issued to "executives" and were built before the "OK to Buy" was issued. I don't know when that was. However,at my Ford location, we have management-lease vehicles (sometimes referred to as exec units). All vehicles I mentioned that had this windshield noise were such units and were built in either late November or early December. Since I have an Explorer on order, I'm also very interested in the problem! OK - In at least one case here, it is NOT the plastic cowl. I buffered it every which way I could with foam tape (hey - worked on my Taurus!), and a rattling noise persisted, beginning at about 60 MPH and increasing in severity as speed rises. It sounds and feels as if there is something loose in the passenger-side A-pillar. The lessee is taking it to the dealer and I'll come back when a solution is found. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdrevell Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 (edited) I have had my Explorer (Management Lease) for 2 weeks and love it. Several issues have surfaced: I too am getting a rattle in the windshield pillar on the passenger side around 70 mph. Several times I have hit the Emergency Flasher button while programing the display. My buddy also had this happen as we were driving yesterday. The owners manual needs to better describe the inserting the MyKey in the center console to reprogram along with step by step instructions. I stil have not been able to reprogram my key to eliminate max. speed. Several others have tried as well so it is not just me. Edited January 30, 2011 by wdrevell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt1411 Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 I have had my Explorer (Management Lease) for 2 weeks and love it. Several issues have surfaced: I too am getting a rattle in the windshield pillar on the passenger side around 70 mph. Several times I have hit the Emergency Flasher button while programing the display. My buddy also had this happen as we were driving yesterday. The owners manual needs to better describe the inserting the MyKey in the center console to reprogram along with step by step instructions. I stil have not been able to reprogram my key to eliminate max. speed. Several others have tried as well so it is not just me. What is your build date? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdrevell Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 What is your build date? My build date was Nov. 17th. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt1411 Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Those were Pre-Production builds were they not? I should have mine by Friday this week if the train doesn't go off the tracks. I will test right away and update here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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