2015 Ford Explorer Fuel system Problems

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed fuel leaking from near the fuel tank. The contact was unsure which warning light was illuminated, but stated that a yellow warning light was illuminated, and there was a strong fuel odor coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed that the vehicle was unsafe to drive and that the failure could potentially result in a fire. The vehicle was then towed to the residence, where the failure continued. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 152,000.

NHTSA ID

11700156

Incident

Nov 18, 2025

Mileage

152,000 mi

While driving with the ac on you can smell exhaust fumes in the cabin and it's worse towards the rear carbin of the vehicle. I've gotten nauseated and sleepy from the fumes and have had several headaches in addition to the other symptoms. Ford needs to recall this issue. Also I have an active recall for the window pillars and the dealership says they still dont have the parts to fix it, and it's been over a year, what's the hold up Ford??!!

NHTSA ID

11683301

Incident

Aug 7, 2025

When vehicle is on and either in park or at a stop, RPMs will idle at about 800-1000 RPM then randomly shoot up between 2000-2500 RPMs then drop to below 500 RPMs before returning to idle. It’ll do this randomly.

NHTSA ID

11666213

Incident

Jun 10, 2025

On [XXX] while driving to work my car just shut off and the brakes locked up. This scenario happened again several other times even after being worked on at a Ford dealership. Please see attachment for specific dates & details. Fuel pump driver module was replaced first time then the fuel pump the last time. Explorer was inspected by the Sandy Sansing Ford Dealership in Daphne, Alabama. Only time warnings/codes appeared was when it shut off. I attached a screen shot of what the dash showed. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11626916

Incident

Jul 8, 2024

Throttle Body --- I have ask the dealer to provide the defective part for my inspection. Driving on the 15 Freeway in Southern California. My wife was driving and had just picked up speed and merged into the fast land. There was a sudden pop or clunk and the SUV immediately lost power and would not accelerate. She had to exit to the right of the freeway while losing power and no acceleration. She was traveling at less than 5 miles an hour in 60 plus traffic. There was only a narrow strip of shoulder with a "K" rail that was on the shoulder above a deep drop off on the side of the freeway. She was able to avoid getting hit and make it to the exit with enough of a shoulder for her to pullover safely. The SUV was taken to the Ford dealer where the Throttle Body was diagnosed as being defective. There was no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms before the issue on the freeway.

NHTSA ID

11548535

Incident

Oct 4, 2023

The car would not accelerate after leaving a light. I had just exited the freeway and the gas pedal would not respond and I was stuck in the middle of a 4 lane highway. A yellow warning wrench appeared on the dash and then a check engine light. The error code is P2111 stating the throttle body stuck open.

NHTSA ID

11548348

Incident

Oct 4, 2023

Upon driving, my vehicle just started randomly cutting out. I was told that it had to do with the throttle body. I did further research, and I noticed that I haven't been the only Explorer owner that has had this issue, so I'm not sure why there isn't a recall already established. Not only does it put me and my kids at risk, but it also puts drivers around me at risk. My car shuts down, which could cause the drivers behind me to rear end my vehicle. There has been some sort of warning light that comes on, that looks like a wrench, but only after my car shuts off, which is followed by the check engine light coming on. There were no warning signs prior to this happening.

NHTSA ID

11529873

Incident

Jun 28, 2023

Mileage

130,334 mi

When driving the vehicle, I can smell gas fumes which caused nausea. I didn’t know it was worse in the back of the cabin where my children sit until I sat back there for a 3 hour trip. The smell was stronger there which led to headache, nausea and fatigue. It doesn’t seem to come from the vent, it seems from the entire body of the vehicle. This puts my children’s health at risk. And all of our lives because if we travel far enough breathing this in, it can lead to exhaustion which can cause a crash and put others’ safety at risk. I’m surprised to see there is no recall, yet, it’s been reported that there have been 1.5 million complaints. We are having the issue fixed next Wednesday, but we will be without a car (ford is not providing a loan vehicle) and the bill is extremely expensive. This is clearly something wrong with the way the vehicle was made and is not fair as consumers that we not only have to breathe this in, but pay for the repair that has clearly been an issue for a majority of police vehicles out of 1.5 million complaints. Please help us.

NHTSA ID

11515383

Incident

Oct 19, 2017

Mileage

110,492 mi

Upon excellerated take off the exhaust fumes fill the cabin. There has been a prior recall for such issues. This has happened multiple times over the entire time that I have owned it. It is getting increasingly worse and I worry for myself, my family and others. My local Ford dealership dismissed me every time I brought it up.

NHTSA ID

11507712

Incident

Apr 1, 2019

My 2015 Ford Explorer is having fumes in the car. The dealership has charged me for an oil leak, cracked exhaust and now wants me to pay for a muffler. There is still exhaust fumes coming into the car making it hard to drive in the cold.

NHTSA ID

11501411

Incident

Dec 1, 2022

VEHICLE HAS APX 78000 MILES WITH A BROKEN WATER PUMP. THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE GOOD FOR 100K MILES. MANY PEOPLE HAVE GOTTEN THEM REPLACED TO HAVE THEM BREAK AGAIN WITH IN A YEAR.

NHTSA ID

11460885

Incident

Apr 15, 2022

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle lost power on several occasions. The vehicle was restarted and operated as designed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and diagnosed with a faulty throttle body. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the but no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000.

NHTSA ID

11429462

Incident

Jul 17, 2021

Mileage

96,000 mi

merging northbound 280 on the freeway, lost all power to vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11425395

Incident

May 28, 2021

EXHAUST FUMES INSIDE INTERIOR-This seems to only occur on road trips where fast and hard acceleration is needed for highway driving which is not something we normally due. Since we have owned the vehicle, on every occasion of strong hard acceleration there is a strong exhaust / spent fuel smell being brought into the cars interior. We have reached out to the local Ford Dealer several times but without satisfactory results. The exhaust fumes continue to exist in the cars interior upon hard and fast acceleration. My wife just returned from a interstate road trip with signs of exhaust fume poisoning with an extreme headache and very lethargic.What is it going to take for Ford to fix this problem or for a recall to be issued. Will it take fatalities or long term respiratory issues before anything is done to solace this issue. Besides the huge concern about the car owners safety and health; what about the potential diminished resale value of the vehicle due to Ford’s negligence to truly fix this exhaust issue.

NHTSA ID

11420047

Incident

Jun 7, 2021

THE HIGHWAY WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY. I WAS DRIVING. AND THE CAR SUDDENLY HAD NO WAS ON EVERYTHI PULL OVER BUT I HAD TO PULL OVER. BECAUSE. THE CAR DIDN'T SHUT OFF, BUT I STEPPED ON THE PEDAL AND THERE WAS NO POWER. SO I PUL THE ROAD TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. AND TURNED THE CAR OFF. I STARTED IT BACK UP AND DID FINE AND WENT HOME. BUT THIS WAS DANGEROUS. IT HAPPENED AGAIN. WHEN I WAS AT A RED LIGHT, IT TURNED GREEN. I STEPPED ON THE PEDAL AND THE CAR DID NOT MOVE. I THINK IT'S SOMETHING IN ELECTRICAL OR THROTTLEL NOT SURE.

NHTSA ID

11407276

Incident

Apr 2, 2021

Mileage

73,000 mi

SUDDEN FAILURE OF THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM REQUIRING COMPLETE REPLACEMENT OF THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM. ALSO DISABLES THE FORD ADVANCE TRAC SYSTEM. OCCURRED WHILE IN MOTION AT SLOW SPEED W/ MAX SPEED OF 20 MPH. THE DEALER INDICATED THAT THE COMPUTER MODULE FAILED AND REQUIRED THE WHOLE SYSTEM TO BE REPLACED. OCCURRED IN THE PARKING LOT. NOT THE FIRST INSTANCE OF SUDDEN FAILURE, BUT USUALLY STOPPING AND RESTARTING THE CAR CLEARED SIMILAR ERROR, NO OBVIOUS SIGNS OF WAR OR LEAKS/OTHER DAMAGE. PREVIOUS CORRECTABLE INSTANCES OCCURRED IN SIMILAR CONDITIONS.

NHTSA ID

11406106

Incident

Mar 28, 2021

Mileage

62,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND TOWING A TRAILER THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST POWER AND DRAMATICALLY SLOWED DOWN. IT WAS ALMOST LIKE SLAMMING ON THE BRAKES. THE INFORMATION WINDOW SHOWED "TERRAIN MANAGEMENT FAULT". THE ENGINE WAS BARELY RUNNING AND WAS RUNNING ERRATICALLY. I WAS ABLE TO GET PULLED OVER AND STOPPED THE ENGINE. WHEN I TRIED TO RESTART IT THE "TERRAIN MANAGEMENT FAULT". APPEARED AGAIN AND THE ENGINE WAS AGAIN BARELY RUNNING. AFTER A FEW STOPS AND STARTS THE MESSAGE CLEARED AND THE ENGINE BEGAN TO RUN NORMALLY. THE FORD DEALER FOUND A BAD THROTTLE BODY ASSEMBLY WAS FAULTY. THE REPAIR WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY.

NHTSA ID

11375952

Incident

Nov 10, 2020

Mileage

48,000 mi

SLOWLY PULLING OUT OF NARROW PARKING LOT EXIT LANE, THROUGH OPENED GATE. RAPID UNEXPLAINED ACCELERATION, SEEMED TO LAUNCH CAR ACROSS ONE WAY CITY STREET INTO RESTAURANT BUILDING. PASSENGER SEAT BELT (FASTENED, LEFT BRUISES) RELEASED UPON IMPACT; PASSENGER DASH BOARD AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY; DRIVERS' AIRBAG WEAK. PASSENGER HOSPITALIZED FROM LOWER AIRBAG, BROKEN LEG, SEVERE LACERATION.

NHTSA ID

11315858

Incident

Feb 27, 2020

Mileage

55,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, THE CAR WILL SUDDENLY STOP ACCELERATING. ONCE YOU ARE ABLE TO GET COMPLETELY STOPPED AND TURN THE CAR OFF AND RESTART IT, IT WILL DO OK UNTIL THE SAME THING HAPPENS AGAIN WITH NO WARNING. WHEN IN TRAFFIC OR WITH NO PLACE TO PULL OFF OR COAST TO, THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. HAS HAPPENED TO ME ABOUT 10-20 IN THE PAST 2 -3 YEARS. AFTER RESEARCHING ONLINE, I READ MANY OF THE SAME SITUATIONS. TOOK TO LOCAL DEALER AND THEY DIAGNOSED IT AS THE THROTTLE BODY AND SAID THERE WERE NUMEROUS EXPLORERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM.

NHTSA ID

11310298

Incident

Feb 17, 2020

Mileage

150,000 mi

THE FUEL GAUGE ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL IS READING THAT THE FUEL TANK IS ALMOST FULL, HOWEVER WHILE DRIVING THE LOW FUEL WARNING SENSOR CAME ON AND WE NEARLY RAN OUT OF FUEL. THE GAUGE WAS STILL READING ALMOST FULL. WE BARELY MADE IT TO A GAS STATION. AFTER PUTTING IN A FULL TANK OF GAS, THE FUEL GAUGE WAS SHOWING A COMPLETELY FULL TANK. SINCE THEN, THE GAUGE IS ALWAYS SHOWING ALMOST COMPLETELY FULL AND WILL GO DOWN ONLY TO ALMOST FULL, NOT QUITE AS LOW AS 3/4 FULL TANK, EVEN IF YOU HAVE DRIVEN OVER 300 MILES. NOW WE HAVE TO RE-SET THE TRIP ODOMETER EVERY TIME WE GET GAS, SO WE CAN CALCULATE APPROXIMATELY HOW MANY MILES WE HAVE DRIVEN SINCE THE FUEL GAUGE ONLY GOES DOWN SLIGHTLY BELOW FULL. THIS OCCURRED AROUND 50,000 MILES.

NHTSA ID

11299510

Incident

Oct 22, 2019

Mileage

50,000 mi

THERE IS A TERRIBLE EXHAUST SMELL THAT COMES INTO THE INTERIOR CABIN. THE SMELL IS EVEN WORSE UPON EXTENDED HARD ACCELERATION. IN ADDITION, THERE IS BUBBLING IN MY HOOD DUE TO FAULTY HOODS BEING PRODUCED ON FORD EXPLORERS. FORD HAS ACKNOWLEDGED BOTH ISSUES - AS THERE IS A TSB. FORD'S "FIX" TSB-16016 IS NOT A FIX AT ALL. IT MERELY IS A BANDAGE FOR THE PROBLEM AS MY FAMILY STILL SMELLS EXHAUST IN THE VEHICLE. MY 3 YEAR OLD SON IS INHALING THIS TOXIC SMELL.

NHTSA ID

11279283

Incident

Apr 1, 2019

Mileage

50,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING MY 2015 FORD EXPLORER (46K MILES) AT ABOUT 50MPH, THE EXPLORER UNEXPECTEDLY BECAME COMPLETELY UNRESPONSIVE. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. TURNED THE ENGINE OFF AND THEN BACK ON. THE WRENCH LIGHT WENT OFF AND IT SEEMED TO BE FINE. I DROVE ANOTHER 2 OR 3 MILES AND IT DID IT AGAIN! I WAS EXTREMELY LUCKY TO FIND A PLACE TO PULL OFF THRU THE CONSTRUCTION SITE I WAS IN. TURNED THE ENGINE OFF AGAIN AND THEN BACK ON WHICH RESET EVERYTHING AGAIN. I FINALLY GOT THE EXPLORER HOME ABOUT 4 MILES WITHOUT ANY MORE ISSUES. THE NEXT DAY TOOK I TOOK IT TO MY AUTO REPAIR SHOP. THEY SAID IT WAS THE THROTTLE BODY WHICH SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER THE EMISSIONS WARRANTY. (THERE WERE NO PROBLEM CODES SAVED BY THE CAR'S COMPUTER BUT THEY WERE GOING BY EXPERIENCE). I TOOK IT IMMEDIATELY TO A FORD DEALERSHIP WHICH VERIFIED IT WAS THE THROTTLE BODY. THEY SAID IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER ANY WARRANTY OR RECALL. I RELUCTANTLY PAID $85 PARTS, $379 LABOR AND $38 "SHOP SUPPLIES" FOR A TOTAL OF $535.

NHTSA ID

11245593

Incident

Aug 18, 2019

Mileage

47,030 mi

08/20/2015 I BOUGHT MY NEW, 2015 FORD EXPLORER SPORT, VIN [XXX] FOR $59,000 DOLLARS AT RICH FORD AUTO DEALERSHIP, 8601 LOMAS BLVD NE, ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO. 87111 (505) 292-0000 I FILED COMPLAINTS 08/20/2015 UP UNTIL TODAY WITH, RICH FORD, FORD MOTOR CO, FORD MOTOR CO.COM, ABOUT THE CARBON MONOXIDE COMPLAINT, I HAVE BECOME; SLEEPY, SICK, NAUSEOUS, VOMITING, 08/20/2015 THE RICH FORD AUTO DEALERSHIP SALESMAN INFORMED ME THAT THIS WAS THAT NEW CAR SMELL, I FILED COMPLAINTS 08/28/2015 UNTIL TODAY WITH, THE RICH FORD AUTO DEALERSHIP SALESMAN INFORMED ME AGAIN THAT THIS WAS THAT NEW CAR SMELL, MECHANIC PERFORMING NOSE SAFETY SNIFF TEST USING HIS NOSE, AND DECLARING THE VEHICLE SAFE, USING ONLY THE NOSE SAFETY SNIFF TEST, AND I FILED MY COMPLAINT WITH THE BBB ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO, THEY REFEREED ME TO BBB DENVER COLORADO THEY REFEREED ME TO BBB AUTO LINE ARLINGTON VA, THEY HAVE SAID IT IS TOO LATE TO FILE MY BBB COMPLAINT [XXX] WITH FORD MOTOR CO COMPLAINT, ABOUT CARBON MONOXIDE FROM THE DAY I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE UNTIL NOW, TODAY, RICH FORD AUTO DEALERSHIP, 8601 LOMAS BLVD NE, ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO. 87111 THEIR MECHANIC HAS REPEATEDLY PERFORMING NOSE SAFETY SNIFF TEST USING HIS NOSE, AND DECLARING THE VEHICLE SAFE, USING ONLY THE NOSE SAFETY SNIFF TEST, [XXX] WAS THE SERVICE WRITER, SHE HAS BEEN PROMOTED TO SERVICE MANAGER, [XXX] HAS INFORMED ME THAT RICH FORD AUTO DEALERSHIP, IS GOING TO START CHARGING ME FOR SERVICE CALLS TO CHECK THIS CARBON MONOXIDE PROBLEM. ON 08/20/2015 BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE, I HAVE COMPLAINED UNTIL NOW, EVEN TODAY 06/2019, THIS DATE, I PURCHASED THE 2015 FORD EXPLORER SPORT, VIN [XXX] NEW FOR $59,000 DOLLARS. FORD MOTOR CO VS LAWYER 2015 FORD EXPLORER SPORT, VIN [XXX] REFERENCE TO FORD MOTOR CO, NO 0:14-CV-61344-WPD 08/28/2015 INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ID

11231148

Incident

Aug 20, 2015

CARBON MONOXIDE COMPLAINT, I HAVE BECOME; SLEEPY, SICK, NAUSEOUS, VOMITING, 08/20/2015 THE RICH FORD AUTO DEALERSHIP SALESMAN INFORMED ME THAT THIS WAS THAT NEW CAR SMELL, I FILED COMPLAINTS 08/28/2015 UNTIL TODAY WITH, THE RICH FORD AUTO DEALERSHIP SALESMAN INFORMED ME AGAIN THAT THIS WAS THAT NEW CAR SMELL, MECHANIC PERFORMING NOSE SAFETY SNIFF TEST USING HIS NOSE, AND DECLARING THE VEHICLE SAFE, USING ONLY THE NOSE SAFETY SNIFF TEST, AND I FILED MY COMPLAINT WITH THE BBB ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO, THEY REFEREED ME TO BBB DENVER COLORADO THEY REFEREED ME TO BBB AUTO LINE ARLINGTON VA, THEY HAVE SAID IT IS TOO LATE TO FILE MY BBB COMPLAINT [XXX] WITH FORD MOTOR CO COMPLAINT, ABOUT CARBON MONOXIDE FROM THE DAY I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE UNTIL NOW, TODAY, THEIR MECHANIC HAS REPEATEDLY PERFORMING NOSE SAFETY SNIFF TEST USING HIS NOSE, AND DECLARING THE VEHICLE SAFE, USING ONLY THE NOSE SAFETY SNIFF TEST, [XXX] WAS THE SERVICE WRITER, SHE HAS BEEN PROMOTED TO SERVICE MANAGER, [XXX] HAS INFORMED ME THAT RICH FORD AUTO DEALERSHIP, IS GOING TO START CHARGING ME FOR SERVICE CALLS TO CHECK THIS CARBON MONOXIDE PROBLEM. FORD VEHICLES INVOLVED IN THIS EVENT COULD BE (BOUGHT BACK BY THE DEALERSHIP) (IF ASKED) I ASKED THEY SAID THEY WOULD ALLOW ME TO TRADE IN THE 2015 FORD EXPLORER SPORT, VIN [XXX] FOR $2,000.00 OF 1% OF WHAT I PAID FOR IT, IT WILL BE PAID OFF IN 09/2021. TSB 16-0166 DID NOT BECOME OR TURN INTO PROGRAM 17N03. THEY ARE DIFFERENT REPAIRS FOR THE SAME ISSUE. THE DEALERSHIP MUST PERFORM TSB 16-0166. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ID

11220001

Incident

Aug 20, 2015

ON 6/6/19 VEHICLE LOST ENGINE THROTTLE POWER WHEN "WRENCH" LIGHT INDICATOR APPEARED ON DASHBOARD WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE (AT LEAST 65MPH). WRENCH NOTED TERRAIN MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ERROR. ENGINE DID NOT SHUT OFF. VIBRATED VERY BADLY WHEN COMING TO STOP. HAPPENED AGAIN ON 6/12 ON CITY STREET DRIVING APPROX 35MPH. BOTH TIMES STOPPED VEHICLE, TURNED OFF, AND RESTARTED AND OPERATED NORMALLY. FORD DEALERSHIPS CANNOT DETERMINE PROBLEM BECAUSE THERE COMPUTER SYSTEMS CANNOT SEE ERROR CODE(S) IN DIAGNOSTICS.. ADDITIONALLY, FORD MOTOR COMPANY WILL NOT RESPOND UNTIL "ERROR CODE" IDENTIFIED BY FORD SERVICE DEALERSHIP. READ ONLINE AND YOUTUBE EXACT ISSUES BUT NOT DISCUSSION ON RESOLUTION(S). SEE URL ADDRESS FOR EXAMPLE OF ISSUE THAT OCCURRED WITH OUR VEHICLE: HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=ASRDPLP4_QE&T=1S. VERY DANGEROUS TO LOSE POWER ON HIGHWAY AND LITTLE CONTROL OF VEHICLE. BELIEVE THIS IS A SYSTEMIC ISSUE WITH FORD EXPLORERS

NHTSA ID

11219435

Incident

Jun 6, 2019

Mileage

68,700 mi