Overview & Reviews

The 2015 Ford Explorer gets a new Appearance package for the XLT trim, as well as some minor changes to standard and optional equipment.

• Abundant high-tech features
• Fuel-efficient turbocharged four-cylinder engine
• Comfortable ride
• Upscale cabin
• Strong turbocharged V6.

• Less rear-seat and cargo room than many rivals
• Feels bigger than it is behind the wheel.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 21.00

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  Unusable Parking Brake - 2015 Ford Explorer
  By Richard Mondy - October 17 - 12:48 am

  Bought a 2015 Ford Explorer for my wife. She is small 4-10" age mid-fifties so we got the Limited model for its adjustable brake and gas pedals. Problem is the parking brake is so hard to push she cannot set it with her left foot. She pushed the brake so hard to set with her right foot that it has made her right knee sore. Local Ford dealer says he cannot fix the problem because the brake would not hold if it were made easier to push. I find it hard to believe that Ford engineers are so incompetent they cannot design a parking brake that is usable by a small lady. Local service manage says just do not use the parking brake. I wonder if he cleared that advice with the national highway safety Board?

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  Awesome concept but I must have gotten a lemon - 2015 Ford Explorer
  By Eddie - June 30 - 8:04 am

  I test drove a bunch of SUVs in this class during my search and I must say the overall design and appeal of Explorer captured my attention and made it stand out. I test drove a fully equipped sport edition first and while I absolutely loved the performance of EcoBoost, it lacked some safety features such as lane assist or blind spot monitoring and only came in AWD, which here in Phoenix area isnt needed much. So I opted for Limited Edition for its safety/equipment/price and settled for the somewhat mediocre performance of the regular 3.5L V6. Purchase process was smooth and I drove off the lot at Bell Ford in Phoenix same day. First few days were fine and I bragged to everyone I know how much I love the vehicle. Engine performance was nothing to write home about, but brakes were great, instrumentation and sound system were great, the vehicle was very roomy even with 7 in the car. 3rd row is one of the most spacious in the class for sure. Overall ride quality is very nice. Ride softness could be improved as during otherwise very quiet operation one could feel every crack in the pavement. But that stiffness gave it very stable ride, which is a great plus on highways and in tight turns. My whole family loved the car! Now the bad - At around 700 miles things went south and have been deteriorating since. I spent years working on cars when I was younger, and bought / sold many in the last 25 or so years of driving. So I may feel the car a bit more than an average driver but I dont consider myself picky when it comes to overall performance of any vehicle. I dont normally look for perfection but what I started experiencing is something completely off. The transmission began slipping from second to third gear, pretty badly at that too. It felt like the definition of slippage. Torque was almost completely lost while shifting from second to third gear, RPM would shoot up another 1000 or so, and then the gear would re-engage a second later. Im not heavy footed either, by any stretch of imagination. And the tranny would do this at any level, higher or lower RPM, gunning or taking it easy. I brought the car to Bell Ford for inspection at 800 miles and after a day in the shop was told that no issues were found. I drove off and given that its all under warranty continued driving as-is. Things, got worse with milage and soon more symptoms of trouble were apparent. Transmission would jolt and jerk shifting during very easy driving shifting from second to third, and even later in the stack from 4th to 5th. Slippage still occurs to this day although a lot more prominent while cold and less when hot. Jerking and kicking happens at any temperature. I took the car to another dealer at 10K - Peoria Ford, after leaving the car there for two days while paying for my own rental, I was told the specialist could not re-create any of the issues I mentioned :(. This was the last draw as even my 10 year old could sense the abnormal, unpredictable behavior with the tranny while riding around with me. My wife refuses to drive the car now altogether. Im afraid to drive it long distances. I just drove to Denver and back and after couple of hours on the freeway if I got off to get food or gas, the transmission shifting issues were more pronounced than ever. The slipping, hesitation, jolting got worse. Im not sure where to go from here but I would hesitate to ever buy another ford given the dealer support and expertise I received so far. This is actually my second run-in with Ford transmission issues as I had problems with a 2011 Taurus I owned before with very similar issues but at around 55K miles. But all that is for another review. Update 10/27/16 with 26K miles: Transmission issues persist but two different dealers could not identify it, so were still driving it around until it completely dies, which seams to be the only way for Ford to "look into" it. Im really starting to dislike the Sync system as its getting slower and less responsive with age. Every touch takes one to few seconds to respond, and since 95% of all function manipulation is through Sync touch system, it really gets to you after a while. I know on 2016 models they improved instrumentation with more real buttons for stereo, climate, seats...etc, but the 11-15 gen is all touch. A very recent new development (havent had a chance to have our dealer look into this) - every once in a while Ill start the car, and as soon as gear is shifted to R the moonroof opens, literrally slides back by itself with no input whatsoever. I just close it and move on with my life for now, but its certainly one of the weirdest things Ive experienced with this car. Now the good - milage per gallon is still great, around 21MPG mixed driving, which is awesome for this size vehicle. It is still very comfy for long drives. Mountain driving in steep hills is a bit challenging still due to engine performance, but overall our long drives to CA, northern AZ, CO, NV, NM were all fun.