Following the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)’s decision to upgrade an investigation into potential excessive exhaust or carbon monoxide leaks in the 2011-2017 Ford Explorer, Ford Motor Company has made the decision to offer free repairs to more than 1.4 million affected units in the North American market.

Though its internal investigation has not found “carbon monoxide levels exceeding what people are exposed to every day”, Ford says they are offering these repairs in response to customer concerns. And since there is no US government standard for in-vehicle carbon monoxide levels, this is not classified as a recall.

Starting November 1, Ford dealers will do the following:

• Reprogram the air conditioner
• Replace the liftgate rain valves
• Inspect the sealing of the rear of the vehicle

Though Ford has issued multiple technical service bulletins (TSBs) related to the issue, the exhaust odor issue complaints continues to surface on Explorer units.

Given the Philippine market units of the Ford Explorer are sourced from the same Illinois Assembly plant in the US, CarGuide.PH has reached out to Ford Philippines if the local units are covered by this problem and if they will offer the same service to its customers here in the Philippines.

The official statement from Ford Motor Company is below.

This page will be updated with more information.

Press Release
Ford Announces Complimentary Service for 2011-17 Retail Explorers

DEARBORN, Mich., Oct. 13, 2017 – Ford is aware that some 2011-17 Explorer owners have concerns about exhaust or carbon monoxide. These vehicles are safe. Our investigation has not found carbon monoxide levels that exceed what people are exposed to every day.

However, for our customers’ peace of mind, Ford is offering a complimentary service that reduces the potential for exhaust to enter the vehicle. Customers can take their vehicles, regardless of mileage or warranty status, to a Ford dealer to have this service performed, starting Nov. 1, 2017 through Dec. 31, 2018.

To be clear, other carbon monoxide concerns in Police Interceptor Utilities are related to unsealed holes from the installation of police equipment by third parties after the vehicle was purchased.

This action involves approximately 1.3 million vehicles in the United States, 84,000 in Canada and 24,000 in Mexico. The Ford reference number for this service is 17N03.

To reduce the potential for exhaust to enter the vehicle, dealers will reprogram the air conditioner, replace the liftgate drain valves and inspect sealing of the rear of the vehicle at no cost to the customer.