The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened an investigation into 2011-15 model year Ford Explorers that can leak carbon monoxide into the vehicle's cabin. NHTSA has received 154 complaints of "occupants smelling exhaust odors in the occupant compartment." There was one low-speed crash related to the investigation, but no one was injured during the incident.

 

The consumer complaints state the problem is most prevalent when their Explorer running at full throttle (such as climbing a steep hill or making a pass on the freeway), or when their air conditioning system is set to re-circulate air back into the vehicle's cabin. Many have also expressed concern about the possibility of being exposed to carbon monoxide. NHTSA officials cannot yet say how many Explorers or which of their three engines are affected by this potentially dangerous problem.

 

Ford had previously issued two technical service bulletins in 2012 and 2014, which alerted dealerships of the problem and also provided them with some potential solutions to this issue, but owners reported "little or no improvement" after the fixes were made, according to NHTSA officials.