2017 Ford Explorer XLT from North America - Comments
20th Apr 2025, 17:08
This is the original reviewer providing an approximate 1-year update for my 2017 Explorer XLT. This will be a short update because since the last review I have only put 4,244 miles on the vehicle and nothing much has happened during that time. The odometer now reads 66,992 miles. There have been so few miles this past year because I put nearly 8,000 miles on my 2010 Cadillac DTS plus a couple of thousand on the 2013 Toyota Tundra, so they are taking strain from the Explorer.
One of only two maintenance items during the past year was that the air filter was changed. I was a little embarrassed at how black the filter was and it made me realize how dependent I have become on the dealer keeping track of the maintenance schedule for the Explorer. I had always prided myself on keeping up my own maintenance on my vehicles and had my Haines Manual always in hand. But with the 2017 being a new car and too complicated to do anything with myself, I have fallen out of the habit of maintenance altogether except for when it goes to the dealer for an oil change. I'm not sure I like that. At any rate, the air filter should have been changed long before it was.
The other item was that I finally bought a new set of tires at about 65,000 miles to replace the originals. The originals were Michelins and they gave good service, though to my surprise the dealer said I should not have been able to get so many miles from them. I replaced them with Firestone LE3s, which are also on my Tundra. They work well on the Tundra and also on the company car at work, a Chevy Suburban, but I'm not sure they work with the Explorer. From the first, I noticed that the tread seemed to grab grooved pavement and make the front end wander a little. The dealer may have messed something up because now there is a vibration that was not there before. The same dealer also failed to securely re-attach an engine shield when they changed the oil and after feeling a vibration, I found it hanging down by the last wingnut. They've done a good job before, so hopefully that was a one-off thing.
I expect things to continue to be okay for the coming year as this vehicle still has relatively low miles. I bought it 8 years ago practically to this very week. It still seems like a new car to me. I believe it will be the last new car I purchase. It was also the first new car that I purchased.
20th Apr 2025, 17:08
This is the original reviewer providing an approximate 1-year update for my 2017 Explorer XLT. This will be a short update because since the last review I have only put 4,244 miles on the vehicle and nothing much has happened during that time. The odometer now reads 66,992 miles. There have been so few miles this past year because I put nearly 8,000 miles on my 2010 Cadillac DTS plus a couple of thousand on the 2013 Toyota Tundra, so they are taking strain from the Explorer.
One of only two maintenance items during the past year was that the air filter was changed. I was a little embarrassed at how black the filter was and it made me realize how dependent I have become on the dealer keeping track of the maintenance schedule for the Explorer. I had always prided myself on keeping up my own maintenance on my vehicles and had my Haines Manual always in hand. But with the 2017 being a new car and too complicated to do anything with myself, I have fallen out of the habit of maintenance altogether except for when it goes to the dealer for an oil change. I'm not sure I like that. At any rate, the air filter should have been changed long before it was.
The other item was that I finally bought a new set of tires at about 65,000 miles to replace the originals. The originals were Michelins and they gave good service, though to my surprise the dealer said I should not have been able to get so many miles from them. I replaced them with Firestone LE3s, which are also on my Tundra. They work well on the Tundra and also on the company car at work, a Chevy Suburban, but I'm not sure they work with the Explorer. From the first, I noticed that the tread seemed to grab grooved pavement and make the front end wander a little. The dealer may have messed something up because now there is a vibration that was not there before. The same dealer also failed to securely re-attach an engine shield when they changed the oil and after feeling a vibration, I found it hanging down by the last wingnut. They've done a good job before, so hopefully that was a one-off thing.
I expect things to continue to be okay for the coming year as this vehicle still has relatively low miles. I bought it 8 years ago practically to this very week. It still seems like a new car to me. I believe it will be the last new car I purchase. It was also the first new car that I purchased.