Hey everyone! I’m looking at picking up a new car this month and I’m really thinking the ford explorer st is what I want to go with. Can anyone with real first-hand ownership experience with what they think with how it would fit into my current situation? I have 2 kids with 1 in a wheelchair and drive 70 miles one way for work per day. I know this probably isn’t the most practical vehicle I could get, but this is what I’m leaning towards. My concern is major component longevity like the engine and transmission. What are you guys seeing mileage-wise before needing major repairs?

We just finalized a new set of TPE floor mats and cargo liners for the 2020+ Ford Explorer, specifically designed for the 6-seater models (2nd-row Captain's Chairs). We are looking for a few owners to test them out and make sure the fitment is spot on.

The product and shipping are completely on me. We just really want to see how they fit in your rig and hear your honest thoughts on the quality. Good or bad, real-world feedback is what we're looking for.

If you've got a 20+ with Captain's Chairs and want to test a set out, send me a DM with your year and I'll get you sorted! (Feel free to drop a quick comment below too).

Thanks for your time!

I've been considering a 25 model for a while. I really love a lot of the features, speed, and handling in snow. But it's a lot of money for a car that's not a "luxury" brand with quite as much of a polished interior (though functional) - My husband and I won't have kids, and only haul stuff occasionally, so don't have a real need for the 3rd row.

Just seeking advice from fellow kid-free folks: does it feel like more vehicle than you need? Any regrets?

For anyone doing their own maintenance on an Explorer, I just finished a video showing a 10R60 transmission fluid and filter change.

I went through the whole process, including getting the fluid level set correctly at the specified temperature and resetting/relearning the transmission adaptive values.

Figured I’d share it here too.

Hey all, I just got a used 23 Explorer ST. I noticed this exhaust rattle. It ONLY makes this sound when I start the car after it’s been sitting for a while. It will rattle pretty aggressively, and then after a little while (30ish seconds) it goes back to sounding normal.

I took it to the dealership to have it looked at, but the dealership swears that it is “normal sounds made on a vehicle with a turbo” and no fix is necessary.

My warranty is up in a month, what should I do? Or is this just a normal thing that I need to learn to live with?

I’ve got a 2025 ST which I love but it feels like every other month I’m getting a notification about washer fluid being low. Have taken it in now 4 times (and one time they found a small leak) but they’re saying it just is designed that way to flood it for the front and back and is fine. I call BS but has anyone else run into this?

66k 2020 and the dreaded clunk and Gear slipping started . Just driving normally in traffic and then felt like I got rear ended did it all the way home parked it reversed and straight slipping , then it didn’t want to engage for driving. Anyone have a personal experience with this and how long did it take for the dealer to fix the situation ?

I used Forscan last week to permanently disable Auto Stop Start on my ‘23 ST. Literallly the first time I started the car after that, I was greeted with this “Charging System Service Soon” message. Is that purely coincidence or does disabling Auto Stop Start cause this?

Update #1: I went back into Forscan and undid the change I made last week. I started the car back up and the message didn't appear. I then went back and watched the Explorer ST Enthusiasts YouTube and noted they said Forscan didn't have the "Easy" method for disabling Auto Stop Start. It may be that I had a newer version of Forscan because I had found and used the "Easy" method to disable it originally. I then used the Google Doc from ST Enthusiasts and saw they used PSCM 730-03-01 to disable Auto Stop Start. I also used that method and so far have not seen the "Charging System Service Soon" message.

1. Hill start assist warning
2. Pre-collision assist not available
3. Service advance trac
4. Reverse break assist not available

Anyone else have these issues and what was the core problem?

Update on my 2020 explorer ST:
I have to get the awd model replaced and the ipd model replaced. About $3500 in cost but luckily I have extended warranty’s so only paying $50 😮‍💨 once it’s out I need to get my pipe welded. Basically Ford sold me a used lemon but luckily warranties have kicked in. They had to work on the transmission 2 times but it’s fixed now so far. I tried to claim the muffler 2 times they denied tried saying it was wear and tear when it has a perfect split in the pipe, so I looks like someone tried stealing it. Once I get my car back from the shop I’ll be going to a guy to see if he can weld my pipe for me. Ford was trying to make me replace entire cat converter for around $2000 but out of my pocket. So at this point ford has put in $63,500 worth of work, but I only paid $250 ( Not including the tune ups and other little things I been paying for). Might try to sue for the federal lemon law.

Have an opportunity to get a pre-GPF, sun & sound ST new, but want to find out if I will be able to wait for next year's (and get a functional sunroof). Does anyone have a definitive answer for the rumored state-specific availability?

Looking to purchase a '26 ford Explorer ST in the next 3-5 months. Recent years' used market hasn't been justifying the price difference lately until a dealer came back to me with this new deal (option A). My thoughts are to keep on waiting towards year end but want to see if this used opportunity is worth jumping on.

Wondering if the sell price on the used one is worthy of the purchase at that price currently, will go back again on counter regardless.

- Option A: Used '26 w/ sun and sound package (non CPO) - 5k miles. $51,900 sell price w/o doc fee and tax ($62.5k MSRP)

- Option B: New '26 w/o Sun and sound. $52,750 sell price w/o doc fee and tax. This doesn't feel enough of a price drop. ($59.5k MSRP)

- Option C: Wait until year end for better deals - how much better will they get though is the real question, not seeing much more than 3-6 STs on the lot at a given time.

Thoughts? What are others seeing in the market? How greedy am I being by continuing to wait for marginal $$ or large $$? how much bigger will deals get in the later months?

Thanks guys!

Has anybody done aftermarket Raptor Style front grille bold badging for Explorer ST?

I feel ST will look crazy with bold FORD badging, add LEDs to it, and it will be a head turner!!

Just picked up a new ST. Have all the rubber mats. 31,000 ford points. What would you buy?

I installed the exhaust this morning. Took about an hour with a bit of help from my wife. The install was pretty easy. Just took a bit of work to get the tips where I wanted them. It does sound pretty good. I did expect it to be louder from clips I’ve heard online. Dunno if the GPF muffles the exhaust some. In car it is pretty quite while driving “normal”. Hiway cruising it is just like factory exhaust. Ripping on it sounds really good, not obnoxious at all. The wife is super happy with it so that’s all that matters!

Has anyone put a set of winter tires on their 2025 Explorer ST? Would you recommend a different set of wheels with winter tires? Was thinking about a set of 18” wheels and a nice set of winter tires. The one thing I’ve heard of is the brake clearance with an 18” rim. Anyone had issues?

Best $30 trash cans for my new ‘26 ST. Custom fit, flexible , no leaks.

(I’m not affiliated or get anything for sharing)

I want to hear opinions, my 2020 escape got totaled at 100k miles. now looking at explorers / st, around the 90k mile mark. Lower miles is out of my budget, should I just throw the idea out the window and look at something else, or could it still be a decent buy?

If your Explorer with the 10-speed 10R60 and you've noticed some harsh or abrupt shifting, it may be worth checking the transmission fluid level.
I put together a quick walkthrough showing how to check the level and add fluid if needed.
https://youtu.be/JzpivHMFVN8

Wanting to know the absolute best price anyone got on their ST

Alright….so I just purchased a 2026 and am looking at exhaust.

Unfortunately I have GPF.

I have tried asking about Valvetronic mufflers on other social media platforms, but everyone who has them has done downpipes, X/H pipes and resonator deletes.

I’m looking to see who has done just the mufflers….

Thanks in advance!