The bottom line: Exhaust smell aside, the engine fault owners report most on a 2011 to 2017 Explorer is the V6’s water pump, inside the engine. Caught while it only leaks, it cost half the owners who priced it $2,300 to $4,000, and every XLT sells for more fixed.
Once coolant reaches the oil, the 12 owners who priced another engine faced a typical $8,000. A 2011 to 2015 XLT sells for that or less, so selling it as it is usually leaves you more, while on a 2016 or 2017 the engine, trim and quote decide.
Sell Car Advisor’s comparison tool gets you several instant offers at once, which tells you what the Explorer brings broken while you weigh an engine quote.
What would buyers pay for your Explorer with a leaking pump or failed engine?Fill in one form, answering whether your Explorer still starts and drives, and weigh real offers against a water pump or engine quote.
Key Takeaways
- Owners filed 349 complaints with NHTSA about the water pump on 3.5-liter Explorers from these years, and at least 20 of them say it took the engine with it.
- Where owners gave the mileage, the pump typically failed at about 100,000 miles, and half failed between 77,000 and 123,000.
- The pump itself costs a few hundred dollars at most, but owners were billed 12 to 16 hours of labor to reach it.
- About a third of the engine complaints from 3.5-liter Explorers are about exhaust smell in the cabin, which is a different fault.
Automated assistant: general info, not legal advice
Answers come from our state paperwork data and published guides. Confirm anything binding with your state DMV.
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How Does a Water Pump Ruin an Explorer Engine?
On the 3.5-liter V6, the water pump sits inside the engine, behind the timing cover, and the timing chain turns it. When its seal wears, coolant escapes through a small weep hole to the outside, or past the seal into the oil, as The Autopian explains.
A leak through the weep hole is the warning stage. The coolant level drops, a drip shows low on the engine’s passenger side, or the temperature climbs, and the engine itself is still sound.
Coolant in the oil is the costly stage. Oil thinned with coolant stops protecting the bearings, so the engine can stall or seize on the road, and 75 of the pump complaints mention no warning light beforehand.
Owners’ complaints to NHTSA show that most reach only the first stage. Of 349 complaints naming the pump on 3.5-liter Explorers from these years, most describe a leak or overheating that a shop caught, and at least 20 say the pump took the engine with it.
Most failures come after the warranty has ended. Of the 195 owners who gave a mileage, half had the pump fail between 77,000 and 123,000 miles, and 22 had it fail before 60,000.
Which Explorers Have the Pump Inside the Engine?
Every V6 in these years has it: the 3.5-liter, the 3.5-liter EcoBoost in the Sport and 2016 to 2017 Platinum, and the Police Interceptor’s 3.7-liter. The Autopian gives the EcoBoost’s pump job more labor than the plain V6’s, and the complaints show the fault on all three.
One character of the VIN, the eighth, names your engine, and you can read the VIN through the windshield at the base of the dashboard or on your registration. NHTSA’s VIN decoder reads that character this way for these Explorers:
- The 3.5-liter V6 has an 8
- The 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 has a T
- The 3.7-liter V6 in the Police Interceptor has an R
- The 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder has a 9
- The 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder has an H
The V6s account for 1,495 of the 1,816 complaints filed under engine for these years. The four-cylinder EcoBoosts almost never mention the pump.
The 2016 and 2017 2.3-liter has a fault of its own. Of its 124 complaints, 48 describe coolant getting into the cylinders or the oil, through a cracked head or block or a head gasket, and 27 say the engine needed replacing.
Four of those owners priced a new engine at $9,500 to $15,000, so get a 2.3-liter its own quote. One owner says Ford offered to pay $4,500 of a $9,500 bill, a reason to call Ford before you pay.
Is It the Pump, or Something That Only Looks Like It?
These are the symptoms in the 1,495 engine complaints from V6 Explorers, the 3.5-liter and the EcoBoost together. The pump, coolant and overheating rows belong to the pump, while the exhaust smell and many of the stalls point elsewhere.
| What owners described to NHTSA | Share of V6 engine complaints |
|---|---|
| Exhaust smell or fumes in the cabin | 34% |
| The water pump | 23% |
| Coolant going down or leaking | 14% |
| Stalling, or losing power while driving | 13% |
| Overheating, or a temperature warning | 10% |
| The throttle body | 5% |
| The timing chain | 3% |
| Coolant in the oil | 1% |
Exhaust smell is the commonest complaint, and it isn’t the engine failing. Ford’s free program 19N05 reprogrammed the climate control and replaced the liftgate drain valves on 2011 to 2017 Explorers, and it has ended, so that fix is now at your own cost.
A stall after which the engine restarts and runs is often the electronic throttle body, which 81 owners named. A shop tests it separately from the pump and the engine.
Work through it cheapest first:
- Look up your VIN on NHTSA’s recall site, since a Ford dealer fixes any open recall free. On a 2016 or 2017 with an engine block heater, recall 25SA4 replaces a heater that can crack and leak coolant.
- With the engine cold, check the coolant reservoir and the dipstick. Oil that looks milky or light brown means coolant has reached it, so stop driving the car, and let the shop confirm whether the pump or a head gasket let it in.
- Look under the front of the engine on the passenger side for a drip, or a dried crust of coolant, around the weep hole.
- Have a shop pressure-test the cooling system and price the pump. One owner was charged $200 for a dealer’s diagnosis.
- If selling is already your plan, the tests can wait, because the instant-offer buyers we quoted make offers on Explorers that don’t start.
What Do Owners Pay at Each Stage?
Kelley Blue Book shows no repair price for any 2011 to 2017 Explorer, for the pump, the engine or a diagnosis. These are the prices owners told NHTSA they were quoted or paid for their own Explorer.
| What was replaced | Owners who gave a price | Typical | Lowest to highest |
|---|---|---|---|
| The water pump, caught while it leaked | 59 | $3,000 | $1,500 to $5,000 |
| The engine, after the pump failed | 12 | $8,000 | $3,000 to $15,000 |
The labor is the bill. Owners priced the pump itself at $70 to $419, but they say dealers charged 12 to 16 hours to reach it, because the front of the engine comes apart first.
Half the owners who had the pump done paid between $2,300 and $4,000, so an independent shop’s quote inside that range is in line. Ask what it includes, since the timing chain comes off on the way and several quotes included new chain parts.
A cheap job can cost more. One owner paid $1,580 with parts they bought themselves, and within a month the chain broke and another engine cost them $3,000, the lowest engine bill in the table.
A new pump is no guarantee either: a few owners report a second or third, so ask what warranty the shop gives on its work.
For the engine, a used or rebuilt one is the cheaper route. One owner had a used engine fitted for $5,000 and another a rebuilt one for over $7,000, while four paid $11,000 to $12,500 to have the engine replaced.
All of those bills were for the plain 3.5-liter but one: a dealer quoted $15,000 for a 2013 EcoBoost’s engine and turbocharger. Get an EcoBoost its own quote.
A used engine has the same pump inside, so ask how far it has run and whether the pump was replaced. Ask your shop before buying an engine yourself, as some refuse to fit one they didn’t source.
Will Ford or a Lawsuit Pay Any of It?
Not by right. Ford’s 5-year, 60,000-mile powertrain warranty has run out on every one of these Explorers by age alone, the 2017 included. NHTSA lists no recall for the pump, and Ford has run no program for it.
Ford can still choose to help, so call its customer line, 1-866-436-7332, before you pay. Most owners who asked say it gave nothing.
The lawsuits have paid owners nothing either. Roe v. Ford, the US class action over these pumps, ended when Ford settled privately with seven owners who had sued, and the court dismissed the case.
A similar suit by a 2016 Explorer owner, Militello v. Ford, was moved to the same Michigan court and closed there. Neither left a settlement other owners can claim from.
In Canada, Carter v. Ford is a certified class action over the same pumps that names the 2011 to 2019 Explorer. It is for owners in Canada and has paid nothing so far, so it is no reason for a US owner to wait.
Which Years Are Worth a Pump, and Which an Engine?
The pump and engine are the same design across these years, so the bill doesn’t follow the year, and the value once fixed decides it. A 2015 XLT in good condition sells privately for $7,950 by Kelley Blue Book’s figures, about $3,600 more than a dealer gives on trade.
Those values assume typical mileage for the year, so enter your own on Kelley Blue Book’s page for a closer figure. Each row of the next table gives the XLT’s private-sale value, then what’s left after the typical bill owners reported for each repair.
| Year, XLT in good condition | Private sale | After a $3,000 pump | After an $8,000 engine |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | $5,700 | $2,700 left | $2,300 short |
| 2012 | $5,000 | $2,000 left | $3,000 short |
| 2013 | $7,000 | $4,000 left | $1,000 short |
| 2014 | $7,100 | $4,100 left | $900 short |
| 2015 | $7,950 | $4,950 left | $50 short |
| 2016 | $9,750 | $6,750 left | $1,750 left |
| 2017 | $11,350 | $8,350 left | $3,350 left |
Every year keeps money after the pump, even a 2012 at $2,000, though Kelley Blue Book values a 2011 XLT above a 2012. After an engine, only the 2016 and 2017 keep any, and the 2015 comes out level.
Selling it running brings far less. Buyers offered a typical $1,735 for the oldest Explorers of this generation in any condition, and $2,656 for a 2015 Limited that still drove, its warning light on.
| Limited, 3.5-liter V6 | Private sale | After an $8,000 engine | After $11,000 to $12,500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 Limited | $10,700 | $2,700 left | $300 to $1,800 short |
| 2017 Limited | $11,750 | $3,750 left | $750 left to $750 short |
The Sport and the 2016 and 2017 Platinum have the EcoBoost, and the V6 bills don’t apply to them. No owner priced a used EcoBoost engine, and the one EcoBoost bill was $15,000, with a turbocharger.
| EcoBoost trim | Private sale | After the $15,000 EcoBoost bill |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 Sport | $11,250 | $3,750 short |
| 2016 Platinum | $11,700 | $3,300 short |
| 2017 Sport | $12,600 | $2,400 short |
| 2017 Platinum | $13,300 | $1,700 short |
On a 2016 or 2017, the quote decides it. A V6 Limited keeps a few thousand dollars at $8,000, but an EcoBoost needs a far lower quote: at $11,200, a 2016 Sport keeps $50, less than the $2,145 buyers offered for a 2017 Sport that wouldn’t start.
Kelley Blue Book’s page for each year values your Explorer at its trim, mileage and ZIP code: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017.
| Route, 2015 XLT | What it costs you | After a $7,950 sale |
|---|---|---|
| Water pump, the middle half of owners’ bills | $2,300 to $4,000 | $3,950 to $5,650 left |
| Used engine, at one owner’s price | $5,000 | $2,950 left |
| Engine, at the typical owner’s bill | $8,000 | $50 short |
| Engine, at what four owners paid | $11,000 to $12,500 | $3,050 to $4,550 short |
| Sell it as it is | None | Your best offer |
At the pump stage, fixing a 2015 XLT keeps $3,950 to $5,650, about $1,300 to $3,000 more than the best offer for a running 2015 Limited, a dearer trim, at $2,656.
Once the engine has gone, only a used engine at about $5,000 keeps more than the $855 buyers offered for a 2015 that wouldn’t start. At the typical $8,000, selling it as it is leaves you more.
Run Your Own Explorer Through the Sum
The example is a 2015 XLT with a failed engine at owners’ typical bill, its private-sale value, and the best offer for a 2015 that wouldn’t start. For a leaking pump, enter the pump quote, your year’s value from the year table, and what buyers offer for it running.
No offer yet? Sell Car Advisor’s comparison tool gets you several instant offers at once.
When Does a Replacement Engine Make Sense?
Paying for an engine is most likely to come out ahead when:
- It’s a 2016 or 2017 V6, and the quote is well under its value once fixed
- You’ll keep it for years and a used engine costs far less than another Explorer of its year, which Kelley Blue Book prices at $9,000 for a 2015 XLT bought from a dealer
- Nothing else on it needs work, and the shop will warranty the engine in writing
If you’d sell a 2011 or 2012 once fixed, even a used engine leaves little or nothing after the sale, so selling it as it is makes more sense.
What Did Buyers Offer for These Explorers?
Among the Explorers quoted through My Garage, Sell Car Advisor’s offer comparison form, none from these years came with a failed engine. The four nearest are two that wouldn’t start and two that drove, each as its owner described it.
| Explorer | Miles | As the owner described it | Best offer | Second offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Ford Explorer | 138,000 | Won’t start | $855 | $775 |
| 2017 Ford Explorer Sport | 150,000 | Won’t start | $2,145 | $1,180 |
| 2015 Ford Explorer Limited | 124,000 | Drives, warning light on | $2,656 | $1,245 |
| 2017 Ford Explorer Platinum | 115,000 | Drives | $4,570 | $3,999 |
Between the two 2015s, buyers offered $855 for the one that wouldn’t start and $2,656 for the Limited that drove, though their trims differ too. The 2017 Sport that wouldn’t start had a best offer of $2,145, so a newer Explorer holds more of its offer broken.
The best offer beat the second by about $1,400 on the 2015 Limited and nearly $1,000 on the 2017 Sport, so one quote alone would have left money behind.
The typical offer of $1,735 for Explorers of this generation in our offer data compares with $1,120 for cars of every make from those years. Each counts only cars at least 10 years old when quoted, which means 2011 to 2016 Explorers depending on the quote’s date, in any condition.
Not starting takes 46% off the best offer for cars of every make in our offer data, measured against comparable cars that drive. That gap is the cost of waiting, so fix or sell a leaking Explorer before coolant reaches the oil.
Middle offer on an old Ford Explorer, by model year 100 Ford Explorer offers · 10,016 for all cars of the same years · Model yearsShow the numbers
Model years Ford Explorer Offers All cars of the same years Offers 2002 to 2005 $430 43 $460 2,714 2006 to 2010 $600 37 $605 4,399 2011 to 2019 $1,735 20 $1,120 2,903 
How Do You Get the Most for an Explorer You Won’t Fix?
On the offer form you choose whether it drives, only starts or won’t start, and a separate question asks about warning lights. Answer for the car as it is that day, because an offer made for a car that drives can be lowered at pickup.
Until it goes, check the coolant and the dipstick every few days and watch the temperature gauge. A pump leaking outward gives you that warning, but one leaking into the oil may not, so the dipstick is the check that counts.
Sold privately, say in the listing what the shop found and what it quoted. The buyer takes on that bill, so expect well under the $7,950 a 2015 XLT sells for once fixed.
The instant-offer buyers we quoted pay when their tow truck collects the car, and you hand over the title then. Have it ready in your own name, and check your state’s rule on keeping the plates.
If the engine has gone, see what buyers offer before you book one. Sell Car Advisor’s comparison tool asks several buyers at once from one description of your car, and you decide whether to take any of their offers.
Article Update History
Originally posted and shared with our readers.
Sources
NHTSA: vehicle complaints, 2011 to 2017 Ford Explorer
The 11,912 complaints for the seven model years, read from NHTSA's complaints API; the 1,816 filed under engine, split by engine with the VIN's eighth character; the 349 on 3.5L engines naming the water pump, with the mileage and the prices owners gave for their own car, coded by hand. Accessed October 15, 2026.
The Autopian: How a bad water pump design can total an older Ford Explorer, Taurus or Flex
The 3.5L and 3.7L Cyclone V6 water pump sits inside the engine and is driven by the timing chain; a failed seal can let coolant into the oil; a weep hole shows a leak early; book labor for the pump on a 2011 Flex, 10.8 hours with the 3.5L and 12.3 hours with the 3.5L EcoBoost. Accessed October 15, 2026.
Decodes the engine from a VIN; for 2011 to 2017 Explorers an eighth character of 8 decodes as the 3.5L Ti-VCT V6, T as the 3.5L GTDI, R as the 3.7L Ti-VCT (Police), 9 as the 2.0L GTDI and H as the 2.3L GTDI. Accessed October 15, 2026.
NHTSA recall 25V-685 (Ford 25SA4): engine block heater
Certain 2016 to 2023 Explorers among other Ford and Lincoln models: the engine block heater may crack and leak coolant, and short circuit when plugged in; dealers replace the block heater free. Accessed October 15, 2026.
Ford Customer Satisfaction Program 19N05: 2011 to 2017 Explorer carbon monoxide concern
June 24, 2019, replacing 17N03: climate control module reprogramming and liftgate drain valve replacement at no charge, regardless of mileage, in effect through July 31, 2022; not for Police Interceptors. Accessed October 15, 2026.
Kelley Blue Book: 2015 Ford Explorer water pump replacement
No Pricing Data Available, in ZIP 28202, 48226 and 89101; the engine replacement and engine diagnosis were likewise unpriced for every 2011 to 2017 Explorer trim tried. Accessed October 15, 2026.
Roe v. Ford Motor Co., No. 2:18-cv-12528 (E.D. Mich.)
The class action over the internal water pump in Ford's Cyclone (Duratec) V6; filed August 14, 2018, terminated January 16, 2024. Accessed October 15, 2026.
CarComplaints: Ford water pump class action lawsuit dismissed
Ford reached a confidential settlement with seven named plaintiffs, and the class action was dismissed with prejudice. Accessed October 15, 2026.
Militello v. Ford Motor Co., No. 2:23-cv-11363 (E.D. Mich.)
A 2016 Explorer owner's water pump suit, transferred from the Western District of New York (6:22-cv-06425) on June 8, 2023, and terminated December 27, 2023. Accessed October 15, 2026.
Koskie Minsky: Ford water pump class action (Carter v. Ford Motor Company of Canada)
Ontario Superior Court of Justice; certified June 8, 2021; persons in Canada whose vehicle's water pump failed, the class later extended to failures through September 8, 2026; the 2011 to 2019 Explorer and 2013 to 2019 Police Interceptor Utility among 15 models; no settlement or judgment. Accessed October 15, 2026.
Kelley Blue Book: 2011 to 2017 Ford Explorer values
Trade-in, private party and fair purchase values by trim, good condition, national averages at typical mileage; the 2011 to 2014, 2016 and 2017 from their own year pages. Accessed October 15, 2026.
Sell Car Advisor: My Garage instant offers
Instant offers from several buyers on the same car, with the condition the owner gave, quoted March to October 2026. These are the cars in this page's offer tables and the set behind the condition figures (how much less buyers offer for a car that doesn't start or doesn't drive), compared within groups of cars of similar age and mileage. The model-year charts come from a larger set of offers going back to 2021.
Middle offer on an old Ford Explorer, by model year, Sell Car Advisor
"100 Ford Explorer offers · 10,016 for all cars of the same years" Accessed Oct. 17, 2026
Junk Car Value Statistics, Sell Car Advisor
"On this page: 2 figures from 17,628 instant cash offers, and 1 figure from same-day quotes by several buyers" Accessed Oct. 17, 2026
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