Some Ford Explorer owners say their SUVs poisoned them

Months after Ford acknowledged carbon monoxide leaks in police versions of Explorer SUVs, federal regulators are now looking at the potential of similar problems in civilian vehicles.

Posted 11:30 p.m. Oct 5, 2017 — Updated 11:30 p.m. Oct 5, 2017

RALEIGH, N.C. — Months after Ford acknowledged carbon monoxide leaks in police versions of Explorer SUVs, federal regulators are now looking at the potential of similar problems in civilian vehicles.

The investigation involves 1.3 million Explorers from 2011 to 2017, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it still lacks actual evidence of carbon monoxide poisoning from the civilian SUVs.

One Triangle man says he might have such proof.

Steve Simmons said that, shortly after he bought a certified, pre-owned 2015 Ford Explorer in July, he began to feel sick.

"I was weak. I was dizzy. My vision was a little screwed up, and then nausea and constant headache," Simmons said.

By the second week, he said, he felt so bad that he drove himself to an emergency room. A blood test confirmed he had carbon monoxide poisoning.

He went home but was in a hospital the next day, hooked up to oxygen for a couple of hours.

Only then, he said, did he recall hearing about dangerous carbon monoxide levels in Police Interceptor Explorers. So, he went online and found complaints involving regular Explorers like his, and then he called the dealership where he bought his SUV.

"I said, 'I am bringing back your vehicle to you. It got me ill,'" he said.

Another local Explorer owner contacted 5 On Your Side, worried about the safety of the SUV she bought new in 2015.

Because of a pending settlement with Ford, she doesn't want to be identified, but she said she made repeated trips to a dealership because of the smell inside the vehicle and repeated trips to the doctor with sick children.

She said in an email that she is "afraid of the car."

"We ride with our windows down," she added.

NHTSA has more than 2,700 complaints about Explorer carbon monoxide leaks. In July, the agency upgraded its investigation to an "engineering analysis," which is one step short of a recall.

Carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless, but Explorer owners say they smell exhaust fumes, which contain the poisonous gas.

In technical service bulletins to dealers, Ford acknowledges an "exhaust odor" that may "smell like sulfur" and worsen when the climate control is on.

Simmons complained to Ford, and the company sent an engineer from Detroit to examine his vehicle.

"Safety is our top priority," Ford said in a statement when asked about both local Explorer complaints. "Consistent with our ongoing investigation, Ford did not find levels of carbon monoxide in either Ford Explorer that presented a risk to safety by exceeding normal exposure in everyday life."

After two trips to the ER, though, Simmons wanted out of his two-week-old sale, but he couldn't reach an agreement with the dealership. After 5 On Your Side contacted the dealership, it came to terms with him on a new pickup within a day.

The other worried Explorer owner said she hired an attorney in addition to contacting 5 On Your Side, and Ford made what she called a "fair" settlement.

Both said they are now relieved, but they still worry about others possibly being poisoned in their Explorers.

"In two weeks, I was at the hospital, tested positive, returned the vehicle. One week after I returned the vehicle, I was symptom free," Simmons said. "Ford needs to do a recall."

He said he is sending his blood test that confirms carbon monoxide poisoning to Ford and NHTSA.

Ford said customers who believe their vehicles have an issue should take them to a Ford dealer for inspection. The company also has set up a dedicated hotline for questions about Explorers at 888-260-5575.

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