Used 2009 Ford Explorer Consumer Reviews
Used Explorer for sale
We have a limited number of reviews for the 2009 Explorer, so we've included reviews for other years of the Explorer since its last redesign.
Don't Purchase!
Dallas, 08/28/2021
2008 Ford Explorer XLT 4dr SUV 4WD (4.0L 6cyl 5A)
4 of 5 people found this review helpful
I'm going to qualify this review right out of the gate by stating that my vehicle was a salvage title purchase, but that said there was a lot of things wrong with this vehicle that should not have been the case. I had to have the engine rebuilt once and the transmission rebuilt twice before it left my daughters stranded out on interstate 80. The factory paint job was horrible. The roof had rust spots and the paint was cracking all over the body. It had a shattered eggshell appearance if you looked at the paint job up close. The chrome foil on the dash, gear shifter, and on the grill was all peeling, bubbling, or coming off. One of the most appalling things to me was that the electrical wiring harnesses had a lot of cracks. The wiring going into the back of what I believe was the throttle position sensor had a 180° turn in the wiring in a very short distance. The wiring is also next to the hot, cooling system hoses coming out of the firewall. These factors caused the wiring to crack prematurely creating surges in the idle and the vehicle speed to be uncontrollable due to shorts/arcing in the electrical wiring. An extremely dangerous situation. My daughter ran into a bullard because she started the vehicle, put it in drive, and it took off on her. Ford should be liable and have a class action lawsuit against them just based on that alone. The vehicle has a poorly designed cooling system. The thermostat housing was plastic. Due to the obvious heat generated by the cooling system, this housing was prone to failure. I ended up buying an aluminum aftermarket thermostat housing body that never leaked. My best guesstimate is that this is what caused the original engine to fail. Somebody with no mechanical experience failed to notice that the housing was leaking and drove the vehicle with little or no coolant. The no gas cap fueling system sucks! I attempted multiple times to clean the area around the small fueling port metal door flap, but ultimately the engine warning light would always come back on. The engine codes would state that there was a leak. I watched multiple YouTube videos on this issue. My only fix would have been to replace the entire fuel filling tubes and assembly but I never got to it because the engine seized up the second time on my daughter's trip to Wyoming. I had a mechanic shop do a smoke test to determine that that's where it was leaking. So I know for a fact that's where the leak was coming from and why the engine codes were coming on. Please excuse any typos. I'm doing this on my phone. In conclusion, even though this vehicle was a salvage title rig, it should not have had all the problems that it did. Very poor engineering design all the way around!
Love this truck
richard glynn, 07/20/2010
2009 Ford Explorer XLT 4dr SUV (4.0L 6cyl 5A)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Bought truck with 18,000 miles runs great put 9000 miles on it myself enough room for my three kids and the dog. SYNC is great hands free driving.
2009 Ford Explorer for sale near you
Showing 3 of 29 listings
- XLT 4dr SUVMSRP: $4,900148 mi away
- XLT 4dr SUVMSRP: $5,500168 mi away
- Eddie Bauer 4dr SUVMSRP: $6,995324 mi away
See all 29 listings
Great vehicle all around
Jerry, 07/29/2018
2008 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer 4dr SUV (4.0L 6cyl 5A)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
This is my second Explorer. First was XLT, this one Eddie Bauer. It going on 11 years old with 86000 miles. The only thing I had to do to the vehicle was brakes, front bushings and tires. Around town I get 14.5-15 mpg, no matter how I drive it. I love it and am ready to buy a new ooe, however I am concerned it would not be as good as the one I have. Interior and paint are in excellent condition. Rides performs and looks exceptional. I love it.
- Safety
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Burrr....my feet are cold!
Lynziee, 12/01/2009
2008 Ford Explorer XLT 4dr SUV 4WD (4.0L 6cyl 5A)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
This is actually a company vehicle for me. I've had it 2 years and put on over 51,000 miles so I have spent many hours driving in this truck. The major problem with this specific model is that the floor heat on the driver's side does not push out as much heat as the passenger side. So, the passenger is roasting and the driver's feet are still frozen. With no dual zone climate control this is a problem. I took it into the dealer and they said they knew of the problem and tried to redirect the vents but were not very successful. So, if you drive it by yourself or live in a warm climate you are fine. If you drive in the cold and like to have company, this may not be the vehicle for you.
Love it!
lynn, 10/05/2009
2008 Ford Explorer XLT 4dr SUV 4WD (4.0L 6cyl 5A)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
After reading, test driving,etc. etc. I just couldn't talk myself out of getting this Explorer and am so glad I didn't! I love it, the ride is great, easy for my elderly parents to get in and out, as well as the grandkids! I actually look forward to driving to work! Interior is very nice and easy to use audio system. Can't say anything bad about it!