2023 Ford Explorer Owners Manual - Climate Control

Climate Control

Automatic Climate Control

Note:   Depending on your vehicle option package, the controls may look different from what you see here.

Note:   You can switch temperature units between Fahrenheit and Celsius.

Note:   You can control some of the climate features through the touchscreen.

Note:   For Hybrid Electric Vehicles and Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles, the air conditioning compressor may run, and you may feel airflow when the climate control is off to provide cooling to the battery.

Accessing the Air Distribution Controls

  Press and release the button to activate the selection screen.

From the screen, switch directed air from the windshield, instrument panel or footwell vents on or off. You can direct air through any combination of these vents.   See   . 

Accessing the Menu

  Press and release the button to access different climate features.

Smart Zone - Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV), Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV)

If there is not an occupant in the front passenger seat, the climate control system may default to single zone to improve fuel economy, if you were previously in dual zone operation. When this occurs, dual zone turns off and the passenger set point changes to match the driver set point.

Press the dual zone button on the touchscreen or adjust the passenger set point to use dual zone operation without a passenger present. The system remains in dual zone operation until you switch the vehicle off.

You can disable or re-enable the Smart Zone feature by pressing and holding the dual zone button on the touchscreen. Both set point displays begin flashing to signify when the feature disables. The system returns to previous state after you release the dual zone button.

Accessing Rear Climate Controls

Press and release the button to access additional controls for the rear climate system.

Setting the Blower Motor Speed

Press and release + or - to adjust the volume of air circulated in the vehicle.

Setting the Temperature

Press the toggle button on the left-hand side of the climate control upward or downward to set the left-hand temperature.

Note:   This control also adjusts the right-hand side temperature when you switch off dual zone mode.

Press the toggle button on the right-hand side of the climate control upward or downward to set the right-hand temperature.

Switching Auto Mode On and Off

  Press and release the button to switch on automatic operation. Repeatedly press the button to adjust auto mode.

The system adjusts the blower motor speed, air distribution, air conditioning operation, and outside or recirculated air to reach and maintain the temperature you have set.

Under high humidity conditions, the system adjusts the blower motor speed, air distribution and air conditioning operation to reduce window fogging.

Note:   The system starts at the previous setting when you switch on AUTO mode.

Note:   You can also switch off dual zone mode by pressing and holding the button for more than two seconds.

Auto Mode Indicator Status

Switching the Air Conditioning On and Off

  Press and release the button.

Use air conditioning with recirculated air to improve cooling performance and efficiency.

Note:   In certain conditions, for example, maximum defrost, the air conditioning compressor may continue to operate even though you switch off the air conditioning.

Note:   The A/C LED light may turn on and off based on the temperature setting or the current conditions.

Switching the Climate Control On and Off

Press and release the button.

Switching Maximum Air Conditioning On and Off

  Press and release the button for maximum cooling.

The driver and passenger temperatures are set to LO, recirculated air flows through the instrument panel air vents, air conditioning turns on and the blower motor adjusts to the highest speed.

Switching Maximum Defrost On and Off

  Press and release the button for maximum defrosting.

The driver and passenger temperatures are set to HI, air flows through the windshield air vents, and the blower motor adjusts to the highest speed.

Note:   Depending on your region, air conditioning turns on.

You can also use this setting to defog and clear the windshield of a thin covering of ice.

Note:   To prevent window fogging, you cannot select recirculated air when maximum defrost is on.

Note:   The heated rear window also turns on when you select maximum defrost.

Switching Recirculated Air On and Off

  Press and release the button to switch between outside air and recirculated air.

The air currently in the passenger compartment recirculates. This may reduce the time needed to cool the interior, when used with A/C, and reduce unwanted odors from entering your vehicle.

Note:   Recirculated air may turn off automatically, or prevent you from switching on in all air flow modes except MAX A/C to reduce the risk of fogging. Recirculation may also turn on and off automatically in various air distribution control combinations to improve heating or cooling efficiency.

Hints on Controlling the Interior Climate

General Hints

Note:   Prolonged use of recirculated air may cause the windows to fog up.

Note:   You may feel a small amount of air from the footwell air vents regardless of the air distribution setting.

Note:   To reduce humidity build-up inside your vehicle, do not drive with the system switched off or with recirculated air always switched on.

Note:   Do not place objects under the front seats as this may interfere with the airflow to the rear seats.

Note:   Remove any snow, ice or leaves from the air intake area at the base of the windshield.

Note:   To improve the time to reach a comfortable temperature in hot weather, drive with the windows open until you feel cold air through the air vents.

Automatic Climate Control

Note:   Adjusting the settings when your vehicle interior is extremely hot or cold is not necessary. Automatic mode is best recommended to maintain set temperature.

Note:   The system adjusts to heat or cool the interior to the temperature you select as quickly as possible.

Note:   For the system to function efficiently, the instrument panel and side air vents should be fully open.

Note:   If you select AUTO during cold outside temperatures, the system directs air flow to the windshield and side window air vents. In addition, the blower motor may run at a slower speed until the engine warms up.

Note:   If you select AUTO during hot temperatures and the inside of the vehicle is hot, the system uses recirculated air to maximize interior cooling. Blower motor speed may also reduce until the air cools.

Quickly Heating the Interior

1. Press and release AUTO.

1. Adjust the temperature function to the setting you prefer.

Recommended Settings for Heating

1. Press and release AUTO.

1. Adjust the temperature function to the setting you prefer. Use 72 °F (22 °C) as a starting point, then adjust the setting as necessary.

Quickly Cooling the Interior

1. Press and release MAX A/C.

Recommended Settings for Cooling

1. Press and release AUTO.

1. Adjust the temperature function to the setting you prefer. Use 72 °F (22 °C) as a starting point, then adjust the setting as necessary.

Defogging the Side Windows in Cold Weather

1. Press and release defrost or maximum defrost.

1. Adjust the temperature control to the setting you prefer. Use 72 °F (22 °C) as a starting point, then adjust the setting as necessary.

Rear Passenger Climate Controls (If Equipped)

Note:   Depending on your vehicle option package, the controls may look different from what you see here.

Directing Air to the Overhead Air Vents

Press and release the button to direct airflow to the overhead air vents.

Directing Air to the Rear Footwell Air Vents

Press and release the button to direct airflow to rear footwell air vents.

Rear Climate Control Lock Indicator

When illuminated, you can only operate the rear passenger settings through the front controls.

Setting the Rear Blower Motor Speed

Turn the control to adjust the volume of air circulated in the rear passenger compartment.

Setting the Rear Temperature

Turn the control to set the temperature in the rear passenger compartment.

Switching the Rear Climate Control On and Off

Press and release the button.

Switching the Rear Heated Seats On and Off (If Equipped)

 Heated Windshield (If Equipped)

Windshield Wiper De-Icer

 Heated Rear Window

   Press the button to clear the rear window of thin ice and fog.The heated rear window turns off after a short period of time.

Note:   Do not use harsh chemicals, razor blades or other sharp objects to clean or remove decals from the inside of the heated rear window. The vehicle warranty may not cover damage to the heated rear window grid lines.

Heated Exterior Mirrors (If Equipped)

When you switch the heated rear window on, the heated exterior mirrors turn on.

Note:   Do not remove ice from the mirrors with a scraper or adjust the mirror glass when it is frozen in place.

Note:   Do not clean the mirror housing or glass with harsh abrasives, fuel or other petroleum-based cleaning products. The vehicle warranty may not cover damage caused to the mirror housing or glass.

Remote Start (If Equipped)

The climate control system adjusts the interior temperature during remote start.

You can switch this feature on or off and adjust the settings using the touchscreen. See  Settings . 

 You cannot adjust the climate control setting during remote start operation.Switch the ignition on to make adjustments.

Based on your remote start settings, the following vehicle-dependent features may or may not remain on after remote starting your vehicle:

• Climate controlled seats.
• Heated steering wheel.
• Heated mirrors.
• Heated rear window.
• Windshield wiper de-icer.

Note:   For dual zone climate controlled seats, the passenger seat setting defaults to match the driver seat during remote start.

Automatic Settings

If Auto is on, the system sets the interior temperature to 72 °F (22 °C) and heats or cools the vehicle interior as required to achieve comfort.

Note:   In cold weather, the heated rear window and heated mirrors turn on.

Last Settings

If Last Settings is on, the system uses the settings last selected before you turned off the vehicle.

Heated and Cooled Features

In Auto mode, certain heated features may switch on during cold weather, and cooled features during hot weather.