
PERCHLORATE MATERIAL
Certain components of this vehicle such as airbag modules, seat belt
pretensioners, and button cell batteries may contain Perchlorate Material
– Special handling may apply for service or vehicle end of life disposal.
See www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate.
BREAKING-IN YOUR VEHICLE
Your vehicle does not need an extensive break-in. Try not to drive
continuously at the same speed for the first 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of
new vehicle operation. Vary your speed frequently in order to give the
moving parts a chance to break in.
Drive your new vehicle at least 1,000 miles (1,600 km) before towing a
trailer. For more detailed information about towing a trailer, refer to
Trailer towingin theTires, Wheels and Loadingchapter.
Do not add friction modifier compounds or special break-in oils since
these additives may prevent piston ring seating. SeeEngine oilin the
Maintenance and Specificationschapter for more information on oil
usage.
SPECIAL NOTICES
New Vehicle Limited Warranty
For a detailed description of what is covered and what is not covered by
your vehicle’s New Vehicle Limited Warranty, refer to theWarranty
Guidethat is provided to you along with your Owner’s Guide.
Special instructions
For your added safety, your vehicle is fitted with sophisticated electronic
controls.
WARNING:Please read the sectionAirbag Supplemental
Restraint System (SRS)in theSeating and Safety Restraints
chapter. Failure to follow the specific warnings and instructions could
result in personal injury.
WARNING:Front seat mounted rear-facing child or infant seats
shouldNEVERbe placed in front of an active passenger airbag.
Introduction
6
2011 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

Operating tips
•To reduce fog build-up on the windshield during humid weather,
select
(defrost) or(floor/defrost).
•To reduce humidity build-up inside the vehicle, do not drive with the
system off or with
(recirculated air) engaged and A/C off.
•Do not put objects under the front seats that will interfere with the
airflow to the back seats.
•Remove any snow, ice or leaves from the air intake area at the base of
the windshield.
•To improve the time to reach comfort in hot weather, drive with the
windows slightly open for 2-3 minutes after start-up or until the
vehicle has been “aired out.”
•A small amount of air may be felt from the floor vent regardless of the
air distribution setting that is selected.
For maximum cooling performance in MAX A/C mode:
1. Select MAX A/C.
2. Move temperature control selector to the coolest setting.
3. Set the fan to the highest speed initially. As the interior starts to cool
down, adjust the fan speed to maintain comfort.
To aid in side window defogging/demisting in cold weather:
1. Select
(panel/floor).
2. Select A/C.
3. Adjust the temperature control to maintain comfort.
4. Set the fan speed to the highest setting.
5. Direct the outer instrument panel vents toward the side windows.
To increase airflow to the outer instrument panel vents, close the vents
located in the middle of the instrument panel.
Climate Controls
65
2011 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

Operating tips
•To reduce fog build-up on the windshield during humid weather,
select
(defrost) or(floor/defrost).
•To reduce humidity build-up inside the vehicle, do not drive with the
system off or with
(recirculated air) engaged and A/C off.
•Do not put objects under the front seats that will interfere with the
airflow to the back seats.
•Remove any snow, ice or leaves from the air intake area at the base of
the windshield.
•To improve the A/C cool down, drive with the windows slightly open
for 2-3 minutes after start-up or until the vehicle has been “aired out.”
•A small amount of air may be felt from the floor vent regardless of the
air distribution setting that is selected.
For maximum cooling performance:
•Automatic operation:
1. Press AUTO for full automatic operation.
2. Do not override A/C or
(recirculated air).
3. Set the temperature to 60°F (16°C).
•Manual operation:
1. Select MAX A/C.
2. Select
(panel) or(panel/floor).
3. Select
(recirculated air) to provide colder airflow.
4. Set the temperature to 60°F (16°C).
5. Set highest fan setting initially, then adjust to maintain comfort.
To aid in side window defogging/demisting in cold weather:
1. Select
(panel/floor).
2. Select A/C.
3. Adjust the temperature control to maintain comfort.
4. Set the fan speed to the highest setting.
5. Direct the outer instrument panel vents towards the side windows.
To increase airflow to the outer instrument panel vents, close the vents
located in the middle of the instrument panel.
Climate Controls
70
2011 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

Touchscreen features (if equipped)
Press the lower right corner on the touchscreen to access these features.
1.
(Power):Press to activate/deactivate the climate control system.
When the system is off, outside air is prevented from entering the
vehicle through the vents.
2.Passenger settings:
•Press DUAL to turn on passenger side temperature control.
•Press the red arrow to increase the temperature and press the blue
arrow to decrease the temperature.
•Press
to control the heated seat (if equipped). Refer toHeated
seatsin theSeat and Safety Restraintschapter.
3.
(Fan speed):Press to + to increase or – to decrease fan speed.
4.
(Recirculated air):Press to activate/deactivate air recirculation
in the vehicle. Recirculated air may reduce the amount of time needed to
cool down the interior of the vehicle and may also help reduce undesired
odors from reaching the interior of the vehicle. Recirculated air engages
automatically when MAX A/C is selected on can be engaged manually in
any airflow mode except
(defrost). Recirculated air may turn off in
all airflow modes except MAX A/C to reduce fog potential.
1
112
10
3
987654
Climate Controls
71
2011 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

11.Driver settings:
•Press the red arrow to increase the temperature and press the blue
arrow to decrease the temperature.
•Press
to control the heated seat (if equipped). Refer toHeated
seatsin theSeat and Safety Restraintschapter.
•Press and hold MyTemp to select a temperature you would like the
vehicle to remember and maintain for you.
Rear controls
To access, press ‘Rear’ in the lower right status bar. When the arrow icon is
down (
), you have access to the rear controls and they will display
along on the bottom of the screen under the Rear Climate heading.
•Pressto turn on/off the Rear Climate controls.
•Press ‘Rear Control’ to allow the rear seat passengers to have control
over of the rear auxiliary climate controls. Press again to control via
the touchscreen.
•Press the blue/red arrow to decrease/increase the temperature.
•Press
+/- to increase/decrease the fan speed.
To close access to the rear controls, press the arrow in the lower right
status bar again.
Climate control voice commands (if equipped)
The following voice commands are available at the main menu level of a
voice session. For example, press
and after the prompt, “Say a
command”, you may say any of the following commands:
•Climate On•Climate Off
•Climate Automatic•Climate My Temperature
•Climate Temperature <15.5–29.5>
degrees•Climate Temperature <60–85>
degrees
There are additional climate control commands but in order to access
them, you have to say “Climate” first, then when the system is ready to
listen, you may say any of the following commands:
•Automatic•Dual Off
•Off•On
•A/C Off•A/C On
•Max A/C On•Max A/C Off
•Defrost On•Defrost Off
Climate Controls
73
2011 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

REAR WINDOW DEFROSTER
The rear defroster control is located on the instrument panel or in the
touchscreen display (if equipped).
Press the rear defroster control
Rto clear the rear window of thin ice
and fog.
The ignition must be in the on position to operate the rear window defroster.
The defroster turns off automatically after 10 minutes or when the
ignition is turned to off or the accessory position. To manually turn off
the defroster before 10 minutes have passed, push the control again.
REMOTE START CLIMATE OPERATION (IF EQUIPPED)
The climate control system will condition the cabin temperature during
remote start. Engine idle may increase to help with adjusting the cabin
temperature.
Note:No climate control adjustments will be recognized during remote
start operation. Once the ignition is cycled to the on position, the climate
control system will return to the previous settings (last ignition-on cycle)
and adjustments can be made normally. If the previous setting was off,
the climate control system will turn off.
Automatic climate control
For hot weather conditions:
•The interior cabin will be cooled to 72°F (22°C).
•The cooled seats (if equipped) will be set to high.
For cold weather conditions:
•The interior cabin will be heated to 72°F (22°C).
•The heated seats (if equipped) will be set to high.
•Rear defrost/heated mirrors (if equipped) will be activated.
For moderate weather conditions:
•The interior cabin will be heated, cooled, or off, based upon the
previous operating state (last ignition-on cycle).
•Heated/cooled seats (if equipped) will be deactivated.
•Rear defrost/heated mirrors (if equipped) will be deactivated.
Climate Controls
75
2011 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

Rear center console features (if equipped)
The rear center console incorporates the following features:
•Flip forward armrest to provide a
flat load floor
•Utility compartment
•Cupholders
AUXILIARY POWER POINTS (12V DC)
Power outlets are designed for accessory plugs only. Do not insert
any other object in the power outlet as this will damage the
outlet and blow the fuse. Do not hang any type of accessory or
accessory bracket from the plug. Improper use of the power
outlet can cause damage not covered by your warranty.
Auxiliary power points can be found in the following locations:
•On the front of the center console
•Inside the utility compartment
•On the rear of the console, accessible from the rear seats
•In the cargo area
Do not use the power point for operating the cigarette lighter element (if
equipped).
Note:
Do not plug optional electrical accessories into the cigarette lighter
socket (if equipped). Improper use of the lighter can cause damage not
covered by your warranty, and can result in fire or serious injury.
To prevent the fuse from being blown, do not use the power point(s)
over the vehicle capacity of 12V DC/180W. If the power point or cigar
lighter socket is not working, a fuse may have blown. Refer toFuses and
relaysin theRoadside Emergencieschapter for information on
checking and replacing fuses.
Driver Controls
96
2011 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

FRONT SEATS
WARNING:Reclining the seatback can cause an occupant to
slide under the seat’s safety belt, resulting in severe personal
injuries in the event of a collision.
WARNING:Do not pile cargo higher than the seatbacks to
reduce the risk of injury in a collision or sudden stop.
WARNING:Before returning the seatback to its original
position, make sure that cargo or any objects are not trapped
behind the seatback. After returning the seatback to its original
position, pull on the seatback to ensure that it has fully latched. An
unlatched seat may become dangerous in the event of a sudden stop or
collision.
Adjustable head restraints
Your vehicle is equipped with front row outboard head restraints that are
vertically adjustable.
WARNING:To minimize the risk of neck injury in the event of a
crash, the driver and passenger occupants should not sit in
and/or operate the vehicle, until the head restraint is placed in its
proper position. The driver should never adjust the head restraint
while the vehicle is in motion.
The adjustable head restraints
consist of:
•a trimmed energy absorbing foam
and structure (1),
•two steel stems (2),
•a guide sleeve adjust/release
button (3),
•and a guide sleeve unlock/remove
button (4).
Seating and Safety Restraints
160
2011 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)