I purchased a 2007 Ford Explorer in Doha, Qatar and I want to ship it back to the USA. I am having the hardest time finding someone who can tell me if my Explorer would meet US emission standards. Ford told me to ask the Dealer and the Dealer in Doha does not know. Does anyone know if an export 2007 Ford Explorer has the equipment to meet US Emissions standards. The sticker did have the word “Catalyst” under the standard features and I am assuming this is a catalytic converter. Once again, I asked Ford and they do not know or at least the person I talked to does not know.
Thank you.
It’s almost IMPOSSIBLE to ship a car into the US these days. There really isn’t anyway of us knowing if the truck will meet US emissions. Each country is different…and MOST if not ALL do NOT meet the US standards. I’m sorry to say, but you’ll probably have to sell it and take the loss and buy a new one here in the states.
Check out the US EPA site, but there is more to the issue than meeting emissions stardards. As Mike said, it is very hard or very expensive to import a new vehicle into the US. Here is a good site to start with. Google import car into US for more info.
http://www.foreignborn.com/visas_imm/entering_us/7importingyourcar.htm
Between the emissions and safety requirements, it is highly unlikely that your Explorer can be imported into the USA permanently. I suggest that you sell it and buy a car or truck upon moving the the USA.
One more thing: The VIN is the key to everything on the truck. If you give the VIN to Ford or your auto insurer, they can tell you everything about it, including whether it meets USA requirements.
Explorers are fairly common around the states. Stop by a dealership when you get here and I’m pretty sure you’ll have the salesman practically giving you the keys and seeing you off.
Thank you for your reply.
Thank you for your reply.
Thank you for your reply.
Thank you for your reply.
You’re welcome, bob. What’s your next step?
To find out whether your vehicle will meet U.S. import requirements, you should contact the Ford U.S. organization. Go to the Ford Customer Contact website: http://www.fordvehicles.com/help/contact/
Some manufacturers do not build cars specific to a smaller market like Qatar, but instead sell cars that were intended for other markets like the U.S.
Here’s another website with great information about importing a car into the U.S.:
http://www.foreignborn.com/visas_imm/entering_us/7importingyourcar.htm#emission
Should your car differ from what is required, Ford Customer Service should also be able to tell you (after some digging) whether your car can be adapted for import.
Note that word “whether.” Actually, any car can be adapted for the right price. The big wildcard, typically, is the vehicle wiring. U.S. cars typically have much more wiring. You wouldn’t know that because it’s all hidden. And that makes it an expensive matter to change. So keep your fingers crossed.
I should point out: FoMoCo of Qatar or Saudi Arabia may not know much about U.S. requirements, and the Qatar dealer would know nothing. So try the U.S. organization and good luck!
Edited to add one more quote and link:
"Transportation
Automobiles Last Updated: 4/28/2004 9:10 AM
Most of the well-known American, German, Japanese, and Korean brands of vehicles are available in Doha, although some parts are hard to find and/or expensive. Several European makes not sold in the U.S. are also available. Four-wheel-drive vehicles, including U.S.-made Jeep Cherokees, Ford Explorers, and General Motors models, are sold and serviced in Doha at slightly higher prices than in the U.S. Anyone planning to purchase a vehicle in Doha should also plan to sell it before returning to the U.S.-local vehicles do not meet U.S. emission control or safety standards and require costly modifications before they can be imported into the U.S."
From: eDiplomat - Global Portal for Diplomats
Thank you. You have provided more information then Ford did in the US when I contacted them.
Send your VIN to Ford headquarters. They can tell you if your car meets US emission requirements
Just curious, did you buy this vehicle new while you were working there? If so, did you just not look carefully at the underhood sticker before leaving the car there and moving back to the states? If it was manufactured in the US, it will say whether or not it meets US standards on the sticker. It was either manufactured to EPA or to EPA/California standards, or for export only, and it will say which.
I hope that you did not buy a car from Craig’s list from the ubiquitous “I’m in the service and I brought over this car that I cannot drive here” scam.
The right person at your local Ford dealer should be able to find out everything about that vehicle from the VIN, if it was manufactured here or in Canada.
Your Explorer will fetch a better price in Qatar than it’s worth in the US. SUVs are not worth much here, even with somewhat lower gas prices. I would see this as an opportunity to get the right car for the US without losing my shirt trying to trade an SUV. On the onther hand when I was last in Qatar, there was a waiting list of 6 months for a Hummer, proving the popularity of US SUVs.
As others point out importing a vehicle that may not have been built to US standards is tedious and expensive, even for diplomats. We get this thresd about once a month, and ususally the answer is that’s it is not worth the hassle