Tailgate problems of the 2005 Ford Explorer

I have a 2005 Ford Explorer and upon opening my rear tailgate, the screws on the two hinges broke from the glass. Tthe only thing holding it halfway up is the hydraulic power lifters. Glad I was parked and not on the highway.

Typical Ford problem with 2002-2005 Explorer/mountaineers. Rear tailgate cracked all on it's own because it's cold here, and because it's a defect Ford should have fixed when they knew of the issue. I am not the only one (of many) with this problem.

I went out to my 2005 Ford eddie bauer Explorer to remove items inside back cargo area and noticed that the plastic tailgate panel below the rear window had vertically cracked all the way down and through the whole piece. There was no physical evidence to show cause for the spontaneous wide crack. The car has been well cared for. Parked daily in garage and not even driven daily. I am extremely concerned that the glass window panel might be compromised and could cause deadly damage to passengers in my car or others on the road behind me should it come loose or shatter, including the chance that the back windshield wiper could come unattached and also fly off into the window of a vehicle behind me. I have just researched this problem and have found hundreds of other owners who have had the same spontaneous cracking and have filed complaints. Something must be done. This is an extreme safety issue.

Body issues: I have a 2005 Ford Explorer and have never been in a car accident. My tailgate somehow develope a crack that goes through where the Ford logo is. Nothing happened to the SUV to cause the crack. It just somehow happened on it's own. I beileve the vehicle is defective or at least the materials used to make the vehicle. Eletrical issues: another issue I have is with the electrical. My turn signals (most times) do not work. I have to manually move it up and down when turning. When it does work, it goes really fast. My reverse notification no longer works for some strange reason. Also, my radio goes louder when I turn it down. I have to turn it off for a little while, turn it back on then try to lower the volume.

2005 Ford Explorer: I am worrying about the integrity of my 2005 Ford Explorers rear end and what would happen if I were to be rear ended. The following occurred: I shut the tailgate and the area above and below the Explorer emblem cracked vertically. My friend has the same car and hers cracked exactly like mine a year ago. Now I just saw an Explorer parked at the store and it was cracked too!!!.

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I am the 1 and only owner of 2005 Ford exporer limited, and the rear upper tailgate has a vertical crack right next to the Ford logo that spans from window to base 2cm in width.

I have a cracked tailgate that is a defect. I have seen this same crack on numerous Ford Explorer's 2002-2005. I have contacted Ford and have gotten no where with this problem. There are numerous complaints of this same problem. I thought the door was closed to hard, that is not the case until I kept seeing the same crack on every Ford Explorer 2002-2005 then a light bulb went off there's something wrong with the tailgate, that makes it eventually crack. This has not been fixed on our vehicle, we worry the glass could shatter while continuing to close it as I have read with some owners. Please help us solve this problem.

2005 Ford Explorer XLT rear plastic tailgate panel cracked from top to bottom around Ford oval emblem.

While sitting in my driveway in a parked position, the upper tailgate panel, directly to the right and running right next to the oval Ford emblem, a 1/4" wide crack that runs vertically on the back panel appeared. This upper panel of the tailgate also opens up just the window part of the tailgate. The tailgate on this Explorer can open up two ways. One way being the entire tailgate is lifted so that it is open like for a dog to jump in and is then level with the interior back part (with the seats down), and it also opens up with just the window part which is where the crack is. This crack is so wide that it allows moisture, snow, water, rain, salt, etc. To seep into the components which house the electrical and tail light, stop lamps and turn signals. It also compromises the body structure and safety features. There are thousands of complaints of this happening as I did a google search. This is clearly a defect in manufacturing and/or parts or components and because of the large number of complaints, the manufacturer should issue a recall notice. At the time of this occurrence, my back tailgate was facing west with the sun shining on it. Could it have something to do with the components shrinking and expanding? I have pictures of this issue that I can e-mail to you.

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while parked the panel below the rear window of the tailgate of the vehicle was split. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated the vehicle was not under any recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was not seen by a technician or mechanic. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000 and the current mileage was 68,292.

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Explorer. The contact stated the back tailgate was cracked. The dealer was contacted and advised the contact to call the nhsta hotline since there were no recalls or valid warranty for the failure. The manufacturer confirmed that there were no recalls or warranties related to the failure and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 78,000.

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the structure underneath the tailgate cracked under the window. The contact called the dealer and the manufacturer and was advised that the crack was cosmetic and not considered a safety issue; therefore, there was nothing they could do. The contact stated that if the pieces fall off of the vehicle while driving a crash could occur. The failure mileage was 87,000.

After coming back from a vacation to the airport to get my car, I noticed the tailgate of my blue 2005 Explorer XLT was cracked all the way through with a 8" long crack from the bottom of the glass to the bottom of the tailgate. After a brief internet search, it turns out that this is a widespread problem that Ford knows about, which they refuse to do anything about. I even have a Ford full-extended warranty that covers everything and they still refuse to do anything. The repair will be $400-$500, which I am not going to pay for. It's a Ford design flaw, they knew it back in 2002, yet continued to produce Explorers with the same defect for three or more years. The safety issue is that the tailgate piece is broken and can come flying of the vehicle at anytime.

Rear tailgate window portion with Ford logo cracked vertically. I am assuming that this is from regular use since nothing hit the car. I only use the upper portion or the tailgate as if you use the larger portion of the tailgate, anything that you have in the rear of the car falls out. I would think that this issue could cause the rear window to be less than secure.

Panel below tailgate glass has vertical crack. Purchased 2005 Explorer 2 weeks ago and it was in perfect condition (had an 02 Explorer with same crack issue so I knew what to look for). Crack literally happened overnight. If Toyota can have a massive recall then so can Ford.

Large cracks developed on tne tailgate on both sides of the Ford sign in the panel below the rear window. The cracks continue to get larger and I am concerned that a piece of the panel could come loose and cause a following motorist to have an accident. I am aware that Ford has received thousands of complaints regarding this issue which is obviously a design flaw and should be held accountable for the repair.

Have a 2005 Ford Explorer that just went out of warranty and the back tailgate area cracked by the Ford applique. Ford will not extend any goodwill repairs and claims it is not a design flaw. I have seen thousands of posts on just one website where others report the same problem and same response from Ford. There was not damage or event to the tailgate to cause the crack. Just occurred one very hot day while parked in the heat. Contacted an auto repair shop to get a quote and they stated that they see this all the time and they can't believe Ford doesn't have a recall on this problem.

I have a crack on the tailgate of my 2005 for Explorer. I saw on our local news that many others are having the same problem.