Body problems of the 2002 Ford Explorer - part 1

September 2, 2023 at about 6 pm I pulled over to grab a couple water bottles from the rear of my 2002 Ford Explorer sport cause my engine was overheating. I got out walked to the rear of my vehicle pushed my unlatch button on the tailgate and I lifted the glass part of the rear hatch. Both air hinges were not working correctly to keep it up so I gently rested the glass on my hair that was put up in a bun and just a little bit of the glass was resting on the very top of my head where my hair was slicked back for my bun so my hands were free to grab the bottles of water. (my hair was the softest of resting place's). As I reached in the back to grab the water bottles I heard the loudest bang and hundreds of little pieces of glass fell everywhere around me. I was in so much distrot that I actually thought someone had shot at me with a fire arm but missed me and hit the rear glass instead. The top of my head was stinging and it felt like I had just been smacked with a tree branch and the glass had went all over me causing a few minor cuts and scrapes as I fell to my knees in shock my heart racing faster than I had even imagined a heart could beat while histaraclly crying from the trauma that just occurred I fell to the ground and for a full 15 minutes I sat there surrounded by glass and tears in so much shock, dazed and confused before I stood up and looked around at everything that then I only realized I wasn't shot at because there was no bullet or bullet hole nor did a vehicle drive by nor was there any people closer than a mile to me when I realized that the glass had shattered for some unknown reason on its own that it scared me so bad it traumatized me. After that day I was pulled over multiple times by numerous police agency's (sheriff, medford pd, central point pd and state police) because I didn't have the money to fix it let alone have the knowledge that it had a recall so I could get it replaced. I have pictures but it will not allow me to upload them.

Tl- the contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while opening the real lift gate the rear lift gate glass window suddenly shattered. During the incident the person sustained a facial laceration which required medical treatment. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer future Ford located at 650 automall dr, roseville, CA 95661 was notified o the failure. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 184,000. Jft.

Summer,spring weather, all four, clear, glass windows do not slide up or down through its' power button, electronically.

Tl-the contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed there was an abnormal rattling coming from the rear of the vehicle. The contact performed an inspection on the vehicle and became aware that the driver's side rear upper hinge was fractured. The vehicle was not taken to be repaired. Perry Ford of santa barbara, 440 hitchcock way, santa barbara, CA 93105, (805)682-2411, was contacted by phone and informed of the failure. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 04v442000 (structure). The manufacturer was contacted and informed of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 204,000. Ah.

The rear window exploded. It was unoccupied parked in the carport.

Rear hatch panel applique cracked for no apparent reason.

Tl- the contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated the door ajar light and brake warning indicator illuminated even when the doors were closed. The contact also stated the vehicle made an abnormal noise. An independent mechanic was notified of the issue and diagnosed the wheel bearings were defective and needed to be replaced. The failure was repaired for the wheel bearing failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failures however they were inform that the NHTSA is responsible for all recalls and transferred to the NHTSA. The failure mileage was not provided. Kh.

After loading my luggage I closed my trunk and the whole back window completely shattered the struts broke and the little black thing that holds the window up top broke too. I got a cut on my hand, glass went everywhere. So stressed. .

My 2002 Ford Explorer 4. 6l is having major transmission problems at only 110k miles. It hesitates shifting gears and slips while driving. The vehicle also stalls when stopping at a red light or stop sign. It has the infamous crack down the back hatch. Both are problems thousands of customers have complained about yet Ford does nothing. The transmission problem is a very expensive cost to repair and it shouldn't be the customers responsibility when Ford knew there was a problem.

I was driving my Ford on the highway and the next thing I know my feet were really hot and black smoke started coming up. Then the black smoke started coming from the engine and I nearly crashed trying to get to the edge of the highway before the fire took over the whole front of the car. Luckily the fire department was right there for another accident. It was incredibly disturbing experience. Luckily my 3 small children were not in the car.

Column gear shifter broke off when putting in gear. Could not remove key or put in park.

Car stalled on busy street, then was restarted and lost power. Then fire in engine compartment. Cause is unknown. Car was well maintained. Total loss was not covered by insurance.

Tl-the contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while entering the vehicle, the interior lights stayed on and a water leakage came from the light into the vehicle. In addition, the contact had saw water stain by the visors. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 133,748. Ak.

Vehicle leaks transmission fluid from what a appears tobe the trans bell housing and was told by experts after taking vehicle to investigate,main seal tranny damaged and trans needs tobe pulled,costing hundreds to fix. Was in first accident in 30yrs because tranny would not engage,shift to proper torque for speed when needed. Causing sluggish late shift to almost stop,and causing crash. Can you help?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anyone? thankyou!.

Vehicle parked in stall when gear selecter was shifted from drive to park with foot on brake said vehicle experienced wide open throttle surged forward knocking down light pole only coming to stop ontop of fire hydrant or vehicle would of kept going as wheels were still spinning!.

The rear window shuttered into 100 pieces during the driving. The rear panel has cracked.

My daughter went to open my rear hatch and the window fell. The hinge completely detached from the car. I went to Ford to have them look at it they stated that it was a recall item but that it had already been fixed in 2005. I asked if it had been fixed why would the same problem occur. They couldn't give me an answer. All they said was that they only pay for the first occurrence not and subsequent occurrences. My issue is that if an item continues to break that is no longer and issue with that item its and issue with the design of the item. This is a safety concern. What if the glass fell on my daughter or shattered on her. I dont see why I have to replace a faulty Ford issue.

Shortly after purchasing my Ford Explorer from the dealership I noticed a small crack in the rear hatch around the Ford emblem. This part of the hatch is also connected to the rear glass window that lifts open. I took my vehicle back to the dealership and they told me it was a manufacturers defect and will be recalled eventually so I should keep checking back. The recall never happened and after 10 plus years the crack got larger letting moisture in and rusting. Meanwhile I was noticing the majority of Ford Explorers from that year had the same crack on the rear hatch in the same place! about 2 weeks ago I went to simply open the rear hatch and the glass window buckled and shattered with an exploding sound similar to a gunshot. Glass was everywhere! the piece with the crack literally broke in half. Thankfully no one got hurt, but if my kids were in the car or my face was any closer it could have been a disaster. I truly believe Ford needs to take responsibility for their defective rear hatches in these models to prevent injuries.

Over the past year I have noticed that this particular vehicle is experiencing severe rust issues on various components including lower body work, specifically under the driver and passenger doors in addition to emergency brake components. When I first noticed the issue I took immediate action to repair the damaged body work areas by using anti-rust treatments and applying new paint as recommended by a certified mechanic. The issue though is still ongoing to the point where door seals are no longer water tight and small pieces of body work are flaking away from the vehicle as a result of wind resistance and bumps while the vehicle is in motion. I have also needed to replace rusted emergency brake components which I was advised were no longer functional or safe. Upon further research it appears that a large number of Ford/murcury/Lincoln vehicles (primarily between 2002 and 2004) are experiencing the exact same issue and that supposedly Ford is aware of a known paint defect that is the root cause, however no related recalls or further information has surfaced. . Read more...

Rear lift gate fiberglass trim below window cracked for no apparent reason. Vehicle was sitting still in driveway and when I went out to start it this is when I noticed the crack.

I was traveling in stop and go traffic. As soon as space opened between me and the vehicle in front of me, I accelerated. While gaining speed I looked in my right rear view mirror to see if I could change lanes. While looking in my mirror the vehicle in front of me stopped. I hit the back of his vehicle with the front of mine. The problem I have is that my airbag(s) fired but did no deploy. You could clearly smell that they fired and my airbag light is now on. My seat belt did not cinch up and restrain me either. This car had been well maintained and was never in an accident before this one. As I see it, it was a total failure of the srs.

Rear lift gate plastic panel cracked, allowing water to enter. I have noticed many Ford Explorers with the same issue. Why has Ford ignored this defect, I see many complants on-line with the same flaw by other Explorer owners. .

Rear panel below window cracked from cold while sitting in driveway.

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the driver's side and front passenger side doors would swing open sporadically and without warning. The vehicle was not inspected by a dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was later contacted and advised her to schedule an appointment with the dealer for inspection and possible repairs. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000. The current mileage was approximately 105,500.

Tl- the contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at approximate 10mph the contact heard a grinding noise. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed that the body mounts were deteriorating between the frame. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. The appoximate failure mileage was 141,000. Pmb.

The interior lights occasionally flicker when all doors are shut securely. Also the door ajar light will flicker at times as well. The alarm goes off for no reason and usually it is in the middle of the night and I am pretty sure it is related to the door ajar malfunction. There is no way to disable the factory alarm so I have had to leave my car unlocked at night just to keep it from going off and waking up the neighbors. Also we have a crack on the lift gate just below the rear window. You can see this is a common issue by looking at other Explorers around town. I have really enjoyed the Explorer up until now but it does bother me that these two issues are very common yet Ford won't issue a recall to fix these issues.

The rear hatch is splitting down the middle near the windshield wipers. The metal is coming apart and may fly off during high rates of speed causing an accident. This email is to prevent an accident which may occur. I am aware of a pending lawsuit regarding cosmetic defects but would like you to know the possibility of an accident occurring once the metal separates at high rates of speed on the interstate. This is also a paper trail in case I am the truck the causes the accident.

None of the windows will work, they were operating properly and just quit. This vehicle is unsafe to drive, in an emergency, (such as a crash). The occupants of the vehicle could become trapped in the vehicle because the windows would not operate. If a fire occurred the results could be tragic. Ford is aware of this problem along with several other problems on this vehicle. Yet they choose not to repair or replace any of the known defective components. My vehicle has a lot of miles on it, but this problem along with other problems on this vehicle happens on lower mileage vehicles also.

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact noticed that two cracks developed under the hatch. The contact stated that the failure was caused by extremely cold weather. The dealer was contacted and they stated to the contact that the failure was not a safety issue. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that they did not feel safe driving the vehicle. The failure mileage was 130,000 and the current mileage was 170,000.

The rear hinges gave way, and the back half glass exploded.

Rear panel has crack 2 times. We paid 600. 00$ for first repair. 3 months later the rear panel cracked again. No crash or accident.

Ford Explorer cracked rear panel.

Rear panel cracked in half, vehicle was not hit it just happened.

Vertical crack rear life window assembly near 2002 Ford Explorer logo. Vertical crack goes between window glass and bottom of lift window. I feel the whole rear window glass will fail on the highway and seriously effect other drivers with the hail of glass. Recall of hinges had been completed right after original new purchase.

The plastic panel below the rear window cracked. Found out it is a very common problem. Ford motor company and local dealership will do nothing to help out. My repair cost will be about $500. It is obviously a design defect. Ford should repair at no cost to me.