Hatchback/liftgate Support Device problems of the 2002 Ford Explorer

The rear liftgate mount broke off and window fell on my daughters head and bent the other mount and broke left strut off. Can't line it up to get it to close and latch shut. Can't drive the car or liftgate will fall off. Going to get some rope and try to tie it on. It was in front of house with the whole hatch open to get groceries out.

Liftgate glass hinge and ball stud bracket is coming apart. The bracket has disengaged. Glass is potentially going to fall, brake and/or cause injury. It is no longer working properly. This part has been replaced during a recall but did not fix the issue.

Liftgate glass hinge and ball bracket is broken/disengaged. It is no longer working properly. It can fall, brake and/or cause injury. This part has been replaced during a recall. It did not fix the problem.

. Got home and noticed a crack all the way thru panel below window on liftgate.

The liftgate hindge fractured allowing the glass to fall nearly breaking my hand. This hinge was recalled by NHTSA campaign id number 04v442000 / Ford recall no. 04s20. In contacting customer service tonight on a Ford transmission issue, I discovered the previous hinge recall and they indicated that that hinge had been replace once in 2004 and it was my bad luck that it failed a second time. They would make no restitution for the failed part. It is unconscionable that they would have the same issue as a previous recall and not correct the issue again. It is clearly a serious safety hazard they should address, reimburse me for the part I purchased through Ford and replace the other hinge before it also fails and hurts someone.

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while parked, she noticed a large crack from the rear liftgate panel going down. The vehicle had not been inspected or repaired. The current and failure mileages were 65,916.

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that when using the rear liftgate, it would not stay open and it would close unexpectedly. The vehicle had previously been repaired according to recall 04v442000 structure body hatchback/liftgate, hinge and attachments. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact called the manufacturer who stated that the repairs had been done according to the recall and he had to pay for the repairs at his own expense. The current and failure mileages were approximately 82,000.

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. While the vehicle was parked the contact noticed the rear lift gate and window would not engage properly and it would also wobble. The electronic power door locks would not work because they would detect the lift gate was not closed engaging and a warning sound activated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for a diagnostic test. There was a recall under NHTSA campaign id number: 04v442000 (structure:body:hatchback/liftgate:hinge and attachments) that may be related to the failure; however, the dealer stated the VIN was not included in the recall. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000.

Re NHTSA # 04v-442. 2002 Ford Explorer. Liftgate glass hinge sheared and glass fell on me. I was told by service dept that Ford recall 04s20 (performed in 2004) was only warranteed for 1 year, so I purchased new hinge kit (2l2z-78420a68-aa) and installed myself. After examining old parts, I noticed significant redesign. After discussion with a Ford service manager it appears that initial recall repairs were insufficient and by his estimate the hinges last about 3 years. There were several modifications to the recalled parts and procedures since 12/04. My vehicle was repaired 12/20/04 so the most recent procedure was not followed at the time and most recent parts were not installed. Ford will not compensate for additional expenses once any recall repair was completed. I was not injured because I was opening the hatch slowly and had not let go before the hinge broke and the glass fell. I believed that the safety defect had been repaired. This is not the case. The danger still exists. I suggest a warning notice be sent to all owners that had recall performed before the final procedures (rcrit-04v442-7848) were developed. It would also encourage Ford to cover the cost of repairs for the defective recall repair - including glass breakage - as they did for the original recall.

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the rear liftgate panel was ajar when the pistons failed, causing the liftgate to slam shut and shatter the rear window glass. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised that the pistons were not covered under warranty nor was there a recall for the failure therefore; the contact would be liable for the $700 in repairs. The manufacturer was not contacted. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 156,000.

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that there was an extended crack on the liftgate exterior panel. The defect became progressively worse over a period of time. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was unavailable.

I opened the liftgate glass to my Ford Explorer in order to load groceries into the back. The glass came down on my head and I pushed it back up off of me when it exploded all over the place. The molding came down onto my head and my back (I was still leaning into the car). Because it was very cold out, I was wearing a heavy coat with a hat and the hood pulled up onto my head, so this cushioned the impact onto my back and head. Glass was everywhere. There have been several recalls on this piece of equipment since we have had the truck, but the last one was about 5 years ago. The dealer told me it would be my responsibility to fix. I don't believe that liftgates should just be falling off of cars or exploding, even if the car is 8 years old.

Rear defroster had been on to un fog the glass. Rear liftgate glass shattered after pressing the release button to release the liftgate. Vehicle is a 2002 Ford Explorer. Weather was 19 degrees f with windchill of 10 degrees f.

Noticed what appeared to be a small scratch just below the glass on the plastic portion of 200 Explorer liftgate. On Friday Feb 6, 2009 there was a split from top to bottom. Ford is doing nothing about this problem even though it seems to possibly be related to the liftgate hinge recall already issued by the NHTSA.

The liftgate cracked in 3 places. It started a year ago with one crack, then another crack appeared 6 months later. A few weeks ago a 3 crack appeared. The Ford dealer refused to help and a call to Ford was not returned.

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. When the contact closed the rear hatch, the left hinge failed and the glass shattered. Nhsta campaign id number 04v442000 (structure:body:hatchback/liftgate:hinge and attachments) was referenced. The insurance agency was notified, but the manufacturer was not. The failure and current mileages were 124,996.

2002 Ford Explorer rear liftgate panel cracking below glass.

Ford 2002 Explorer has large crack on liftgate panel running from just of the left of the Ford insignia to the bottom of the rear window. Ford will not help with replacement despite the obvious safety concerns and the admission that this is a widespread problem with Explorers. The liftgate was recalled a few years ago for an unrelated problem with the cylinders.

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that when he lifted the liftgate on the rear of the vehicle, it would only hold for a few seconds before coming back down. The failure occurred on several occasions, one of which injured the contact's back. The manufacturer stated that they would not assist with the repairs because the failure was not deemed as a safety related defect. The failure mileage was 80,000 and current mileage was 93,000.

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. While attempting to close the rear door, the rear liftgate and hinge on the top left side became loose. The rear glass fell out and shattered all over the contact and her child. She took the vehicle to her mechanic and was notified of NHTSA campaign id number 04v442000 (structure:body:hatchback/liftgate:hinge and attachments). She called Ford and was informed that her VIN was not included in the recall; therefore, they would not be responsible for the repair. The contact feels that the repair should be made for free since the failures are identical. The current and failure mileages were 69,000.

I have not been involved in any accident, nor any incidences of property damage. It happens that on a Saturday during the summer, I noticed a crack in the liftgate of my vehicle. It is a clean and totally straight crack directly under the glass, measuring approximately 6 inches long and 1 to 1/12 wide. While driving and everytime I see an Explorer, I look to see if there is a defect in that particular area of their vehicle and I have seen several, which prompts me to think that this is in fact a defect. I took the vehicle to the repair shop and am told that it would be over $1800. 00 to have repaired as they will need to order an entire lift gate vs. Repairing the one that on their currently. Have you had any reported incidences such as this? I noticed this in July of this year.

On the 2002 Ford Explorer I have a crack on the back panel under the lift gate. I have done some researching and find that this is not uncommon. I believe it has to do with the liftgate hinge recall. I am afraid that the panel being broken may cause it to come off and hit a car behind me. I feel that this crack may cause serious problems if I was in a wreck. I feel that there are many people who are out there with the same problem and Ford will not do anything to replace this part. They have received many complaints as I can see from the research I have done.

I drive a 2002 Ford Explorer, eddie bauer model, 4 door. The arms (4) which hold both the back door up when open and the back glass up when open do not raise up fully. I find myself constantly bumping my head on either the door or the glass. Last night after a baseball practice for my 10-year old son I popped open the back glass to put his baseball bag in the car. The glass went up part way and unthinkingly I hit my head on the glass. I pushed the glass up so I could place the bag in the vehicle and the glass pane exploded. It showered glass shrapnel over the two of us. We were both shocked that the glass window would just catastrophically explode. We are very lucky we were not injured. I feel that this accident is a public hazard. I will avoid a poor design like this when looking for a new car. When I reported it to payton wright Ford in grapevine, texas, the service adviser shrugged it off and stated yes I've seen that happen, like it was an everyday occurrence. I was told to report it to my insurance company and that Ford would do nothing about it.

I lifted my rear upper tailgate on my 2002 Ford Explorer, and the windshield literally exploded on my head, including dropping the lower part of the tailgate on top of me. After searching on the internet it appears to be a very common problem, and my local Ford dealer claims they've never heard of such a thing. My local bodyshop however was familiar with the problem. This tailgate had a previous recall related to the hinges I believe, which I did have done, back in 2005. My car has 75,000 miles and is used almost exclusively for highway driving.

1. Due to a recall (Ford recall no. 04s20. ), the liftgate glass operation system was replaced in 2005. Since early 2007, the same glass struts and hinges are apparently having problem -- first it took extra effort to raise the glass to the fully opening position, then while the glass is lifted open, it unexpectedly dropped down. I got hit 3 times at my head or hands by the sudden dropped glass and frame; it coursed bleeding on my hand once. This is certainly of serious safety concern. I really doubt if the Ford dealer (gainesville Ford in gainesville, FL) correctly performed the recall job in 2005, as they have a reputation of low standards of service and technique . But, Ford, as the manufacturer, should have also taken the responsibility of enforcing the recall job meet the standard. Otherwise, what is point of going through the recall? 2. Since July of 2008, I started to notice that the back liftgate panel start having cracking under the rear window. I suspect that this is related to the malfunction of the liftgate glass struts or hinges, the same system that was previously recalled. Nonetheless, this is clearly a safety issue as well, since the crack appearing reflects the liftgate being unstable and the glass having much higher risk of accidentally breaking, therefore coursing injury. This vehicle, with only 60 k miles, has been taken good care. Through searching internet, I found this appears to be a quite common issue for Explorer 2002 model. It is absolutely not acceptable to have this kind safety issue ignored by Ford for so long. Please help to get Ford to truly realize their responsibility and give the massive affected public justice. Thank you very much! j. James jia.

: the contact stated while parked, the rear hatch was lifted up, and the hydraulic support device failed. This caused the rear hatch to close forcefully on the arm of the contact. The left arm of the contact sustained a huge bruise, and was wearing 3 layers of clothing at the time of the incident. The following day, the manufacturer was contacted, who determined that the dealer should be contacted for repairs. The dealer was contacted, and the support device was replaced. The contact expressed concern that a child could have been seriously injured or killed if the rear hatch failed with a child present.

Two large cracks below liftgate window . I took truck in for recall 04s20 and dealership said cracks were not Fords problem bull ----- shame on Ford I have been looking on internet complaints and many other people have the same problem . I think they should fix it correctly the first time.

There is a panel below the rear window gate that has a vertical crack. . Initially, the rear window was a recall, now the panel below the window has cracked. The rear window was replaced, at no cost, but Ford will not replace the defect/crack on the back panel.

Rear hatch window lift failed and caused rear glass to shatter (luckily no one was hurt). The window was lifted to remove items from the rear and the lift arm apparently was wedged under the glass and it exploded so loudly that neighbors 2 houses away ran over and people walking down the street came to make sure no one was injured. We had the glass replaced by a glass company--this took 4 days due to the unavailability of the glass. They also indicated they had just (the same day) replaced another with the exact same problem and they had seen several in the last few weeks. The struts were not replaced and we were advised not to use the hatch door until they are. Our dealer was not responsive on this matter but I believe there needs to be an investigation. The glass CO said that the window design was changed in or after 2002 so the struts are lower and support the glass correctly.

Nhtsa recall campaign 04v442000; Ford issued a rear liftgate glass recall. This vehicle was included in the recall, but there were no available parts in order to repair.

Recall 04v442000 was issued for the liftgate in October 2004. Dealer stated the part was not available.

: the contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the liftgate latch was not properly secured. While trying to close the liftgate, the contact noticed that the screw that holds the liftgate had loosened, and would not close. The vehicle was taken to a service dealer, where the hinges were replaced. The manufacturer was notified, who informed the contact there was a recall on the hinge, but that recall was closed.

The vehicle was on its fourth repair for rear the glass lift gate, the bracket door failed to stay up.