Table 1 shows three common visibility related problems of the 2008 Ford Explorer.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Wiper problems | |
| Visibility problems | |
| Windshield problems |
In freezing weather, windshield wipers do not make contact with the windshield underneath the center of the wiper blade. This causes water, ice, or snow to build up in a large area of the windshield in the center of the driver's vision. This makes it necessary to pull the car off the road and manually clear the windshield, as activating the windshield washers makes the problem worse. The problem is intermittent, but occurs with no warning, and can begin to occur in the middle of a journey even if it wasn't an issue at the outset. Although my current model is a 2008, I had the very same issue with my 2006 model as well.
Driver & passenger mirror lids on sun visors have broken apart. It is clear that the plastic used was of inferior quality. Lids break off, mirror light stays on and: 1) runs battery down or 2) potentially causes fire due to overheating of materials.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Explorer. While driving on the highway, the windshield blew out. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic and the windshield was replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 124,000.