Hatchback/liftgate Lock Problems of Ford Explorer

The contact owns a 2025 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 1 mph and pulling into the garage, the liftgate opened unintendedly, scraping the garage door. The contact worked on the vehicle and temporarily repaired the liftgate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer opened a case due to the failure. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 1,200.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at 50 mph, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the system then resumed normal functionality. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that an unknown sensor had failed. The vehicle remained at the dealer unrepaired. The contact stated that recently the liftgate failed to function as intended. The contact used the key fob to open the liftgate, and the liftgate failed to function as intended. The contact turned off the vehicle and waited to restart the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The contact was able to open the liftgate after fifteen minutes. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The contact stated that one year ago, there was an abnormal sound coming from the powertrain. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where unknown sensors were replaced; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.

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The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact discovered that the rear hatch had failed to open. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the latch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 mph, the front driver’s side the keypad on the door detached from the vehicle and was hanging on by a wire. The contact stated that the liftgate ajar warning light was illuminated however, she was unable to open the liftgate. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and the dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact also requested that the vehicle be serviced and the recalls associated with the VIN to be repaired. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000.

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The contact owns a 2022 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the rear hatch closed without driver input. The contact stated that the buttons were inoperable and failed to open the hatch as needed. While the hatch was closing, it pinned and violently struck the contact on the head. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer on four occasions, who was unable to determine the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.

The contact's girlfriend owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated after placing groceries inside the vehicle, the contact heard a chime as the liftgate independently started closing, almost striking him on the head. The contact also stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would stall or surge upon depression of the accelerator pedal, with the service engine warning light illuminated. The contact also mentioned that the side-view mirrors would independently adjust while driving at various speeds. The contact stated that he manually adjusted the mirrors to correct his driving visibility. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The contact was then transferred to NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 57,000.

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On Friday the 7th of March 2008 I went to open the tailgate of my 2004 Ford Explorer when the hinges broke and the gate fell off. I called the Ford dealer where I purchased my car and was initially told that the hinges were on a recall. The collision center of the dealer picked up my vehicle and took it in for repair. When I got to my place of employment I had a call from the dealer stating that my car was not on the recall. I called Ford motor and was told that my car was indeed not on the recall and that the recall had been on the 2002 and 2003 models. I felt that maybe the problem had not been fixed on the 04 models as they stated because it was obviously still happening. I took my car to another body shop that was quite reputable and had it repaired at a considerable lower rate per labor hour. Why would the hinges just break; supposed my grand child had gone to get something out of the back, he could have been hurt when that gate fell. I feel that Ford had not corrected the problem of the faulty tail gate hinges by the time they got to the 2004 models or at least not all were replaced with the updated ones. I was told that recalls are VIN specific, but I feel that if you have a parts problem on a grand scale some may have been put on other cars without being recognized on a specific VIN. I think this problem needs to be addressed as there maybe more trucks out there that this has happened to or can happen to.

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I have a cracked real panel on tailgate. I understand from other customers that this is a danger because the actual glass can dislodge from the panel and hurt someone. I have 2 small children. 1 stands at a height below that glass level!.

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Hatchback on 2003 Ford Explorer cracked, and needed replacement, the total cost was $290. 00.

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The hinges on my 2003 Ford Explorer broke while opening the lift gate. I want to the dealer to have fixed. They charged me $323. 55 to replace the hinges & struts. Later I found ot that there was a recall for this exact issue. I contacted Ford and they told me that even though my vehicle was built during the dates listed in the recall it was not built at a specific plant. Of the 955,000 vehicles covered under this recall my car (which actually had the problem) was not covered. Below is a copy of the recall from your office. I am certain that I am not the only owner facing this issue. Ford motors needs to accept responsibility for defective products. I would like to go on record with this complaint stating that the recall below be amended to include all 2003 Ford Explorers regardless of plant that built it. The hinges are bad. Ford / Explorer 2002-2003 Ford / mountaineer 2002-2003 manufacturer : Ford motor company mfr's report date : Sep 09, 2004 NHTSA campaign id number : 04v442000 pe04045 NHTSA action number: pe04045 component: structure:body:hatchback/liftgate:hinge and attachments potential number of units affected : 955732 summary: on certain sport utility vehicles, the liftgate glass strut may become disengaged or the hinge may fracture allowing the glass to fall and possibly break. Consequence: if the hinge should fracture, there is a potential for the glass to fall and ultimately break and personal injuries could occur.

Rear hatch window dropped off hinges.

My 2003 Explorer suddenly developed a crack on the back panel beneath the rear window. I am concerned that if it progresses the glass will have no support and break. I spoke with Ford after learning that this is a common problem with these SUV's and was told if I had no warranty they would not cover the cost.

Rear hatchback window panel cracked down the center. The window seemed hard to close, did not seem to align with the latch.

- the contact stated that every time the contact was unloading groceries or book bags from the back of the 2002 Ford Explorer, the liftgate glass struts became disengaged. Once the struts were disengaged the glass came down on the contact's head. The failure mileage was 70,000 and the current mileage was 90,000.

Ford replaced the liftgate glass hinge on this Explorer per your recall notice on sept. 1, 2005. On January 13, as I closed the liftgate (gently, not slamming it) it exploded into shards of glass that went all over the garage and cut my face. Glass flew in front of the car. I had only closed the liftgate approximately 2 inches from its full open position when this occurred. There was nothing to impede the closure, and the liftgate did not strike anything on its way down.

2005 Ford Explorer, rear liftgate glass will open by itself while I am driving down the road. It has happened multiple times since we have purchased the vehicle. I can be going 30 mph or 60 mph, doesn't matter. Does not appear to be any pattern as to when it happens, so is unpredictable. This creates a very dangerous situation if it happens when I am on a 6 lane exchange. Also, if I have my dogs in the back or anyone sitting in the 3rd row, another dangerous situation is created. There is no way to "bungee" the glass portion to secure it. You can only bungee the lower portion of the hatch- not the glass portion. Living where we can have a high wind gust at any moment creates yet another problem should it pop open and I cant get pulled over fast enough. The vehicle is now at the dealer for the 3rd time for this problem. I have even called the Ford company itself, and they have opened a file. (for what good that has done me) they can not identify a problem, so they tell me there is nothing for them to fix. Will the vehicle continue to be returned to me "unfixed" until my warranty period is up, and then it truly becomes "my" financial problem? these vehicles are too expensive to have this type of problem continue. Will it take a disaster and someone being injured because of this failure, for corrective action to be taken?.

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There were no events to cause this issue, other than Ford's own recall for the rear lift hatch. Once the hatch was repaired, the window took more force to shut and eventually developed stress cracks. I have a vertical crack on the left side with a 1/4 inch gap from the bottom of the glass to the other side of the panel.

2004 Explorer had problems with brakes and windows. Three months after the vehicle was purchased thee was a recall on the transmission. The abs malfunctioned and the power windows would not go down. The rear hatch door would not open. The transmission began to slam into gear. The rotors vibrated in the rear. Consumer heard a howling noise at 40-55 mph. The dealer replaced the ring and pinion. Nm.

: the contact stated the rear hatch liftgate glass opened without warning while driving various speeds. The vehicle was inspected by a dealer who determined the latch lock on the liftgate hatch door glass needed replaced. The problem persisted and the vehicle was returned to the dealer. The dealer replaced the latch switch for the rear hatch glass which corrected the problem.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle's bottom rear liftgate has cracked. He stated that there is a safety recall on the hinges for the liftgate. The contact believes that the liftgate falls repeatedly and caused the liftgate window to crack. The engine size was unknown. The current mileage is 64,370 and failure mileage was 55,000.

Both the rear lift-gate and back door has opened on me, while driving on the expressway and residential roads, 6 times on my 2005 eddie bauer Explorer. The vehicle has only 6,500 miles on it and I'm very concerned that one day I'll be transporting something and the back door will fly open and cause an accident because my personal belongings have flown out the back into traffic. There is no pattern to when this occurs - it's very sporadic. The message center does warn me the liftgate is ajar (too bad I'm already driving and it's too late), and then the back hatch or back door will open up. I have taken the SUV to the dealership to have it repaired, but they refuse to do anything about it and claim that they cannot identify a problem - therefore are unable to do anything about it.

Rear liftgate (glass door section) opens by itself when the car is being driven. First a warning sensor lights "liftgage ajar" then the door opens. This has happened multiple times. The vehicle which is a 2005 with 3,500 miles has been to the dealer 3 times & they cannot identify the problem or fix it.

Nhtsa recall id 01i010000 Ford Explorer 2002 liftgate dear sir/madam, I would like to report that the Ford dealership (joe myers Ford in houston, texas) as well as Ford as less than helpful in getting this recall taken care of. I am being told that I would have to leave the vehicle there for an entire day, yet I do not have any right to a loaner car. They also would not accept the vehicle on a Saturday although they are open until 3 pm. I don't think that I should be responsible for paying a rental car or having to take a vacation day so that Ford can repair a defect that is due to faulty manufacturing. Rgds, chris rom.

Car was parked. When my wife was walking to the vehicle, she noticed a large crack down the back door (hatch area) of vehicle which is directly below the glass. Take note that if this panel falls off (and could with the crack), it could fall onto another vehicle causing harm or tragedy. If the panel also falls off, the glass is no longer supported which also can result in it falling off onto another vehicle or onto the highway causing an accident.

There is a recall on my 2002 Ford Explorer concerning the liftgate hinges. I was notified in September that the parts would be in the dealerships in November. They have just arrived in February. In the meantime the applique on my liftgate has cracked. I was told that Ford would not pay to have it repaired and that it will cost about $350. 00. This is my 3 Ford Explorer and will probably be the last. All my dealer tells me is that there is nothing they can do. I wrote a letter to Ford and they didn't even respond. What kind of customer service is that?.

I purchased a 2002 Ford Explorer this year. I had not owned it for very long when in August 2004 the liftgate malfunfunctioned. I was extremely lucky that I was not injured. I reported the malfucntion both to NHTSA and to Ford. Ford still has not redesigned the parts for this vehicle and to make matters worse the upper liftgate of my vehicle is now cracked in two. The delay in redesigning the parts and addressing this issue has exacerbated the stress the liftgate of my vehicle was under and allowed the upper liftgate to crack in two. I contacted Ford and they said that yes there is a recall on specific parts but expressed that I have to pay for the cracked liftgate. I am furious at this side stepping of the issue by Ford. I am an attorney and will seek all legal recourse available to me regarding this.

Consumer complained about a liftgate problem. Consumer took the vehicle to dealer, and they applied glue on the liftgate cable. However, because this vehicle was not included in the recall they did not administer any more assistance other than what was done. Consumer would have to pay for other repairs. The liftgate brake came loose and caused the shock to come off and resulted in a dent in the vehicle . The glue to dealer put on the cable lasted 4-5 hours .

I went to my automobile and raised just the window part of my hatch and got some stuff out of my vehicle and I shut the hatch just as I always did and when I shut it I heard a noise and I looked at my vehicle and the metal or fiberglass on the hatch had cracked all the way to the under surface of the hatch.

The door failed to lock properly if not manually pushed down and locked. The hatchback door would pop open if not manually locked. Took vehicle to dealership, and mechanic was unable to resolve the problem.

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The hatchback would not open at all. The consumer felt it was unsafe to have no manual way to open the hatchback from the inside.

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Dangerous crack occurred in 2002 Ford Explorer rear liftgate in Dec. 2002, was repaired. Recurred in Sep. 2005, and Ford refused to repair 2 weeks after warranty had expired, even though part was defective and vehicle had only 28,000 miles. Applique may come off, threatening structural integrity of liftgate and glass. Internet shows dozens of customers had exactly the same problem.

Excessive problems with transmission jerking, and shifting problems, purchased vehicle as brand new after 4 months contacted dealer where care was purchased regarding problem. Brought vehicle in at least twice before problem was found. The transmission was replaced has since had the same problem along with other problems, vehicle stalling while driving, cd player power shuts off. Rattling when hitting brakes. Filed a complaint dealer refuses to buy car back ask me to trade car in with more money down. The dealer repair persons confirmed that they have had replaced at least 10 transmissions on the same style vehicle prior to my visit and recognized a pattern. But nothing has been done!!.

3 problems; #1. Gas pedal sticks. Dealer says no problem, but keeps putting lube on linkage. #2 left front bearing replaced twice due to sqealing at low speed, other times they lubed rubber boot. #3 rear hatch when cold,lifts fail, hit head and upper back.