Hatchback/liftgate Problems of Ford Explorer - part 2

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the rear panel was cracked by the emblem in the rear liftgate. The vehicle had not been inspected or repaired at the time of the complaint. The contact called the manufacturer who stated that there was no recall related to the failure. The current and failure mileages were approximately 55,000.

See all problems of the 2004 Ford Explorer 🔎.

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that there was a crack in the bottom of the rear liftgate that extended to the emblem. The contact called the manufacturer. The vehicle had not been inspected or repaired. The current and failure mileages were approximately 69,000.

See all problems of the 2005 Ford Explorer 🔎.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the plastic panel on the rear hatch was cracked and could potentially fall off. The contact called the dealer regarding the cracked panel and the dealer informed her that there was no recall regarding the plastic panel and stated that the part was available for purchase. The contact had not replaced the plastic panel. The failure mileage was 74,000.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the panel in the rear liftgate was split. The contact called the dealer who stated that the failure was common. The contact called the manufacturer who stated that there were no recalls and repairs would be at his expense. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000.

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Explorer. The vehicle was parked when he noticed that there was a crack on the rear lift gate directly underneath the rear window beside the Ford emblem. Over the course of a month the size of the crack increased. An authorized dealer was notified and he was informed that this was a common failure among these vehicles. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 75,000 and the current mileage was 82,000.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the liftgate was fractured down the center. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that he would be responsible for replacing the entire liftgate. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000 and the current mileage was approximately 48,000. Updated 12/21/bf the consumer stated no repairs were made. He believed the integrity of the rear window liftgate has been compromised. Updated 12/29/10.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that there was a small oblique on the rear liftgate which fractured. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they advised replacing the oblique but the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

I have a 2004 Explorer and I lifted the glass hatch today and it broke and began to fall on my head, luckily I reacted and grabbed it before it knocked me out. I had to get help because it was to heavy for me because I have a bad back, had surgery and was afraid that I was going to re damage. I had to have my husband come up there while we held it because struts would not fold it in. Took it to Ford and am being charged a diagnostic charge to diagnosis it I am not sure that is needed, and parts are going to be $155, and I was told that they are not responsible for the window if it breaks! parts are not available they said they will order. I have no car, no warranty, and a sore back from another problem Ford is aware of but refuses to accept responsibility for. Thank god it did not hit my 11 year old in the head or neck this could be very dangerous even deadly.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the rear liftgate exhibited a fracture down the middle of the hatch. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnosis or repairs. The manufacturer was not contacted and the vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 72,000 and the current mileage was 78,000.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Explorer. The contact stated there was a crack on the rear lift gate from the vehicle logo toward the rear door. The contact stated in cold temperatures, the crack was barely visible yet in warmer temperatures, the crack would expand. The dealer advised the failure was common in his year, make and model but was not under recall. The failure mileage was 78,000 and the current mileage 78,500.

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the rear panel lift gate was cracked. There were no prior warnings. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not contacted to report the failure. The current and failure mileages were 18000. Updated 08/06/jb.

I purchased a 2005 Ford Explorer in March of this year, after having it for 3 months the rear lift gate got a crack in it right next to the Ford symbol. I contacted Ford and was told this is not on recall nor is it under warranty, I have an extended warranty as this was a used vehicle, my parents own a 2003 Explorer and the same thing happened, my neighbor owns a 2004 and also the same thing happened, I have also seen numerous Explorers on the road with this problem and I want to know why is this not a recall, with the research I have done this is an ongoing problem for Explorers ranging from 2002-2005, if this crack continues to spread my glass will eventually fall out.

On Friday, may 28, 2010 my husband attempted to open the liftgate on our 2004 Ford Explorer when the glass separated from the vehicle and landed in his hands. It did not shatter because he was holding onto it. Upon inspection, we discovered that the left hinge that connects the liftgate to the vehicle had snapped. The liftgate is currently hanging on the right hinge as we do not have the resources at this time to have it repaired. I have since learned that investigation of the same part was opened in June 23, 2004 and closed on October 24, 2008. Although on page 12 of the response to NHTSA Ford motor company admits that this failure is caused by "the use of non-optimal coating on the steel pin that joins the two zinc die-cast sections of the hinge", the company assumes no financial responsibility in covering the repairs because no recall has been issued. I urge you to take a proactive approach to this issue as it could cause serious injury and there are numerous complaints from consumers who are not aware that they can report them to this agency.

A little over a year ago I and a friend came out of a grocery store to discover there was a hairline crack in the rear panel of my 2003 Ford Explorer. I drove right over to a Ford dealership to report the incident. I do have an extended warranty for 100,000 miles. It was reported to the warranty company and I was denied repair. I was told I could pay $1,000. 00 to have it repaired or put caulking on it to help to seal the crack. I put the caulking on it as I did not have the money to pay to have it fixed. I am retired and on a fixed income. Over the course of time the crack widened causing the panel and window to shift to the left. On Monday 4/12/10 I opened the hatchback window to place a few items inside and the window came crashing down on my head almost driving me into the ground. The hinges broke and had a friend not been there with me I could not have lifted that window. He and I worked for 45 minutes to get it placed back to where it was not hanging and had to put bungy cords on to hold it in place. I have had a headache for 3 days now. I drove right over to a Ford dealership to report the incident. The service manager took my information and contacted the warranty company who got back to him and stated they would replace the hinges. I told him this is unacceptable!! this crack has widened over the last year and the hatchback has shifted to the left. Replacing the hinges is a temporary fix. Like putting a bandaid on a compound fracture! I think the entire hatchback has weakened and if the big door falls on me I could be killed. At this point I am unable to utilize the hatchback at all and must climb over the back seat to retrieve anything behind it.

See all problems of the 2003 Ford Explorer 🔎.

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the rear panel on the lift gate was cracked down the side by the Ford logo. The dealer stated that the crack was a design flaw on the vehicle. The contact stated that he heard the crack while pulling into his driveway at 5 mph. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000. The current mileage was approximately 61,000. Updated 11/03/10.

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Explorer. While the contact was examining the vehicle she noticed that there was a large crack on the panel under the rear window. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. There were no prior warnings. The current and failure mileages were 79000.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that there was a crack in the lift gate which includes a plastic part just below the window. The Ford manufacturer informed the contact that there were no recalls and he should call NHTSA. The failure mileage was 116,000. Updated 2/26/10 updated 07/09/10.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the rear lift gate panel was cracked below the glass and the vehicle had never been involved in any accidents. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership where the contact was informed that the failure was known but she would be responsible for repair costs. The vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. The failure mileage was approximately 34,000. The current mileage was 35,373.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Explorer. While the contact was examining the vehicle she noticed that there was a large crack on the panel under the rear window. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. There were no prior warnings. The current and failure mileages were 115,000.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Explorer. The rear window panel has fractured. The dealer was contacted, and he was advised that the Ford manufacturer did not recognize this failure as a defect. No assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 28,700.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Explorer. She noticed that there were cracks on the rear lift gate underneath the rear window. An authorized dealer was notified and informed her that this was a known failure but she would have to pay to have it repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was 115,000.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the hatch back had a crack from the end of it to the window. The vehicle was inspected by a dealer who advised her that it was caused by stress from opening and closing of the door. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Explorer. When operating the vehicle, the rear hatch door and the rear hatch window became unsecured and opened due to a crack near the rear window wiper. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 40,000.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Explorer. While the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed a crack in the panel attached to the glass of the rear liftgage. The crack was small at first but became larger over time. The vehicle had not been taken to be inspected for the problem. Also, the heated stopped blowing heat and was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the blend door actuator needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000 and the current mileage was approximately 46,000.

Failure of the lift gate hinge pin.

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. When entering the vehicle, the contact noticed that the rear liftgate below the window was cracked. He was concerned that the window panel would fail and cause the glass to slide out and shatter. No repairs were made to the vehicle. The contact is in the process of taking the vehicle to the dealer and notifying the manufacturer. The failure and current mileages were 83,000.

See all problems of the 2002 Ford Explorer 🔎.

Ford Explorer lift gate panel cracked I have not replaced it yet I see a lot of these on the road since my has cracked.

My wife opened the rear hatch to get groceries out. It started falling on her. Her friend reached to lift it up and it exploded on my wife when she tried to lift it off my wife. I am debbie's husband. We bought the car in 2004. They recalled it in 2006 to put the new hinges on, that were supposed to be Ford's recall fix for the problem. It did not resolve the problem. It appears that people are still having the issue after their so called fix. Its time for Ford to really fix the problem or pay consumers for their loss through a class action suit. I tried to tell my wife to stick with gm SUV's. The Ford has been a big disappointment in many areas. It never got the mileage we were told it would get. We get 16 to 17 on the highway. We were told we could get 24. The chevy vortech does get the 24 mpg and our safari van does it daily.

We have a Ford Explorer XLT 2002. The rear window lift gate would not stay up on its own, so my son pushed it up, and the rear window glass exploded. He and my husband received minor cuts and it came very close to my sons eyes. . Read more...

I take very good care of my 2004 Ford Explorer. When I was hand washing it I noticed a crack in my back hatch.

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The vehicle was parked at his residence when he observed that the rear liftgate exhibited a crack near the emblem. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. The vehicle has not been repaired at this time. The failure mileage was 100,000. Updated 2/22/10 updated 05/10/10.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Explorer. The contact noticed a crack on the rear hatch and near the emblem. The dealer stated that nothing could be done. There was no recall; however, a service bulletin was available for the vehicle. The failure and current mileages were unknown. Updated 03-09-09 updated 03/12/09.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Explorer. The contact noticed that the rear liftgate was cracked on her vehicle. She took the vehicle to the dealer and they stated that it was not defective; therefore, she would have to pay for the repair. The contact disagrees and believes the manufacturer should pay for the repair. The manufacturer stated that there was no defect and will not assist with the repair. The failure mileage was 39,000 and current mileage was 54,300. Updated 03-04-09 the back of the liftgate panel below the window cracked. Updated 03/04/09.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the rear panel was cracking on her vehicle near the Ford emblem. The manufacturer could not assist with the repairs. The motor for the rear windshield wipers caused the rear panel to crack. The current and failure mileages were less than 80,000.

The plastic below the glass on my rear hatch- 04 Ford Explorer. I have gone through two dealers and Ford. Com. I have spoken with over 10 people and this includes service managers. I have only 49,000 miles on my vehicle and every day I drive around and I see this problem. They say it is not a safety defect, but what happens when a 2" by 3' piece flies off and a old lady swerves into a semi. Now look what it will cost . If this was an isolated case I would have no problem. If nothing is done in the next week, I am currently in the process of photographing everyone that I see. Then I am going to trouble shooter tv. And I want people to see why you should never buy a Ford. There is no wonder they need a bail out. If I choose to run my business to the ground, I don't get government assistance. Ford motor company what a joke. Please never buy one. When a company makes a mistake admit it and people will respect you. Look at what a $200 piece of plastic can cost you. Just google the problem and you can see it is not isolated.