Hatchback/liftgate Support Device Problems of Ford Explorer - part 2

Liftgate has a crack and the hinge to the liftgate broke due to crack. It is hazardous to drive due to possible falling while driving or parked.

See all problems of the 2004 Ford Explorer 🔎.

Liftgate plastic body panel cracked from top to bottom left of the Ford logo insert.

See all problems of the 2005 Ford Explorer 🔎.

The rear liftgate window hinge broke off and the entire rear window fell on my wife. The hinges are made of a white type of metal that has corroded and sheared off. The pins inside apparently broke and it didn't appear to be falling off, it just came off. The window hit my wife in the arm and leg. We were lucky it wasn't one of our kids closing the gate at the time or that they weren't inside when it happened or this could have been a lot worse. After searching online for information about this issue I found thousands of complaints about this exact issue and hundreds of post of injuries incurred from this. Ford recalled other vehicles with the same issue with the same part and yet the 2004 was never included. Something needs to be done. A part over time shouldn't break off and cause a safety hazard.

Tl- the contact owns a 2003 for Explorer. The contact stated that the lift gate window detached from the hinges and crack the door. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection and they stated that the hinges needed to be replaced. The dealer also stated that the vehicle was under recall NHTSA campaign id number: 04v442000 (structure:body:hatchback/liftgate:hinge and attachments). The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred and the door was still cracked. The manufacturer was notified and they stated that she needed to keep her receipts in case of another recall. The failure mileage was 160,000. Ap.

See all problems of the 2003 Ford Explorer 🔎.

Tl- the contact owns a 2003 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while inspecting the vehicle it was found that the hinge for the liftgate was broken. The vehicle was not taken to a mechanic and was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted who informed him that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign id number 04v442000 (structure: body: hatchback/liftgate: hinge and attachments). The failure and current mileage was 110,308. Pmb.

The hinge on the right side of the rear liftgate glass is falling off. I purchased this vehicle used in August 2012. The hinge seemed to be in tact then but has slowly been corroding and falling off. The glass makes an awful noise when I drive over pot holes, bumps, etc. I do not use the glass in fear it will fall on me. There have been times when I turn my vehicle on and the message center says "rear liftgate ajar" only to find that somehow the glass liftgate is not latched. Nobody uses it so unsure if the corrosion and broken hinge is causing the glass to ajar from the latch. I called a local Ford dealership to see if this has been recalled on my vehicle, as it has on numerous other 2004 Ford Explorer. I was told it was not recalled and the part is $50/piece. The left hinge is starting to do the same as well. I am scared that this will eventually fall off while I am driving the vehicle and think this should be recalled as it is a huge safety issue.

Liftgate plastic body panel cracked from top to bottom right side of the Ford emblem/logo.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Explorer. The contact stated the hinges for the rear lift gate fractured. The contact mentioned that the glass fell down into the door. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and had the hinges were replaced. The manufacturer was contacted who stated that there was a recall for the failure under NHTSA campaign id number: 04v442000 (structure: body: hatchback/liftgate: hinge and attachments) but the vehicle was not included since the recall was only issued for the 2002 model year Explorer. The failure and current mileage was 115,000.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the hinges on the rear liftgate broke and the window fell down on the contact¿s shoulder, resulting in a shoulder injury. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was informed that the hinges on the rear liftgate needed to be replaced. The dealer also stated that the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with NHTSA campaign id number: 04v442000 (structure: body: hatchback/lifgate: hinge and attachments). The failure and current mileages were 160,000.

Rear liftgate crack.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the rear lift gate detached from the hinges of the vehicle. The dealer was notified and stated there was a recall but the contact's VIN was not included in the recall associated with NHTSA campaign id number: 04v442000 (structure: body: hatchback/liftgate: hinge and attachments). The manufacturer was notified and offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 55,000.

The pins on the liftgate window are breaking through the hinge. The driver side has broken clean through and the passenger side is beginning to break through even though I haven't used it since the other one broke. There is also a crack under the window on the back lift door.

Found a crack on the rear liftgate right around the Ford emblem. After mentioning it to a friend, turns out she had the same problem with her Explorer and a search online shows many others have had the same issue with this model year.

Rear liftgate panel under window 10 inch crack in middle. Glass loose.

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the hinge on the rear liftgate was cracked. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 78,000.

See all problems of the 2007 Ford Explorer 🔎.

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the exterior plastic trim of the liftgate glass was cracked. The dealer advised the contact that the failure was common. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 87,000 and the current mileage was 89,000.

Rear liftgate glass hatch failure hinge and attachments back glass fail off.

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Explorer. The contact noticed a crack on the rear liftgate near the manufacturing emblem. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer offered any assistance since there were no recalls for the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The current and failure mileages were 56,000.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Explorer. The contact stated the rear liftgate glass bolt brackets detached from the hinges, causing the glass to detach. There was a recall associated with the defect under NHTSA campaign id number 04v442000 (structure: body: hatchback/liftgate: hinge and attachments) but the vehicle was ineligible for the recall repair due to the build date. The vehicle had not been repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000.

Nothing that I am aware of happened. I was walking behind the vehicle in my drive way and noticed a long crack below the glass on the liftgate. As the weeks went on it kept cracking and now it is almost cracked all the way.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while the rear lift gate was open the hinge failed causing the gate to fall on the contacts head. The dealer was stated the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign recall number: 04v442000: structure: body: hatchback/liftgate: hinge and attachments. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated the approximate failure and current mileage was 68,000.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Explorer. The vehicle was included in the recall under NHTSA campaign id number: 04v442000 (structure:body:hatchback/liftgate:hinge and attachments). After the repairs were performed the contact attempted to open the lift gate which separated from the strut and detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the hinges. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Explorer limited. The contact stated that the rear liftgate was fractured and the contact was concerned that the window would possibly fall out while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they advised him that the failure was not a safety concern and offered no further assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.

The liftgate glass hinge on my 2004 Ford Explorer (model exxltspnbx) broke while closing. There is only one bolt holding each of the two hinges onto the glass and the bolt broke on one of the hinges. Fortunately, I held the glass as to not slip down and pull the other hing causing it to break. The window lift did hold it but would not slide back up. The lift had to be removed in order to shut and latch the window door. The back panel below the window was cracked when I bought the car and this may have lead to shifting in the window and additional stress added to the bolt in the hinge. This is the same problem that occured in the 2002 and 2003 hatch window hinges. There are many examples online of the bolt breaking in the 2004 models but a recall has not been issued yet as has the two previous years.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Explorer. The contact stated there were two large cracks below the rear liftgate, located near the manufacturer’s emblem. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified and they were unable to provide assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Explorer. The contact was closing the rear liftgate when the rear glass detached from the vehicle. The contact was able to grab hold of the glass to prevent it from shattering. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostics or repairs. There was a recall under NHTSA campaign id number: 04v442000 (structure:body:hatchback/liftgate: hinge and attachments) that could have been be related to the failure but the manufacturer stated that the contact's VIN was not included. The approximate failure mileage was 133,000.

2004 Ford Explorer eb. Back liftgate cracked below glass. No accident or impact occured.

Vehicle rear liftgate has a crack down the middle of it. Failure occurred at approximately 63,000 miles. Problem confirmed as common problem with this year/model of Explorer. No repair or replacement as of this time.

Almost every older model Ford Explorer that I see on the road has the same issue with the cracked panel below the rear glass on the liftgate. For a while I was having a problem closing my back lift gate. There seemed to be a problem with the latch. I later realized that there was a recall (#04s20) on (what I thought had nothing to do with the cracked panel) liftgate glass hinge and ball stud bracket. Right after the repairs were done by the dealer on my vehical in January 2011, I realized that the liftgate worked perfect. It was then determined that the misalignment caused problems with the liftgate closing correctly. . . . . Which caused damage to the panel. . . . . Which resulted in the crack. . . . . . . Ford has done a recall on what has resulted in the crack but they have not stepped forward to take responsiblity for the damage that has occurred due to the defect. . . . . It is unfair for us to have to pay out of pocket for damages due to a maufacturing defect. . . . . . . Please investigate and resolve as appropriate.

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.

See all problems of the 2002 Ford Explorer 🔎.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the window on the rear hatch developed a crack and the hinge was bent due to defective material. The manufacturer was notified and stated that the repairs associated with NHTSA campaign id number 04v442000 (structure: body: hatchback/liftgate: hinge and attachments) were previously performed. The manufacturer would not provide further assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 53,000 and the current mileage was 64,000.

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.

Metal cracked into from liftgate window to bottom of liftgate. Just went to work one day and came home to find this huge crack in the liftgate door. I had not opened the liftgate that day. After doing research and personally witnessing other Explorers with this problem, I found there are hundreds of Ford Explorer owners with same problem.

Paint is peeling from the roof (over the drivers side and front passenger side) in the grooves of the roof. Also, the paint is peeling from the top of the liftgate.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the rear liftgate exhibited a fracture that started from the top of the manufacturing emblem and down to the bottom of the liftgate. The contact spoke with the manufacturer but was advised that there was nothing that could be done to assist. The vehicle was not repaired. The current mileage was 89,000 and the failure mileage was unknown.