Latches/locks/linkage Problems of Ford Explorer - part 1

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the rear driver's side door failed to latch as intended. In addition, the contact stated that the rear driver's side door failed to latch or unlatch while using the door switch. The contact stated that the failure was a safety hazard. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 122,000.

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See attached document for complaint.

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The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated the front passenger’s side door failed to open as intended. The contact stated that after several attempts using the key fob to unlock the door, the door failed to open. In addition, the code to unlock the door failed to work as intended. The contact's daughter manually locked and unlocked the door. The contact stated that when the door was opened manually, the panic alarm activated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to the cost. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, the rear driver's side door failed to open as intended. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired after the most recent failure. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

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The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that on multiple occasions, the door locks failed to open. The contact stated that the rear driver’s and passenger’s side doors failed to unlock as needed. The contact used the key fob remote to attempt to unlock the doors, but the doors failed to unlock. Additionally, the contact stated that she attempted to manually unlock the doors, but the doors failed to unlock from the inside or the outside. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the door lock mechanism had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that the front driver’s side door failed to unlock, and the lock was stuck in the locked position. The contact attempted to manually unlock the front driver’s side door, but the door failed to unlock. The contact stated that she was concerned that during an emergency, she would be stuck inside or outside of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it remained. The vehicle had not yet been repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to contact the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 141,000.

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The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 mph, the driver's side door opened while the contact was making a left turn. The contact stated that the "door ajar" chime sounded. The contact was wearing his seat belt and managed to shut the door but had to hold on to the door handle to keep the door closed. The contact stated that the failure recurred. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer; however, the mechanic could not duplicate the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to Ford customer satisfaction program: 19n09 (latches/locks/linkages). The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 12,000.

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The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated the rear driver’s side door failed to open as needed. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the rear driver’s side door latch to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the rear passenger’s side door latch experienced a similar failure. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the rear passenger’s side door latch to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. While driving various speeds, the steering wheel suddenly became very difficult to turn in either direction. The failure occurred on multiple occasions and the fuse was reinserted in order to repair the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Also, while driving, the passenger side of the vehicle wobbled and vibrated. The vehicle was taken to bill flick Ford (737 north freeway service rd, huntsville, TX) where it was diagnosed that the suspension was faulty. The vehicle was repaired. Furthermore, while operating the vehicle, the door ajar warning message erroneously displayed, the interior dome light remained illuminated, and the doors would not lock. The cause of the failures was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The failure mileage was 800.

Tl the contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. While driving, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The steering ability returned to normal the next day. Four days later, the steering wheel became difficult to turn again. On another occasion, while the vehicle was idling, the contact exited the vehicle and the door locks malfunctioned. The contact became locked out of the vehicle. The vehicle was currently at chapman auto store (6744 e black horse pike, egg harbor township, NJ 08234, (609) 646-2000), but had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and did not assist. The approximate failure mileage was 129,000.

The contact owns a 2000 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that both rear interior child locks failed in the locked position. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The dealer stated this was a normal occurrence. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 30,000.

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The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 13v270000 (locks/latches and stated that the dealer informed her it would take a week to receive the parts. The manufacturer was not notified. The contact had not experienced a failure.

I've been having an issue with my truck saying the door is ajar when it's not. While driving, the inside light will come on and lock/unlock the doors. I noticed it usually happens either while its raining or if it just finished raining. Someone else I know who has the same vehicle (year/make/model) says the same thing happens to his vehicle. I'm wondering if you have heard of this before and if so, what steps do the manufactures take in deciding whether or not a vehicle needs to be recalled for a specific problem? any information you can provide will be greatly appreciated!.

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The contact owns a 2005 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle did not come equipped with child safe locks and the contact was concerned with the lack of having the safety feature. The manufacturer was contacted and a complaint was filed. The contact had not experienced a failure. The current mileage was 66,000.

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The passenger door will not unlock, you hear the clicking as the other doors unlock, but it will not unlock. As with the other complaints I have seen regarding this issue, I too am concerned if there was an accident and the person in the passenger side is unable to get out of the car.

See all problems of the 1999 Ford Explorer 🔎.

Concrning my 2004 Explorer XLT. The rear hatchback that opens the back windows has a broken latch. I am very upset that this part just seemed to implode and left me unable to close the rear back window. The garage I took it to said Ford informed them the part was on back order until 07-18-2011. I am wondering if this is going to be a recalled item for the garage informed me it happens quite regularly. Please let me know if I have any recourse or am entitled to reimbursement for the needed repair. .

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This requested recall involves a 2002 Ford Explorer having an automatic transmission. During normal use, the shift lever breaks off at a cast rotating cylinder that transmits the torque from the gear shifter to push and pull the cable that puts the vehicle in park, drive, neutral, and reverse. The vehicle also had a tendency to jump out of park even before the part broke which caused the vehicle to roll back and almost pinned me between another vehicle when the vehicle rolled back and crashed into a vehicle parked downhill. This was a near miss accident. Ford wants to charge $1500 to replace the entire steering column. We elected to junk the vehicle at this time until another solution can be found. Vehicle still drives if you reach your hand and push/pull the transmission cable to shift the automatic transmission into gear. We can send the broke off section of the part if you will return it. On the internet, there are many reports of the same failure for years 2002 through 2005 Ford Explorers.

A couple of weekends ago, the passenger side hinge on our rear window hatch broke. My mom opened the back window hatch on my vehicle & when she went to shut it, the entire window came down on her. Then we could not get it shut. We had to stand there in 80+ degree heat holding the entire window (which is quite heavy), while my 2 year old baked in the car, until my dad & brother could get to the store we were at to rescue us. We were able to get it to shut (though we were terrified the glass was going to shatter at any moment due to the tension on it) & we duct taped it to keep it in place. We had the hinge repaired by our local body shop, & had them replace both hinges to be proactive. It cost about $200. After this happened I did some internet searches & was upset to find so many other 2004 Ford Explorer owners had experienced the exact same problem & I also found out that Ford has recalled the same hinges on 2002 & 2003 models. I don't understand why the 2004 Explorer has not had the same recall when they're the same hinges? this seems like such a blatant disregard by Ford. People could be seriously injured by this window either falling on their head, or falling off while driving. The 2003 Ford Explorer recall was explained as this: 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. The exact same thing could be said of 2004 Ford Explorers. I am writing this in the hopes that a recall can be made on this equipment. It needs to be recalled before someone is hurt. Thank goodness my 11 yr old wasn't the one under this window when it broke!! I did email Ford regarding this issue & they weren't exactly helpful. They basically said, sorry & that there were no recalls on the 04 at this time & that they work with NHTSA to stay on top of areas of concern.

My 2003 Ford Explorer was parked in my driveway and it somehow rolled down approx 150 feet and smashed into a tree. There was no one in the vehicle it was parked and the keys were in the house. I immediately called my insurance (state farm) and they had me call a collision garage to come out and they came within the hour. They have stated that the vehicle is a total loss. The next morning I called Ford and they disregarded anything I said and said my insurance should take care of it. I am still paying on a loan for this car and I do have full coverage but I am now without a vehicle and I am scared to think of what might of happened if my daughters would of been playing in the backyard.

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This problem is very stressful on a senior citzen with a heart condition who's heart is functioning at 60% and on medication everyday. Upper back hatch has factory defect crack next to the lock, in the last couple of months it has been unlocking itself at random, while siting still or driving. No injuries, muggings ,theft,kidnapping of grandchildren and/ or escape or theft of fur children yet!!!. I do not have the extra monies to fix. . It is Fords factory defect that I see on Explorers everywhere. I have contacted them , and they still claim no safety issue.

I have had my 2004 Ford Explorer for 3 years now. Today I went to open my rear hatch and the window hinges just broke. Now my window is hanging thereand I don't know how I am going to get them fixed since I don't have any extra money. I think this should be a recall since there has been a lot of complaints about this problem.

Tailgate window hinges failed on 2004 Ford Explorer. The window fell out and damaged the lift struts. I was not injured.

2004 Explorer with 110k miles - developed crack in liftgate panel app Dec 2008. Ford covered 80% of repair cost of $750 since vehicle was under 75k miles, even though an obvious design flaw. Sept 29, 2010 rear hatch window hinge breaks causing door to fall onto my hands and legs. . . Sore but not permanent. Two CO-workers had to help me raise it up enough to lock it in place. Dealer repaired for $65 parts in $170 labor. Dangerous and unsafe.

Front passenger door cannot open, interior and exterior handles do not release latch. Passenger is trapped in vehicle. The power (solenoid) and manual (key) locking mechanism activates/works, but does not allow door to be opened.

2002 Ford Explorer gear shift lever broke off while in drive. The lever is connected to a soft aluminum cylinder thru a u shaped end and a pin. The cylinder sheared at the base of the u as a result leaving no way to shift or get the key out after turning the motor off when I finally got stopped. Repair cost is $1400 for a new steering column plus labor. Cannot buy small part that broke separately so Explorer is not fixed. . Read more...

Defective rear window hinges on my 2004 Ford Explorer. I rarely use the window hatch and today I am sorry I did. While opening the rear window it fell on to my head. The brackets on the window broke. I am waiting for my mech. To help me remove the window so I can bring it into to get repaired. I own a 2002 Ford Explorer and it had a recall for the same thing. So why not the 2004, it is the same hinge.

In July 2010, I noticed a crack in the panel portion of the back window hatch of my 2004 Ford Explorer. I reported this to my dealer, who more or less said welcome to the club, and told me to contact the body shop. The cost of $500-600 would have to be paid by me and there is no reason to think that it won't happen again. I am so disappointed in Ford motor CO. , I thought I could expect more from a local manufacturer. It seems to me that this is something that should have been discovered in product tests and/or trials. Why didn't Ford know that the material they used was not capable of standing up to the use in the area they placed it?.

Rear passenger side door will not open from inside vehicle.

Rear rh hinge failed on 2004 Ford Explorer, when wife was closing glass hatch, she was very lucky she did not get hurt, because it put to much strain on lh hinge, damaging it almost to point of failure also.

The hatchback hinge on my 2004 Ford Explorer broke yesterday, luckily I caught it before it hit my 4 year old in the head. The same thing happened on a 2002 Ford Explorer I owned before, but that was recalled and Ford fixed it. This model is not included in the recall, but the part is obviously defective. It could have easily hit someone and hurt them, or fallen off while I was driving and caused an accident.

I own a 2003 Ford Explorer and was closing the window of the back hatch when the rear lift gate hinge failed and broke and the window became dislodged and hit me in the head. My son was standing next to me and thankfully the window didn't fall out completely and land on him! I have contacted Ford and they said that although there was a recall for this very same problem, your agency did not identify my vehicle as being affected and they will not repair it at their cost. Again, they said it was because your agency did not identify my vehicle as being affected by this defect. At the present time, the window is hanging by the struts and the left hinge. Further, I have gone online and seen that many other people have had this very same problem and it was not covered by Ford's recall. This is a major safety issue as that window could have fallen out and landed on my son! thankfully, I was not seriously injured. I can't believe that this has not been recalled more extensively. I think it is reasonable to expect that a window or a door is not going to fall off a hinge and potentially cause a serious injury. Safety is a reasonable expectation!.

The tailgate cracks down the center.

While trying to put my 2005 Ford Explorer in reverse, the gear shift broke within the steering column. After looking online, I found this to be a common problem.

I have a 2000 Ford Explorer, 4-door. The right front door actuator mechanism has failed. The left front door locking mechanism has failed. Also, left rear passenger door can not be opened from inside and outside the vehicle. 1) can not open right front door from the outside with key-fob or with the key! I replaced a rivot that holds the locking actuator with a bolt (right side front door). 2)I can not open left front door from the outside with key-fob or with the key! . I replaced the interior door handle opening lever. This worked until the latching mechanism inside the door failed. I currently have to take the door apart and try to fix this because my wife and kids use this vehicle. 3) on the left rear door, the door can not be opened from the inside or outside. I currently have to take the door apart and try to fix this because my wife and kids use this vehicle. In the event of an accident on the right side, anyone in the left rear seat can not exit the vehicle from the left rear door. We leased this vehicle in 2000 then bought it in 2003. As of this writing, this vehicle has just over 80000 miles on the odometer. Ford refuses to correct the problems. Many message boards have reported the same problems with 2000 Ford Explorers. Unfortunately, I have to resort to using the remedies on various message boards to correct the problem. Thank you.

Doors will not shut in the freezing cold weather. Went out to the Explorer tonight, got in, shut the door and proceeded to drive. I take the highway on ramp and my drivers door flew open. I stopped and tried to shut it and it just bounced open again and again because the latch was frozen. I finally get it to stay closed, drop my passenger off and then the passenger's door wouldn't close either. I drove all the way home holding my passenger's door closed. This truck is the absolute biggest piece of garbage I have ever driven in my life. If you are reading this complaint and have not yet purchased an Explorer I strongly urge you to reconsider.

The contact owns a 2000 Ford Explorer. She stated that the front driver and passenger, and rear doors failed to unlock she had to climb through the rear window to enter the vehicle. There were no recalls for the failure. Updated 3/4/2010 the consumer stated the front and rear doors continue to jam. Updated 06/17/jb.

2002 Ford Explorer door locks will not function properly in freezing weather, doors pop open while driving!.