Body problems of the 2004 Ford Explorer Sport Trac

The body of my 2004 Ford Explorer Sport Trac XLT has rivets on the top of the roof that hold water. Instead of being a flat surface where rain can naturally fall off the top of the roof it sits in these rivets and accumulates rust. This leads to a lot more problems.

The doors don't open good and the door handles break. We have had fixed twice and the previous owner had fixed also!.

While driving at 45mph noticed too much body roll and bouncing. Installed new shocks and sway bars and had it aligned and it still had too much body roll and bouncing. Had it up on a lift an noticed the body bushing were all deteriorated and falling apart. Googled this item and found many sport trac owners having the same problem. It seems Ford purchased inferior body bushings from a vendor and has never corrected this issue. The vehicle feels very unsafe to drive! in order to change these out you have to remove the interior of the vehicle 1st. This is a very expensive repair and if left undone the vehicle is unsafe to drive. I have never heard of this being a maintenance item on any other vehicle.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Explorer Sport Trac. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, the spare tire detached from the tire well from under the carriage. The failure was related to a fractured cable harness. Vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 97,600.

I went to install a pair of step bars on my truck, and noticed that my body bushings looked odd. I touched one of them and it crumbled, and upon further investigation I noticed at least 3 sets on each side were in the same shape. I called Ford customer service and was told to take it to the dealer to have it checked, and that there was no warranty, customer satisfaction plan, or recall. I told them I was a mechanic and did not need to go to the dealer, but they did register my complaint. I have never seen body bushings in such state on any name brand or model vehicle, even after they were 20 or so years old. I have seen them flatten out, but never deteriorate. I feel sure that the material used is of poor quality. By not replacing them, there is a risk of body cracking or other failures. I feel that Ford should have a recall on them. After searching the internet, I find that I am not alone, and feel that there are many more people with the same problem, they just dont know it.

I own a 2004 Ford Explorer Sport Trac. The rear hard cover that covers the bed of the truck does not seal tightly. During heavy or steady rain, water will trickle into the bed of the truck. Dampening anything stored in that area. I have contacted Ford corporate headquarters to lodge a complaint. Ford claims the cover was never advertised as being weather sealed. Has anyone else encountered this problem? is there a cure for it ? I have tried adjusting the cover. This only helped slightly.