Hatchback/liftgate Support Device problems of the 2003 Lincoln Aviator

Shifter knob on 03 Aviator broke off. The shifter was locked in drive, had to shut off vehicle and brace the tires from rolling on an incline. With my child in the car with me. Scary!!!!!! the problem is a plastic piece broke in the shifter column. Has yet to be fixed. Quoted $900 to fix. Also the liftgate cracked at the Lincoln emblem witch I was told that it holds the glass in place and it sound like a gunshot when it cracked, shook me up. This is a Ford/Lincoln failure on a manufacturer defect. The hatch is not being able to close completely because of where the crack is located. The crack is located near the Lincoln emblem. What if water cause a electrical fire from water getting into the closing mechanism, still waiting for a recall on this. Quoted $500 to fix 107,231 miles.

On my 2003 Aviator the door ajar light comes on at various times during the day and night. My interior lights flash and my car alarm goes off. It's been doing this for about two years, but has gotten worse this year 2016. My battery has died twice in two days. So frustrated with this vehicle. Was summoned over the intercom in a department store and at work saying that a Lincoln SUV's alarm was going off and that the lights were flashing. I knew it was mine. I hit the alarm button on the key fob which cut off the alarm for about 30 seconds and it started up again. When driving at night, the door ajar light comes on which makes my interior lights flash quickly and makes it difficult to drive because of the glare of the interior lights being on. The door ajar light comes on anytime day or night, stationary or while driving. I bought this vehicle new. It only has 67,000 miles on it now, but over the years, I've had serious issues with the transmission, had to replace 2 wheel bearings, there's a crack near the emblem on the liftgate, the stereo makes loud popping sounds in the back which sounds like a gunshot, sometimes can't get out of park, the gear shift gets stuck! I'm so frustrated with this vehicle. I complained to the Ford company several years ago when there were only 40,000 miles on the vehicle and the transmission was having serious issues, and also my water pump went bad. Their reply was: "we're sorry to hear that, please take your vehicle to one of our dealers for great service repair". I think I bought a lemon!! too many things going wrong with a vehicle that was purchased new and still have low miles!! my windshield sprayer control on the left side on the steering wheel also stopped working suddenly about 5 years ago, I almost forgot about that issue.

Owner of 2003 Lincoln Aviator (acquired early 2004). Since that time, while vehicle under warranty, on 4 separate occasions, a crack has appeared near the emblem on the rear liftgate. On all four occasions, the entire liftgate portion which contains the window and the emblem has needed to be replaced. Now, in November 2008, a crack has appeared for the 5th time, but the vehicle is no longer under warranty, and the dealership states that Ford/Lincoln will not stand behind its vehicle. Also, lately the battery has weakened and died on several occasions. It seems that the cracked liftback may not be closed securely.

The liftgate cracked at the Lincoln emblem on my 2003 Lincoln Aviator. This conditions appears to be similar to the service bulletin NHTSA #: 0485.