Window feel and shattered into a million pieces. After contacting my insurance to have the glass replaced I found out the reason for the incident was due to a faulty hinge. I was told by the glass company that the hinge failed due to electrolysis (two different metals reacting with each other). I feel this is the same issue that happened with ford recall manufacturer campaign number: 04s20, however my VIN does not pull up this issue code and therefore I am not receiving assistance from ford with this manner. After doing research online I have found many other owners of my same make and model who have experienced the same issue. I feel this needs to be officially addressed as I was driving when my glass fell, but was fortunate that there was no one behind me when it happened. Otherwise I am 100% positive it would have caused an accident.
2003 Ford Explorer Sport body complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 25 of 25, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Left rear liftgate hinge failed/broke; liftgate glass almost fell off completely (but was still partially attached via right hinge). This happened when vehicle was parked. No obvious signs of "wear and tear"; liftgate hinge had been used normally for several years. Many other the federal safety agency reports list this defect (04v442000). Ford issued a recall several years ago (04s20), but it only covers a very specific and limited range of VIN numbers; mine was excluded. Many other 2003 ford explorer sport owners report the same problem, yet nothing has been done to remedy this problem or compensate the affected owners for their losses. I had to pay "out of pocket" at a local private shop to get my hinge repaired.
Severe clanking/banging noise in passenger rear. Replaced shocks. Noise worsened. Researched and found numerous complaints regarding body mounts with ford explorer sport vehicles. Upon investigation - reaching up under vehicle found no "body insulator left on passenger side rear and on driver rear the insulator crumbled like dirt and fine powder. The body mounts appeared to be manufactured of a foam like material - substandard at best! Replacement parts must be purchased through ford since no other aftermarket parts are available. Parts only (that being able to salvage the bolts and sleeves) and purchase the two pair of insulators only - $680.00. The same material that failed and should not. There are vehicles on the road with body mounts for 40 to 50 years. This is a manufacturer's responsibility and the cost for these parts is thievery. It is unsafe to operate a vehicle without repairing defective body mounts due to the possibility of body roll or other loss of control. Since the mounts should not fail throughout the life of the vehicle I sincerely request an investigation be launched into the multiple complaints being filed for the years 2001-2003 ford explorer sport body mounts.
Rear lift gate panel cracked while vehicle was parked. Concerns with unstable rear glass, ability of hatch to remain closed and operation of rear wiper. Glass instability a concern while driving and when using liftgate. Prior injuries have been reported.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer sport. The contact stated that he noticed that the rear lift gate hinges were loose and the contact was concerned that the rear glass window would fall from the vehicle. The vehicle was not inspected by a dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was contacted and advised him that the vehicle was not included in a manufacturer's recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unavailable. The current mileage was approximately 153,000.
2/14/2007 I noticed there is a fracture/crack between the tailgate door opener and the window. The fracture/crack becomes more/less wider depending on how hot or cold it is outside. I went to the dealer and they stated it would cause me between $400-$800 to get it fix and the whole area will need to be replaced. They stated that it should not cause much problem unless someone hits the back of my car or I close the tailgate not soft enough, which could damage the window. Since then, I have noticed that all explorers that I see have the same fracture/crack on the tailgate door on the same area location. I also have seen many many many complaints about this online. This has to be a defect that is causing the fracture on the tailgate door below the window. This could cause injury if the window breaks or there is issue with the door opener hinge.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer xls sports. While the vehicle was parked the hatchback liftgate hinge broke and the glass fell but did not brake. He stated someone caught the glass. He called the dealer and was advised there was no recall for the failure. He referenced recall the federal safety agency campaign id number: 04v442000 (structure:body:hatchback/liftgate:hinge and attachments) and was advised that his vehicle was not part of the recall. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was 77,000 and the current mileage was 77,100.
In trying to determine where a new rattle was coming I heard on the way home, I noticed the rear gate glass hinge had broken or became dislodged. When trying to secure it to take it to the dealership for repair, the glass slipped and cut deep gashes into the body. I had just returned home and had it fallen off on the highway it good have caused an accident. The dealership attributed it to wear and tear even though I had previously only opened the glass lift gate twice during the life of the car. I was charged a fee just to replace the hinge. I did not get he body work repaired. There were recalls for this problem on other explorer's made during the same period mine was made, but I was told my VIN was not involved in the recall. (ford recall no. 04s20 and a campaign number 04v442000 and safety report #10266375 and #10266836).
Opened the rear window (hatch) and the right side flew up - the hinge had disengaged from the body of the vehicle. Located on #04v442000 which covers the same problem - was told by dealer my vehicle did not fall under this recall (04s20) and I would have to pay for the repair.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer sport. While the vehicle was parked the contact noticed that the hinge on the rear liftgate was detached. There was a recall under the federal safety agency campaign id number 04v442000 (structure: body: hatchback/liftgate: hinge and attachments). An authorized dealer was notified and informed her that the VIN was excluded from the recall defect. The vehicle had not been repaired when the complaint was filed. The failure and current mileages were 120,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer sport. When attempting to open the rear liftgate, the contact noticed that the glass was loose and the hinge was failing. He was able to safely catch the glass before it struck the ground or himself. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that there was no current recall regarding the failure and the contact would be responsible for the repair cost. The manufacturer stated that no compensation would be provided because the vehicle was not included in a recall. Upon further investigation, the contact found the federal safety agency campaign id number 04v442000 (structure:body:hatchback/liftgate:hinge and attachments) for the same failure. The vehicle has not been repaired. The failure mileage was 97,200 and current mileage was 97,250.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer sport. While driving approximately 45 MPH on normal road conditions, an excessively loud rattle and wind noise was coming from the interior rear of the vehicle. The driver inspected the vehicle and observed that the liftgate hinge failed and the bolts loosened. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. The technician stated the failure was due to the liftgate hinge which was a common problem with this vehicle. The federal safety agency campaign id number; 04v442000 (structure:bodyhatchback/liftgate;hinge and attachments) is a identical to the failure; however, the vehicle was excluded from the recall since it only applied to four door vehicles. The vehicle was temporarily repaired and resumed operation with caution. The contact is aware of the safety risk involved. The failure and current mileages were 65,000. Updated 05/18/09. *lj the rear defroster was inoperative. Updated 05/20/09.
Bubbling and peeling paint.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer xlt sport. While closing the liftgate the rear window shattered. There was no prior damage to the window. The failure resulted in a few cuts on the contact's hands. The current and failure mileages were 38,254.*ak update 05/21/07.
I just bought a ford explorer sport 2 door to tow my boat. The specs for towing provided by ford are 5100 lbs. Maximum trailer weight, 350 lbs. Max tongue weight. My boat & trailer is 3200 lbs and tongue weight 280 lbs., well within specs. My first trip trailering 20 miles to the lake the vehicle then trailer swerved, since the weight pushes the rear down & front end up so that little weight remains on the front to control steering. The ford engineer consulted said "if he bought the explorer to trailer why didn't he buy the 4 door" (implying it has a longer wheel base & is more stable. The service director & shop foreman at the dealer agreed that the front end is too high to be safe but ford refuses to take any action to correct. Nlm
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