Rear liftgate glass shocks were no longer holding up the window when open. Replaced both shocks, closed the liftgate glass and the window exploded, resulting in the bottom trim piece falling and shattered glass flying everywhere. Fortunately their were no injuries.
2002 Ford Explorer body complaints
Page 8 of 17: complaints 191 to 220 of 486, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. After the engine was turned off and the door was closed, the contact heard a loud noise. She noticed that the liftgate glass shattered. The vehicle was driven to the dealer, but no repairs were made. The vehicle was previously serviced for the federal safety agency campaign id number 04v442000(structure:body:hatchback/liftgate:hinge and attachments) in may of 2007. The current and failure mileages were 100,000. Updated 03-04-08 *bf the consumer stated the problem was thought to be fixed back in april 2007, however the rear glass shattered again. Tl the dealer stated that the brackets were replaced; however, the glass broke and sounded like an explosion. The vehicle has been at the dealer for 21 days to have the glass installed. The contact had to pay $948 to have the vehicle repaired. The contact has the brackets that should have been installed. She also spoke with the manufacturer and they didn't offer her any assistance.
I have a 2002 ford explorer and a crack appeared overnight in the rear lift gate panel. This seems to be a recurring defect in ford explorers and ford should be accountable to fix the defect.
I drive a 2002 ford explorer, eddie bauer model, 4 door. The arms (4) which hold both the back door up when open and the back glass up when open do not raise up fully. I find myself constantly bumping my head on either the door or the glass. Last night after a baseball practice for my 10-year old son I popped open the back glass to put his baseball bag in the car. The glass went up part way and unthinkingly I hit my head on the glass. I pushed the glass up so I could place the bag in the vehicle and the glass pane exploded. It showered glass shrapnel over the two of us. We were both shocked that the glass window would just catastrophically explode. We are very lucky we were not injured. I feel that this accident is a public hazard. I will avoid a poor design like this when looking for a new car. When I reported it to payton wright ford in grapevine, texas, the service adviser shrugged it off and stated yes I've seen that happen, like it was an everyday occurrence. I was told to report it to my insurance company and that ford would do nothing about it.
2002 eddie bauer explorer transmission transmission type 5r55w started to slip and the vehicle has 110,000 mi. Next my o/d dash light started to flash and then the check transmission light went on. Dealer stated it was just a bad solenoid replacement cost of $1,000 or worse? Second opinion stated that there is a buried code in the diagnostic about the overdrive wasn't working and the test drive by mech. Noted that 5th gear wasn't working. The independent mech. Stated that he was sorry when he found out it was an explorer because he has a lot of this work. The transmission was overhauled to the sum of $2,710. Safety concern? Well you have your family in this vehicle trying to merge onto a highway while your transmission is slipping or worse. To me this is as big as a safety item as their back glass lift gate they recalled. Or their roll over issue for that matter. So I may be one person but you just have to type in this issue on the internet and the number of complaints are incredible. Ok so many people have had the same issue. So go to their tsb and this is littered with transmission issues. This is clearly a faulty transmission from the start but apparently consumer complaints have not been enough for ford to do the right thing here. I would ask that the federal safety agency do what is in their power to request ford to do the right thing here and reimburse us for fixing an obvious and dangerous design flaw.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. In march of 2007, the contact found a crack in the center of the liftgate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was informed that the warranty had expired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer again on january 6, 2008 and they stated that the repair was the contact's responsibility. The current mileage was 16,000 and failure mileage was 14,500. Updated 03-04-08
2002 ford explorer xlt. Noticed a crack in the rear panel located below tailgate glass the crack is from top to bottom.
I lifted my rear upper tailgate on my 2002 ford explorer, and the windshield literally exploded on my head, including dropping the lower part of the tailgate on top of me. After searching on the internet it appears to be a very common problem, and my local ford dealer claims they've never heard of such a thing. My local bodyshop however was familiar with the problem. This tailgate had a previous recall related to the hinges I believe, which I did have done, back in 2005. My car has 75,000 miles and is used almost exclusively for highway driving.
Stress fracture running vertically along plastic panel of liftgate directly under back window appeared. The crack is located to the left of the ford emblem running from the glass the length of the panel. No force of any kind was applied to the area to cause this crack. I live in a cold weather climate with rain and snow and am now worried about water getting inside and effecting the electrical system. Since this is a commonly documented problem, that could lead to further more serious problems, ford should replace the panel.
The rear windows was recalled and the repair was performed. Now the back window failed as I am told by the ford dealer has cracked. After some searching I see this is pretty common after the repair. Http://www.carcomplaints.com/ford/explorer/2002/windows_windshield/rear_lift_gate_window_exploded.shtml
2 large vertical cracks in back panel of tailgate extending down from window.
2002 explorer rear window exploded when my 14 year old daughter closed the top lift gate. Rear window recall was performed in 8/2007 ford will not cover cost ($1,400.00) for repair.
Went to open liftgate when parked in the dark and cut hand on cracked panel. Called ford, they are aware that the plastic panels are cracking in the cold/hot temp changes but are not recalling them. We taped the crack so our children won't get hurt. Please help. If you go to www.carcomplaints.com there are lots of people with this same problem. Thank you
2002 ford explorer rear hatch plastic panel cracked completely through, top to bottom directly above and below the oval ford emblem. Ford customer service ran the VIN. No. And told me this panel had been replaced once already.
Cracks appearing on the tailgate of 2002 ford explorer.
At the bottom of the liftgate underneath the back window, right next to the ford emblem. I have a crack from the top of the frame to the bottom. I have had this crack on my vehicle for a couple of years. I took it to the nearest ford dealer and was told that it wasn't covered under warranty, or was not on recall. Since then I have seen several other vehicles just like mine with the same crack in the back underneath the back window next to the ford emblem.
The rear window liftgate has cracked vertically from the glass all the way to the bottom of the panel for no apparent reason (I.e. Happened overnight while rear window was completely closed). I have noticed that most explorers in my area with the same liftgate have the same vertical crack in the same location. Concerned with potential glass breaking due to some structural defect in the window liftgate.
The panel just below the back lift gate window on my 2002 ford explorer has cracked from top to bottom in two places. I have found that this is a common problem on the 2002 ford explorer. I have seen numerous other vehicles with the exact same cracks and there are 100's of reports of the same problem on the internet. This is obviously a defect. Ford corporate said to contact a dealer about the problem so they offered no help with the situation. I took the car to the hoffman ford dealership in east hartford, ct and they said they would split the repair cost with me. They never followed thru with the offer. They were supposed to call me when they had the part but that never happened. It is obvious ford corporate knows this is a problem and that this is a defect. The outside of a car should never crack for no reason.
The lift gate (window portion) of my 2002 ford explorer has sustained a crack directly down the middle under the glass. The crack is clean cut and appears to expand and close when the weather is cold and contracts and closes when the weather is hot. I have no idea how the crack appeared. I noticed it approximately 2 month ago and has not had any incidences that would warrant the crack. Since I've noticed the crack, I've seen two other explores that have the same crack in the same location as mine, and starting wondering if this is a body defect. Can you please research this concern for me and notify me of your findings?
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. On september 9, 2007, the hinge failed on the liftgate and the glass fell out and shattered. He notified the dealer and a recall was found. The dealer advised him to take the vehicle to the ford dealer. Ford stated that his VIN was not included in the recall and would not repair the vehicle. The manufacturer stated that the recall had been performed by the previous owners, however, it was done improperly at the time. The recall number was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 91,600. Updated 01-14-08. *kb updated 12/12/07.
2002 ford explorer with tailgate problems customer states that the structural integrity of the tailgate assembly is in question**cc the consumer stated ford had a recall for the 2002 ford explorer and will not longer honor fixing the problem with thousands of vehicles.
The problem is my 2002 ford explorer rear window liftgate, my panel below the rear window is cracking for no reason, I do not use is part of the liftgate, after doing some research on the internet I found over 100 owners with the same problem. This is a design and engineering safety problem that will allow the rear window to fallout or explode when operating the door or normal driving of the vehicle . Ford motor company should replace the panels at no charge to the owner of 2002 and up ford explorer with this tailgate design.
Rear liftgate on 2000 ford explorer has cracked in two places below the window. Have noticed this on many same vehicles. Have had many comments on if ford has issued a recall.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that the rear liftgate had cracked right below the glass. The crack is spreading. The current mileage is 52,000 and failure mileage was 45,000. Updated 09/05/07.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that the liftgate is cracked and leaking. He notified ford who stated that complaints have been made for the same failure. The current mileage is 65,590 and failure mileage was 37,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact heard a loud noise while driving in reverse. Three days later, she discovered a crack below the window of the rear door. The dealer stated that they have three other vehicles on location with the same failure. The ford manufacturer stated that nothing could be done because her vehicle is not under warranty and it was not serviced with ford. The engine size was unknown. The current mileage is 59,000 and failure mileage was 58,750. Updated 02/01/08. *lj updated 02/01/08
2002 ford explorer xlt, plastic trim piece below rear window glass cracked all the way. This was a safety issue as the glass could fall out without proper structural support. Ford issued a recall for the rear glass hinge posts, but the will not fix the plastic which broke as a result of normal closing of the hatchback. I found a forum with 129 postings on it today claiming the same issue. Http://www.carcomplaints.com/ford/explorer/2002/body_paint/cracked_panel_below_the_rear_window.shtml I would like ford to fix this problem free of charge as it was a safety hazard and defect.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that the plastic portion on the bottom of the rear liftgate cracked vertically. The current mileage is 78,000, and failure mileage was 75,000.
Noticed cracked panel (applique) below rear hatchback window on my 2002 ford explorer xlt (SUV) 1st thought was someone hit me while I was parked. Then realized that there was no evidence of that temp was 19 degrees outside. After going online to car complaints found many other complaints. Contacted ford co. They told me to get an estimate. Metro ford gave me estimate of $302.89, called ford co. Back they said they won't pay. I can't afford to pay for this fix, even if I did, bet it will crack again when temp is below freezing again. It has to be a design flaw in the part. Online complaints say ford knows it's a flaw but they are not helping us consumers.
Rear liftgate of 2002 ford explorer develops crack on piece below glass.
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