I want to bring to your attention a defect in the tailgate panel on the 2003 ford explorer. It is cracked and as a result water gets into the inside of the panel and leaks into the vehicle. As a result of the bitter cold days here in the northeast over the last month or so, ice forms on the inside of the windows causing major issues with visibility which is dangerous. It also shorted out the rear wiper motor as well. There should be a safety recall on this since it effects so many people.
2003 Ford Explorer visibility complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 62, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Back glass on lift gate exploded. Glass went every where. No one was in the thank goodness.vehicle was just sitting in driveway. It just exploded and shattered. There was nothing wrong with the glass. The only thing there was a crack on lower panel that had been there for about 3 years.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. The contact stated that the air conditioner and defroster would not operate when activated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who advised that both the air conditioning/heater switch and the blower motor would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the defect. The approximate failure 130,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 -10 MPH over a road bump, the hatch back window detached and fell from the vehicle without warning. The contact pulled over and saw that the hinges to the rear window were severely rusted, causing the window to detach. The vehicle was not inspected by a dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was later contacted and advised him that the vehicle was too dangerous to drive and should not have passed state inspection. The failure mileage was approximately 147,000. The current mileage was approximately 148,000.
All 4 of the wheel bearings had to be replaces in a matter of 5 months the rear window has a crack in the fiberglass covering right down the middle said not covered not a health risk but the molding is still cracked from the bottom of window to the bottom of the molding piece brake lights stay on until u get back in and tap the brakes then the light shuts off.
Rear window hinges broke for the second time. They were fixed once with recall and are now broke again. Also the back lift gate panel has cracked.
My son went to leave in explorer. Noticed hatch had popped open (has been doing this) and when he closed the two inch opening the glass exploded on him and all over driveway. Glass piece in eye which is ok and scrapes on arms and foot. This could have been so much worse and want answers to why this happened.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. The contact confirmed there was a crack located on the panel of the rear window. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 125,000 and the current mileage was 177,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. The contact stated the vehicle was previously repaired under a recall associated with the federal safety agency campaign id number 07e104000 (visibility: glass, side/rear). The repair was performed prior to the purchase of the vehicle. The remedy was insufficient, as a result to the rear liftgate hinge failing to secure the window glass properly. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the malfunction. The approximate failure mileage was 109,000.
Multiple issues with my 2003 ford explorer which include the electronic mother board having been replaced twice (under warranty), cracked liftgage (not under warranty cost $300), transmission rebuild approx 90,000 ($3000), dome lights do not turn off, door ajar lights, electric rear windows do not open, o/d light flashes and now the final problem after having replaced my transmission in july 2011 is a drive train or drive line issue. At approximately 45 MPH after dropping from a higher speed, a thumping happens. Diagnosis for this issue has been 3 days still with no final determination.
Blend door actuator not working. Not able to defrost windows easily.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. The contacted stated that the rear window panel was fractured near the bottom. The contact was concerned that the window would fracture from the vehicle and break. The manufacturer was contacted and advised that there were no a recalls. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 30,000.
The front windshield on my 2003 ford explorer reaches excessive temperatures. In mild weather on a sunny day the interior of the windshield can become so hot it can easily melt items placed against it. Additionally, it appears this is the original windshield from the manufacturer.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. While driving approximately 40 MPH the heater stopped working. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who stated that the temperature blend door needed replacing. The vehicle had not been repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000 and the current mileage was 150,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. The contact stated that the air conditioner functioned but the heat did not. The contact replaced the thermostat and stated that there were no leaks in the heating coil. The contact called the manufacturer who stated that the reactor could have been the cause of failure. The current and failure mileages were 133,700.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. While the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed a crack in the panel attached to the glass of the rear liftgage. The crack was small at first but became larger over time. The vehicle had not been taken to be inspected for the problem. Also, the heated stopped blowing heat and was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the blend door actuator needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000 and the current mileage was approximately 46,000.
Temperature blend door starts making a clicking noise and then the heater starts putting out cold air. The front window doesn't defrost. No heat in the front of the vehicle when temperatures outside can reach 0 degrees. The average cost to repair the part is $734.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. The rear windshield has developed cracks, which subsequently caused the windshield wipers to fail. She took the vehicle to the dealer for inspection, but they did not perform an inspection. The manufacturer advised her to repair the vehicle, and if her model type was recalled, she could inquire about reimbursement. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired. The current and failure mileages were 64,000.
I was driving my 2003 ford explorer at 70 MPH in the fast lane of the freeway and decided to pull the driver's side visor down to cut down on the sun's glare. All of a sudden, the plastic mount that holds the visor metal stem in place shattered and the visor came loose dangling in front of my face by an electrical cable. The visor was severely obstructing my vision so I had to quickly grab the it and hold it out of the way with my left hand while steering with my right to negotiate across 4 lanes of freeway traffic until I could stop the vehicle on the freeway shoulder. The electrical cable does not have a connector so it is not possible to disconnect it from the vehicle. As a result, I had to drive the next 20 miles using my left had to hold the visor up with my left hand while driving with my right until I could reach home.
3 large cracks in plastic trim below glass on rear lift gate "appeared" after a cold/icy day.
While out of town, vacationing and touring for fall colors, I lost all power to the climate control system after a short coffee stop. When I started my explorer I notice I had no heat, fans, defroster or power to the climate control system. Thinking I had blown a fuse, I opened the owners manual and checked the fuse diagram pages for the system that was not working. I checked all the fuses indicated but, I found none of them had blown. After detouring and heading for the local small town, I purchased an emergency fuse replacement and tester kit as it was now getting dark, trying to continue re-checking any fuses (while in the confined and most awkward place to install a fuse control panel under the dash board on the drivers side) was going to have to wait till daylight. On my return to my campsite I change the head lighting from auto to manual and pulled out on the knob to turn on the fog light system. As I did this all power to my climate control system returned and was working normal again. This could have been a real problem as the next morning I woke up to frost and 0` temperature and overcast for the day.
2003 ford explorer - 65k miles - blend door actuator 7.6hp failed causing A/C to remain in on position with no heat or defroster.
I have a ford explorer and the back glass fell and it hanging off. Why before I bought the car last year the problem wasn't fixed.
My back windshield exploded last thursday while parked in my driveway. Not only did the glass explode, but the fiberglass underneath the glass was pulled away from the backend of the truck in a bowing position. I had the back hinge replaced after the recall, it's been less than 12 months and the ford dealership in nashua will do nothing for me, stating that they have never seen anything like that before and there are no other complaints. When I asked to speak to the area factory rep, they informed me that they didn't have one. I asked to speak to the manager, who pretty much said, here's your hat, what's your hurry, out you go...he then flagged me as being an "irate" customer. I am a mother of 4 young children, god forbid they had been in the car when that had happened. Ford should be ashamed of themselves..ford-built strong my leg! Anyone interested in filing a class action lawsuit in the state of nh, please let me know, I am going to contact my lawyer today.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. While driving 55 MPH with the cruise control activated, the cruise control failed without warning. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and they stated that the cruise control wiring failed. There is a recall for the vehicle speed control, but his VIN was not included. The recall number was unknown. The current mileage was 11,550 and failure mileage was 11,330. Updated 06/25/08. *lj the consumer stated after the dealer fixed the recalled rear hatch probelm, the cargo hatch flew open while driving down the highway. A
I am attempting to rectify a well know problem on my 2003 ford explorer regarding the heater blend door for the front heating unit. In this particular instance I have no heat here in michigan of all places. Does ford have a recall for this problem? I have spoken to several ford people and they say this is a very common problem. If the air blend door breaks and the system is locked in the A/C mode, defogging/defrosting the windshield will be a challenge. Ever tried to melt ice with an air conditioner? We have a responsibility to report safety issues. When the dealer called back , the first question was the vehicle?s mileage. When I reported 79k miles they said sorry, the cut-off for assistance was 75k miles. I argued that the problem was logged at 40k miles with numerous follow-up calls. They refused. I called the 1-800 assistance number again and got a real bonehead. She confirmed that 75k miles was the cut-off. I asked to speak to the gentleman to whom I had previously registered my complaint, giving her his identification number. She refused. I hung up and dialed the 1-800 number again. This time I got a kind lady who told me that the field engineer had the authority to offer compensation. I contacted the dealership to schedule an appointment and then learned that the field engineer had backed out of the deal and I was about to fork over $700 for replacement. How in the world does the customer get hosed for this amount of money. I bought the truck, kept it insured, did my maintenance and due to a factory defect, I still have to pay? Unless the vehicle is in a crash or fire, an air plenum should last longer than the body of the vehicle. The on-going saga continues, as this becomes a safety issue, now I can't see out of my window due to snow and ice.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. The contact stated that the plastic underneath the rear liftgate's glass door has begun to crack. The door still operates properly. The VIN was unavailable. The current mileage is 78,000 and failure mileage was 74,000.
Tl*-the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer eddie bauer edition. The rear window cracked near the location of the ford emblem. The federal safety agency website listed several related complaints. The manufacturer was aware of the defect, and will not authorize the repair. The current and failure mileage were both 49,000.
Tl* - the contact called about the 2003 ford explorer xlt. The contact stated that the air bag light stayed on, and when it was on, the airbag deactivated which was a safety problem. It happened all the time. The fuses have been changed under warranty, and now that it was not under warranty, it was no longer repaired free of charge. The contact stated that she was told by one service station that it was standard for the fuses to blow because of the fuse box location. Another service station told the contact that this was not true that the fuse box was to high in the car for pebbles to be able to get into the fuse box. Also, the windshield wipers won't turn off by them selves, even when the keys were out of the ignition. The contact stated that the airbag light and the door ajar light were consistently on. Moreover, the electronic seat would not move forward or backward. She had the seat repaired twice and it failed again. Finally, contact stated that the vehicle was making a knocking noise in the front and rear of the vehicle's undercarriage. The vehicle clanked stopping, turning to go forward, or just sitting still. The first time the contact took the vehicle for repair she was told by the repair shop that it was the driver's seat that was causing the clanking noise, and the second time she was told that the noise was not something they could identify because during diagnostic testing it did not show a specific failure code. The current and failure mileage were both 114000.
Tl* - the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer xls. The contact stated that there was a panel below the rear window that cracked in half vertically. The vehicle was parked in the driveway ,and when he got to the vehicle he found it that way. He had not driven the vehicle that day. The contact was concerned that there were many complaints concerning this problem. Also, the rear window of exploded . The failure and current mileage were 48000.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2003 Ford Explorer?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history