2005 ford explorer has a crack in the rear hatch. Our friends had the same issue and the rear window eventually shattered while they were driving. This seems to be dangerous but ford has not issued a recall.
2004 Ford Explorer body complaints
Page 10 of 15: complaints 251 to 280 of 426, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Cracked tailgate panel where "ford" emblem is. Cracked while vehicle was sitting in driveway. Have noticed a lot of other explorers with same cracks. I believe it's defective materials being used and ford should take care of the problem.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. While manually opening the rear lift-gate, it spontaneously closed. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection, and the lift-gate hinge kit was ordered for the repair, because the lift-gate hinge had fractured. The failure mileage was 69,400. The current mileage was 69,450.
Paint on the roof of my vehicle has peeled off only to reveal rust. Of course, the warranty states that if there is no perforation then not their fault if more than 60 months have passed.
My 2004 ford explorer xlt has a crack in the tailgate/back hatch. It starts under the window seal and continues down to the hatch lever. I'm afraid the glass will become compromised due to the defect in craftmanship. I was on another forum where 387 complaints for the same issue. Http://www.carcomplaints.com/ford/explorer/2002/body_paint/cracked_panel_below_the_rear_window.shtml I don't have the money to pay for poor craftmanship issues. I feel as if ford should rectify the situation immediately at no cost to it's customers.
1. The events leading to the failure were normal use of the vehicle. 2. Rear lift-gate hinges on 2004 ford explorer xlt began failing with a loud bang from the rear of the vehicle. The rear window began to sag and over the course of several months cracks appeared in the hinge structure. I have purchased new hinges, but at this time I still need to install them.
Cracked rear panel below window, this crack one day, no apparent reason.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. When he activated the cruise control while driving, it deactivated itself without warning. He had to restart the vehicle to re-set the error code. The failure occurred intermittently, and mostly on the interstate. Also when he would turn on the turn signals, the automatic warning system would make an alarm noise and blink until the turn signal would cut off. The automatic transmission appeared to lose fluid, when he shifted into reverse. He heard a roaring noise near the tire area. He was told by the dealer that the hubs needed to be replaced. Lastly, the aesthetic piece on the lower half of the hatch-back had cracked and separated from the vehicle. He took the vehicle back to the dealership and was advised that there was an electrical failure. No repairs were made. The manufacturer referred him to the federal safety agency. The current mileage was approximately 68,000. The failure mileage was approximately 52,000.
Ford designed a plastic piece of molding that is glued to the back glass of every explorer. This has cracked on every explorer I have seen. It has been fixed once by ford, but it has broke again. I assume that if it has broke every two years so far, it will continue to break. Ford has refused to fix this defect.
Rear panel of the 2004 ford explorer is cracked, we are afraid to open and close with the possibility that the window will fall out and possible hurt some one.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. He stated that his vehicle developed a vertical crack in the plastic tailgate which is attached to the rear glass. The crack appeared to the left of the ford emblem. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that they would repair it at the owners expense with a discount. The dealer also stated that the warranty does not apply. The upper part of the glass is made of fiber glass and the bottom is made of metal. The contact stated the material is defective and that he was not aware that fiber glass was included. The cold weather could cause the crack in the window to expand. The failure and current mileages were 76356. Updated 10/20/09 *cn the consumer stated the crack is at the center of the emblem as well as in the fiber glass part, not the glass. Updated 10/22/09.
Liftgate glass applique cracked.
The rear liftgate glass hatch on my model year 2004 ford explorer broke off and left the glass hatch hanging on one hinge almost falling off, while I was opening the glass hatch from the rear of my vehicle. I immediately called the dealer to report the problem. I brought the car to the dealer and was charged $415.01. Not including rental car cost,to repair my car. I literally open the hatch door and it fell off. No one should open a car door and it falls off. This could have been one of my children opening the door and they could have been injured badly by this defect in the car.
My 2004 explorer developed a vertical crack in the plastic tailgate attached to the back glass. Crack appeared to the left of the ford emblem. Once the crack appeared it eventually started to move down the plastic piece, was visible on my vehicle for approximately 5 months. On september 7, 2009 as I was driving down the highway and my back glass shattered and the plastic tailgate piece unattached itself at the sides from the vehicle. Very dangerous. Could have affected other drivers on the road had someone been behind me. I also have a 3rd row seat in vehicle which was not in use at the time or they could have been hit be debris as well.
The rear lift glass hinges on our 2004 ford explorer broke during use of the lift glass. The pin broke right through the hinge. This is a vehicle that has been parked in a garage with only minimal use of the actual lift glass. We are now searching junk yards for replacement hinges but assume these will also be bad.
My vehicle is a 2004 ford explorer - eddie bauer. In may of 2009 the paint began to bubble in places along the front of the hood. These spots became larger and eventually the paint chipped off, revealing a corroded bare aluminum surface. The hood is not metal, therefore it can not rust. It must be a paint defect.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. The contact stated that the plastic underneath the window of the rear liftgate has cracked. The manufacturer stated that the failure was not covered under warranty; therefore, the contact would have to pay for the repairs. She feels that this is a safety issue because the frame around the window could crack and cause the window to fall out. The current mileage was 79,900 and failure mileage was 56,000.
I noticed my 2004 ford explorer has developed a vertical crack in the plastic tailgate attached to the rear window left of the ford emblem. I took it to the dealership and they recognized it as a common problem with the 2004 explorer and also warned me the hinges on the rear glass fail often as was the case on my vehicle. Service tech stated there was no recall as yet and I got to pay for the new hinges and holding off on the crack thinking ford made do the right thing and repair the fault.
The panel below my rear window has cracked on my 2004 ford explorer. I did not drive it that day, so I know I was not hit, or the door was not slammed.
My 2004 ford explorer has a crack in the rear hatch. It appeared out of nowhere. It was not preceded by an accident or anything. Upon talking to a friend whose car has the same problem, I researched this problem on the internet and found that it happens a lot.
I have 2004 ford explorer. I have a cracked panel below the rear window, it cracked in two places. While driving that piece can fall off and hit a person walking or hit the car behind, which would result in paying the other person for damages or hospital bills. This problem or defect, recall which ever you want to call it, ford hasn't done anything about it so far. There are numerous people with the same vehicles, with the problem. I thought can bring this up to your company and see where this goes. Thank you for time hope to hear that this can be resolved.
2004 ford explorer xlt closing liftgate glass and hinges sheared on both sides. Hinges need to be replaced waiting for part. Have original hinge parts. No rear glass on vehicle until replacement parts are available.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. The contact stated that the rear panel was cracking on her vehicle near the ford emblem. The manufacturer could not assist with the repairs. The motor for the rear windshield wipers caused the rear panel to crack. The current and failure mileages were less than 80,000.
Failure of the lift gate hinge pin.
I have a 2004 ford explorer. I have two complaints with this vehicle. The first is that the back gate cracked from the window. The second complaint is that my truck is making a loud thump in reverse, and after I put it in drive after being in reverse, the transmission is slipping making it dangerous to pull out into traffic. I was almost hit twice pulling into traffic from the engine slipping.
Noticed my 2004 ford explorer had a crack in the plastic panel under the rear window when I was washing it in my driveway. Not sure if this is a recall but I see about 100 others have filed a complaint about it. It should be a recall.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. The contact noticed a crack on the rear liftgate panel. The manufacturer advised him to take the vehicle to the dealer for inspection. The failure mileage was 55,000.
Crack in panel under back glass.
Paint on roof of vehicle is chipping and body is rusting.
2004 ford explorer; rear panel below window cracked.
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