Rear body panel around back window split
2004 Ford Explorer body complaints
Page 4 of 15: complaints 71 to 100 of 426, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. The contact stated that as she approached the vehicle, she noticed that the horizontal panel under the rear lift gate was fractured. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they advised her that the panel needed to be replaced. The vehicle was replaced for the horizontal panel and emblem. The manufacturer was contacted and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 21,652. The current mileage was approximately 36,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. The contact stated that there was an excessively long fracture in the rear liftgate near the manufacturing emblem below the rearview window. The vehicle was not inspected or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.
The rear panel cracked for no apparent reason.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. The contact stated that the rear liftgate body panel was cracked. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the body panel needed to be replaced. The contact also stated that while driving approximately 25-35 MPH, a noise was heard coming from the rear differential. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The technician stated that the rear differential needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated the vehicle was not included in any recalls. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 80,000. The VIN number was not available.
While the vehicle was parked for 2 or 3 days under the carport in the driveway, the back panel under the window cracked for absolutely no reason.
The rear window hinge pin (passenger side) has corroded and broken allowing the window to fall off of the rear tail gate. I noticed the broken hinge before using the lift gate which has prevented it from falling off thus far. I have read that this is a very common problem on this vehicle and ford will not own up to the problem.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. The contact stated that the rear liftgate hatchback hinge was corroded and cracked, causing the glass to separate from the frame. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. The manufacturer advised the contact that the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign id number: 04v442000 (recastructure: body: hatchback/liftgate: hinge and attachments). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 80,000.
There is a crack to the left of the ford isignia on the rear lift tail gate. The crack runs from the bottom of the rear panel just below the rear window to the bottom of that panel. The panel is the top half of the lift gate where the gate opens to enter items without opening the entire tail gate. I understand from other ford explorer owners that this can cause the rear window to blow out because the panel is no longer secure due to the crack. Obi# 10487645
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. The contact stated that after exiting the vehicle, she noticed that the rear hatchback window panel was fractured. The vehicle was not taken to a mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure and advised the contact that they were unaware of the issue. The failure and current mileages were approximately 92,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. The contact stated that the panel on the exterior of the rear lift gate was fractured. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000.
Vehicle was parked. Operator opened rear hatch glass, at which time the right hinge separated. This caused the glass to slam down. Fortunately, the operator was able to jump out of the way to avoid injury. The glass did not break, but the struts are bent. Both the right and left hinges appear to be defective and in need of replacement. The rear hatch is not usable until the hinges and struts are replaced.
The hinge on the right side of the rear liftgate glass is falling off. I purchased this vehicle used in august 2012. The hinge seemed to be in tact then but has slowly been corroding and falling off. The glass makes an awful noise when I drive over pot holes, bumps, etc. I do not use the glass in fear it will fall on me. There have been times when I turn my vehicle on and the message center says "rear liftgate ajar" only to find that somehow the glass liftgate is not latched. Nobody uses it so unsure if the corrosion and broken hinge is causing the glass to ajar from the latch. I called a local ford dealership to see if this has been recalled on my vehicle, as it has on numerous other 2004 ford explorer. I was told it was not recalled and the part is $50/piece. The left hinge is starting to do the same as well. I am scared that this will eventually fall off while I am driving the vehicle and think this should be recalled as it is a huge safety issue.
After a day of shopping I pulled into my driveway and parked my SUV. I went to open the rear window hatch when the left side came apart from the vehicle and landed on top of me. Fortunately the right side of the window was able to stay intact while my husband was able to run to my aid to lift the door up. I am four months pregnant and my three year old son was standing by my side. I have read that many complaints about this issue have been made to the ford corporation regarding this problem but they continue not to rectify the issue at hand; while leaving vehicle owners helpless when this situation occurs. I read that this was a good avenue to report this issue since ford continues to ignore the problem and wonder if my husband would not have been in shouting distance what would've happen to my son, unborn child and myself!!!!!
Rear hatch window hinge (left side) broke and released the glass while driving. Window fell to one side. I had to make an immediate emergency stop. It was difficult to prop window to a safe position and lock down. It must remain locked down until I can fix it.
The rear liftgate window hinge broke off and the entire rear window fell on my wife. The hinges are made of a white type of metal that has corroded and sheared off. The pins inside apparently broke and it didn't appear to be falling off, it just came off. The window hit my wife in the arm and leg. We were lucky it wasn't one of our kids closing the gate at the time or that they weren't inside when it happened or this could have been a lot worse. After searching online for information about this issue I found thousands of complaints about this exact issue and hundreds of post of injuries incurred from this. Ford recalled other vehicles with the same issue with the same part and yet the 2004 was never included. Something needs to be done. A part over time shouldn't break off and cause a safety hazard.
4 years ago the plastic next to the ford emblem cracked right of the emblem on my back hatch. I looked into it and there was 10's of thousands of the same complaint that I had at an average cost of only $800. Then tonight my wife got some chairs out of the rear hatch then when closing it the rear glass falls out of the explorer because " the aluminum rear hatch hinge on the right side broke" which has an average cost of $300. Mind you the little piece that holds the window hinge on is only the size of an eraser head, both of the rear hatch defects are not under any recall yet many complaints have been filed and or posted via the internet. This is a safety concern to families as it should be to the ford motor company " which seems not to care " and also to the federal safety agency as it could be a huge safety issue if this was to have happened traveling down the high way at 70 MPH.
When closing the rear window hatch, the left hinge that holds the glass completely let go of the glass. Fortunatley my husband was the one closing it and was able to catch the glass before it broke the other hinge and pulled the glass off completely. The right hinge was also bent, as the window will now not sit level to be put back into place. This should be recalled, as there is a large hazard of th window falling. What if my daughter had been standing underneath as usual, or he had not been able to catch the window and it broke and sen "exploding" glass pieces everywhere. I see that this appears to be a very widespead issue when looking through complaints. Also, the tailgate in my explorer has also experienced the same mysterious crack that so many other vehicles have had. One day it was fine, then it was cracked. Could these issues be somehow releated? Or is the entire hatch just full of flaws.
I purchased a 2004 ford explorer in july 0f 2011, and traded in my 2001 oldsmobile of 5 years. I also purchased the 12 month 12,000 mile warranty. Before driving it off the lot I had the dealer fix the ABS system because the light was on. There is a crack going down the back of the trunk but nothing else was wrong at the time so I left the crack alone. In april of 2012 I took it to the dealership for a belt, check trans, shocks, ball joints, and a ticking in the heater when knob was turned to heat (not cool). I told him to just fix what was on the warranty and also give it a oil change. He informed me that the trans was fine. After getting the car back my heat went out and I was told by a mechanic buddy that my brakes, rotters, emergency brake pads and the back tires were shot. So I had him replaced them because this was also not covered on warranty. Just last week my RPM started jumping with miles over 65.(no lights were on at the time)so I took it to 6 different places getting estimates on what could be wrong. All shops said the same thing. "start with fuel filter, oil filters and oil change". The day after I paid for all this the service engine light came on. (egr valve code) the man at auto zone told me to take it off and clean it with spray and let it dry before replacing. I took it to a shop and had them do this. The same day I picked up the car my service engine light came on again, o/d light and the car was driving like I was hauling a bus and jumping. I took it back the next day and he replaced the egr valve new since the same code was showing up. Later that day after getting it back the car started doing the same thing after driving for 5 miles this was friday 9/21/12.
The pins on the liftgate window are breaking through the hinge. The driver side has broken clean through and the passenger side is beginning to break through even though I haven't used it since the other one broke. There is also a crack under the window on the back lift door.
Our 2004 ford explorer - my son opened the liftgate and the right hinge snapped leaving the window dangling in my 10 yr olds face. After much reading online, we have discovered that the rear window lift gate glass hinge has been a problem for many ford owners. The rusted out plastic pieces are snapping off and allowing the glass to fall from the hinge. I was able to rush to the back of the car to grab the glass before it fell. My entire right side is sore from trying to hold the glass and trying to shut the window lift gate so I could get the car home. With one adult and three kids, I was stuck trying to figure out how & what to do with this window dangling. We are shocked that ford has yet to recall the 2004 models but has recalled previous years. This is obviously a huge problem & it needs to be addressed. Someone is going to get very hurt. The hinges & struts need to be recalled on this model.
Upon opening the rear lift gate, the hinges completely gave out and the lift gate fell away from the truck. I was fortunate in that I was able to catch and hold it, as my 5 year old son was standing beneath in order to hand me his beach toys, at the time of the incident. I had to hold the (very heavy) lift gate until a mechanic arrived to detach electrical components and placed the lift gate inside the 2004 ford explorer. I then had to drive home with no lift gate while exhaust fumes filled the truck. It should be noted that prior to this incident, the tailgate cracked, which I see is a common issue with this particular vehicle and the subject of a class action lawsuit.
The rear hatch just came off as I was driving out out of a store, the hinge just broke off.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. The contact stated that the hinges on the rear liftgate broke and the window fell down on the contact's shoulder, resulting in a shoulder injury. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was informed that the hinges on the rear liftgate needed to be replaced. The dealer also stated that the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with the federal safety agency campaign id number: 04v442000 (structure: body: hatchback/lifgate: hinge and attachments). The failure and current mileages were 160,000.
The left (driver side) rear lift gate hinge broke making the rear lift gate and window unusable. This occurred when I was going to close the door, thankfully it was only the window section that was being closed as I'm sure the door itself is pretty heavy.
The hinges that hold on the rear window are starting to break. The 02 and 03 model explorers were recalled for this but ford refuses to issue a recall for the 2004 models even though this appears to be a huge issue affecting a large numbers of explorers. I have caught it before total failure but many people have had the glass come loose and injure them. It is a huge safety issue.
The hatch back cracked down the middle. Right below the windows. I just shut the glass door and notice a crack.
Right rear liftgate window hinge failed (cracked) causing heavy (apprx 40 lb) glass liftgate glass panel to fall on a person causing minor injury. Appears 02/03 models recalled for same issue (despite ford's response on the first investigation of this it is the same issue as 02/03). The hinge part is inadequate to hold the heavy glass panel in place over time with use. Since the back glass is a heavy slab of unframed, tempered glass it could "explode" if it falls potentially causing serious injury or traffic accidents to trailing vehicles. Ford apparently does a good business in selling these replacement hinges at a cost of over $100 each for a small piece of weak cast metal. Forty pound slabs of glass falling off of vehicles with no prior warning is a safety issue! Research indicated many other owners with the same complaint.
Tl* the contact owns a ford 2004 ford explorer. The contact stated that the lower portion of the lift gate glass exhibited a long stress crack. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 69,000. The VIN was unavailable.
The plastic piece of molding underneath the rear glass window cracked and fell off. Nothing was done to prompt this. I have read that thousands of other vehicles have this same issue.
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