Huge crack on back panel below window!!!!!!!!!!!!

- Puyallup, WA, USA

My daughter went to open my rear hatch and the window fell. The hinge completely detached from the car. I went to Ford to have them look at it they stated that it was a recall item but that it had already been fixed in 2005. I asked if it had been fixed why would the same problem occur. They couldn't give me an answer. All they said was that they only pay for the first occurrence not and subsequent occurrences. My issue is that if an item continues to break that is no longer and issue with that item its and issue with the design of the item. This is a safety concern. What if the glass fell on my daughter or shattered on her. I don't see why I have to replace a faulty Ford issue.

- North Las Vegas, NV, USA

Paint job on engine hood is bubbling up. SUV has been regularly washed and waxed; so one would not expect problems with the paint job. Based upon internet research, Ford has paint job issues with vehicles sold from 2000-2005.

- Huntsville, AL, USA

Rear lift gate plastic panel cracked, allowing water to enter. I have noticed many Ford Explorer with the same issue. Why has Ford ignored this defect, I see many complants on-line with the same flaw by other Explorer owners..

- Fair Lawn, NJ, USA

The rear hatch is splitting down the middle near the windshield wipers. The metal is coming apart and may fly off during high rates of speed causing an accident. This email is to prevent an accident which may occur. I am aware of a pending lawsuit regarding cosmetic defects but would like you to know the possibility of an accident occurring once the metal separates at high rates of speed on the interstate. This is also a paper trail in case I am the truck the causes the accident.

- Lakeland, TN, USA

Shortly after purchasing my Ford Explorer from the dealership I noticed a small crack in the rear hatch around the Ford emblem. This part of the hatch is also connected to the rear glass window that lifts open. I took my vehicle back to the dealership and they told me it was a manufacturers defect and will be recalled eventually so I should keep checking back. The recall never happened and after 10 plus years the crack got larger letting moisture in and rusting. Meanwhile I was noticing the majority of Ford Explorer from that year had the same crack on the rear hatch in the same place! about 2 weeks ago I went to simply open the rear hatch and the glass window buckled and shattered with an exploding sound similar to a gunshot. Glass was everywhere! the piece with the crack literally broke in half. Thankfully no one got hurt, but if my kids were in the car or my face was any closer it could have been a disaster. I truly believe Ford needs to take responsibility for their defective rear hatches in these models to prevent injuries.

- Huntington Beach, CA, USA

Over the past year I have noticed that this particular vehicle is experiencing severe rust issues on various components including lower body work, specifically under the driver and passenger doors in addition to emergency brake components. When I first noticed the issue I took immediate action to repair the damaged body work areas by using anti-rust treatments and applying new paint as recommended by a certified mechanic. The issue though is still ongoing to the point where door seals are no longer water tight and small pieces of body work are flaking away from the vehicle as a result of wind resistance and bumps while the vehicle is in motion. I have also needed to replace rusted emergency brake components which I was advised were no longer functional or safe. Upon further research it appears that a large number of Ford/Mercury/Lincoln vehicles (primarily between 2002 and 2004) are experiencing the exact same issue and that supposedly Ford is aware of a known paint defect that is the root cause, however no related recalls or further information has surfaced. (example testimonials here: www.lemonlaw.com/wordpress/more-problems-for-Ford-paint-defects-in-2000-2005-models/ ) my vehicle has always been regularly serviced and well maintained and I would not expect to be seeing an issue as significant as this given the vehicle's age and mileage. This issue needs to be investigated as I am not confident in the overall safety of my vehicle.

- New Milford, CT, USA

Got home and noticed a crack all the way thru panel below window on liftgate.

- Buffalo, NY, USA

Rear lift gate fiberglass trim below window cracked for no apparent reason. Vehicle was sitting still in driveway and when I went out to start it this is when I noticed the crack.

- Sumter, SC, USA

I was traveling in stop and go traffic. As soon as space opened between me and the vehicle in front of me, I accelerated. While gaining speed I looked in my right rear view mirror to see if I could change lanes. While looking in my mirror the vehicle in front of me stopped. I hit the back of his vehicle with the front of mine. The problem I have is that my airbag(s) fired but did no deploy. You could clearly smell that they fired and my airbag light is now on. My seat belt did not cinch up and restrain me either. This car had been well maintained and was never in an accident before this one. As I see it, it was a total failure of the SRS.

- Rochester Hills, MI, USA

The liftgate hinge fractured allowing the glass to fall nearly breaking my hand. This hinge was recalled by NHTSA campaign id number 04V442000 / Ford recall no. 04S20. In contacting customer service tonight on a Ford transmission issue, I discovered the previous hinge recall and they indicated that hinge had been replace once in 2004 and it was my bad luck that it failed a second time. They would make no restitution for the failed part. It is unconscionable that they would have the same issue as a previous recall and not correct the issue again. It is clearly a serious safety hazard they should address, reimburse me for the part I purchased through Ford and replace the other hinge before it also fails and hurts someone.

- Richmond, NH, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the panel under the hatch fractured and allowed water to penetrate the vehicle. The water then made contact with the electrical components. The vehicle was taken to a private dealer where it was found that the panel needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 50,000.

- Northfort, CT, USA

The interior lights occasionally flicker when all doors are shut securely. Also the door ajar light will flicker at times as well. The alarm goes off for no reason and usually it is in the middle of the night and I am pretty sure it is related to the door ajar malfunction. There is no way to disable the factory alarm so I have had to leave my car unlocked at night just to keep it from going off and waking up the neighbors. Also we have a crack on the lift gate just below the rear window. You can see this is a common issue by looking at other Explorer around town. I have really enjoyed the Explorer up until now but it does bother me that these two issues are very common yet Ford won't issue a recall to fix these issues.

- Vancouver, WA, USA

Rear panel below window cracked from cold while sitting in driveway.

- Cedar Rapids, IA, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that there was an extended crack on the liftgate exterior panel. The defect became progressively worse over a period of time. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was unavailable.

- Florence, SC, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the driver's side and front passenger side doors would swing open sporadically and without warning. The vehicle was not inspected by a dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was later contacted and advised her to schedule an appointment with the dealer for inspection and possible repairs. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000. The current mileage was approximately 105,500.

- Reno, NV, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at approximate 10mph the contact heard a grinding noise. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed that the body mounts were deteriorating between the frame. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. The appoximate failure mileage was 141,000.

- Moreno Valley, CA, USA

About a year after I purchased my Explorer ltd, the rear logo panel started coming loose. I used special adhesive to attach it, but it just wouldn't stick. I tried pulling it off, but it wouldn't budge on the other side, so I tried a different adhesive. It stuck for a while, but as I was going down a busy street, it flew off almost hitting the car behind me. This very easily could have caused an accident and serious injury.

- Amarillo, TX, USA

None of the windows will work, they were operating properly and just quit. This vehicle is unsafe to drive, in an emergency, (such as a crash). The occupants of the vehicle could become trapped in the vehicle because the windows would not operate. If a fire occurred the results could be tragic. Ford is aware of this problem along with several other problems on this vehicle. Yet they choose not to repair or replace any of the known defective components. My vehicle has a lot of miles on it, but this problem along with other problems on this vehicle happens on lower mileage vehicles also.

- Channahon, IL, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact noticed that two cracks developed under the hatch. The contact stated that the failure was caused by extremely cold weather. The dealer was contacted and they stated to the contact that the failure was not a safety issue. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that they did not feel safe driving the vehicle. The failure mileage was 130,000 and the current mileage was 170,000.

- Midland, GA, USA