10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 0 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 42 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 30,565 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. Upon opening and closing the rear hatch, the rod on the driver side fractured which caused the glass to shatter. The vehicle was parked at the contact's residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The VIN was not available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 111,043. Updated 1/15/16
- Poteau, OK, USA
There was a recall for faulty hinges years back, Ford replaced. I noticed faulty hinge when waxing vehicle, hinge is askew. Called Ford customer service, verified it would need replacing or glass window could fall off, informed I would have to pay for repair. Since the faulty hinge is their product, I think they are responsible, and it is a safety hazard. I have had this car serviced every 3 months since I bought it. It is well maintained, I have spent a fortune replacing faulty Ford parts. The glass hinge is a Ford hazard that I believe Ford is responsible for.
- Darien, IL, USA
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle was recently repaired according to NHTSA campaign number: 04V442000 (structure), but the failure was not remedied. The liftgate hinge fractured and caused the glass to shift. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 100,000.
- Reading , PA, USA
The hinges on the back hatch are breaking. I have contacted Ford on several occasions and they state this was already fixed once under recall. Therefore, I will have to pay to have it fixed again. If the safety recall was completed properly, I do not think it should be failing again; therefore, I believe they did not fix it properly the first time and since it was a recall, I feel they should have to fix it again. This will be a serious issue if the window completely breaks off. Please advise.
- S Williamsport, PA, USA
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the liftgate glass shattered without warning. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign id number: 04V442000 (structure: Body: Hatchback/liftgate: Hinge and attachments) and the vehicle was taken to the dealer for repairs. One year later, the contact noticed a fracture through the middle of the liftgate and the liftgate would not close properly. The dealer was contacted and they advised him that were only mandated to repair the failure under the recall once. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000. The VIN was unavailable.
- Corona, CA, USA
While raising the glass section of the liftgate on my 2002 Ford Explorer, the left strut became disengaged, and the back glass exploded. We were very lucky that no one was hurt, as my brother literally had the glass in his hands when it exploded, and my daughter and I were standing right next to him. Please note, the glass did not merely shatter. It exploded. I bought this vehicle from carmax last year, and found that there were a couple of recalls on the vehicle that had not been taken care of, one of which included the replacement of the strut brackets and hinges on the liftgate. Upon reviewing my service invoice, I found that only the liftgate hinges were replaced; the strut brackets were not. I had the vehicle towed to the Ford dealership who performed the recall service originally, and they notified Ford. Ford claimed that the struts had been replaced in 2002 ~ which was two years before the recall even occurred. Therefore, they would not cover any of the repair. How do I know that faulty struts were not installed in 2002, since the recall didn't even occur until 2 years later? I have read other complaints online about this, and it is amazing that Ford gets away with this! this is my last Ford, that's for sure! this is my second Explorer, and I have been a very loyal customer, but no more! Ford does not stand behind it's product and they apparently do not care about the safety of their customers.
- Spring Hill, TN, USA
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the hinge in the rear liftgate was fractured and the liftgate would not remain in place. The vehicle was repaired under NHTSA campaign id number: 04V442000 (structure:body:hatchback/liftgate:hinge and attachments) yet the failure recurred. The dealer advised the contact that he would be liable for repairs. The manufacturer was not notified. The vehicle was not further repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000 and the current mileage was approximately 115,000.
- New Hudson, MI, USA
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated the hinges on the rear lift gate fractured in half and the window glass fell and was hanging from the rear of the vehicle. The contact tied down the glass to prevent it from falling and shattering. The contact was advised by the dealer that his VIN was not included with NHTSA campaign id number: 04V442000 (structure: Body: Hatchback/lift gate: Hinge and attachments). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 119,000.
- Atopka, FL, USA
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, the rear window fell off track. He attempted to keep the window in place by using duct tape. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer and the manufacturer were not notified. The contact found NHTSA campaign id number 04V442000, structure body, hatchback/lift gate, hinge and attachments which was related to his year, make and model vehicle; however, he was unable to confirm if his VIN was included. The approximate failure and current mileages were 112,000.
- Dallas, TX, USA
A vertical crack in the lift-gate below the rear window. No apparent other damage to vehicle. Discovered when preparing to open rear hatch. Extends from window downward to latch/release point. Updated IVOQ 01/08/10.
- Salem, OR, USA
Following the NHTSA campaign #04V442000 recall replacement of the hinge on the rear hatchback of my 2002 Ford Explorer, cracks in the body have appeared in the paneling around the rear tailgate window. These cracks appear to be stressed induced and may pose a hazard to the rear window if the framing around the window continues to degrade and crack.
- Ashburn, VA, USA
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. When the contact lifted the hatch on the vehicle, the glass stuart brackets popped off and cut his head and wrist. There is a recall for this failure. The NHTSA campaign id number was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 139,000.
- Sun City, AZ, USA
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. When the contact opened the liftgate on the vehicle, the rear glass suddenly shattered. There were no injuries; however, a piece of glass landed in the contact's hair. The insurance adjuster was notified of the failure. The vehicle was inspected and it was discovered that the liftgate glass strut brackets failed. The manufacturer stated that the vehicle had previously been repaired for NHTSA campaign id number 04V442000 (structure:body:hatchback/liftgate:hinge and attachments). The recall remedy has not corrected the safety defect. The vehicle will be taken to an authorized dealer for repair. The contact was concerned of the safety risk involved. The failure and current mileages were 63,000. Updated 12/15/08. Updated 12/15/08.
- Hurley, NY, USA
This is the second time my rear panel below the window hatch on my 2002 Ford Explorer has cracked. This time it cracked and flew off on the highway. 2 vehicles behind me had to Dodge the debris, and fortunately there were no accidents.
- Clay, NY, USA
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. While the vehicle was parked and the rear tailgate hatch window was a quarter of the way down, the contact's son retrieved items from the trunk and the middle piece of the rear end was literally hanging off. The window glass shattered everywhere. His son was uninjured, but the contact believes that this should not have occurred if no pressure was applied to the window itself. The contact drove to the dealer and was informed that the failure was not covered under warranty, nor a recall. The current and failure mileages were 136,739.
- Marietta, CA, USA
About three weeks ago I noticed a crack on the fiberglass piece of the rear hatch lid of my 2002 Ford Explorer. I didn't think much about it until today when I got to looking for the price of a rear window. While searching I seen that there was alot of people that had this problem and that some had even had the window shatter on them. Well I am now one of them. Today as I opened my rear hatch the passenger side piece that secures the window to the body of the Explorer just fell off causing the window to shatter and glass to cut my arms, and face, and also sent pieces of glass into my eye.
- Maynardville, TN, USA
After seeing other 2002-2006 Ford Explorer on the street with the same problem of having a crack in the rear panel right below the rear window I decided to see if there was anything we could do about it. I know there was a recall to replace the hinges because the door would slam shut which I believe caused the crack. I talked to Ford when it first occurred and they said based on my mileage they would not fix it and it would cost about 500. My question to Ford was what does the mileage have to do with what I believe was a recall defect that ultimately caused this problem? I noticed on the new model Explorer they redesigned them so the glass opens up without the panel. After reading other complaints I am now concerned that the window could actually fall out if the door is shut and could break and cause an injury. I would like to file a formal complaint and hopefully get this resolved soon.
- Lisle, IL, USA
The rear liftgate applique cracked in the middle resulting in the right side completely falling off the vehicle. The part that is still attached to the vehicle is loose on the edges due to inefficient adhesive. Apparently there are hundreds of complaints of this exact defect occurring to other owners of 2002 Explorer. This is also a completely replaced rear window following the shattering of the original one in March 2004 due to bad struts. After having the shattered window replaced, it completely fell off the following year due to the faulty hinge (which was recalled). I have an estimate of over $700 from the Ford dealer to fix this applique. I feel that with this many complaints it's inexcusable for Ford to not issue a recall. I will never purchase a Ford again after this nor will anyone in my family with this type of customer service.
- Huntsville, AL, USA
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact noticed that the rear glass was cracked from the top to the bottom of the glass. He noticed another crack beginning to form at the top as well. One crack is in the center and the other is on the top right. The manufacturer stated that they would assume a small portion of the cost to have the glass replaced, but did not state whether the failure would recur. The failure mileage was 25,000 and current mileage was 46,700. Updated 04-02-08
- Paradise , CA, USA
- Eau Claire, WI, USA