There is a crack in the rear lift gate door. Have seen this on many other Ford, Mercury, etc. Also the door ajar indicator stays on.

- Tampa, FL, USA

Opened back hatch to place helium balloons in; upon closing the rear glass exploded. We had the full hatch open, not just the glass part & closed it as you would normally.

- Cross Lanes, WV, USA

When closing the glass tailgate the right hinge that attaches the glass to the tailgate broke causing the glass to detach from the car and fall hitting me in the left arm updated 09/16/14 updated 3/18/2015

- Wadsworth , OH, USA

I payed 18,000 for my 2003 Ford Explorer XLT with the flex fuel in 2006. Its a very nice looking SUV but I only drove it for 2 years before the transmission started to fail. I beleave a transmission should last more than 2 years. My concearn is that its defective all around the transmission and I could still drive it if I wasnt in fear for my life. I have had it to Ford dealership and they could not diagnose the problem, they wanted me to pay them to taket out the tranny and wanted way to much for any parts, so I had it looked at by a transmission place that been around a long time and he had no idea what was wrong.replaced the selenoid for like 900 and my it ran fine for like 2 weeks until I put in 4 w/D than my O/D light started bliking again and the transmission slipped, the O/D light eluminated the first time my transmission ever slipped.and if I went and drove it right now it would cause an accident and some people might still depend on there defective Explorer to get somewhere.it accelerates by its self it sometimes dosnt want to go in gear and if this is electrical someones vehicle could stop in the middle of a highway with no warning but a blinking O/D light.and worst thing is, if Ford would reconize this problem with out selling new transmissions that will eventually have the same problem with I could have it fixed but no one but Ford knows what is wrong and they obviously dont know how to fix it or know if they admit their mistake it was a design flaw I want my money back.I bet you they wouldnt even take my Explorer on a trade in. And if you just google Ford Explorer anything from 1999 to 2007 I think....its going to have like thousands of people with the same problem as mine and probaly like from 40,000 miles up, way to early for transmission replacement.

- La Belle, PA, USA

When I was switching the gear from reverse to drive at a gas station, the shifter lever was snapped off. I cannot move the car any more, and the key got stuck in the steering column. I find loads of others have same problem happened and Ford is not doing anything on this dangerous/could be fatal problem.

- Boston, MA, USA

Timing chain tensioner failure with valve cover damage provoking oil leak and heavy smoke out of the engine, wich lead to spill of oil in the highway (oil dropping) and engine out of sequence due to a plastic "casset" tension break, I have read over the internet alot of complains about the same incident

- Fresno, CA, USA

Bought pre-owned Explorer and after $84,000 miles (when I noticed - so, probably well less) the wheel bearings need to be replaced. I'm finding way too many occurrences online for this to be an occassional thing.

- Springfield, OH, USA

My transmission failed while trying to cross a busy intersection. It would not shift and I was unable to accelerate. It was a scary moment; luckily there was no crash. Ford knows about the high failure rate for transmissions in the 03 Explorer, but refused to do anything other than offer to put in a new transmission at an exorbitant rate. They should have issued a recall on these transmissions, but have refused to do so, in spite of many complaints.

- Tacoma, WA, USA

There have been multiple problems with my 2003 Ford Explorer since I bought it brand new in August of 2003. But ironically they have all appeared after the warranty had expired. In September 2007 the air conditioning unit no longer worked. It cost me $2000 and a week without a car, to get it fixed. In August 2009 the passenger door window would no longer work. In September 2009 my SUV started making a clicking sound when turning on the heater. Since we lived in a warm climate this did not concern us much, as the heat had worked even with the clicking sound. But we moved to a colder climate and the heater went out in March 2010. In April 2010 the service engine light came on. After speaking with the mechanic, he said it was a transmission problem that occurred when the car shifted from 1st to 2nd gear and from 4th to 5th gear. He could not give me any more information and was not willing to fix my transmission problem (he suggested I go elsewhere because he was not an expert in transmissions). In May 2010 the O/D light started flashing off. After speaking to mechanic again, he said it was related to the transmission problem. In August 2010 the door ajar light started coming on randomly, even when the door is not open. And in September 2010, I noticed my ABS light will come on randomly. It does not appear to be triggered by any specific reason, and does not always come on.

- Apo, AE, USA

Car suddenly lurches forward and rocks back and forth. Car was parked in driveway when started, it suddenly lurched forward, rocking back and forth leaving a bruise across my shin from the running boards. Two days earlier, my daughter closed the back hatch which caused the truck to lurch back and forth, luckily, just bumping her. This has happened numerous times over the past several years, even though the gear shift was always properly in park when it happened.

- Saint Charles, MO, USA

The back panel of my 2003 Ford Explorer cracked right down the middle. It is the panel just below the back windshield. It was fine one day, and split down the middle the next. I know it is nothing I did. I googled to see if anyone else had this problem and I was shocked to find hundreds and hundreds of complaints for the exact same thing! this needs to be recalled. Ford should be responsible for this defect, not the customer. Please, please, recall this for us. We put our trust in Ford by purchasing their vehicles and we would hope they would take care of their mistakes. Thank you very much.

- Saint Martinville, LA, USA

I took my 2003 Ford Explorer to Ford dealership and was refuse recall repairs. Was told it would be at my own expense because he could not find recall notice in Ford system. Below is the details of recap. At this time the liftgate hinge is broken and window is about to fall off. Please help. Vehicle make / model: Model year(s): Ford / Explorer 2002-2003 Ford / Mountaineer 2002-2003 manufacturer: Ford Motor Company mfr's report date: Sep 09, 2004 NHTSA campaign id number: 04V442000 PE04045 NHTSA action number: PE04045.

- Weston, FL, USA

I bought a 2003 Ford Explorer XLT right off the lot brand new. Within months I noticed a small wet spot in the rear of the vehicle. After my first oil change I mentioned it to where I bought the vehicle and the told me that my differently is low but not leaking. Then I asked what about the wet spot on the ground. With 7 months from that a huge puddle from the rear of my car on vacation with the vehicle and drop it at a Ford dealer it's my rear differently seals. Fixed that paid for it because they say where and tear. About 1 year later same thing get it fixed about 1 year and half same thing and continue to fix it. Talk to Ford Motor Company they say it is out of warranty but when I started calling them in 2004 it was only 5 months old and I paid for the piece to be repaired. Today my vehicle is back in the shop for a fourth time same exact problem although now the Ford dealership says the axle is frozen in there and they need to break it before fixing the rear differential. Why hasn't this been recalled. Seeking help for this lemon!!!!

- Saugus, MA, USA

The heater no longer works and no matter where the heat dial is turned, it makes a constant ticking sound. I looked into getting it fixed at a local shop and was told it was going to be at least a $1,500 charge.

- Sparks, NV, USA

Loss control of my SUV, and found out my spindle, bearings and everything was shot!

- Dryden, MI, USA

I just recently took my 2003 Ford Explorer XLT 4.0L V6 to my local dealer because of a cold draft coming from the glove box and or floor panel on the passenger side. Upon not even going into further explanation about my problem they knew exactly what the problem was; stating it is the "blend door." They said "the pins from the door break off and causes the door to fall making it not function properly creating a cold draft and the heater or air conditioning not to work properly; is a "common problem".' when I called down there two days later, to get my quote on fixing it, the manager in parts said 'the part was $50 and was going to require 4 hours of labor because of having to take the whole dash off to get to it; I was looking at roughly $330 with parts, labor, and tax.' I personally feel this is a 'manufactures defect' and why should the consumer have to pay for a 'manufactures defect?' also, if this is such a 'common problem' why is there not a recall for it being faulty; other than because it's not a safety hazard. I appreciate any time you put into my question and dilemma. I will be looking forward to an explanation as to why it isn't a recall.

- Warrensburg, NY, USA

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.

- New Baltimore, MI, USA

Paint is bubbling up and peeling on my roof in 3 areas. I can see the metal.

- Honea Path, SC, USA

TL-the rear end or the transmission and they cannot find the problem. You push on the accerlartor the engine revved up and then it slammed into gear. It you come to a stop sing some times it will go and sometimes no it feels as it some thing drops from under the trunck.

- Herculaneum, MO, USA

The vehicle's paint is bubbly/blistering on the front edge of the hood. The vehicle was taken to a german Ford dealership who noted the corrosion, took pictures, and initiated a report to Ford Motor Company. At this time the dealer refuses to repair the vehicle at no charge because the vehicle's 36/36,000 warranty had expired, and is awaiting a formal response from Ford Motor Company. The vehicle was not involved in a crash or fire.

- Apo, AE, USA