7.6
pretty bad- Typical Repair Cost:
- $170
- Average Mileage:
- 69,300 miles
- Total Complaints:
- 67 complaints
Most common solutions:
- should be recalled by manufactureer (31 reports)
- not sure (19 reports)
- replaced sun visor supports (12 reports)
- new mount and visor (3 reports)
- bought $25 fix from ezclipbrackets.com (2 reports)
The plastic mount that holds the sun visor up, just shattered and the visor wound up hanging down across the field of vision.
- adept, Belleville, NJ, US
So the passenger side sun visor plastic mounting part crumbled and fell apart onto my lap and the visor just hung down ...so hard to drive while holding it up. Then 1.5 years later, the same happened to the driver's side sun visor!! Now I am waiting to order the part... another friggin $100 i don't have ... THANKS FORD!
- deedees, Scotch Plains, NJ, US
Both sides cracked and disintegrated. Ford does not sell the bracket, just the entire visor assembly for $110.
Should definitely be covered by a recall.
- Ed P., Haymarket, VA, US
After having replaced the Passenger Side Visor due to a cracked mounting bracket, the same thing is happening to the Driver's Side. When will replacing all the plastic parts that don't last end!
- Cris B., Pleasanton, CA, US
It's annoying that everything is made of plastic and that we couldn't just buy a new mounting bracket, but rather a whole visor/bracket assembly combined of a different shape.
- Cris B., Pleasanton, CA, US
Same as everybody else - cheap plastic clip, unavailable from Ford, simply shattered, visor falling from ceiling. Happened at about 25000 miles to both right and left side, replaced entire visors at >$200; preposterous that Ford doesn't replace these for free, as the plastic is obviously defective. And why on earth aren't these mounts all-metal, like in my 1990 F150???!!!!
- alib, Kealakekua, HI, US
I've see many complaints about this problem. It is a danger driving toward the sun in the morning and evening. This is a probem FORD should fix. I have gotten estimates from FORD 110.00 for labor and 101.00 for the part. FORD should recall this part and fix it for the customer.
- vcathey, Chino, CA, US
THIS PROBLEM SEEMS LIKE IT ISN'T WORTH MENTIONING ,UNLESS YOU ARE DRIVING ON I75 AT 70 MPH AND IT FALLS IN YOUR LAP LIKE IT DID FOR MY WIFE, AND SHE IS VERY EXCITABLE, WE WERE LUCKY THAT SHE WAS NOT IN ANY TRAFFIC SIGNIFICANTLY CLOSE TO HER OR SHE WOULD PROBABLY HAVE BEEN KILLED, SHE JUST GOT CONTROL OF THE CAR TO STOP ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD BEFORE THE TRAFFICE CAUGHT UP TO HER ABOUT ONE AND A HALF MINUTES. WE WERE LUCKY BUT THIS PROBLEM IS OUT THERE AND SOMEONE IS GOING TO BE KILLED , OF THAT I AM SURE. JUST A MATHEMATICAL CONCLUSION.
- John T., Bradenton, FL, US
the sun visors continuously fall causing a blockage and could cause a major accident if it fell at the wrong time. i thought maybe it was just mine until i looked on here and realized there are sooooo many ppl with the same problems. and the visor hanging from the wires causes a short and causes a fuse to blow constantly in my car shutting down my windows gas gauge and stereo, its definitely a pain in the ass.!
- wlivengood, Clearville, PA, US
The visor broke and fell into my line of vision and could have cause an accident. I could not get it to stay up so I had to apply velcro until they replacement part could be ordered and installed. And now the other visor has broken so another $125 for the part alone. Not counting the installation fee.
- Cindi F., Clarkesville, GA, US
Replaced both sunvisors and they broke again two years later. Not spending anymore money on this they are velcroed to the roof now.
- 2751exploder, Venice, FL, US
I love the comfort of this car, but I was really disappointed at this problem. The support shattered, which I understand is a common defect in this model year, but it was the dealer's proposed fix that annoyed me. I expected to need a new bracket, but the dealer told me the support is molded to the spine of the visor, requiring me to purchase a new visor. He quoted $150 including labor to fix. Annoyed, but accepting this, I agreed to the work. He then returned to tell me they didn't sell the visors in singles, that I would have to buy a pair at $300. He then returned to tell me the color would not likely match since the interiors had changed since 2004. It was the sequence of short sighted decisions, all made for the convenience of Ford and not the Ford owner, that annoyed me. 1) The guy who didn't think of isolating repairs by sourcing modular parts (why is the spine molded to the support?), 2) The guy who knows this is a problem but hasn't arranged to sell single visors, and 3) the guy who had the gall to ask for $300 for a solution that was still going to look like my buddy did it.
I declined the repairs and found a solution at http://www.ezclipbrackets.com/ for $25 and will fix myself. Here's the thing: I would have paid $150 to have Ford fix it and would have been happy with this aftermarket bracket and the cover to conceal it. You still would have made $125 on the work and I would have left happy. This issue has me wondering if I should buy another Ford. If you want people to drive Fords until they are classics, think about modular repairs in the interior when you design the car!
- Michele A., Johns Creek, GA, US
FORD, FORD, FORD....F-rustrating O-ccurring R-idduculis D-fecencies. Sun Visor Bombs. I can believe than during the auto crisis in america Ford was able to stand alone and remain a force due to the money that they get for their crap. R&D needs to step up and grow a pair and admit the flaw in the grand scheme of things concerning the sun visors blowing to bits. My brackets on my seldom used visors went to hell in a hand basket after a few short days of owning this used vehicle. They had been replaced before. I never had owned a FORD(FOUND ON ROAD DEAD) before and should have listened to the warnings that they were pieces of dung. I mean do they not have the stigma branding as Exploders. Hopefully I will be able to afford this contraption due to military deployment soon. It will take all my combat pay just to afford the fixes. There are to many more to mention. Do the right thing FORD. Recall of fix.
- forduh, GREENSBORO, NC, US
Just like the hundreds, and probably thousands of people complaining, my passenger side visor bracket disintegrated and left it hanging............ no part to buy to fix it unless you buy a whole visor to fix a $1 part............you disapoint me FORD!
Makes me think about buying a different make of vehicle now........your loss FORD!
- marty1000, Houston, TX, US
The driver side mounting bracket for the sun visor broke recently..This after I had to buy a new visor ($95) for the passenger side for the same issue!. Of course, it didn't match perfectly. I found, on the web, a fellow who designed a metal bracket to use instead of buying a whole new sun visor. Will update with on how well it works.
- Jennifer S., Randolph, VA, US
2004 Explorer has been a overall good vehicle for me, just had some annoying occurrences that are an inconvenience to me.
- Chris S., Fort, Worth, US
Fixed the driver's side, now the passenger side needs replacing. I'm pretty close to calling this vehicle a full-scale lemon.
- Robert H., Spring, TX, US
Lousy quality product. Hopefully the rest of the interior plastic doesn't fail as easily.
- Nancy P., Paradise, CAA, US
Wow. Where to start? The passenger visor busted. The plastic POS under the rear glass cracked, the transfer case cracked, the rear window sensor malfunctioned, the rear wiper motor busted, etc... These are some of the things that are busted, broken, not working that extended warranty did NOT cover. New rear end repeated ball joints, tie rod ends, brake rotors all been replaced repeatedly. My other Ford was a 86 Bronco 2. I traded that in for this POS and have had nothing but problems since. IF I buy another truck it probably will NOT be a Fix Or Repair Daily. I like my Fords but come on man! This thing should never have been built. The design flaws outweigh the good things about the vehicle. One of the good things (knock on wood) is the engine is unstoppable. No matter how cold it gets outside the beast still starts with no problem. My question to another poster on here is how do you make a metal piece to put in place of the plastic bracket that Ford decided was good enough? Anybody answer that one?
- sbzro870, Buffalo, NY, US
It doesn't seem like much, but both of the casings that hold my overhead visors in place have broken. They were these terrible little pieces of cheap plastic that one day just crumbled as I flipped the visor down. Then about two weeks later my girl friend flipped hers down and the same thing happened.
I have read most people's issues with this and have seen that it cost them upwards of $200 for a replacement and I find that to be ridiculous considering Ford spend about a nickel on the piece of plastic to hold it in place. Up until now I have just managed to jam them into this awful looking hole that sits there now and just tell people that they essentially can never use them or they will hang by an electrical string coming from somewhere inside the vehicle. It just looks very trashy and makes driving into the sun very, very unsettling and dangerous.
Yet another safety issue to this piece of garbage Explorer that I'm positive Ford won't take the blame for somehow. It's all our faults for breaking our visors, not theirs for building a terrible vehicle and essentially lying to us in order for us to purchase it. What a great company.
- Christopher S., Tampa, FL, US