I noticed the cracked panel on or about Mar 5th. I thought that someone vandalized or backed into my car by hitting the Ford emblem on the back panel. When I went to the Ford service department to check recalls there are no recalls for this particular defect for the Explorer but it is listed for the Expeditions. I was told it's a very common problem and they're aware of the issue but Ford Corporation has yet to resolve the issue for all Ford SUV's with this known problem. The estimated cost for repair ($370.00). I would say that this should be covered by Ford as it is clearly a design flaw.

I bought this 2004 Explorer sport edition XLT in Feb 2005. I just noticed the other day that the painted part under the resr window had cracked all the way through. I have not gone to the dealer yet but by the looks of it I might have to pay. I will not be putting any more money into this car. I am actually looking to trade it in for the new Chevy Tahoe. I have been dissapointed for a while with this explorer because of the transmission shifting hard and the rear window motors get stuck. Now I have to deal with this silly crack, what a crappy made part this is. My wife and I planned to keep this car for a hand me down for the kids... hahahaha it wont even make 3 years and parts are falling off. Hey Ford get your act together looks like you will be loosing many customers if no recall comes around soon!

I noticed "the crack" while on break at work yesterday. After looking around the internet, I realize my car is being afflicted by the same issue a lot of other Explorer owners appear to be having. The only other problem I have had with this car is having the throttle body replaced while the car was still under warranty. I am buying this car to own and was planning on keeping for a long time. After this problem and reading through all the other problems people are having, I am seriously concerned.

Discovered the back frame area around the back tailgate glass was cracked just below the window wiper. It was not cracked in one crack but several all the way down from the bottom of the glass to the bottom of the frame that holds the back glass. It appeared as a stress crack not like a fracture or crack caused by a collision. There was no other damage. Took it to the dealership and they said they had some others that had been coming in with this problem. I left it to be fixed. They called later to inform me that I was going to have to pay for it to be fixed. I had it fixed and payed however I have since seen other vehicles on the road the same model but maybe not same year model with the same problem. I think there is a recall issue here and ford should be paying to fix this. Someone should look into this.

My 2004 Explorer (bought when the 2005 became available) has developed THE crack in the rear panel underneath the rear window that afflicts so many other Explorers. Ever since it happened I have noticed many other Explorers with the same crack. Called my dealer and he said it wasn't covered under the extended warranty I had purchased from Ford. I called the 800.392.3673 and they took all the information but ultimately told me that I needed to TAKE it to a dealer so that they can take a look at the crack. I guess that I'll have to play the game, hopefully Ford will do something about it (although I will not put any money on it). This is clearly a design flaw not a one time occurrence.

I recently noticed a crack in the rear panel underneath the rear window. I called the dealer to ask if there had been a recall and they said only on the latch. I asked if they thought it was strange that the panel cracked and I too was told it was from the cold weather. What the heck kind of answer is that? Since when does cold weather make the exterior of a car crack? This seems to be a BIG problem and Ford needs to do something about this. I have driven Fords my whole life (my Dad worked for Ford) and their quality has gone way down hill. I have had more problems with this car than all my other cars put together!

My 2004 Explorer (bought in Nov. 2004) has the same problem with the lovely crack in the panel below the liftgate window. The crack starts right below the window then curves very nicely around the left side of the FORD logo before traveling straight down again for another 3-4 inches. What's with that! I have driven Fords for most of my 40 years of driving.

My first car was a 1963 Ford Fairlane, a sweet little car. I've had two Pintos, a Maverick, an F100 truck, and two Explorers. I have NEVER had a problem like this with any of my Fords vehicles! My previous Explorer was a 1995 that gave me 130K miles of trouble-free driving. The day that I traded it in on the 2004 Explorer, the 95's exterior still looked as good as it did the day I drove it off the dealer's lot. My 2004 has less than 30,000 miles and there's that damn crack! I had almost caved in and bought a Toyota, instead of the Explorer, but thought, OH NO, I'LL BE LOYAL TO THE US AUTOMAKERS. So much for loyalty. If they can't provide the same quality, the hell with them. My next vehicle will be foreign made. The crack hasn't been repaired yet, but I am still under warranty and the dealer has ordered the replacement parts. I'm scheduled to take it in next week, and was told that they will need to keep the vehicle for 3 days because they will need to paint. We'll see how it all shakes out! Whew! That was long.... sorry! :-D But I am still peeved that I have be inconvenienced like this!!!!!!!

I can see lots of people have this problem too! Went to a movie, came out - and a large crack runs from the window to the bottom of the frame, right next to the emblem. I already have the car in today for fuel gauge issues, mentioned the crack, and service guy went "oh yeah, we've heard about that - I'll add it to your warranty work". Thank G-D - I have a good Ford dealership that really does believe in covering warranty issues. (Or so I hope - if I have a $400 bill when I pick the car up, I'll be pissed)