Problems with 1999 Ford Explorer STRUCTURE

Driver side door keeps opening up while whicle is moving. the door is closed and locked prior to the travel. big safety issue.

When attempting to open doors from outside it is very difficult. this could be a safety issue in an accident if attempting to get someone out. also the latch for the hood has the same problem

I was at work on friday afternoon, 5/16 and received a voicemail at 3:50pm from the fire marshall stating my 1999 ford explorer xlt burned in my driveway and was totaled. i had not driven the explorer since approximately 7pm the night before and had taken my other car to work. the explorer was just sitting in the driveway, outside the garage and started burning. a neighbor 2 houses over smelled the smoke and saw the flames and called the fire department. the fire marshall stated he had seen this type of fire before due to the ford cruise control recall problems, based on the burn pattern. i was not the original owner and bought it about 8 years ago and have never received any kind of recall notice. i am extremely upset that this kind of thing could happen and did happen - the more i read about the amount of people it's happened to the more upset i get, i've had nightmares since friday since my house would have burned if i had parked it 1 foot closer to the garage -- which i usually do, i had planned to give it to my stepson on saturday who was coming to visit from ny and it would have been his first car -- my fiance' is stressed out and upset beyond words i can write here. no excuse ford...shame on you!!!!!! *tr

I drive a 1999 ford explorer and coming home from work last night the bracket that attaches the accelerator pedal to the firewall sheared off. my accelerator pedal was left dangling and i could not drive the vehicle any more. could have been dangerous had i been on the interstate. it appears like three little rivets hold the bracket to the firewall. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 1999 ford explorer. the contact stated that the rear hatch window exploded unexpectedly. the contact was under the impression that someone had broken the window and contacted the police. the police advised they were unable to determine what caused the breakage. the failure and current mileages were 189,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 1999 ford explorer. the contact stated that the front hood of the vehicle would not remain open in a fixated position. if the hood collapses onto a person, he or she could be seriously injured or killed. upon further inspection, the contact noticed that the cause of the failure was the front hood lift cylinder. she has not had the vehicle inspected. the failure mileage was 75,000 and current mileage was 82,000. updated 4/23/09 *cn updated 04/28/09.*jb

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford explorer. the contact took the vehicle to a local repair shop for routine maintenance and was informed that there was excessive rust on the vehicle. the manufacturer had not been notified. the failure mileage was approximately 50,000. updated 01/13/11*lj updated 04/01/11

Tl*the contact owns a 1999 ford explorer. while driving 50 mph the vehicle stalled. there was a recall for the fuel system. however, the dealer stated that this vehicle was not included due to the vin. also, the hood on the vehicle will not open. the failure has not been diagnosed. the driver's door will not open with the key. the failure and current mileage was 190,000. *ak

Tl*the contact owns a 1999 ford explorer. the contact stated that the rod that is used to keep the hood lifted is too small. the rod does not keep the hood propped up and causes it to close. the hood has never fallen on him, but he has had many close calls. the vehicle has not been to the dealer, but they stated that the failure was the contact's responsibility. the current mileage was 35,000 and failure mileage was 30,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 1999 ford explorer. the contact stated that the driver side door mechanism would lock, but would fail to open from the inside or outside. in addition, the plastic clip hanging down would slip out of position. the contact repaired the failure multiple times. the vehicle has not been taken to the dealer. ford stated that there were no recalls for this failure. the purchase date was unknown. the current mileage was 135,000 and failure mileage was 110,000.

1999 ford explorer grab bar over the front passenger's seat fell off although there was no pressure applied to it. *mr for seven weeks prior to the failure to consumer had been instructed to use the grab bar to get in and out of the vehicle because of an ankle injury. the consumer said that at no time during those seven weeks did the bar feel loose or unstable. *nm

The factory hood shocks are too small and cannot hold the weight of the hood. this resulted in the hood slamming shut without warning. *ak the hood would stay up for five minutes. *sc *jb

Consumer states if the arm rest is tipped upward to get into the storage area, hot /cold drinks will spill into the rear passenger area. *ak *mr

While passenger was getting inside of vehicle by pulling on the upper handle grip the handle snapped, causing the passenger to fall to the ground.*ak

I purchased a 1999 ford explorer vin #[xxx] from a washington state ford dealership in september 2002. the vehicle had 54,000 miles on it at the time, i have put 7,000 miles on it. the rear liftgate began to make a clunking/popping noise recently, and became difficult to close. i took it to our local ford dealer, port angeles ford lincoln mercury, and they tell me that the sheet metal where the hinges are mounted is tearing away from the structure and that it is not a covered item (i did purchase the ford warranty plan), and that i will need to go to a body shop and have new steel plates welded in place at my expense. i do not believe that this is my responsibility, the steel that was used was obviously not strong enough to support using this liftgate, and i strongly believe that ford is liable for this. can you help me to confirm this? i am unable to use the liftgate at this time as the ford dealer says the liftgate could fall off, possibly injuring someone. this vehicle has not been in any accidents.*ak information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

The bumper collapsed when it was hit. *jb

While trying to accelerate doors automatically locked, and then vehicle shut off. it was hard to get vehicle back started. dealer notified.*ak

Consumer had lifted tailgate. while consumer was standing underneath tailgate it fell down, hitting consumer on the head. both hydraulic hinges were leaking oil. vehicle had not been inspected by dealer.*ak

vehicle has major vibration throughout body when it is idling. rpms fluctuate up and down between 1600 and 2300. dealer added an extra bracket to exhaust system to help stop vibration. vehicle would only rev hard when it was first started up. vehicle was not included in recall 00v395000/ manufacturer's recall 00546, but it was upgraded accordingly to help correct the problem before it got worse.*ak

The pressurized lift rods which hold the hood up failed several times, but the first time the hood fell and pinned my fingers under the closed hood. i feel the cooler air temperature (45 degrees) contributed to the failure. it hasn't occured during the warmer times of the year.*ak

Liftgate loose, is about to fall off. dealer has been notified. ph. *ak

The rear lift gate door is falling off of the hinges.*jb

Rear tire struck the toyota's front bumper and rolled the explorer over. the side airbags did not deployed. the force in the rollover crash should have activated the side airbags.

Dt: vehicle's metal sport running boards rusted in two years. the owner felt that this was a safety issue. the owner needed the running boards to help her get in and out of the vehicle. she contacted the dealership and a body shop. the consumer has not been in contact with the manufacturer. consumer checked on having fiberglass running boards placed on her vehicle. the metal running boards were original equipment on the vehicle when purchased. the consumer wants ford to reimburse her for the new fiberglass running boards. *ak *jb

The plastic trim around the head liner was loose.*jb

Closing of rear hatch difficult. problem has occurred since first purchased but has become increasingly difficult to close. hatch requires several hard slamming attempts to close. at times the hatch becomes ajar, only after closing the drivers side door(interior air pressure forces hatch ajar). dealer has evaluated problem as a bent frame at right hinge and a non-warranted item. annette mccall, the local ford factory service representative, has looked over the rear hatch and agrees with the dealers' assessment. they tend to think the defect was caused by backing into something with the hatch open or the hatch been forced upward. i disagree, i believe that this is a cumulative problem which is a result of an improperly install rear hatch.*ak

Consumer went to open driver's side liftgate, and it has torn through the metal. then, on the passenger's side it began to do the same thing. dealership was aware of problem.*ak

Defective striker plate which was used to hold the door in event of a crash, spun around, causing door not to close properly. in event of a crash door may fly open. manufacturer said that striker plate was suppose to stay in place when the door was shut. *ak

Consumer states the abs system failed. *yd

The air bag (srs) light illumminates while driving, the dealer has attempted to remedy the problem on several occasions yet the problem still exists. nlm

The vehicle master cylinder failed three times,brake pads and shoe assemblies, rotors and calipers failed twice. *yh

While driving 55 mph a fire started in the driver's side door panel. driver was able to pull to the shoulder safely and put out the fire. please provide any further information. *ak

Door handle inside replaced, latch would not unlock. *mjs

Water is coming from the chassis. water leaks into the interior of the car which could cause an electrical short. *ak

Soon after purchase paint problem revealed multiple bubbles through out the exterior of the car. suv was then taken to dealer/body shop were other problems were created to the cosmetics of the car. it took about a year to attempt to correct problems that were created. the suv's doors were taken off which then created a wind noise to the drivers side that can't be corrected. the doors were replaced misaligned and when complaints were made with higher management their response was that i was to picky with their work. i am very disatsified with how they handle this veh. defect. *ak

Driver's side door would not open, due to failure of the power door latch assembly.

Brake lights do not stay on when brakes are applied. lights come on, but go back out while brakes are still being applied. dealer has seen vehicle, and said that it is normal. *ak brake switch has been replaced 6 times and power booster has been replaced with no remedies, brake pedal makes a popping noise when released. message center, miles per gallon, is inaccurate and has been replaced, however consumer states it still does not work. rear suspension squeaks and groans over bumps, consumer states there is too much roll stiffness built into suspension, alignment checked and toe set due to vehicle wandering. water leaks inside door frames. automatic transmission is reluctant to downshift unless the accelerator is pressed flat to the floor. inside rear view mirrow mounted too low. consumer states squeaks and rattles show up all the time in the interior of the vehicle, rattles in dash, drivers door area, and b pillar. cd changer jammed twice. limited emblem replaced twice. speedometer reads too fast. *slc

When turning on the ignition, warning lights are supposed to come on and go off. however, airbag warning light stays on. consumer feels this is unsafe, and there may be a problem with the air bag system. also, automatic doors locks do not lock when vehicle is put into drive, but after the vehicle has traveled 2-3 miles down the road. *ak *ml