Problems with 2002 Ford Explorer STRUCTURE

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. while driving at an unknown speed, the contact heard an abnormal rattling noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. the contact inspected the vehicle and noticed that the rear driver's side upper hinge was fractured. the vehicle was not repaired. perry ford of santa barbara (440 hitchcock way, santa barbara, ca 93105, (805) 682-2411) was contacted by phone and informed of the failure. the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 04v442000 (structure). the manufacturer was notified. the approximate failure mileage was 204,000.

The rear window exploded. it was unoccupied parked in the carport.

Rear hatch panel applique cracked for no apparent reason

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that there was a failure on the rear door handle. the contact noticed a crack between the door handle and glass. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 120,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that there was a loud abnormal noise and noticed that the sun roof was detached. the vehicle was taken to an unknown independent mechanic who stated that the manufacturer discontinued the part. the dealer was not contacted. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and confirmed that the sun roofs were discontinued. the approximate failure mileage was 160,000.

The rear liftgate mount broke off and window fell on my daughters head and bent the other mount and broke left strut off. can't line it up to get it to close and latch shut. can't drive the car or liftgate will fall off. going to get some rope and try to tie it on. it was in front of house with the whole hatch open to get groceries out

After loading my luggage i closed my trunk and the whole back window completely shattered the struts broke and the little black thing that holds the window up top broke too. i got a cut on my hand, glass went everywhere. so stressed..

My 2002 ford explorer 4.6l is having major transmission problems at only 110k miles. it hesitates shifting gears and slips while driving. the vehicle also stalls when stopping at a red light or stop sign. it has the infamous crack down the back hatch. both are problems thousands of customers have complained about yet ford does nothing. the transmission problem is a very expensive cost to repair and it shouldn't be the customers responsibility when ford knew there was a problem.

I was driving my ford on the highway and the next thing i know my feet were really hot and black smoke started coming up. then the black smoke started coming from the engine and i nearly crashed trying to get to the edge of the highway before the fire took over the whole front of the car. luckily the fire department was right there for another accident. it was incredibly disturbing experience. luckily my 3 small children were not in the car.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that one of the hinges on the liftgate window was rusted out and separated. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 135,000. ......updated 04/01/16 *bf *cn

Column gear shifter broke off when putting in gear. could not remove key or put in park

Car stalled on busy street, then was restarted and lost power. then fire in engine compartment. cause is unknown. car was well maintained. total loss was not covered by insurance

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that while parked, the rear hatch window was closed and it shattered. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer or repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 91,000. the consumer stated after the window was replaced, she received a recall letter for the exact issue. updated 03/21/16.*jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. while entering the vehicle, the interior lighting remained illuminated and leaked water into the vehicle. the contact noticed water stains by the visors. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 133,748.

Tl* 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 *cn

Liftgate glass hinge and ball stud bracket is coming apart. the bracket has disengaged. glass is potentially going to fall, brake and/or cause injury. it is no longer working properly. this part has been replaced during a recall but did not fix the issue.

Liftgate glass hinge and ball bracket is broken/disengaged. it is no longer working properly. it can fall, brake and/or cause injury. this part has been replaced during a recall. it did not fix the problem.

Vehicle leaks transmission fluid from what a appears tobe the trans bell housing and was told by experts after taking vehicle to investigate,main seal tranny damaged and trans needs tobe pulled,costing hundreds to fix.was in first accident in 30yrs because tranny would not engage,shift to proper torque for speed when needed.causing sluggish late shift to almost stop,and causing crash. can you help?.................anyone? thankyou!

Vehicle parked in stall when gear selecter was shifted from drive to park with foot on brake said vehicle experienced wide open throttle surged forward knocking down light pole only coming to stop ontop of fire hydrant or vehicle would of kept going as wheels were still spinning!

The rear window shuttered into 100 pieces during the driving. the rear panel has cracked. *tr

Crack in rear lift gate panel that led to shattered rear window upon normal closing. *tr

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. *tr

My daughter went to open my rear hatch and the window fell. the hinge completely detached from the car. i went to ford to have them look at it they stated that it was a recall item but that it had already been fixed in 2005. i asked if it had been fixed why would the same problem occur. they couldn't give me an answer. all they said was that they only pay for the first occurrence not and subsequent occurrences. my issue is that if an item continues to break that is no longer and issue with that item its and issue with the design of the item. this is a safety concern. what if the glass fell on my daughter or shattered on her. i don't see why i have to replace a faulty ford issue. *tr

Paint job on engine hood is bubbling up. suv has been regularly washed and waxed; so one would not expect problems with the paint job. based upon internet research, ford has paint job issues with vehicles sold from 2000-2005. *tr

Tl* 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.

Back tailgate panel was cracked (defect) and the back window just exploded when the tailgate was open. *tr

I purchased this to use as a second vehicle for camping trips so the mileage on it is very low for its age. suddenly one day of normal local driving, the o/d light started flashing and the vehicle started to run very rough. it couldn't seem to accelerate and rpms were high. i had to drive home with emergency flashers on since the car felt like it was going to die any moment. since o/d flashing means something with transmission, i took it to two different transmission repair shops who both diagnosed a bad transmission that would need to be replaced at about $3,500. i was shocked that i would need a new transmission with only 43000 miles on vehicle despite its age. both shops informed me that the 2002 ford explorers are notorious for bad transmissions. i called ford motor company to request assistance with this repair. they would not help me in any way. the vehicle is not drivable and i am not in a financial position to take on such an expensive repair for a second vehicle. right now it is sitting unused in my driveway while costing me to keep it insured. can't believe this has happened to me since i thought i was buying a reputable product. ford abandoned me when their product failed. i will never buy another ford product again. the least ford could have done was assume responsibility for their mistakes and not cheat the public. other issues i am having is flaking peeling paint and a crack through the ford emblem on the rear door panel. *tr

Shortly after purchasing my ford explorer from the dealership i noticed a small crack in the rear hatch around the ford emblem. this part of the hatch is also connected to the rear glass window that lifts open. i took my vehicle back to the dealership and they told me it was a manufacturers defect and will be recalled eventually so i should keep checking back. the recall never happened and after 10 plus years the crack got larger letting moisture in and rusting. meanwhile i was noticing the majority of ford explorers from that year had the same crack on the rear hatch in the same place! about 2 weeks ago i went to simply open the rear hatch and the glass window buckled and shattered with an exploding sound similar to a gunshot. glass was everywhere! the piece with the crack literally broke in half. thankfully no one got hurt, but if my kids were in the car or my face was any closer it could have been a disaster. i truly believe ford needs to take responsibility for their defective rear hatches in these models to prevent injuries. *tr

Over the past year i have noticed that this particular vehicle is experiencing severe rust issues on various components including lower body work, specifically under the driver and passenger doors in addition to emergency brake components. when i first noticed the issue i took immediate action to repair the damaged body work areas by using anti-rust treatments and applying new paint as recommended by a certified mechanic. the issue though is still ongoing to the point where door seals are no longer water tight and small pieces of body work are flaking away from the vehicle as a result of wind resistance and bumps while the vehicle is in motion. i have also needed to replace rusted emergency brake components which i was advised were no longer functional or safe. upon further research it appears that a large number of ford/mercury/lincoln vehicles (primarily between 2002 and 2004) are experiencing the exact same issue and that supposedly ford is aware of a known paint defect that is the root cause, however no related recalls or further information has surfaced. (example testimonials here: http://www.lemonlaw.com/wordpress/more-problems-for-ford-paint-defects-in-2000-2005-models/ ) my vehicle has always been regularly serviced and well maintained and i would not expect to be seeing an issue as significant as this given the vehicle's age and mileage. this issue needs to be investigated as i am not confident in the overall safety of my vehicle. *tr

Got home and noticed a crack all the way thru panel below window on liftgate. *tr

Rear lift gate fiberglass trim below window cracked for no apparent reason. vehicle was sitting still in driveway and when i went out to start it this is when i noticed the crack. *tr

I was traveling in stop and go traffic. as soon as space opened between me and the vehicle in front of me, i accelerated. while gaining speed i looked in my right rear view mirror to see if i could change lanes. while looking in my mirror the vehicle in front of me stopped. i hit the back of his vehicle with the front of mine. the problem i have is that my airbag(s) fired but did no deploy. you could clearly smell that they fired and my airbag light is now on. my seat belt did not cinch up and restrain me either. this car had been well maintained and was never in an accident before this one. as i see it, it was a total failure of the srs. *tr

The rear back hatch cracked. *tr

The 2002 ford explorer has a design flaw such that the rear panel cracks. when moisture gets in it causes electrical problems. the six problems experiences on this explorer are as follows: 1) false "door ajar" indicator 2) rear window wiper no longer worked 3) dead battery 4) back-up warning signals no longer work 5) rear window can no longer open 6) brake lights won't turn off even after the engine is turned off. we had to disconnect the battery and take it to the dealership the next day. *tr

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. *tr

Rear lift gate plastic panel cracked, allowing water to enter. i have noticed many ford explorers with the same issue. why has ford ignored this defect, i see many complants on-line with the same flaw by other explorer owners.. *tr

The liftgate hinge fractured allowing the glass to fall nearly breaking my hand. this hinge was recalled by nhtsa campaign id number 04v442000 / ford recall no. 04s20. in contacting customer service tonight on a ford transmission issue, i discovered the previous hinge recall and they indicated that hinge had been replace once in 2004 and it was my bad luck that it failed a second time. they would make no restitution for the failed part. it is unconscionable that they would have the same issue as a previous recall and not correct the issue again. it is clearly a serious safety hazard they should address, reimburse me for the part i purchased through ford and replace the other hinge before it also fails and hurts someone. *tr

Rear panel below window cracked from cold while sitting in driveway. *tr

The back door is cracked between the windows the the latch. this morning the latch stopped working and i can't keep the rear latch closed. *tr

We opened the rear window to get something out of the trunk, lifted the window and the window exploded and crashed on my husband's head. it seems as if the hydrolics failed on each side of the rear window. glass just shattered and was everywhere. my husband's hands were cut and his head was banged up. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the driver's side and front passenger side doors would swing open sporadically and without warning. the vehicle was not inspected by a dealer or an independent mechanic. the manufacturer was later contacted and advised her to schedule an appointment with the dealer for inspection and possible repairs. the failure mileage was approximately 105,000. the current mileage was approximately 105,500.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving at approximate 10mph the contact heard a grinding noise. the contact inspected the vehicle and noticed that the body mounts were deteriorating between the frame. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing. the vehicle was not repaired. the appoximate failure mileage was 141,000.

Car leaking unknown fluids .. there are outstanding recalls on my vehicle. recall id 09509. *tr

The interior lights occasionally flicker when all doors are shut securely. also the door ajar light will flicker at times as well. the alarm goes off for no reason and usually it is in the middle of the night and i am pretty sure it is related to the door ajar malfunction. there is no way to disable the factory alarm so i have had to leave my car unlocked at night just to keep it from going off and waking up the neighbors. also we have a crack on the lift gate just below the rear window. you can see this is a common issue by looking at other explorers around town. i have really enjoyed the explorer up until now but it does bother me that these two issues are very common yet ford won't issue a recall to fix these issues. *tr

The rear hatch is splitting down the middle near the windshield wipers. the metal is coming apart and may fly off during high rates of speed causing an accident. this email is to prevent an accident which may occur. i am aware of a pending lawsuit regarding cosmetic defects but would like you to know the possibility of an accident occurring once the metal separates at high rates of speed on the interstate. this is also a paper trail in case i am the truck the causes the accident. *tr

none of the windows will work, they were operating properly and just quit. this vehicle is unsafe to drive, in an emergency, (such as a crash). the occupants of the vehicle could become trapped in the vehicle because the windows would not operate. if a fire occurred the results could be tragic. ford is aware of this problem along with several other problems on this vehicle. yet they choose not to repair or replace any of the known defective components. my vehicle has a lot of miles on it, but this problem along with other problems on this vehicle happens on lower mileage vehicles also. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact noticed that two cracks developed under the hatch. the contact stated that the failure was caused by extremely cold weather. the dealer was contacted and they stated to the contact that the failure was not a safety issue. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact stated that they did not feel safe driving the vehicle. the failure mileage was 130,000 and the current mileage was 170,000.

The rear hinges gave way, and the back half glass exploded. *tr

Rear panel has crack 2 times. we paid 600.00$ for first repair. 3 months later the rear panel cracked again. no crash or accident.

The trunk of my vehicle has developed a sizable crack in the rear panel only through normal use. i have seen this on a number of other similar vehicles and know it is not only me with this problem. *tr