Problems with 2002 Ford Explorer STRUCTURE

Approximately a year ago the top panel of the back tailgate began cracking on the right side of the "ford" symbol. yesterday morning i came out to find another crack in the panel in the exact same spot except on the left side of the "ford" symbol. the first crack is about 1/8" wide and split approximately halfway down the back panel. the second crack spans from the top of the panel to the bottom and is approximately 1/4-1/2" wide. i did not hit anything and there is no structural damage to the car otherwise. the panel has not been corrected or fixed yet. *tr

Appeared out of nowhere. large crack in vehicle below rear window possibly due to previous recall in oct 2004 - safety recall 04s20. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the vehicle was parked at his residence when he observed that the rear liftgate exhibited a crack near the emblem. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. the vehicle has not been repaired at this time. the failure mileage was 100,000. updated 2/22/10 *cn updated 05/10/10

Broken tailgate panel on explorer my 2003 and 2002. *tr

Severe cracks in back window housing. crack is so severe, consideration of window falling out is possible. information panel registers door ajar which consequently flashes internal lights, re-locks doors, sets warning bells to go off. often, door ajar does not register, but electric locks lock re-lock and lock many times with warning bells going off, interior lights flickering,many times in one instance. all activities happen intermittently, without cause or reason causing severe distraction to driver. theft alarm goes off after vehicle has been locked several hours; for no apparent reason. when unlocked and re-locked, continues to go off intermittently. i believe the rear window housing break is the root of all this activity. *tr

I have a 2002 ford explorer and the panel below the back window hatch has cracked for seemingly no reason. i found on the internet that this seems to be a common problem for the 2002-2004 block of ford explorers. i have just over 100k miles on my vehicle and ford said that because it's out of warranty that they won't cover the repair. this seems to be the common answer that ford is giving to everyone that is experiencing this problem too. *tr

The liftgate cracked in 3 places. it started a year ago with one crack, then another crack appeared 6 months later. a few weeks ago a 3 crack appeared. the ford dealer refused to help and a call to ford was not returned. *tr

My door was frozen shut, i pulled it open and now i cant close it. it "bounces" off the door hinges when i try. it happened when i got out of work at midnight and i drove all the way home with my car door opening and closing as i was driving. good thing it happened in the middle of the night because no one was driving around. if someone was i probably would have hit them with my door. i had to hold my door shut with the window down while driving. i had to drive 10 mph the whole way to my house. taking turns was very hard because even though i was holding the door, it still was opening. what happened to me was very dangerous. i could've hurt myself and others. hopefully this is something to get fixed quickly because i have finals this week and i wont be able to get the school without my car. *tr

When i saw a crack on the ford applique, i went to my local ford dealer to see who i should contact about this problem. i've never had any problems with my explorer; took excellent care of it; no dents, dings, accidents. the dealer told me i must have slammed the trunk too hard in cold weather. if that were the case, i should have cracks in all four doors (and the hood). they wanted to give me the name of a body shop to have it repaired. i said, no, this should be ford's responsibility. i contacted ford's corporate office, they replied that there's no recall nor is it under warranty and that i would have to pay for the repair. i will not! this was not something that i did! this is poor workmanship! i have had numerous ford taurus station wagons before this explorer, and have had no problems with them... i placed this complaint on "auto beef". my complaint was #304, there are now 315 complaints on the same problem. i'm afraid this could fall off while driving. *tr

When i saw a crack on the ford applique, i went to my local ford dealer to see who i should contact about this problem. i've never had any problems with my explorer; took excellent care of it; no dents, dings, accidents. the dealer told me i must have slammed the trunk too hard in cold weather. if that were the case, i should have cracks in all four doors (and the hood). they wanted to give me the name of a body shop to have it repaired. i said, no, this should be ford's responsibility. i contacted ford's corporate office, they replied that there's no recall nor is it under warranty and that i would have to pay for the repair. i will not! this was not something that i did! this is poor workmanship! i have had numerous ford taurus station wagons before this explorer, and have had no problems with them... i placed this complaint on "auto beef". my complaint was #304, there are now 315 complaints on the same problem. i'm afraid this could fall of while driving. *tr

The back plastic panel under the rear window of my ford explorer 2002 cracked for no reason. i noticed that many ford and mercury have the same problem - this is a defect. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. when the contact closed the rear hatch, the left hinge failed and the glass shattered. nhsta campaign id number 04v442000 (structure:body:hatchback/liftgate:hinge and attachments) was referenced. the insurance agency was notified, but the manufacturer was not. the failure and current mileages were 124,996.

A crack appeared on the rear hatch door under the rear window. the crack just appeared one morning without any direct action. now i have 2 cracks. a search on the internet showed that this problem is happening to many 2002 ford explorers. *tr

2002 ford explorer rear liftgate panel cracking below glass. *tr

2002 ford explorer developed a crack below the rear hatch window extending down and to the right of the ford emblem. since then i have observed these on dozens of explorers. my vehicle was not involved in an accident, nor was the hatch being used when this occurred. i feel it is a safety issue since the glass could fall out on the highway. ford in no way acknowledges the issue that has hundreds of complaints on message board. *tr

I own a 2002 ford explorer xlt i was lifting my rear glass window not the whole liftgate just the glass i was about 3/4 of the way up when i heard this loud noise and was showered by falling glass and then eventually struck by the bottom of the door. i called ford they say there is nothing they will do to fix this issue i have done some research on this and it seems that i am not the only person with this issue. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. when the contact opened the liftgate on the vehicle, the rear glass suddenly shattered. there were no injuries; however, a piece of glass landed in the contact's hair. the insurance adjuster was notified of the failure. the vehicle was inspected and it was discovered that the liftgate glass strut brackets failed. the manufacturer stated that the vehicle had previously been repaired for nhtsa campaign id number 04v442000 (structure:body:hatchback/liftgate:hinge and attachments). the recall remedy has not corrected the safety defect. the vehicle will be taken to an authorized dealer for repair. the contact was concerned of the safety risk involved. the failure and current mileages were 63,000. updated 12/15/08. *lj updated 12/15/08. *jb

Ford 2002 explorer has large crack on liftgate panel running from just of the left of the ford insignia to the bottom of the rear window. ford will not help with replacement despite the obvious safety concerns and the admission that this is a widespread problem with explorers. the liftgate was recalled a few years ago for an unrelated problem with the cylinders. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. when the contact manually closed the liftgate, the rear glass exploded unexpectedly. the vehicle was repaired according to nhtsa campaign id number 011010000; however, it failed to sufficiently correct the safety defect. the vehicle has not been repaired. the contact was concerned of the safety risk involved. the failure mileage was 76,249 and current mileage was 76,259.

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that when he lifted the liftgate on the rear of the vehicle, it would only hold for a few seconds before coming back down. the failure occurred on several occasions, one of which injured the contact's back. the manufacturer stated that they would not assist with the repairs because the failure was not deemed as a safety related defect. the failure mileage was 80,000 and current mileage was 93,000.

2002 ford explorer rear hatch has a crack in it. *tr

On 10-14-2008, took vehicle in for routine nys veh inspection. midas mech informed me that a 5 inch piece snapped off at the bottom of the pass side rear coil spring . you could see that the coil spring wasn't seated right anymore. vehicle mileage was approx 66,400. never used off road. mech informed me that 2002 ford explorers are notorious for defective wheel hubs (which is true because i recently just replaced both about 1000 mi ago at $1400) and for the strut coil over springs snapping. enough already!! when will the gov make ford own up to design and safety failures !!!??? i could have been traveling on the highway when this coil spring piece snapped off and could have punctured the tire or the brake line or the fuel tank!! *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. while attempting to close the rear door, the rear liftgate and hinge on the top left side became loose. the rear glass fell out and shattered all over the contact and her child. she took the vehicle to her mechanic and was notified of nhtsa campaign id number 04v442000 (structure:body:hatchback/liftgate:hinge and attachments). she called ford and was informed that her vin was not included in the recall; therefore, they would not be responsible for the repair. the contact feels that the repair should be made for free since the failures are identical. the current and failure mileages were 69,000.

My 2002 ford explorers hood is corroding. it's been over a year since the first spot appeared. i really didn't pay much attention to it because i thought it was just from wear and tear, but then 2 months ago 2 more spots appeared. on 10/3/08 i went to a body shop to see how much it would cost to paint, and i surprised to hear him tell me that the problem is really a ford problem because it looked like the hood is made of aluminum and the paint isn't sticking. that same day, i went to the ford dealer nearest to me and i was told that indeed there is a problem with these hoods and confirmed what the guy at the body shop said. he then told me that since my car is a 2002, 5 years has passed and i cannot have it replaced for free. this is unfair. i was not aware of the problem, and no one at ford informed us. had i known that it was their problem, i would have had it replaced when the first spot appeared. *tr

I have a 2002 ford explorer and all of a sudden the o/d light started flashing i have read other peoples experiences and this has led me to file a complaint about this and now that i realize that im not the only one well i hope you can help i was expecting for this vehicle to last longer than my 1994 dodge ram. and another thing the side of the windows started pealing off my back door is cracked because it would not close right and none of my three of my windows have stopped working at one time. this car is full of malfunctions and i thing that there should be something done about it i bought it brand new and paid 25,000 for this piece of junk. *tr

I have not been involved in any accident, nor any incidences of property damage. it happens that on a saturday during the summer, i noticed a crack in the liftgate of my vehicle. it is a clean and totally straight crack directly under the glass, measuring approximately 6 inches long and 1 to 1/12 wide. while driving and everytime i see an explorer, i look to see if there is a defect in that particular area of their vehicle and i have seen several, which prompts me to think that this is in fact a defect. i took the vehicle to the repair shop and am told that it would be over $1800.00 to have repaired as they will need to order an entire lift gate vs. repairing the one that on their currently. have you had any reported incidences such as this? i noticed this in july of this year. *tr

2002 ford explorer - rear applique (plastic trim) under the rear window cracked, and a portion of it fell off the vehicle traveling 70mph. same problem as reported at http://www.carcomplaints.com/ford/explorer/2002/body_paint/cracked_panel_below_the_rear_window.shtml. ford has said it was temp related, however, i'm in florida, the vehicle never saw any temp below 40, freezing wasn't considered. tsb 0485 if i'm reading it correctly. *tr

My husband opened the liftgate to my 2002 eddie bauer ford explorer to bring our hurricane supply kit into the house. afterwards, he went to close the liftgate, just as normal, and the glass, without any warning, exploded into hundreds of pieces and the frame below the glass crashed to the ground. glass was found halfway down the driveway, under the car, inside the car, and on top of the car. the hinges were clearly both broken and wires were separated from the liftgate. my husband was standing to the side of the car when he closed the liftgate and luckily only had a minor cut on his toe. the liftgate did not touch anything and was not hit by anything or forced to close immediately prior to it exploding. i essentially have a three-sided car right now. ford issued a recall (04s20) on the liftgate glass hinge and ball stud bracket earlier and i had that repair completed on 09/25/07. the description of the explosion is verbatim of what was described in the recall, however ford customer care denies any responsibility stating that part is no longer under warranty as does the dealer who originally repaired the recalled part. this could have been extremely disastrous if my husband had not been standing off to the side or if anyone had been inside the car, especially children. ford should be required to pay for any incidents that happen involving the hinge and ball bracket even if the repair was made as they requested per the recall. doors do not just 'come off' for no reason. their method of 'repairing' the recall is not sufficient as there are blogs online with many other exact complaints. *tr

Purchased a 2002 ford exp eddie bauer ed used with 35,000 miles. transmission had to be repaired within 3 weeks due to 4wd malfunction covered by warranty. passenger side window motor assembly has been replaced once, and window regulator has been replaced once, and is in need of a second replacement. took to local dealership and was told window was not meant to be lowered halfway. the rear hatch has also cracked completely down from window to lower panel. dealership will not acknowledge issues with this occurring, but upon further research have found this to be a common problem with this vehicle make and model. overdrive light blinks continuously and dealership reports it to be a malfunctioning electrical switch repair cost at around $400. have continued to drive vehicle, but will no longer drive vehicle after discovering that this is a precursor to transmission failure. may possibly trade-in this vehicle and lose monetary value for private sale. will not be responsible for selling this vehicle to a private party and risk injury to next owner. shame on ford for not taking care of their customers. *tr

This is the second time my rear panel below the window hatch on my 2002 ford explorer has cracked. this time it cracked and flew off on the highway. 2 vehicles behind me had to dodge the debris, and fortunately there were no accidents. *tr

March '07: rear gate split under window december '07 through jan '08: rear differential rebuilt twice, rear axel hubs and bearings replaced; differential noise still loud june '08: torque converter replaced. *tr

I have problems closing the back window. yesterday i was simply trying to close the back window, then about 1/3 way down out of no where the back window shattered all over me for the second time! very dangerous, especially around children. (good thing my children were about 15ft away, but they witness the whole thing). the first time the window shattered, it was maybe around 2004-05. (i can verify upon request). supposedly dealership fixed the problem. (yeah right!) very disappointed in ford!! *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. while the vehicle was parked and the rear tailgate hatch window was a quarter of the way down, the contact's son retrieved items from the trunk and the middle piece of the rear end was literally hanging off. the window glass shattered everywhere. his son was uninjured, but the contact believes that this should not have occurred if no pressure was applied to the window itself. the contact drove to the dealer and was informed that the failure was not covered under warranty, nor a recall. the current and failure mileages were 136,739.

I was loading groceries into the back of my 2002 ford explorer when the liftgate window exploded. the hinge on the liftgate had actually broken, shattering glass everywhere. my hand was cut and i was hit in the head by the liftgate. while devastating, it could have been tragic. i had the hinges and liftgate serviced and repaired several years ago due to a recall issued by ford for a manufacturer's defect. apparently, the problem was repaired with other defective parts or wasn't repaired at all. when i contacted ford, they refused to pay for repairs and referred me to my insurance company, who said it was a ford problem. i am stuck with the 1,400.00 bill but ford loses my business. *tr

The fuel system on my ford explorer went out completely at 40,000 miles. also, the black panels between the windows are faded and peeling. *tr

Rear tailgate on my 2002 ford explorer was recalled for the hinges to be exposed since then the tailgate would exhibit random door ajar indications. recently the plastic panel on the outside under the glass has split vertically in the middle. *tr

About three weeks ago i noticed a crack on the fiberglass piece of the rear hatch lid of my 2002 ford explorer. i didn't think much about it until today when i got to looking for the price of a rear window. while searching i seen that there was alot of people that had this problem and that some had even had the window shatter on them. well i am now one of them. today as i opened my rear hatch the passenger side piece that secures the window to the body of the explorer just fell off causing the window to shatter and glass to cut my arms, and face, and also sent pieces of glass into my eye. *tr

Right below the rear window cracked from window down to the bottom of door. (top half) i thought at first that someone must have tried to break in using a pry bar. went through the car wash and when i came out i noticed the crack. pissed me right off..i hate driving damaged cars.. this was not called for..why did it crack? *tr

I have a 2002 ford explorer and the panel below the back window hatch has multiple cracks. i found on the internet that this seems to be a common problem for the 2002 ford explorer. i contacted ford and ford said that because it's out of warranty that they won't cover the repair. this seems to be the common answer that ford is giving to everyone that is experiencing this problem too. *tr

I have a 2002 ford explorer xlt, a couple weeks ago i went to open the back lift glass, and the window fell, and combustion in thousands of little pieces, right in my face! i have pictures, anyway i proceeded to take my vehicle to ford motor company in horseheads, ny, they replaced the window due to the explosion, and i have had my truck back there 4 times because they wired it wrong, and they refuse to fix this problem, if my wiring from the back windshield to the dash of my truck does not get fixed i am sorry to say that i will be forced to obtain an attorney for ford! please help!!!!!! *tr

2002 ford explorer with cracked rear tailgate applique. have seen many more on the road. ford says there is no defect. they want $350 to fix. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the back hatch was partially opened, and when opened all the way it shattered. there is a safety recall 04v442000 - structure:body:hatchback/liftgate: hinge and attachments. the vehicle is currently at the dealer. the current and failure mileage was 80,000. the purchase date was not available. kg

Panel on the rear upper hatch cracked with a very loud pop startling me the panel has not been fixed yet ford wants $500 for the minor fix. *tr

The rear liftgate applique cracked in the middle resulting in the right side completely falling off the vehicle. the part that is still attached to the vehicle is loose on the edges due to inefficient adhesive. apparently there are hundreds of complaints of this exact defect occurring to other owners of 2002 explorers. this is also a completely replaced rear window following the shattering of the original one in march 2004 due to bad struts. after having the shattered window replaced, it completely fell off the following year due to the faulty hinge (which was recalled). i have an estimate of over $700 from the ford dealer to fix this applique. i feel that with this many complaints it's inexcusable for ford to not issue a recall. i will never purchase a ford again after this nor will anyone in my family with this type of customer service. *tr

I took a trip from home in ok to canton, tx on return heard loud noise when i stopped to have the vehicle inspected i found out the front drive shaft was coming out. in march of 2008 i noticed a noise coming from the rear of the explorer. when i had it inspected i was told the rear end needed to be replaced. this cost me over $2000.00. my transmission is now slipping and after reading other complaints i fear the worse if i have my transmission checked. who do we contact to have a lawsuit started? my truck now has approximately 110,000 miles. i have replaced the front drive shaft, rear end assembly. my air bag light stays on and the rear panel below the back window has cracked. i have all the complaints listed except for the gear shifter breaking off in my hand. *tr

On the 2002 ford explorer i have a crack on the back panel under the lift gate. i have done some researching and find that this is not uncommon. i believe it has to do with the liftgate hinge recall. i am afraid that the panel being broken may cause it to come off and hit a car behind me. i feel that this crack may cause serious problems if i was in a wreck. i feel that there are many people who are out there with the same problem and ford will not do anything to replace this part. they have received many complaints as i can see from the research i have done. *tr

Rear liftgate glass shocks were no longer holding up the window when open. replaced both shocks, closed the liftgate glass and the window exploded, resulting in the bottom trim piece falling and shattered glass flying everywhere. fortunately their were no injuries. *tr

I drive a 2002 ford explorer, eddie bauer model, 4 door. the arms (4) which hold both the back door up when open and the back glass up when open do not raise up fully. i find myself constantly bumping my head on either the door or the glass. last night after a baseball practice for my 10-year old son i popped open the back glass to put his baseball bag in the car. the glass went up part way and unthinkingly i hit my head on the glass. i pushed the glass up so i could place the bag in the vehicle and the glass pane exploded. it showered glass shrapnel over the two of us. we were both shocked that the glass window would just catastrophically explode. we are very lucky we were not injured. i feel that this accident is a public hazard. i will avoid a poor design like this when looking for a new car. when i reported it to payton wright ford in grapevine, texas, the service adviser shrugged it off and stated yes i've seen that happen, like it was an everyday occurrence. i was told to report it to my insurance company and that ford would do nothing about it. *tr

I have a 2002 ford explorer and a crack appeared overnight in the rear lift gate panel. this seems to be a recurring defect in ford explorers and ford should be accountable to fix the defect. *tr

I lifted my rear upper tailgate on my 2002 ford explorer, and the windshield literally exploded on my head, including dropping the lower part of the tailgate on top of me. after searching on the internet it appears to be a very common problem, and my local ford dealer claims they've never heard of such a thing. my local bodyshop however was familiar with the problem. this tailgate had a previous recall related to the hinges i believe, which i did have done, back in 2005. my car has 75,000 miles and is used almost exclusively for highway driving. *tr