Problems with 2002 Ford Explorer STRUCTURE

Dt*: the contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the liftgate latch was not properly secured. while trying to close the liftgate, the contact noticed that the screw that holds the liftgate had loosened, and would not close. the vehicle was taken to a service dealer, where the hinges were replaced. the manufacturer was notified, who informed the contact there was a recall on the hinge, but that recall was closed. *ak

Found stress crack in rear hatch...goes from the bottom of glass to the bottom of the hatch...this is a dangerous problem that someone else reported to you on your site. this is a defect that could cause an accident or injury since the glass may dislodge and create a accident...bringing to dealer to get fixed.*ak panel cracked (vertical) down trim plate. cold temp contraction. purchased 08/02. 04/02 dob. new design

Glass lift hatch opens while driving. *ak rear door liftgate intermittently unlatches and unlocks while vehicle was moving. dealer made four attempts to fix problem. ford weren't able to find out the cause of the problem. *la

I have a crack down the back hatch of my explorer. it extends from underneath the back window to the latch of the back door. it developed without incident and steadily widens on a daily basis. *la

While opening the rear lift gate the door hinge broke and caused the door not to close/latch properly. please provide any additional information. *nm re-eval since pe opening and det to be valid pe04045_pco

The hinges on the back hatch window separated from the body of the vehicle, causing the door to sag and lean outwards when the doors were opened. *ak the hinge on the back hatch window separated from the body and caused the window to be held on by one hinge. the window was hanging from the hinge only. the dealer replaced the hinges. (hatch door problem) *sc *jb pe04045_pco

I purchased a 2002 ford explorer. the rear hatch has cracked opening approximately 1/16 inch wide through the hatch below the window approximately. 5 inches long. ford has agreed to repair under warranty by gluing the crack. as i have seen numerous injuries from other cracked hatches, i want ford to replace the hatch not just glue a repair. they have refused. *nlm

At the bottom of the liftgate underneath the back window, right next to the ford emblem. i have a crack from the top of the frame to the bottom. i have had this crack on my vehicle for a couple of years. i took it to the nearest ford dealer and was told that it wasn't covered under warranty, or was not on recall. since then i have seen several other vehicles just like mine with the same crack in the back underneath the back window next to the ford emblem. *tr

Consumer was about to start vehicle when it was noticed that there was a message on the dashboard that rear hatch door was ajar. when consumer went to close the door, the glass exploded out of the frame, which fell apart. the hydraulic piston had a bent insert which caused the infraction. *ak pe04045.pco

Rear window fell off the hinges. *ak pe04045_pco

The half way cargo glass exploded while consumer opened the door. technician stated it was related to nhtsa recall 01i010000. vehicle description: 2002 ford explorer and mercury mountaineer sport utility vehicles. the brackets connecting the left cylinders to each side of the liftgate glass could rotate out of position if either the urethane bond or torque are not sufficient. this was not a safety recall; however, it was deemed as a safety improvement campaign by nhtsa. *ak dup_pco

Same as noted from other ford explore 02 owners.....the bottom of the rear window is cracked shortly after purchase in 03. i have now attached a sign using stick on letters that read on the back panel "ford quality' with an arrow pointing to the crack as the dealer and ford will not do anything about it as evident by all the complaints. i think ford needs this type of publicity! *tr

Tailgate window shattered without warning when attempting to close it. dealer stated the hydraulic cylinder twisted away from the bracket. *ak *jb *nm pe04045.pco

Seats are rusted underneath, under dash metal rusting. contacted local dealer where purchased, said they contacted ford, condition normal. i contacted ford, same answer. concern is rust is a never ending condition and in time (what ever it may be) will cause failure. having paid quite a large amount of money for vehicle, i find it hard to understand that this practice is safe and not a concern. *jb

I own a 2002 ford explorer. this morning my wife opened the top portion of the rear tail gate, as she closed it, the glass shattered giving her minor cuts on both arms. the outdoor temperature was 62 degrees f and sunny. there was no evidence of tampering. i've tried to contact ford reps and have had no luck!! pe04045.pco

On two occasions the hydraulic cylinder that supported rear window slipped out of the bracket that was designed to secure it. the third time the incident occurred the cylinder popped out of the bracket and shattered the window. *ak pe04045.pco

When lowering the liftgate rear window exploded.*ak pe04045.pco dob is 11/01_061604_pco

2 of my cousins were involved in a ford explorer tire blow out outside of raleigh nc on august 16th. amal muaraka, a pediatric surgeon was killed instantly and summeet murarka was placed in icu as the non-bridgestone tire blew out on the ford explorer and the vehicle flipped 5 times when the tire blew out. what will it take for the government to act on ford's malicious deceit. ford's history is plagued with serious issues such as the pinto that blew up and this time it was the governments inaction and fords cover-up that prevented my cousin from living a full life at only the age of 33. i can only hope that the government will immediately recall the ford explorer line even if it causes serious costs and financial burden to ford to save lives and prevent so many from the pain of tragedies such as the one that we have experienced. again - it is my belief that it is the fatal design flaws in the ford explorer that caused this wreck and the death of my cousin - he is survived by his wife, and 2 daughters. please stop ford from murdering others!!!! *nlm

On a hot day, i opened the glass liftgate & the passenger side strut glue came undone, causing the liftgate to not shut properly. i then removed the strut so that i could close the liftgate without breaking the glass, & continue to drive. i never opened it again. a month later, the glue on the holding strut & the glass on the driver side became undone. (also, on the first warm day of this spring season, i powered down the passenger side front seat window, but i was unable to get it to go back up, although the power was working. it became evident that this is also attributable to the inferior bonding product used on this window. the interim remedy was that i taped the window up with duct tape to protect the vehicle from the elements & theft.) it's clear that since this has happened in 2 sections of my new vehicle that there is a defect in the bonding product used on these windows. i found there is a recall for this very problem on my vehicle. (recall no. 01i010000.) there is also a phone no. to call regarding this problem as _x001c_ford has decided to conduct a special service campaign to inspect and torque the liftgate glass bracket on affected vehicles._x001d_ i called this number and was advised that, although i have the exact vehicle and problem as the recall requires, my vin number does not render me eligible for the recall. in addition, although i clearly have an _x001c_affected vehicle, _x001c_ i was not offered the opportunity to have the benefit of the _x001c_special service campaign._x001d_given the nature of the problem, the newness of the vehicle & the fact that it has happened on two windows, this is clearly a manufacturer defect. in addition, there is a recall for the exact problem (on the back window) on my exact vehicle. if for some reason my vin number is not included, it obviously should be included. after all, how do they initially determine which groups of cars have been affected if not by the consumers complaining of the problem? being fixed tomorrow for $800.*ak pe04045.pco

Problems with rear window hatch.*mr the right and left rear glass lift sticks were replaced. the rear window fell out when it was opened.*ts *jb pe04045.pco purchased 03/02. dob 02/02, old style design (through glass) struts fell/detached (mount rotated and strut detached) and then fell on her head (bruise, headache). received emer. med attantion. date was 7/24/2003. finally replaced entire glass assembly (glass, wiper motor, trim, strut)

The rear liftgate cylinder broke while traveling on the highway without prior warning. *ak pe04045_pco dob=12/01. old style mount. glass opened and when closing, heard "pop" noise and glass assembly came down. no injury. 06/14/2004. will take pics of "rotated mounts" and email to me.

Consumer stated after her husband had driven ford explorer for about a half hour, parked/ went in the house and ate, then decided to go back out and unload the stuff he had in the truck. window in the back exploded. window exploded while he was closing it. also, frame was also blown out. she stated that her husband fortunately was not hurt although he did get glass into his face and hair. *ak the lift gate glass exploded while parked in the garage and damaged the lift gate and bumper cover. *scc pe04045.pco

The rear liftgate window shattered into pieces. *ak consumer reached to close the window and it moved approx. six inches when it shattered. *ph *jb pe04045.pco glass shattered when closing. will ck. dob and design version.

2002 ford explorer rear window explosion. upon slowly closing the rear gate window, the glass exploded in my wife's face with the brackets and frame falling down causing rear gate body damage. personal injury resulted (cut on wife's hand). bracket parts were found as far 8 to 10 yards from the original location and broken glass throughout vehicle. ford has been very difficult to deal with and appears to be posturing defensively. customer service has been very bad. ford replaced the window but would not repair body damage without signing a general release of liability. we were never notified of potential problems in their customer notification program or "soft recall". dealer also stated that they saw a few more vehicles just recently with same problem upon further discussion. this is a very dangerous situation and encourage a recall of these vehicles. if ford does'nt put consumer safety first, i encourage the nhtsa's intervention. all 2003 ford explorer customers need to be educated on this issue .*ak pe04045.pco

Dt: the complained started in 10/04. received a recall notice. took the vehicle to the dealer, and parts were on back order. called the dealer numerous times to check on the parts. the liftgate busted on the vehicle due to not having the parts installed. dealer didn't have the parts on 12-30-2004. december 31, 2004 consumer went to the dealer, and the dealer wouldn't get the consumer a rental car .so they stapled plastic over the back of the vehicle. consumer made several phone calls to ford asking for a rental car. they wouldn't give one to consumer. the glass was replaced in march, but still was not fixed correctly. a light appeared indicating a door was ajar, and it was always the liftgate. and couldn't open the driver's side door. consumer could not get the dealer to help fix the vehicle correctly because it cost the dealer too much to fix the vehicle the first time.*ak

I own a 2002 ford explorer xls and the back lift gate hatch has broken on both sides and could cause injury if falls on either me, my daughter, or anyone else who opens the glass hatch. with the side that is now broken it is putting a lot of strain on my hinges where connects to the car and is pulling my glass off and has dented my car. *nlm pe04045_pco

Dt: the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer xlt. the contact has been having a problem with the rear end. the rear end made an extremely loud roaring sound. took the vehicle the vehicle to three different repair shops. one said it was the tires, and the other two maintained that it was an expensive rear end problem. she talked to other people with this same type of vehicle and they all had this problem. also, had a ring and pinion replaced in the rear end not long after she purchased the vehicle. currently, they told her that this what was needed to be replaced again along with other parts , including the rear axle. this noise originally started at 55-65 mph, and now it was making noise at 40-70 mph. after going over 70 mph could not hear it as badly. also, the vehicle was leaking fluid from the ring and pinion. a strange sound that was coming from under the hood, like a buzzing sound that sounds like transmission. in addition, the hatchback glass fell on the contact's head. it just popped out. this happened twice. they do not even attempt to open the glass in the hatch. the dealership where she purcahsed her vehicle still has records of what was replaced on vehicle.*ak

This was not a safety recall in accordance with the safety act. however, it was deemed a safety improvement campaign by the agency. vehicle description: 2002 ford explorer and mercury mountaineer sport utility vehicles. the brackets connecting the left cylinders to each side of the liftgate glass could rotate out of position if either the urethane bond or torque are not sufficient. the consumer's vehicle experienced the same failure, however the vehicle identification number was not included in the recall. *jb pe04045.pco

On june 1st, 2003 i had the rear glass hatch of my 2002 ford explorer open briefly to remove groceries. my daughter was in rear 3rd seat. i stepped back from vehicle to assist daughter in getting out and glass in rear hatch exploded (without being touched or moved). i was hit by glass shards and if i had not just stepped back, the 4 x 6 metal attachment would have hit me in the head as it is attached to the vehicle only by the glass and defrost cables. my daughter was shaken but fortunately not hit by the exploding glass. a neighbor across the street heard the explosion and thought it was a gun shot. glass shards/pieces were strewn throughout our 3 car garage, some landing on the top of our other vehicle parked next the explorer. the local dealer told us it was a manufacturer's defect but as there was not a recall on this particular area, they would not be 100% responsible for the cost of replacement as we were 2,000 miles out of our warranty. ford company in deerborne, mi threatened to revoke any assistance as we "did not seem appreciative" of the 80% the local dealership offered. we strongly feel this is a safety issue (not a warranty issue) that ford should be accountable for. this type of glass explosion could seriously injure or kill someone. *nlm pe04045.pco

Problems with 2002 ford explorer rear window hatch.*mr the vehicle has been taken to the dealership four times for the broken rear window hatch and the problem has not been fixed yet. please respond promptly in resolving matters. *cb the rear window hatch failed when the hydraulic lift cylinders on the left and right side of the hatch literally flew off when the hatch was opened. one occasion when the cylinder flew off, the cylinder flew off and hit the consumer in the back of his head neck, shoulder and spine and subsequently the consumer had to go to the hospital for his injuries. *jb multi-incidents pe04045.pco

The vehicle was parked under carport. the rear liftgate glass exploded, when the hydraulic cylinders failed as well as the lower half of body of gate. the weather conditions were "normal," and the vehicle was not parked in direct sunlight and had only been driven for a short time that day. our local ford dealership told us he "had seen this before".*ak pe04045.pco *sc *jb

Hatch window exploded and shattered upon routine closing. had car into dealer 3 previous times to repair hatch, the strut had broke off on the left side each time. each time they repaired or replaced the strut and said it would be fine. this time the strut did not just break off the whole window exploded and left cuts on the consumers hands as well as glass in her mouth and on her head. *nlm pe04045.pco dob is 06/02_061704_jf

On may 8, i was placing some items in the rear of my 2002 explorer through the hatchback (the glass part, not the entire rear door). i heard a pop when the glass raised up. since it was dark and i wasn't sure what that noise was, i slowly started to close the glass when it exploded. as it turns out, the right pneumatic shock mount had broken off the glass as it lifted. the glass must have been broken by a portion of that shock mount in the path during closing. luckily, i only received a cut on my hand as glass was everywhere; in my shoes, hair, purse, etc. i am very thankful that my three-year-old was not with me, as she normally would be standing by my side in that situation. i can only imaging what could have happened. my husband drove the vehicle to the ford dealership the next day, anticipating the worst, but they fixed the vehicle free of charge. they claimed that was the first time they had heard of that happening, but they were very quick to give him a loaner and get him out of there. we purchased the vehicle in august of 2002. it had approximately 14,000 miles on it at the time of the incident. i hope this info helps. pe04045_pco

The vehicle was on its fourth repair for rear the glass lift gate, the bracket door failed to stay up. *jb *jb

The vehicle's tailgate glass exploded while the consumer attempted to close it. the dealer was notified. *nlm broken liftgate glass and wiper motor and arm were replaced. there were squeaks when going over bumps. sway bar bushings replaced. ignition switch hard to insert key at times. cylinder and tumbler rekeyed. bottom door molding (passenger side) peeling off. rubber grommet on antenna base off. resecured rubber grommet for antenna base. *tt pe04045_pco

The doors were not properly sealed which could have resulted from debris on the road/weather corroding the door. the manufacturer and dealership were aware of the problem, but did not have a remedy. *jb....*ak

Hydrolic arm on back liftgate broke 3 times and was "repaired" at the dealer. it broke a fourth time, causing the liftgate window to shatter. the glass and falling debris scratched the paint on the back of the vehicle. i was not notified of the recall. pe04045.pco

Nhtsa#14956-01-f-061-000 lift gate glass bracket rotation of the bracket could potentially cause the lift cylinders to detach from the glass: consumer states has the same problem. dealer has been notified provide further information. ts pe04045.pco

2002 ford explorer, the back lift gate / panel directly under the glass, cracked for no reason. one day heading to lunch i noticed this piece cracked. now, i have been noticing this on other ford explorers and even found a website containing lots of other 2002 ford explorer owners complaining about the same issue. contacted ford motor company on 12-21-09 and no recall has been made on this vehicle with this problem. i feel that it is the responsibility to ford explorer owners to get this fixed at no cost to the owner. please let me know what i need to do, in order to get this corrected. michael smith thank you for your time.*tr

When driving my 2002 explorer, the cabin has a pounding sound when driving over any uneven surface, just like a booming stereo. it doesn't evevn have to be a large bump or bumps. after about 5 minutes of this noise, i end up getting a headache. this has never happened before in any other vehicle. i can attach a letter i sent to ford with no reply. *ak

While closing the rear lift gate, the entire glass portion exploded. the consumer discovered that there was a recall and was never notified. (recall#04v442000) the consumer requested reimbursement. scc pe04045.pco. *jb

Glass exploded out of the back window, injuring my daughter. ford states that there is a campaign, not a recall. so i wasn't notified of the faulty plunger mechanism. ford replaced the glass, but could not guarantee me that it would not happen again, so i turned in the lease since the vehicle is unsafe for my family (4 kids). they are suing me because i turned in the lease early.*ak pe04045.pco

Rear liftgate window exploded in consumer's face. cause of explosion is unknown. please provide any further information.*ak pe04045.pco

While opening the rear top hatchback, the rear window exploded in my wife's face while my 4 year old sat in the rear seat. my wife received minor scratches from the flying glass. my son was shaken but not injured as the shattered glass flew appx 15 feet outward and to the left and right. since the bottom panel of the top half of the rear gate is only attached to the car by the glass and the defogger cable, this four foot by six inch metal panel slammed to the ground just missing my wife's legs. i was in the house at the time and heard what sounded like a small explosion when it burst. it was terribly frightening to my wife and son. i brought the car to the dealer who at first told me that it was not a warranty issue and i should go to a glass repair shop. i refused and asked them to fix it and inpect the work. they told me they had "only" three or so reported incidents of breakage in past year and that the previous recall notices i received for the rear window had nothing to do with what happened. they said my car was fine after it was checked for the recall notice two previuos times prior to this incident. i am waiting for the car to be repaired.*ak pe04045.pco

Nhsta#01i010000 ref. 2002 ford explorer rear window lift arm twisting and causing the rear window to break. i have owned the car for 1.5 years and the window has broken twice and the arm twisted a third time. when we got the vehicle back the screws were stripped and the liftgate was damaged. my daughter was standing below the window when it broken and glass fell all over her. luckily no glass got into her eyes or mouth but i believe the rear window bracket is a safety hazards which demands correcting. i know that ford did re-engineer the rea window frame and lift brackets. because there has not been a formal recall, i can not get the new rear lift gate but rather thay keep replpacing the broken windows. meanwhile i keep paying for the vehicle to be in their shop. please help! pe04045_pco

While parked with rear window of liftgate raised for about 30 minutes, it was shattered. occupant did get cut by pieces flying of glass. temperature that day was about 70 degrees. a witness saw the incident, and told the other party that the young lady didn't do anything to cause this. glass/assembly is being ordered and glass has been modified. a ford dealership told her that they have never heard of an incident like this. please describe details. *ak pe04045.pco

Manufacturer's defect with paint. failure to properly apply under coat resulting in paint checking and oxidation. entire car will need to be repainted.*ak

Last summer (july 2002) during a military move from ga to az i noticed that my windshield had a large piece of glass missing on the outter right edge that you could not see until you actually got right up on the windshield. part of it was visible to and part of it was hidden behind the rubber seal that is around the windshield. this windshield was actually installed with this piece missing from it when the vehicle was built and sent to the dealership. also, the rear glass hatch, gas shock twisted from its original position and caused the window to be off center by about an inch or more. after fixing it three times it had to be replaced. both of these problems (the windshield and the gas shock) have been fixed by my local dealership and thus far have held up. there are numerous other complaints that i have on my vehicle that include the elecrical system not functioning properly. when you turn the truck on sometimes all the dashboard lights stay on as well as the interior lights and you have to shut the truck down and back on several times in order for them to go out. the truck will sometimes stall at take off or will lurch while shifiting into a higher gear and has totally shut down while driving down the road on a few occasions. the trim paint on the doors, both front and passenger has faded there are rusted spots in the paint on the top of the vehicle, and the hood has a very bad orange peel effect on it with grit in the paint. the left rear speaker has busted and the panel on the rear hatch below has broken loose as well as one of the plastic bracket covers on the back of the passenger seats. pe04045.pco

Mounting bracket on glass liftgate became detached from strut-lift mechanism joint upon reaching maximum extension causing glass to fall onto my head. reported to dealer but not repaired/replaced due to parts n/a. often have difficulty turning ignition switch after inserting either of the factory keys. it requires a "jiggling" motion to engage and turn ignition. pe04045.pco

My 2002 ford explorer was parked in an parking lot. returning to my vehicle i attempted to place my items in the back section of the suv. when the hatchback glass was opened the left hydraulic lift shattered the rear glass. the glass flew to the front seat and 3 car lenghts over in the parking lot. i have taken my ford explorer back to the dealer for repair. the rear panel was replaced after a month of waiting. but we are not fully satisfied with the repair. ford is sending replacement parts that have a buldge in the bottom panels. so we are on our second door and still waiting for a new part. it is funny how you can buy a vehicle that looks perfect but when you get replacement parts you get less than perfect. makes me wonder if they are really ford parts. the problem we are having now is not a safety hazard, but it is a value problem if we sell or trade in this suv. we are very disappointed that after buying the vehicle we where never told of the recall. this problem was recalled in april of 2001.*ak pe04045.pco