Problems with 2003 Ford Explorer STRUCTURE

Crack in liftgate of 2003 ford explorer; note: 2nd time it has cracked, after replacement once...now about 25,000 miles later, same problem with new liftgate. crack just "appears". *tr

When i got to my car this morning, the middle of the back rear panel of my '03 ford explorer eddie bauer series had cracked from between the window to the latch - right under the ford emblem. there was no accident - nothing that could have caused this damage. luckily there are only 51k miles on the truck, and the dealer is willing to fix with a $75 deductible. *tr

Http://www.carcomplaints.com/ford/explorer/2003/body_paint/cracked_panel_below_the_rear_window.shtml the link above is basically what i experience - a crack in my back body panel - no wreck - nothing to cause it - just sitting there! ford will not replace - they claim it is out of warranty - as if a body panel should crack by itself! *tr

Crack developed without apparent cause in plastic panel below the rear window. i've noticed this in many other explorers of similar years. *tr

Large crack appeared on hatch door below window. many complaints on internet with same problem. *js

Rear glass applique under rear hatch has cracked twice, first time under warranty, second time it is not covered. *tr

Body panel below rear glass on lift gate is cracked from top to bottom. i noticed this on many explorers of the same approx. age while shopping for this vehicle. *tr

While driving down the street, i heard a loud noise that startled me. it was dark and i did not know what the noise was. i examined the car and a vertical crack had appeared in the back lift door panel that is just below the back lift window. since this incident i have noticed other 2003 ford explores in several different states with the same flaw. the flaw occurs on either side of the ford emblem or right through the middle of it. the flaw seems to occur in other mercury models as well, with the same engineering design. i believe this crack is due to stress and an engineering flaw. i reported it to ford several months ago as i continue to see more and more vehicles with this defect. *tr

2003 ford explorer- the trim piece below the rear window cracked vertically for no reason. the vehicle was not hit, bumped, or slammed. the crack simply appeared. the dealership stated that the car was not under warranty and that the extended warranty does not cover the damage. it is my understanding that this is not an isolated incident.*cn

Went out to load some things in the back of my explorer and noticed a crack in the rear liftgate under the glass. it goes from the glass to just above the license plate. *tr

Back hatch split on 2003 ford explorer. *tr

2003 ford explorer xlt vertical crack in fiberglass tailgate panel just below rear window glass (no impact to tailgate occurred - called dealership and they noted this is a common problem). *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. the contact stated that there was a fracture in the trim that held the rear window in place. the vehicle was taken to a dealer for inspection where they advised that the part was defective and needed to be repaired. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified but provided no assistance. the failure mileage was 20,000. ...updated 12/17/12 *bf

There is a crack on my 2003 ford explorer eddie bauer edition lift gate. i have seen other cars of the same make and model with the same crack in the same spot. *tr

The rear tailgate on my ford explorer has a vertical crack that runs through the ford medallion on the back. my neighbor had the same problem with his explorer and replaced it. when i looked on a google search, i find this is a common problem with explorers. not replaced, the piece will fall off and possibly create a road hazard. *tr

The rear window on the liftgate of my 2003 ford explorer imploded as i was waiting at a traffic light. the window did not just crack...it shattered into pieces. my car was not hit by another car or by an object. an initial problem arose before this event. a crack formed on the molding just below the window where the ford symbol is located. this is an issue i have read about from other people with explorers. i have read other cases of the liftgate window shattering but more often during opening or closing of the window. in this case, i was completely stopped at a traffic light when this happened. *tr

Panel below rear window cracked while vehicle was parked. i'm concerned of a safety hazard after reading on internet that the panel can fall off after this crack. it has not been fixed yet because ford claims it is not covered under its extended premium warranty. *tr

2003 ford explorer "eddie bauer" ~49,000 miles. vehicle was parked and shows no evidence of impact. weather conditions were near standard. plastic panel below rear window split in two and has ~1/16" gap. split is vertical and very near center of panel. it passes under center of "ford" oval symbol. not sure if there is danger of rear window or broken panel pieces falling off vehicle. no repair has been undertaken, still attempting to get manufacturer to repair apparent defect. *tr

Rear tail gate has a crack in the fiberglass from the window all the way down. *tr

Paint problems paint keeps on blistering and peeling all over the vehicle. *tr

The back panel of my 2003 explorer is cracked. the truck was purchased at liberty ford in randallstown. they admit as well as the ford corp. office that the panels are cracking but they will not replace them. they are saying the problem is under investigation. they could not tell me when the investigation started or when they think it will end. they are only saying that although there is no particular reason that these panels are cracking they are not responsible to replace them. *tr

I own a 2003 ford explorer xlt 4wd. approximately 12 months ago, the rear trim panel beneath the rear window crack down the middle. i contacted my nearest dealer who informed me that while ford had recognized that it was a problem, they did not plan to issue a technical service bulletin or recall. the dealer service reps even agreed that there is a significant problem with explorers and mountaineers. i have seen many other explorers and mountaineers with the same problem as well as many complaints on-line. today the rear hatch left latch broke off causing the entire rear lift gate window to nearly fall off. the problem could possibly be related due to the earlier crack causing the weight of the rear glass to shift, place too much strain on the left latch. the dealer is repairing the broken latch, window molding and rear hatch struts, under an extended service plan but still will not repair the previous cracked trim panel. this is indicative of ford's failure to back up their product and they have lost a long term customer. *tr

Panel below glass on lift gate develop a crack. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. after inspecting the vehicle, the contact discovered that the rear liftgate fiberglass was cracked. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was unknown.

The back lift gate panel is cracked on my 2003 explorer. i have had the crack for approx. 2 years. the crack has progressively worsened. i took it to the dealer and they said " there has been several cases such as this, but ford has not issued a recall" i have seen several explorers with this problem. i do not think it should be my responsibility to cover this when it is obviously a ford defect. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. the contact stated that there was a crack in the tailgate hatch in the rear of the vehicle. additionally, the contact stated that when attempting to rent a trailer from u-haul, the company would not rent to anyone with a ford explorer which she believed to be a safety concern. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership where the contact was informed that she would be responsible for repairs. the contact had not spoken with the manufacturer at the time of the complaint. the current mileage was approximately 120,000. the failure mileage was approximately 70,000-

Without impact, '03 ford explorer liftgate panel cracked from glass, around ford emblem, to bottom of panel. very common problem. no cooperation from ford. *tr

Cracking in the liftgate panel. the panel below the glass on my explorer has cracked down the middle. *ak

I purchase a 2003 ford explorer in the same year. last year my wife noticed a crack on the liftgate directly below the rear window. the crack was about 4 inches long and narrow in width. i took the car to my local dealers body shop and was told by the manager " that i see this all the time in all of fords suv's including the lincoln and mercury models. it is a defect from the factory and one that ford will not recall". he gave me a estimate of $350 and advised that i go to the dealer and talk to someone there. i did so and was told by the service manager that there were 2 reasons why they would not fix the car for me. the 1st is that the car was out of warranty and the 2nd was that i did not buy the car from them, i purchased the car as a demo from another dealer. i was given a number to contact ford which i did and was told the same thing that the dealership told me. i then took the car to the dealer where i bought the car and was told by the service manager that he would have the regional rep from ford contact me whenever he was in town. he also stated that if ford would not help me then he would fix the car for half price the cost. i haven't heard from them in a year. i have researched this and there are numerous complaints from people who have explorers with the same problem. as the body shop manager at the dealer said, this is a flaw that ford motor co. is aware of and will not recall. my car now has 3 cracks on the liftgate and i like so many others are not responsible for them. we are desperately seeking help from somebody in holding ford accountable for this. thank you! *tr

2003 ford explorer. liftgate panel cracked from right under glass all the way to bottom of panel right thru the middle of ford emblem. appears to be common problem with this model. from all i read ford will not fix problem even though it is their fault. *tr

2003 ford explorer has structure: body: hatchback 6" vertical crack in plastic below hatchback window. recall 04v442000 does not apply to my vin number however is same problem. spent 40 minutes on phone with ford and they stated that i must complete a complaint form. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. the contact noticed a seven-inch crack in the plastic molding of the hatchback door hinge. recall # 04v442000 (structure:body:hatchback/liftgate:hinge and attachments) was found. the dealer stated that his vin was excluded from the recall, however the contact feels that it should be included. the current mileage is 46,000 and failure mileage was 34,000.

The rear tailgate on the 2003 ford explorer cracked when i closed it after taking an item out of the back of the car. i had seen many other vehicles of the same make and year with this problem but did not know what may have caused the problem until it happened to me. i did not abuse the tailgate ,and i did not use any extra effort to close it than i normally would. i called my local ford dealer , and they told me to bring it and they would fix it at no charge. when i called later on the day i dropped it off. they informed me they had performed the recall work on the hinge and ball pivot, but they could not repair the tailgate because the vehicle was out of warranty. i contacted ford and they told me they were aware of the problem with the tailgate situation on this vehicle but it had not been posted as a recall item. *ak

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. in an attempt to drive the vehicle, the contact noticed a crack in the tailgate below the rear window. the dealer was notified and stated that there were no recalls. the current mileage was 80,000 and failure mileage was 60,000.

2003 ford explorer. the back door panel that has the ford emblem on it is cracked in half from the top to the bottom next to the emblem. i see many of them like this. ford wants me to pay for this defect. it's their defect.*ak updated 09/16/08.*lj

I own a 2003 ford explorer. six months ago i notice a split on the back of my vehicle near the rear window. the split was on the body of the vehicle. at first i thought someone damaged my vehicle. then i noticed when it gets really hot the split closes up and disappears. i called ford to see if there was a recall they said no. i tried to explain to them that there ought to be. i took a survey. there were at least 1 out of every 5 ford explorers had the same issue. i contacted the dealership and they said that it was caused by stress on the vehicle(what ever that means) i think ford needs to repair this problem because it can become "unsightly" *jb

I have a 2003 ford explorer. i have, or it looks to be several stress cracks below the back glass of the hatch. they range anywhere from an inch to seven or eight inches. i took this to the ford house in haltom city, they said there was nothing that could be done but to check with other owners to see if this is happening to their explorer. i have since noticed literally at least 75 explorers with the same thing. the ones i have spoke with have the same problem. ford does not want to replace this cost. i think after 2003, ford changed the way they made the back hatch and it doesn't have the same seven or eight inch molding under the glass. i am afraid that if i open the glass section on mine or close it, it will break the glass or the glass will come out. what can we do about this?*jb

There appeared without warning a big crack in the rear liftgate of the 2003 ford explorer. the crack goes from the bottom of the glass all the way to the bottom of the liftgate. the crack expands and shrinks according to the temperature. so far it got as wide as 1/4 inch. . the crack is in the shape of a peace sign.*ak nothing hit the vehicle; it's stored in a garage everyday. i went to mallouf ford dealership in north brunswick nj and they said i'd have to pay $800 to fix it. there was another person in the dealership at the same time with the same problem. i went online and found a slew of other ford explorer owners with the same problem. my concern is the glass of the rear lift gate not being properly supported and will eventually become loose, crack or fall out. let's not wait for something horrific to happen before this growing problem is fixed.

I have 2003 ford explorer xlt. one morning in mid-march of this year, i observed a crack in the platic panel under the window on the tailgate. my wife and i knew we had not had any type of impact in that area that would have caused the panel to crack. i took the vehicle into the ford dealership and spoke with a service technician about it. since the vehicle was just over 3 years old and have just over 30k miles on it, the cracked panel was not covered under warranty. however, the technician told me that he had seen a number of these problems and it was caused by the way the panel was attached. i had the crack repaired - cost over $400. i sent a letter to the ford customer response center in detroit with pictures and copies of the repair invoice asking them to reimburse me for the repair cost. after 30 days, i had not heard from them. so i sent copies of the letter by certified mail to the ford dealership, the customer response center and to the ceo of ford. the dealership called me and said this was a ford problem, not a dealership problem, so the dealership was not going to take any action. i finally received a call from the ford customer response center, and they wanted to know if i would accept a 50% reimbursement for the repair. i agreed only to find out the next day from the ford dealership that information about this problem could be found all over the internet. i am very upset that the ford motor company could be so unethical to negotiate a settlement that is clearly evident a design flaw. i believe they should should be required to reimburse any owner of a 2003 ford explorer who has this cracked panel repaired. i also think a class action suit should be brought against ford seeking compensatory and punitive damages for failing to reimburse for the repair and acting unethically by trying to place some of the blame on the owners by trying to negotiate the reimbursement amount for a flaw that is clearly their own fault.

I have a 03 explorer. and my hatch cracked in 07. when i took it to the dealership after seeing other models with the same problem. i was informed there was no recall on the part and it cost me roughly $800.00 to fix. i feel as though ford should recall the part and refund all the customers who has had the same problem, and had to spend $$ to get it fixed. *tr

The plastic trim panel on the rear hatch of my ford explorer xls cracked from top to bottom, with no provocation. i understand this is a common problem. my local dealer service rep said they had repaired "dozens of them", after he told me ford would not stand behind this obvious defect. the crack expands and contracts noticeably with temperature changes, and i believe the composite is not properly formulated resulting in instability of the material during temperature changes. clearly, this is a manufacturing defect for which ford should provide a remedy. my explorer still looks great, and this is the only blemish. at the quoted cost of over $700 to replace the entire hatch assembly (the only option offered), i will live with the annoying crack and tell everyone i see about ford's unwillingness to help. *jb

Crack in back hatch by ford emblem. *nm

Tl*- the contact stated that there was a crack on the panel on the rear gate underneath the window on the 2003 ford explorer. when opeing s the liftgate it felt shaky and unstable. the contact stated this causes the door ajar warning light to remain illuminated. the contact took the vehicle to the dealership, and they informed her the back panel on the rear liftgate needed to be replaced. the vehicle currently has 120,000 miles. *ak

We purchased a certified used 2003 ford explorer eddie bauer 4x4 in june 2006. one morning in mid-feb 2007, we discovered a crack in the lifegate glass applique that started from the top down, approximately 8" left from the center of the gate. there was no evidence of impact to the plastic, but rather a stress crack. since that time, the crack has grown wider and all the way through the plastic applique. now, another crack has started on the right hand side approximate 6" from the center of the liftgate. we contacted the local dealership in mid-feb 2007 and they stated we would have to pay for the cracked liftgate and it would cost approximately $800. we continue to observe other ford explorer's in the local area with similar cracks in their liftgate plastic applique. *jb

Tl* - the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer xls. the contact stated that there was a panel below the rear window that cracked in half vertically. the vehicle was parked in the driveway ,and when he got to the vehicle he found it that way. he had not driven the vehicle that day. the contact was concerned that there were many complaints concerning this problem. also, the rear window of exploded . the failure and current mileage were 48000.*ak

Tl*- the contact stated that while driving the 2003 ford explorer with 43000 failure mileage) a crack on the rear of the vehicle made the hatchback fly up while driving. there was recall 04v442000, but this vehicle was not included. the vehicle had not been taken to a dealer about the crack, or the hatch flying up. the current mileage was 44264.*ak

2003 ford explorer xlt vertical crack in fiberglass tailgate panel just below rear window glass no impact to tailgate occurred-crack just appeared while driving. transmission had to be rebuilt at 50000 miles. *jb

2003 ford explorer, after having service completed , jan '07 noticed after several weeks vertical crack on rear hatch panel right of ford emblem. didn't think much of it because there was road salt coving the back hatch and i couldn't confirm what had happened.however there was no impact marks. i have noticed a number of other same year explorers with the same vertical crack. iwill try to pursue with ford. *cn

The panel below the rear window of my 2003 explorer has cracked/broken into pieces. the 6-8 inch break runs to the right of the ford emblem. apparently this is a very common defect in 2002-2003 explorers which ford refuses to acknowledge. *jb

Rear liftgate had a crack just below the glass on the 2003 explorer. i am concerned that the glass will become loose and fall out and hurt someone. this same problem happened on my 2002, ford explorer. i have seen several explorers with this same crack. ford should replace the liftgate with a better designed one.*ak