Problems with 2004 Ford Explorer STRUCTURE

Rear glass liftgate hinge broke causing glass to fall out of position. vehicle was stationary and liftgate glass was being opened when the hinge failed. this is the second ford explorer this happened to. the first one was a 2006 ford explorer.

When the explorer was bought used in 2015 the cracks that are common in the glass lift gate cover panel did not exist. we purposely did not open the glass part of the lift gate to avoid cracking it. eventually it cracked on its own just from opening the full tailgate. then recently the lift gate latch keeper bolts/studs rusted to the point of failure behind the cracked panel and the glass lift gate released on its own. luckily the explorer was parked. however, the interior lights came on as a result. this drained my battery in this summer's heat. i had to purchase a new battery. to avoid this battery issue from happening again, i rigged the lift gate latch with zip ties through the holes to temporarily hold the lift gate shut. it won't hold long like this so i need to fix the attachment parts that rusted behind the glass and then the colored cover panel that is now badly cracked, the cracking of this very poorly designed and poor choice of material body part let water get behind it and hold there after it cracked like virtually all those on other explorers. this trapped water caused rust of the latch attachment studs behind it. ford's issuance of vsb's about this issue are proof they were fully aware of there bad material choice for this panel and i feel they should still be on the hook to repair and replace parts despite failure occurring after the vehicles warranty expiration, based on such a poorly designed and widespread tailgate issue that is later in the vehicle's life a safety issue, since the glass lift gate can open upon latch attachment bolt failure, due to rust.

Bought a 2004 ford explorer in march 22, 2017 from lbsi automotive. seen a crack in rear panel, didn't think much of it. on july 9 2017 went to open lift gate at walmart and hinge busted and window shattered on me and my husband hit my face glass all over me, cut my husband in few places, . looking online to replace it and seen that the crack in rear panel was causing problems. i had a 3 month old son in back seat and thank god it didn't get on him. my opinion the dealer should have been aware of this and told us.

I was in my driveway and i popped my back window, so i could get some items out of my back part of my vehicle. when i went to close the back window, my window fell sideways, almost busting me upside my head. i've read a few things saying that this was a recall on the year, make and model of my vehicle. i'm not sure how to go about finding out if that is correct or not. if it wasn't recalled, it should of been.

I get a strong smell of rotten eggs when driving. it only happens when i drive for a long time. my back hatch is cracking in 3 or more spots i am afraid that it will probably fall off and cause damage to someone driving behind me.

The lift gate on my truck is cracking and getting worse. two of my seatbelts are hard to get out of the retractor and they are so tight that they are uncomfortable to the wearer.

I looked at the back of my 2004 ford explorer, ltd one morning (10/11/2016) and there was a crack straight down the back panel. the vehicle was parked in my driveway. after discovering the split in the panel i started to notice that there are several explorer with this same problem. i asked my dealer and they said there was no recall and the only suggestion would be to get it repaired myself. this is clearly a ford issue. now while driving a hear rattling and hope the entire panel doesn't fall off. i did call the ford customer service today to register my concerns. they also told me there were no recalls at this time but he would file my concern and gave me a case # [xxx] for future reference. i am on a retired income and this is something i can't afford to have repaired then keep receipts in hope that ford will do the right thing and recall and/or assist me with the repair expenses. in reading on-line after several owners had the panel replaced, it cracked again later. please advise me and help me get assistance with this issue with my 2004 ford explorer, ltd back panel splitting for no obvious reason. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Significant front end impact with no airbag deployment. vehicle was moving forward at the time of the accident on a city street.

Cracks on rear panel happened a few years ago. i was told it's a common known problem with ford, but they won't repair it and it's not needed. now the hatch won't fully close or lock shut due to the parts behind the ford emblem rusting out due td the cracks. water has gotten behind it, also the rear wiper will not work due to the water getting through from the cracks. i can now not drive my only truck that fits my family. we were leaving to go out to a family advent, and i noticed the back hatch was open, that is when i found out how damaged it was due to the panel being cracked. i called ford, they told me i would have to repair it out of my own pocket at a ford dealership. this could cause a huge issue if i drove and the back widow fully came off while driving, it could have severally hurt someone or damaged another vehicle and or person, or persons. this common issue needs to be corrected and recalled. i'm not the only one!

The panel under the rear lift gate window has cracked 3 times now. this panel cracks near the ford emblem on either the right or left side. i called ford and filed a complaint and was told that they have no information on this being an issue. my panel has cracked for the 4th time and ford is refusing to do anything about it. i have had the vehicle since 2005. i can submit photos if needed to support this matter. the panel appears to crack due to the lift gate flexing when it is opened and closed. in the past 3 years, i have observed "all" the fords around that year have busted panels and they're telling me there is no problem.....another cover-up in the making!

Paint peeling roof hood differential replaced twice bearings wear out repaired twice back of tailgate panel cracked replaced 3 times

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. after opening the liftgate window, the contact noticed a crack on the driver side hatch. the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 172,000.

My car was parked in front of my residence on the street, it had not been driven that day. the back window in the tailgate exploded, causing damage to the tailgate. no one was driving it, it had not been touched that day. there was a prior crack in the tailgate which i have seen on other explorer's, and since learned that it is a defect in the care.

I have replaced the panel under the rear lift gate window 3 times at a cost of over $ 400 per time. this panel cracks near the ford emblem on either the right or left side. i called ford and filed a complaint and was told that they have no information on this being an issue. i am an auto insurance claims adjuster and i see this problem daily on my insured's vehicle. my panel has cracked for the 4th time and ford is refusing to do anything about it. i have had the vehicle since 2006. i can submit the invoices for my repairs and photos if needed to support this matter. the panel appears to crack due to the lift gate flexing when it is opened and closed. the local ford dealership said they try to put something behind the panel when they replace it to help reinforce it.

The rear hatch hinge holding the rear window broke. it happened in a parking lot but the hatch window fell on me.

Went to open rear window hatch and right hinge snapped off causing whole rear window panel to fall on me. the left hinge managed to stay in place and was able to get center latch reattached to keep the window panel from completely falling off. only a matter of time until left hinge snaps. taking it in for repair but both hinges could have easily snapped and potentially fallen into the roadway. this is a heavy load bearing hinge and if broken when a child opened it could have caused serious injury. i notice this is not uncommon with this particular vehicle and is a danger not only to the owner but potentially to those on the road behind this model.

2 vertical cracks in upper rear hatch below window

My rear hatch in the back of my explorer has a crack in it. which i think has caused the back window to shift which in turn has caused my door ajar light to flash while the door chimes go off and the interior flicker while you are driving down the road but there are no doors open . the lights flickering make it hard to drive in the night. i think ford should fix this problem for everyone. *tr

The liftgate glass hinge on my 2004 ford explorer broke as i was closing the rear window glass. without warning it just came undone with the screw popping loose. cheaply made material of the liftgate glass hinge was clearly the cause, along with a faulty design that allows the bolt to strip out of the hinge. *tr

Cracked rear hatch. i had heard about this problem and my hatch didn't crack till after this cold winter. but, this is the first winter that this explorer has been kept outside, not garaged. my garaged is under my house and insulated. it never gets below freezing in the garage. i called ford and asked them if they can help financially with the repairs. they said no. *tr

Had my used 2004 ford explorer for one week and the liftgate latches both broke. if it hadn't been for the shocks that were on the liftgate, the window would have crashed to the ground and shattered in a thousand pieces. from what i'm told, i'm going to have to contact the dealership and pay god knows what to have it fixed. can't even use my trunk now. the dealership is a joke. *tr

Car was parked. i opened rear hatch (just the window part) and the passenger side hinge broke causing hatch to fall down on my head (quite painful!). about a year ago this same thing happened with the drivers side hinge (though i was able to catch it before it hit my head). i had that side repaired, but now it looks corroded so i worry it will happen again. *tr

There is a vertical crack on the top rear lift gate 10" to the left of the vehicle logo toward the rear door. in cold temperatures, the crack is barely visible yet in warmer temperatures, the crack would expand. *tr

There is a crack running vertically through the entire rear panel just below the window. it runs right along side the ford emblem. this happened in dec. 2014. i do not know/recall if the vehicle was moving or not. i just discovered the crack. i thought that it had happened because we were visiting bend, or and it was extremely cold. this isn't a safety issue i don't believe. but, given i see at least one explorer every 2-3 days with the same crack it seems to me that ford should fix the problem.

The rear lift gate window of my 2004 ford explorer exploded while the vehicle was parked. according to the ford dealer, this apparently is something that is known to happen. *tr

Leaving work at end of day, pulled out of parking space and rear glass shattered. the edges of the back hatch pulled away from the truck and curled up causing the glass to blow into the truck. a crack in the plastic of the hatch (which i have seen on many of this year model) has not been recalled and i have emailed ford many times about this problem for fear of water getting in behind the panel. my belief is that water did get behind the panel and that is what caused the plastic panel to pull away and blow in the glass. luckily my children were not sitting in the 2nd or 3rd row seating or this would have been a much larger problem. i believe ford should have this problem addressed and recalled before someone gets seriously hurt from that flying glass. *tr

The back hatch has split next to the ford sign. it got cold and when i got up to crank my truck i saw it.it was not hit and was in the shed when this happen. i was told it had a recall from someone that has the same thing happen to her. we also have had the transmission replaced.ford really need to fix this .i can say i will never buy another ford!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *js

I noticed one day that the rear panel of my 2004 ford explorer xlt was cracked. there was no crash nor indication of damage from outside source. i believe the cracked formed because of the expansion of water which seeped in throughout the year. there is no recall for this problem and i see the crack on every explorer on the road within a few years of mine. i need to get a recall in order to fix this problem not caused by me and which everyone else i know who has this model have the same problem. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that after opening the rear glass lift gate window, the two aluminum hinges fractured causing the lift gate to fall. the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the technician stated that the hinges needed to be replaced. the vehicle has not been repaired since the parts were not available. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 85,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that after opening the rear glass lift gate window, the two plastic hinges attached to the window fractured causing the window to fall and separate from the vehicle. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 141,500.

Sun visor bracket cracked and disintegrated leaving sun visor blocking my view. had to pull over and disconnect the wire and remove visor. 2nd incident, pressed button to open rear glass and the hinges snapped ejecting the heavy glass panel at me. had a child been opening it, they could have been killed. as it was, i caught the glass panel.

The car was parked in a grocery store lot. i used the remote to open the back latch to store my groceries. it did not open. i tried again. suddenly the back window exploded and the back hatch came off it hinges. i am unable to drive the car until it is repaired. i found many stories online that said the same thing has happened to other 2004 explorers and ford has not done anything with the complaints. this episode could have been very serious had it occurred while driving or if someone had been hit by the flying glass debris.

Upon opening the rear glass hatch, the passenger side of the hinge broke when fully open and the window fell down, hitting me in the head. the panel below on this same window to the left of the ford logo plate had also cracked about 6 months ago. *tr

I went to open small window type rear gate and the left hinge broke. i caught the gate before it hit the ground and had to drive very slow to get car home safely.

Rear glass lift gate: cracks appeared in the rear hatch on both sides of the rear ford logo.( i now notice many ford explorers with same cracks). top right glass hinge twisted significantly and top left glass hinge twisted slightly. the fastening bolts for both glass hinges are rusted through. this resulted in the rear glass window shifting, apparently causing the cracks in the tail gate. i contacted sunshine ford's service dept. in newburgh, ny and was told ford is not responsible for fixing/replacing this defect. they chose their words carefully. they emphasized that "my model year" was not recalled for this defect. i asked if "any" explorers had a recall for this defect. they would not say; but instead repeated,"my model year" was not recalled for this defect. nhtsa has already received consumer complaints of injuries from owners whose lift gate glass broke off its mounting hinge while open, and caused head injuries. it is only a matter of time before a rear lift glass panel detaches from an explorer in motion on a highway. that could easily lead to a multi vehicle accident along with multiple fatalities. i checked and ford had a similar part recall for 2002 & 2003 explorers. ford changed the part then and has not met the # of complaints to be forced to recall 2004 and up explorers. unfortunately, i think many explorer owners check with the dealer as to whether or not there was/is a recall and give up upon hearing no. we need to get anyone we know with this problem to file a complaint with the nhtsa. it is only a matter of time before some innocent person dies as a result of this "known" defect! as i understand it, this is a known defect for which ford is not willing to take responsibility. ford should fix this problem at no cost. *tr

Rear lift gate plastic cracked through ford logo with no contact. third row seatbelt stuck and hard to release.

Crack in rear hatch below rear window. as i understand it, this is a known fault for which ford is not willing to take responsibility. ford should fix problem at no cost. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the rear liftgate was cracked. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for repairs. the manufacturer was notified of the issue. the approximate failure mileage was 89,846.

Cracked panel below rear window, went to garage and found this, cracked all the way thru. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford ford explorer. the contact stated there was a crack underneath the window of the tailgate. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing or to be repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 8,627. ..updated 03/25/14 *bf

My car was parked outside of the grocery store. i opened the rear hatch to load my groceries. as i reached up to close the hatch the right side of it collapsed and fell right on my head leaving a large lump. upon investigation i found that the hinge on the right side of the hatch had snapped and the weight of the hatch has twisted the hinge on the left side. luckily, i broke the fall of the hatch or there would have been shattered glass everywhere. definitely a safety issue. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the rear wheel wells and frame were rusted. and the rear hatch was fractured. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the failure mileage was 40,000 and the current mileage was 100,000. updated 09/30/14*lj the consumers stated the transmission jerks into gear. updated 02/25/2015 *js

Plastice parts are deteriorating, desolving in front inside drive sun visor-lighted visor broke off; centerl rear a/c and heat moon roof light console falls off-plastice clips desolved and will not fasten into roof assembly, causing blocked eyesight and at time on right turn hitting head or eyes . this is unsafe and ford motor knows of complainst. part are not availble. this is a highway safety issue. the model was the eddie bauer top of the line $40,,835 car fmv $5000 only 54000 miles pri level code 450240u74 ship wgt 4357

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the rear lift gate was fractured directly on the logo where the lift gate lock was located. the defect could have caused the rear lift gate to open while driving. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 14,000 and the current mileage was 16,000. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact noticed a crack on the lift gate near the manufacturer's emblem. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 147,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer xlt. the contact stated that upon inspection, the left hinge that held the trunk window snapped unexpectedly. the window was held by the contact while another person latched the window back into place. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified. the failure mileage was 25,000.

The rear liftgate panel cracked for no apparent reason. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that he opened the rear trunk window and the left hinge became fractured. the window fell onto the contact unexpectedly, which saved the window from falling and shattering. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where the mechanic stated that the hinge would need to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified. the failure mileage was 80,602.

The back hatch window doesn't seem to line up with the latch. the back hatch also cracked right near the ford logo. i have seen many of the explorers that this has happened to. its time ford fixes this defect. also while doing around 60-65 mph my timing chains broke, all 3 of them at the same time. i could understand 1 maybe but all 3 ? this to has to be a manufacturer defect. *tr

Rear lift gate hinges cracking at pin causing rear gate glass to shift down and tailgate not to latch correctly. *tr