Problems with 2004 Ford Explorer STRUCTURE

My 2004 ford explorer back hatch has a big crack on the left side of the ford emblem. this happened overnight with the weather change. i have researched the internet to see thousands od similar stories with the same issue. *tr

I own a 2004 ford explorer that has just experienced a random crack in the body in the hatchback. the crack appears immediately below the rear window, above and below the ford emblem. there was no precipitant to the event and there is no obvious trauma to the vehicle. i have had no repairs or problems with this area previously. the ford dealership i do business with said they have seen several vehicles with the same issue and could fix it for between $600 & $700. i spoke to ford motor co. who said this is not under my warranty because it is not a recall. i do not understand how a structural defect on my vehicle, not caused by myself or a 3rd party, can not constitute a recall. how can ford say this isn't dangerous? if a piece of the body were to fly into another vehicle while i am driving or the glass cracks and shatters, there could be serious damage to someone else. why would a "recall" only be instated if someone were to be hurt? why wait? i think ford should fix this issue at no charge to me, the owner. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. she stated that when closing the lift gate the hitch snapped and the glass almost fell out as a consequence. the dealer was contacted and they stated that there were recalls for the same problem for the 2002 and 2003 vehicles. nhtsa action number, rq08003, structure body, hatchback/liftgate, support device visibility glass, side /rear structure body, hatchback/liftgate, hinge and attachments were related to the failure and was closed on october 24, 2008. the contact temporarily repaired the vehicle. the contact is afraid to drive the vehicle since the hinge could snap and potentially cause serious injuries and/or a crash. the failure and current mileages were 79000.

Went to open rear door and noticed a crack running down the back panel below the rear window. my ford explorer is a 2004 with less than 60,000 miles this should not of happened this is a defect that ford should take care of. instead i was told to call my insurance company are you kidding this is fords problem not mine. it could fall off while i'm driving and hurt someone what is going on in america. *tr

A crack on my 2004 explorer under the back window. there are 1000's of others on the road also have see all the complaints on the internet. this has to be recalled before the back window falls out. *tr

I have this crack in the middle of my liftgate and i have seen some other ford explorers and found on internet complaints about it. i called ford dealer and they said there was no recall for this. as i have said. i have seen other fords with the same crack on the middle of the lift gate. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the rear lift gate panel was cracked below the glass and the vehicle had never been involved in any accidents. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership where the contact was informed that the failure was known but she would be responsible for repair costs. the vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. the failure mileage was approximately 34,000. the current mileage was 35,373.

About a year ago i noticed the panel below the rear window start to crack. as time went on the crack continued down the entire panel next to the ford emblem. the rear window now makes a rattling noise. i don't know if it will loosen enough for it to pop out if i hit a bump in the road. it has certainly reduced the value of the vehicle. i went online to see if anyone else was having this problem and was shocked to see hundreds of comments. i contacted ford and they said there was no recall from you and that until there was i should go ahead and have it fixed. repair costs seem to be around $400. for the panel plus painting. i really think a design flaw should not be my problem. they know it was a flaw since the newer models are designed completely different. *tr

Rear glass on explorer became disconnected from brackets. this matches prior complaint number rq08003. *tr

2004 ford explorer xlt v6 rear panel under window on tailgate cracking and falling off also transmission failure at 60,000 miles was outraged by ford when they stated that after the car leaves the factory its not their problem. *tr

No accident involved, walked out of my house into the driveway and noticed "the explorer crack" on the left side of the ford emblem. temp was 26 degrees that night. *tr

On december 15, i went shopping and when i went to place items in the back of my vehicle, i noticed a crack all the way from the back window to the bottom of the panel. i take very good care of my vehicle. there was no indication that the vehicle had been hit as there were no damages. *cn

Plastic under back glass around ford logo cracked after a cool morning. (maybe 35 degrees) now the crack stretches open and closed various amounts each day. *tr

Cracks appeared below the rear window of my ford explorer. there was no accident. *tr

2005 ford explorer has a crack in the rear hatch. our friends had the same issue and the rear window eventually shattered while they were driving. this seems to be dangerous but ford has not issued a recall. *tr

Cracked tailgate frame under the window, from top to bottom. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer xlt. the contact stated that the panel below the rear window of the tail gate developed a crack. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated it was a design flaw and the panel needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance since the warranty had expired. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 60,000 and the current mileage was 75,000.

Cracked tailgate panel where "ford" emblem is. cracked while vehicle was sitting in driveway. have noticed a lot of other explorers with same cracks. i believe it's defective materials being used and ford should take care of the problem. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. while manually opening the rear lift-gate, it spontaneously closed. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection, and the lift-gate hinge kit was ordered for the repair, because the lift-gate hinge had fractured. the failure mileage was 69,400. the current mileage was 69,450.

My 2004 ford explorer xlt has a crack in the tailgate/back hatch. it starts under the window seal and continues down to the hatch lever. i'm afraid the glass will become compromised due to the defect in craftmanship. i was on another forum where 387 complaints for the same issue. http://www.carcomplaints.com/ford/explorer/2002/body_paint/cracked_panel_below_the_rear_window.shtml i don't have the money to pay for poor craftmanship issues. i feel as if ford should rectify the situation immediately at no cost to it's customers. *tr

I have cracks in the plastic on the outside of my lift gate . each time i use the handle to lift the cracks become worse. there are several posts online asking about the same problem. every one i see in a parking lot or on the road has the same problem. ford reports that it affects 1997-2007 explorers. i don't understand why this hasn't been addressed. i called ford and they referred me to your organization. some of these cracks i have seen reach to the back window which i believe would be a safety hazard.

The rear panel under the back window of my 2004 ford explorer is crack, there were no events leading to this failure, like so many others it just cracked. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. he stated that his vehicle developed a vertical crack in the plastic tailgate which is attached to the rear glass. the crack appeared to the left of the ford emblem. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that they would repair it at the owners expense with a discount. the dealer also stated that the warranty does not apply. the upper part of the glass is made of fiber glass and the bottom is made of metal. the contact stated the material is defective and that he was not aware that fiber glass was included. the cold weather could cause the crack in the window to expand. the failure and current mileages were 76356. updated 10/20/09 *cn the consumer stated the crack is at the center of the emblem as well as in the fiber glass part, not the glass. updated 10/22/09.*jb

The rear liftgate glass hatch on my model year 2004 ford explorer broke off and left the glass hatch hanging on one hinge almost falling off, while i was opening the glass hatch from the rear of my vehicle. i immediately called the dealer to report the problem. i brought the car to the dealer and was charged $415.01. not including rental car cost,to repair my car. i literally open the hatch door and it fell off. no one should open a car door and it falls off. this could have been one of my children opening the door and they could have been injured badly by this defect in the car. *tr

Ford designed a plastic piece of molding that is glued to the back glass of every explorer. this has cracked on every explorer i have seen. it has been fixed once by ford, but it has broke again. i assume that if it has broke every two years so far, it will continue to break. ford has refused to fix this defect. *tr

My 2004 explorer developed a vertical crack in the plastic tailgate attached to the back glass. crack appeared to the left of the ford emblem. once the crack appeared it eventually started to move down the plastic piece, was visible on my vehicle for approximately 5 months. on september 7, 2009 as i was driving down the highway and my back glass shattered and the plastic tailgate piece unattached itself at the sides from the vehicle. very dangerous. could have affected other drivers on the road had someone been behind me. i also have a 3rd row seat in vehicle which was not in use at the time or they could have been hit be debris as well. *tr

Cracked rear panel below window, this crack one day, no apparent reason. *tr

2004 explorer/eddie bauer - the plastic trim below the rear widow cracked. as stated in many of the other complaints, the ford dealer says there is nothing they can do, it's a ford problem. current mileage is 76,000. *tr

The rear lift glass hinges on our 2004 ford explorer broke during use of the lift glass. the pin broke right through the hinge. this is a vehicle that has been parked in a garage with only minimal use of the actual lift glass. we are now searching junk yards for replacement hinges but assume these will also be bad. *tr

2004 ford explorer crack back trunk lift. *tr

The panel below my rear window has cracked on my 2004 ford explorer. i did not drive it that day, so i know i was not hit, or the door was not slammed. *tr

1. the events leading to the failure were normal use of the vehicle. 2. rear lift-gate hinges on 2004 ford explorer xlt began failing with a loud bang from the rear of the vehicle. the rear window began to sag and over the course of several months cracks appeared in the hinge structure. i have purchased new hinges, but at this time i still need to install them. *tr

I noticed my 2004 ford explorer has developed a vertical crack in the plastic tailgate attached to the rear window left of the ford emblem. i took it to the dealership and they recognized it as a common problem with the 2004 explorer and also warned me the hinges on the rear glass fail often as was the case on my vehicle. service tech stated there was no recall as yet and i got to pay for the new hinges and holding off on the crack thinking ford made do the right thing and repair the fault. *tr

2004 ford explorer cracked rear panel. *tr

My 2004 ford explorer has a crack in the rear hatch. it appeared out of nowhere. it was not preceded by an accident or anything. upon talking to a friend whose car has the same problem, i researched this problem on the internet and found that it happens a lot. *tr

The panel under the rear hatch window has cracked and keeps getting wider. *tr

I have 2004 ford explorer. i have a cracked panel below the rear window, it cracked in two places. while driving that piece can fall off and hit a person walking or hit the car behind, which would result in paying the other person for damages or hospital bills. this problem or defect, recall which ever you want to call it, ford hasn't done anything about it so far. there are numerous people with the same vehicles, with the problem. i thought can bring this up to your company and see where this goes. thank you for time hope to hear that this can be resolved. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the rear hinge liftgate was fractured. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign id number: 04v44200(structure: body: hatchback/liftgate: hinge and attachments)but the dealer informed the contact that his vehicle was not included in the recall. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure yet the vehicle was not repaired. the current mileage was 76,000 and the failure mileage was 76,000.manufactured near the cutoff date of mentioned campaign. same exact problem. paid for replacement hinges. replaced myself. updated 09/14/2011 *ln updated 12/13/11

2004 ford explorer xlt closing liftgate glass and hinges sheared on both sides. hinges need to be replaced waiting for part. have original hinge parts. no rear glass on vehicle until replacement parts are available. *tr

Failure of the lift gate hinge pin. *tr

I have a 2004 ford explorer. i have two complaints with this vehicle. the first is that the back gate cracked from the window. the second complaint is that my truck is making a loud thump in reverse, and after i put it in drive after being in reverse, the transmission is slipping making it dangerous to pull out into traffic. i was almost hit twice pulling into traffic from the engine slipping. *tr

The paint on the roof is all peeling off it looks like crap i was told that it would cost about 600.00 to 1,500 to repaint and fix it car paint should not peel off the roof i have read that other people have had the same trouble with the paint on there explorers. *tr

Rear panel of the 2004 ford explorer is cracked, we are afraid to open and close with the possibility that the window will fall out and possible hurt some one. *tr

My vehicle is a 2004 ford explorer - eddie bauer. in may of 2009 the paint began to bubble in places along the front of the hood. these spots became larger and eventually the paint chipped off, revealing a corroded bare aluminum surface. the hood is not metal, therefore it can not rust. it must be a paint defect. *tr

2004 ford explorer. large crack in hatch back between glass and handle (around the ford logo). this occurred with normal vehicle use and dealer refuses to fix. crack continues to expand. afraid that if crack is left unfixed it will eventually cause the back glass to fall out of the hatch due to lack of proper support. *tr

A crack appeared on the lift gate top panel just below the wiper. the crack runs vertical from the top of the panel around the ford emblem to the bottom of the panel. i noticed that others are having this same problem at around 70,000 on the 2004 ford explorer eddie bauer edition. *tr

Wife came back from school and told me the problem. we have a 2004 ford explorer with a crack on the rear trunk lid below the rear glass where the ford emblem is, looking through the internet and found out that there are a handful of complaints regarding this panel becoming crack what so ever and still no recall. *tr

Noticed my 2004 ford explorer had a crack in the plastic panel under the rear window when i was washing it in my driveway. not sure if this is a recall but i see about 100 others have filed a complaint about it. it should be a recall. *tr

I walked around to the back of my explorer to put groceries in the back trunk area to find the plastic cracked by the ford emblem. it runs the length of the flip open glass panel that has now broken the integrity of the car leaving it much easier for someone to break in. the car was not involved in any sort of collision, no other marks were seen. *tr

Crack appeared on panel below rear window. crack extends from the rear window to the bottom of the top rear hatch. no mistreatment of vehicle has occurred; crack appeared spontaneously while unoccupied in my garage. will bring to ford dealership tomorrow to inquire about replacement. *tr