Problems with 2004 Ford Explorer STRUCTURE

Plastic applique on liftgate cracked while vehicle was parked and liftgate was not being used. this is the second time this has happened since we purchased the vehicle five years ago. the crack continued to spread until now the piece is in two separate pieces. the pieces are loose and could possibly come off while driving which could be a dangerous situation. ford refuses to fix this even though it is clearly a design flaw in all 2002-2005 explorers. we have seen many explorers on the road and on used car lots with this same defect. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the plastic underneath the window of the rear liftgate has cracked. the manufacturer stated that the failure was not covered under warranty; therefore, the contact would have to pay for the repairs. she feels that this is a safety issue because the frame around the window could crack and cause the window to fall out. the current mileage was 79,900 and failure mileage was 56,000.

Walked outside one day and noticed a crack in the plastic panel below my rear window. i have seen many other explorers with the same problem. *tr

2004 ford explorer xlt, upper rear hatch cracked was not hit or abused. *tr

I bought it brand new in 2004 and have taken very good care of this vehicle, but it hasn't returned the favor. i have had multiple transmission problems that ford says that they all do it and won't fix it. my tailgate cracked next to the ford symbol, once again won't fix it. my paint on my hood is peeling off. i only have 50,000 easy miles on it but looking at it and driving it you would think that it had 150,000 on it. i will never buy ford again! *tr

Tailgate, plastic which run around "ford" the width of the gate cracked. cold weather the crack gets large, hot weather it closes up. it cracked on its own. *tr

2004 ford explorer right rear liftgate glass hatch hinge has failed. glass hatch did not fall but is hanging by remaining hinge and is unstable or unsafe. issue same as nhtsa action number: rq08003. *tr

The rear hinges on my 2004 ford explorer are faulty, they cracked and are barely holding my glass window up. for ford, this is not a new issue; the 2003, 2002, and 2007 models have a recall on this issue. ford will not recall the 2004 models that have the same issue. this is costly and is dangerous. while driving, the hatch could possibly causing the glass to break. *tr

Crack in panel under back glass. *tr

The back glass hinges on 2004 explorer broke causing the glass to come off my vehicle. luckily i caught it and had my husband come undo all the pieces so nothing else was broken. *tr

Paint bubbles in the hood. the dealer just responded that it was a manufacturers problem and that i would just need to replace the entire hood at a large cost. *kb

Have 2004 eddie bauer explorer with crack in the rear gate. needs to be recalled. i was online and foudn at least 200 people with the same crack. ford will not replace. *tr

2004 ford explorer was parked in my driveway and, after opening the liftgate and attempting to close it, the right hand hinge fractured and landed on my hand. luckily my husband was right beside me and he was able to lift it and there was no injury to my hand. the left hand hinge was fractured on one side and we had to remove the hydraulic arms to close the liftgate and duct tape it closed. after reading online that the 2002/2003 explorers had been recalled i hoped they would also include the 2004 models. i checked with the dealership and it was not covered. my truck was manufactured in march 2004 and there is a good chance that 2003 parts were used so ford should stand by their product and honor the recall for the 2004 models. this is a major safety issue and i was lucky that this happened in my driveway with my husband beside me and not on the highway where it could have fractured and blown into the traffic behind me. i hope there are other drivers who come forward to report this problem as i know there have to be a lot more of us out there! the dealership replaced the fractured hinges at a cost of $122. *tr

2004 ford explorer rear tailgate plastic panel cracked by the ford logo. i've notice other ford explorers with the same problem. also many complaints on the internet. ford will do nothing!!!!!! *tr

I have a 2004 eddie bauer explorer and piece below tailgate window cracked from top to bottom contacted my dealership and told me he would go 20/80 i figured that was better than nothing even though ford should have paid it all. *tr

Of the numerous issues with this vehicle, the worst is the transmission (40,000 miles ). same old story. started with clunking and hesitation and surging when shifting into reverse and now is 'clunking' into gears 2 and 3 during normal driving. the rear drivers side window motor has been replaced twice. the rear window panel has a vertical crack to the left of the ford symbol that just mysteriously occurred even though we don't even use the window. the truck stalls when the cruise control is applied below 45 miles an hour. my wife and i really loved this truck but like many others we have become embarrassed by our purchase. if this kind of fraud were to occur with any other product we would have some sort of recourse but not surprisingly the motor company's seem to enjoy a certain level of protection. the 'better business bureau' won't even listen to car complaints. given the severe and ubiquitous nature of the complaints about this vehicle it comes as no surprise that no remediations is forth coming from this organization, the manufacturer or any other. the cost of these vehicles is a burden to say the least and is financially devastating to those of us who purchased them in good faith only to have a 30,000 dollar vehicle become useless and dangerous before reaching 50000 miles. like all the other 'victims' of fraud, i am wasting yet more of my time by complaining about it. *tr

2004 ford explorer rear lift gate glass hinge snapped and allowed glass to fall. issue appear to be similar to action # rq08003. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. while the contact was attempting to close the rear glass door, the door completely detached from the hinge, which connected it to the vehicle. the failure occurred without prior warning. the vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. the current and failure mileages were 60,000. updated 10/14/08 *bf updated 10/23/08. *jb

My complaint isn't safety related but i have saw this on so very may ford explorers. the rear plastic below the rear hatch window cracks on either side of the ford emblem. i thought maybe it was just mine.. but i have seen this on so many of ford explorers. to me this is a defect and from what i read ford says its not a recall issue. but to me it is, its a defect that all though it is not safety related is still a defect none the less.. *tr

I bought a 2004 ford explorer xls and just started to notice the paint on the roof is beginning to peel off, which is now happening in two locations. i searched online and did see other similar complaints due to a primer defect in these models. as of today no recall has been offered but i feel ford should fix this problem. i complained to ford and they told me that this is not covered under my warranty. i spent a lot of money on this vehicle and plan on using it for at least 4 to 5 more years. i am scared to get a car wash thinking more paint will come off. *tr

Cracked rear panel in tailgate below window. *tr

The rear hinges on my 2004 ford explorer fell apart and the window fell off. this same issue was recalled for 2002 and 2003 ford explorers but ford would not honor the recall for my 2004 vehicle using the same defective hinges. *tr

On august 8, 2008 i opened the back glass of my 2004 ford explorer at which time the bracket at the top of the glass broke loose causing my glass to fall. it hit me in the head when it fell and would have possibly fell on me if the other bracket had not stayed in place. i contact ford motor company but have been unable to determine what model years of the ford explorer were recalled previously for this same problem. my explorer was not covered under the recall but i believe it should have been as ford installed faulty brackets on my truck. currently my husband purchased a "recall kit" from ford to correct their faulty equipment and is in the process of trying to fix my back glass so that my vehicle is drivable again. *tr

I was driving and just entered the expressway when i got to the bottom of the ramp my back window on my trunk raised up and halfway fell off and when i got out to look at the damage. the passenger side hinge is very loose and the driver side hinge completely broke off and the suspension shock that opens and closes that window. i was terrified when this happened and i panicked and luckily i was already so close to the exit ramp. i called ford and was told how much the parts were and how much labor is but the service person mentioned that he has had alot of people complain about that shock that opens and closes the window. i am waiting for my parts to come in now. *tr

1. opened rear hatch glass on 2004 ford explorer. 2. hinges failed on glass hatch disconnected from body. 3. this just happened. have to buy replacement hinges. *tr

As i stopped to get gas i noticed my vehicle had a crack right on the plastic along the right side of the ford emblem directly under the tail gate glass. i called the dealer and was told it is was a common issue but could not do anything about it unless i pay out off pocket for it or the company recall the part. i have no problem paying to resolve the issue, the problem i have is i take good care of my car alot (i own a show style car) and this seems to be a recurring issue everywhere else with this same type of vehicle and i would like to know what the ford co is trying to do to address this issue? i go this site from a forums site ( http://www.carcomplaints.com/ford/explorer/2004/body_paint/cracked_panel_below_the_rear_window.shtml ) what can be done to address this issue? *tr

Went into my garage to get into my explorer and noticed a cracked panel below rear window. seen other ford suv's with same cracked panel by the ford emblem on rear panel. called ford and asked if there was a recall on this and they told me no and refused to help me get the problem fixed. i did nothing. the crack just came out of no where. it wasn't something i did. its a manufacture problem seeing that there is other suv just like mine with the same problem and a crack in the exact same area! *tr

I noticed a paint bubble on the hood of my 2004 ford explorer. is this a paint defect that is causing my vehicle to rust? i would like to know if ford is doing anything to fix this problem since it seems that many other owners are having the same problem. *tr

The back panel under the back widow cracked and ford was contacted to see if any recalls were in place for that part. we were told there was not a recall for that issue. my husband was slowing down to turn into a parking lot and went over a bump. because the glass runs under the panel, it got stressed and busted. we have replaced the part with another ford back hatch. *tr

The rear hatch door cracked and noticed so took to auto body shop and they told us it was a ford defect and if fixed it would crack again due to the make of this car. *tr

My 2004 ford explorer has a cracked rear lift gate just below the window, adjacent to the center ford emblem. it was described to me by my local ford dealer as a manufactured defect as a result of the horizontal plastic deck lid being glued to the metal lift gate. during contraction and expansion of these two materials during fluctuations in weather, the lid will crack. i have noticed approximately 30-40% of 2002-2005 explorers with the same problem. ford could elevate this problem by replacing the plastic panels with a better material or glue. my warranty expired at 36k and i noticed this problem won't occur until the vehicle is about 50k-75k of 3-4 years. ford wants $500 to repair plus paint for a total of $700 dollars. *tr

Back rear hatch cracked. just like the 100's of others i found on my internet search of the problem. our transmission also failed and had to be replaced, at our own cost. *tr

2004 ford explorer rear back panel has a significant crack which came on suddenly. i did not realize that this problem has happened to others until i started checking on how to fix it via the net. *tr

Paint has started to bubble and peel off of the hood of my 2004 explorer. i was told by a ford mechanic they have been seeing alot of this because of the metal used in the hoods- should not be happening for a car barely 4 years old. my old explorer was much older and never had this problem. *tr

The rear window liftgate hinges on my 2004 ford explorer failed. hinge pins are corroded and just sheared right off. looks like the hinges become loose and go slightly out of alignment and when hatch is opened the pins break. appears there was a recall for this same problem for the years prior to my model year. from the review of this website does not look like ford has solved the hinge problems. the earlier recall was # 04v442000. can the recall be extended to cover the 2004 (and maybe later years)? *tr

2004 ford explorer transmission clunking and shifting roughly, taking long time to engage cause vehicle to roll back, does not seem to engage for a period of time. also whines so loud folks in back seat can't hear front seat people talking. appears each time driven. was that way when purchased new and dealer fixed it, now once again same issue. *tr

Just noticed after 32,000 miles and about 3 and one-half years of ownership that paint on front edge of hood of 2004 ford explorer is blistered in several places and beginning to chip. *tr

2004 ford explorer cracked rear panel.

My ford explorer has a two part rear lift gate. the main liftgate works fine, however, the smaller glass lift gate "collapsed" when i was opening it. it is a hinged lift gate with hinges that attach to the glass. one of the hinges failed and the glass door collapsed (hitting me on the head and cutting my hand). the hinge that broke looks as if it may have cracked right where the retaining pin is located securing the glass door to the hinge attached to the body. the hinge appears to be made of a cast iron or "pot metal", which could be subject to breaking or cracking. when it broke it also caused the other hinge to come disconnected. the door is just "hanging" by the door shocks. the auto is a 2004 ford explorer. i am taking it in to have it repaired, but wanted to file this report due to the nature of the failure of the part and the potential for physical injury. *tr updated 05/05/08. *jb

My 2004 back rear window panel cracked- defective panel from ford, approx every ford explorer has the same problem and ford will not recall as a mfg defect you can find hundreds of complaints for the same problems on all ford explorers 2002 to 2005. *tr

Our 2003 ford explorer tailgate back panel with the ford emblem cracked from top to bottom on this panel right next to the emblem. know idea how it happened but we see most of the explorers have this same problem. cheap materials by ford to cut costs to make a profit. *tr.updated 09/16/08. *lj

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact noticed a crack on the rear liftgate panel. the manufacturer advised him to take the vehicle to the dealer for inspection. the failure mileage was 55,000.

Rear body panel around back window split

Closed the back glass of the tailgate with normal amount of force and crack appears from glass to fiberglass ( right next to ford symbol). *tr

2004 ford explorer eddie bauer edition. rear lift gate cracks without cause. research has indicated this is a known problem since early 2000 with no corrective resolution by ford. what happens if these pieces fall off during initial cracks without drive awareness and injuires someone or property? i believe ford should be made to fix this known error before accidents occur and notify customers the chances of this occurring is high. *tr

Paint on top of hood bubbling at two spots on front passenger side and also on numerous locations on under side edge on front of hood, a large paint blister on underside at hood latch and several paint blisters on back under side of hood by driver windshield. *tr

I have a 2004 ford explorer with peeling paint on the roof of the vehicle. i contacted ford's home office and was told that their mechanism to repair the defect expired after 12 months or 12,000 miles. the vehicle is not old enough or exposed enough to the elements for this to happen. *tr

Exterior paint on the hood of my ford explorer 2004 is blistering and chipping. i don't think this should be happening. *tr

The back hatch has a crack underneath the window in the middle around the ford emblem. just appeared....as i've noticed several ford 2004 explorers in this area have the exact same defect. recall is very much necessary. as well as the car jolting into drive and reverse....i still owe several thousand dollars on this loan and refuse to pay for any repairs....ford should do a recall on both...they need to hire some japanese workers since their cars seem not to have these types of issues.....i bought this car in feb of 2008 and had the transmission problems right after that.....car only had 48k miles on it. *tr

The back panel of the car underneath the window has developed a 4 inch vertical crack overnight. the hatch has not been open or closed for several weeks and has not been bumped or hit to my knowledge. *tr