Problems with 2005 Ford Explorer STRUCTURE

Rear wheel well shock tower mount is rusted out. there is no reason this should be happening. this is a major safety issue.

The back lift gate panel cracked on the back of our ford explorer and when we went to shut the lift gate the whole back window shattered. ford won't replace it because they say its not a safety issue and our year of our ford was not apart of the recall of these panels being cracked. please be aware that if you have one of these cracks that the back window can shatter when closing the lift gate.

We have a 2005 ford explorer and the back lift gate panel was cracked right by the ford symbol. when we went to open the back lift gate and the panel where it was cracked broke in half and shattered the whole back window and injured us. ford wants to charge me $140.00 to just look at it. come on ford do what's right! beware if you have a cracked panel on your ford! it can break in half and the glass can shatter.

2005 ford explorer. frame is rotting along the welds. not up and down. length wise running with the frame. obviously a factory weld issue and a big issue at that as the issue could have the frame fail and entire hub/axle/wheel assembly rip right off the vehicle. this is also a very common issue with ford's in general from 02-2005. as you already know i'm sure. this vehicle was well maintained and taken care of and the frame issue has made an otherwise great running low mileage vehicle worthless. not to mention had the issue not been found very dangerous! please get these death traps off the road!! have pictures but the files are to large to send. thanks.

I have a 2005 ford explorer and upon opening my rear tailgate, the screws on the two hinges broke from the glass. tthe only thing holding it halfway up is the hydraulic power lifters. glad i was parked and not on the highway

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford explorer. the contact stated that there was fracture in the rear hatch above the rear windshield wiper and all the way down to the bottom of the hatch. the failure allowed moisture to enter the door. the contact was concerned that the fracture would cause the rear windshield to shatter, causing serious injuries or worse. the vehicle was taken to the dealer to be inspected. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 138,000.

Cracked applique on rear lift gate.

While parked in the driveway, we found that the back window of the hatch was completely broken and the body in the back was lifted off the car. it looks as if the hydraulic arm malfunctioned overnight.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford explorer. while the vehicle was parked, it was noticed that the liftgate was cracked. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 117,000.

Crack in rear hatch plate by ford emblem

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford explorer. while opening the rear door, the contact noticed a large crack on the rear panel that extended from the rear window vertically all the way down to the end of the panel where the ford emblem was located. the vehicle was inspected by the insurance adjustor. the vehicle was not diagnosed by an independent mechanic nor the dealer. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 160,000.

Walked out to my garage and noticed a cracked had showed up overnight. it goes from the back eindow, by the right edge of the ford logo, to the bottom of the lift gate. it is almost perfectly vertical, i have seen a ton of these on xlts. i thought i was lucky, i was wrong.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford explorer. the contact stated that the rear hatchback panel cracked. the vehicle was taken to a dealer, who informed the contact that the manufacturer had a customer satisfaction campaign to replace the paneling, but it was discontinued. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 74,000. updated 4/15/15*cn the consumer stated the panel below the back window was cracked. updated 04/21/15*jb

Typical ford problem with 2002-2005 explorer/mountaineers. rear tailgate cracked all on it's own because it's cold here, and because it's a defect ford should have fixed when they knew of the issue. i am not the only one (of many) with this problem. *tr

Crack on back panel from window down around ford emblem literally just appeared one day. my explorer was purchased new in 2005 and is in excellent condition except for this mystery crack that i am now noticing on a lot of explorers around the same age. it is an obvious defect! when is ford going to take care of this?....updated 11/13/15 *bf

The back tailgate panel has a crack beside the ford logo. looked on line and saw this is a listed problem with 2005 explorers.called ford they were no help. *tr

Paint in roof channels bubbling, roof rusting. *tr

I walked outside to enter my vehicle and noticed a crack in the hatch lift on the back door adjacent to the ford emblem that was not previously there. since then, i've noticed this same flaw on most ford explorer xlts of approximately the same age as mine. *tr

Took my suv to bodyshop yesterday i noticed the roof top exterior was peeling paint and rusting. it will lead to leaking problems if not repaired but owner of shop says that there is no way of them being able to seal it permanantly it is a matter of how long new paint will last . to have it repaired is very costly but if not will do further damage. *tr

Crack appeared to left of ford emblem on rear hatch door, under glass. *tr

Rear widow is also a hatch. the hatch has a fracture in the center of where the hatch secures itself to the frame. the hatch will not close properly and needs to be physically manipulated at an angle to be secured. *tr

Discovered a crack in the panel below the rear window hatch above and below the ford emblem. *tr

The plastic bracket that holds up the overhead control console between the drive and passenger and right next to the rear view mirror broke and the entire console fell while the car was off and parked with no one in the car. the console dropped and blocked the rear view mirror. had i been driving it would have been a shock and caused me not to use my rear view mirror. when i went to remove the bracket to get a replacement i found it was super brittle and falling apart. it broke into a few pieces while just holding it. it clearly was not structurally sound. if this interior and hidden plastic part that was not subject to any passenger interaction or sun exposure is disintegrating what about other parts of the car. i see lots of plastic parts failure complaints for ford explorer. is the plastic they used defective or are car parts like this bracket in ford products supposed to self destruct? *tr

I went out to my 2005 ford eddie bauer explorer to remove items inside back cargo area and noticed that the plastic tailgate panel below the rear window had vertically cracked all the way down and through the whole piece. there was no physical evidence to show cause for the spontaneous wide crack. the car has been well cared for. parked daily in garage and not even driven daily. i am extremely concerned that the glass window panel might be compromised and could cause deadly damage to passengers in my car or others on the road behind me should it come loose or shatter, including the chance that the back windshield wiper could come unattached and also fly off into the window of a vehicle behind me. i have just researched this problem and have found hundreds of other owners who have had the same spontaneous cracking and have filed complaints. something must be done. this is an extreme safety issue. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford explorer. the contact stated that a crack developed across the full length of the hatch back door. the glass of the hatch back door also shattered without warning. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for a diagnostic testing. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the vin was not available. the approximate failure mileage was 92,210.

First noticed what appeared to be a scratch underneath rear window. grew into a crack which runs from the bottom of the rear window down around the ford emblem to the bottom of the window hatch. crack has widened to about 1/8 inch. vehicle purchased my myself brand new. *tr

I am another very annoyed owner of a 2002-2005 ford explorer with a cracked rear panel. from what i can tell, this affects nearly 100% of all explorers of those model years and it is ridiculous that ford has not issued a recall notice for this defect. *tr

Without any impact or known cause,the liftgate cracked from the rear window, along the ford emblem, to the bottom. *tr

Body issues: i have a 2005 ford explorer and have never been in a car accident. my tailgate somehow develop a crack that goes through where the ford logo is. nothing happened to the suv to cause the crack. it just somehow happened on it's own. i believe the vehicle is defective or at least the materials used to make the vehicle. electrical issues: another issue i have is with the electrical. my turn signals (most times) do not work. i have to manually move it up and down when turning. when it does work, it goes really fast. my reverse notification no longer works for some strange reason. also, my radio goes louder when i turn it down. i have to turn it off for a little while, turn it back on then try to lower the volume. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford explorer. the contact stated that the rear panel near the hatch was fractured. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and indicated that no recalls were associated with the vehicle. the vin was not available. the approximate failure mileage was 130,000. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford explorer. the contact stated that the rear lift gate was fractured. the vehicle was not taken for inspection or diagnosis. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted about the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 60,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford explorer. the contact stated that he approached the vehicle and noticed that the tail sill plate on the lift gate was fractured. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 80,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford explorer. the contact stated that there was a fracture on the lift gate under the window. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was contacted about the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 60,000. the vin was unavailable.

There is a vertical crack on the rear of the vehicle starting underneath the window. length of about 2 to 3 inches. just seemed to appear. was not there one day then there the next. *tr

2005 ford explorer: i am worrying about the integrity of my 2005 ford explorers rear end and what would happen if i were to be rear ended. the following occurred: i shut the tailgate and the area above and below the explorer emblem cracked vertically. my friend has the same car and hers cracked exactly like mine a year ago. now i just saw an explorer parked at the store and it was cracked too!!! *tr

Http://www.topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/lawsuit-news/967-ford-defective-cracked-tailgate-class-action. *tr

I am the 1 and only owner of 2005 ford explorer limited, and the rear upper tailgate has a vertical crack right next to the ford logo that spans from window to base 2cm in width. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford explorer. the contact stated that the rear liftgate panel became fractured. the vehicle was not taken to a local mechanic or a dealer for diagnosis. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 67,000.

Ford explorer eddie bauer - garage kept, low miles due to working from home. discovered a crack in the back hatch upper panel. when reported to insurance company (progressive) the agent indicated that this is a known defect and all ford dealers are aware of it. i discovered other ford explorers and expeditions around the county with the same crack. crack is caused by lack of stabilization behind the panel and the crack appears due to regular closing of the back hatch. starts with a single crack (can lead to multiple cracks). the crack allows water to enter the back hatch area causing rust and disabling or limiting the back window wiper. i wrote a letter to ford and emailed them regarding this manufacturing defect and was told that this is not something they take care of. cost to repair can run anywhere from $275 to $1,000, depending upon the severity. we have started a facebook page for those of us around the country that have experienced the same problem and our number is growing every day. problem seems to be 2002 thru 2006 ford explorers and expeditions. ford has changed the manufacturing for the years following. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving approximately 50 mph, the panel around the rear glass of the liftgate detached from the vehicle. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 65,000. *tr

I have a 2005 explorer xlt and i also have a large crack down the panel below the back window. which has led to water seeping into my back wiper motor causing me to replace it frequently. which replacing this is not cheap.this is certainly an issue that needs to be addressed due to there are many of the exact same complaints. also the brackets that hold on my back window came off/broke. we were leaving for vacation and the whole window was in my hand when i went to close it. i am a ford lover through and through and would just like these problems that numerous people are having corrected . thank you for your time! *tr

Driver side hinge disconnected,the bolt was missing. the shifting, unbalance weight caused passenger side hinge to crack. the window fell striking the back of the head of the owner,unlocking and reaching in to the cargo space. a small child was with her who could have been seriously injured,. had this top of the liftgate fallen off in traffic it would have caused serious injury and car damage. many complaints of this manufacturing defect have been filed and recalls were in effect for other model years. *tr

I have a cracked tailgate that is a defect. i have seen this same crack on numerous ford explorer's 2002-2005. i have contacted ford and have gotten no where with this problem.there are numerous complaints of this same problem. i thought the door was closed to hard, that is not the case until i kept seeing the same crack on every ford explorer 2002-2005 then a light bulb went off there's something wrong with the tailgate, that makes it eventually crack. this has not been fixed on our vehicle, we worry the glass could shatter while continuing to close it as i have read with some owners. please help us solve this problem.

Hinges on the rear glass hatch are broken. eventually will brake off and possibly cause an injury because that supports the glass. many other explorers have this same issue. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford explorer. the contact stated that the rear liftgate panel became fractured. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic for diagnosis. the mechanic advised the contact that the panel would have to be replaced. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 83,000. *tr

2005 ford explorer xlt rear plastic tailgate panel cracked from top to bottom around ford oval emblem. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford explorer. the contact stated that there was a massive fracture under the rear exterior liftgate window panel. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure and current mileage was 74,976. *tr.....updated 05/09/13 *bf updated 06/10/2013 *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford explorer. the contact stated that the rear hatch back panel developed a fracture. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician advised the contact that the panel needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 123,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford explorer. the contact stated that there was a crack in the lift gate. the manufacturer was notified but they offered no assistance. the vehicle had not been repaired. the failure and current mileage was 81,300.

Below rear window, top hatch crack out of no where. reason for filing complaint is i just saw another ford explorer that had the same crack. *tr