Problems with 2005 Ford Explorer STRUCTURE

The panel at the bottom of the rear lift gate window cracked the entire length of the panel. approximately 8 inch crack. i have since seen several other ford explorers and a mercury suv with the same crack. obviously ford has a problem which they are not making good on. *tr

The rear lift gate trim panel split vertically from the glass to the bottom of the lift gate. the crack runs adjacent to the ford emblem on the lift gate. i see a lot of this occurring on similar year models and consider that this is a design defect that should be addressed. *tr

Paint is bubbling/flaking along front edge of hood. *tr

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 but did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included in any recalls. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 120,000 and the current mileage was 127,000.

Liftgate plastic body panel cracked from top to bottom left of the ford logo insert. *tr

Large crack through the entire lift gate panel under the window. *tr

My vehicle was parked. i went out in the morning to take my children to school. i noticed a large vertical crack in the lift gate panel to the right of the ford emblem. it had not been driven. this happened overnight while my vehicle was parked. i did some research to find that this is a common problem with this year/model. *tr

Crack under rear window on rear hatch door. *tr

There's an obvious defect in the 2005 ford explorer, the 7 x 55 panel, the one with the ford logo in it. it cracks. it did it twice on ours, we replaced it once costing us $500. our repairman said he's seen this exact problem on many ford'. we looked into it, and numerous other experts agree on the defect. the first time we tried to bring attention to ford for this problem, they blew us off, not even having the courtesy to get our letter to the person it was addressed. as human nature, ford tried to manipulate the problem, at the end of the conversation actually convincing themselves and trying to convince me that there was no problem. we like to keep all our stuff nice but currently our vehicle doesn?t look nice. we cannot afford to throw away our money on a defective product. again, it is defective, anyone related to the vehicle industry and bodywork, with any sense, can realize the problem. on our first attempt to propose ford?s resolution of this problem we didn?t draw attention to the problem. this time we?re ready to go at it in full force (attorney general, bbb, local & national news outlets, and the federal trade commission) if ford doesn?t find a fair way to compensate us. the issue being the first panel being defective and cracked allowing us to drive around in a junky looking vehicle; replacing the product for $500 which still had the issue and once again we?re driving around with a junky looking vehicle; resale value has been compromised. thank you for your thoughtful consideration in hopefully resolving this issue. *tr

Went to load stuff into the back and noticed a spider crack on the plastic panel right below the rear glass panel. i have no idea how it got there but this seems to be reported by almost all 05 explorer owners and it needs to be replaced under ford's liability since it is such a common issue and not just a small amount of vehicles occurring this problem. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford explorer. the contact stated that the panel under the rear window split around the outside of the window, which extended to the ford emblem. the damage became progressively worse over time and the contact was concerned that the window could explode when she drove through a car wash. the contact also stated that heat could be a factor in the failure. in addition, the rear latch failed to engage when she attempted to close the rear window. the dealer was contacted and advised that she would be responsible for the repair costs since there were no recalls for the failure. also, the tire sensor gauge remained illuminated at all times. the tire mechanic stated that the failure was a common problem that could have been caused by the spare tire. the contact stated that she had to check the air pressure of the tires on a continual basis. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 72,000.

Liftgate plastic body panel cracked from top to bottom right side of the ford emblem/logo. *tr

Rear liftgate crack

Parked and went into grocery store. came out going to where i had parked. as i walked up to the back of my vehicle i noticed a vertical crack in the panel under the rear window. at first i thought i was at the wrong vehicle because i knew my 2005 explorer was not cracked. upon further examination,i realized this was my vehicle. i have seen another explorer around town with a vertical crack in the same spot. seems to me this just might be a design problem. believe ford motor should repair at no cost. *tr *js

Noticed crack from top to bottom of rear body panel applique along side of ford emblem. *tr

The paint in the valleys on the roof has all flaked off and is rusting. problem with the paint. i purchased this vehicle 2 years ago and first noticed it last year. *tr

The rear hatch has cracked next to the emblem. i'm certain that water gets inside when washed or it rains. now that i'm paying attn many explorers have one or more cracks. *tr

The panel under the back lift window next to the emblem is cracked all the way across just like every one else's have done i wish they would fix it but that may not happen all the cars i have owned since i got my license have been ford my first car was a 1955 2 door i still have it i guess the warranty is no good on it either. *tr

Found a crack on the rear liftgate right around the ford emblem. after mentioning it to a friend, turns out she had the same problem with her explorer and a search online shows many others have had the same issue with this model year. *tr

While sitting in my driveway in a parked position, the upper tailgate panel, directly to the right and running right next to the oval ford emblem, a 1/4" wide crack that runs vertically on the back panel appeared. this upper panel of the tailgate also opens up just the window part of the tailgate. the tailgate on this explorer can open up two ways. one way being the entire tailgate is lifted so that it is open like for a dog to jump in and is then level with the interior back part (with the seats down), and it also opens up with just the window part which is where the crack is. this crack is so wide that it allows moisture, snow, water, rain, salt, etc. to seep into the components which house the electrical and tail light, stop lamps and turn signals. it also compromises the body structure and safety features. there are thousands of complaints of this happening as i did a google search. this is clearly a defect in manufacturing and/or parts or components and because of the large number of complaints, the manufacturer should issue a recall notice. at the time of this occurrence, my back tailgate was facing west with the sun shining on it. could it have something to do with the components shrinking and expanding? i have pictures of this issue that i can e-mail to you. updated 9/13/12 *cn updated 09/20/12

Rear liftgate panel under window 10 inch crack in middle. glass loose. *kb

Despite my maintaining the vehicle in perfect condition, like many other ford explorers, mine developed a crack along the ford logo on the rear lift gate, running from the window to the bottom of the lift gate. temperatures have not been extreme in our area, yet the crack appeared within a time frame of 5 hours. ford motor company should be held responsible for this obvious defect in the explorers. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford explorer. the contact stated that while parked the panel below the rear window of the tailgate of the vehicle was split. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated the vehicle was not under any recall. the vehicle was not repaired. the vehicle was not seen by a technician or mechanic. the approximate failure mileage was 65,000 and the current mileage was 68,292.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford explorer. the contact stated that the exterior plastic trim of the liftgate glass was cracked. the dealer advised the contact that the failure was common. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 87,000 and the current mileage was 89,000.

Cracked rear door panel just below the window, in the middle of the ford emblem. may cause rear window to fall out unexpectedly. ford is aware of the defect but refuses to recall and fix it. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford explorer. the contact noticed a crack on the rear liftgate near the manufacturing emblem. neither the dealer nor the manufacturer offered any assistance since there were no recalls for the vehicle. the vehicle was not repaired. the current and failure mileages were 56,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford explorer. the contact stated that there was rust on the rear passenger's side fender. the contact was unaware of what caused the rust so the contact took the vehicle to the dealer. the dealer did not state what caused the rust but stated that the rear passenger's side fender needed to be replaced with new metal. the contact did not have the rear passenger side fender replaced. the failure mileage was 105,000.

Very large crack in the rear lift gate from top to bottom like 1 foot long and 3/16 wide close to the ford logo. *tr

Nothing that i am aware of happened. i was walking behind the vehicle in my drive way and noticed a long crack below the glass on the liftgate. as the weeks went on it kept cracking and now it is almost cracked all the way. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford explorer . the contact stated that the hatch back panel was cracked. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who advised that the failure was a manufacturing design flaw. as a result, the panel needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 62,000. updated 12/06/11*lj updated 12/12/11

I have a 2005 ford explorer and there is a crack in the back on the hatch this is not only on my vehicle there are many out there from the year 2000 and up that have the same crack in the back this should have been recalled i call ford about this and they are telling me that i have to contact the nhsm i feel that i am getting the run around there are so many ford explorers out there with this same thing i feel that ford should fix this. *tr

On friday, 8/12/11, at approximately 5:30 pm, i noted an approximately 2" long crack on the rear hatch panel, located just above and beside the ford emblem. as of this past monday, 8/15/11, this crack has now extended all the way across the panel. i have had this vehicle for 3 years without any type of body damage or accidents. this is not an area where another vehicle would have hit mine. as far as i know, this just appeared with no reason. i have done extensive research on the internet and noted this is a common problem with this year, make and model of ford and is apparently based on defective glue. i contacted a local ford company and was advised that this is not under warranty.

Right next to the ford emblem a crack developed. it's on the rear glass hatch and runs from the top of the fiberglass panel to the bottom. the panel keeps expanding and contracting with the crack going from just a slight line to a 3/16" gap! definitely a manufacturer defect. i've seen many other explorers with the same issue. the truck was in perfect condition when it appeared and ford says that it's not their problem. too bad your warranty has run out! poor design that ford should fix for the money we have given them for the vehicle. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford explorer. the contact stated the rear liftgate was cracked underneath the window and extended to the bottom of the gate on the left side of the emblem. the crack had become progressively worse over time. the dealer informed the contact that the failure was a design flaw and if it was repaired, it would probably crack again. the current mileage was 99,992.

Crack at back glass running down the car left of ford emblem. glass could fall out. *js

The rear lift window started cracking multiple times and the open button stopped activating.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford explorer. the contact stated that the rear hatchback door was fractured where the window ended and where the manufacturing symbol was located. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer or mechanic to be repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 85,000.

My 2005 rear panel underneath window cracked by the emblem. *tr

While driving my 2005 ford explorer, i pulled out from an intersection and had not reached the speed limit yet when the rear window exploded then causing both struts to the hatch to extend and therefore break the entire framework of the rear hatch. this window was in good condition with no prior cracks in it and there were no other vehicles any around me when this happened. ford has taken no responsibility to this and i am forced to pay out of pocket for this expense. *tr

My 2005 ford explorer has a large vertical crack in the rear panel. i have seen this in dozens of vehicles with similar body styles, for refuses to fix the problem and gave me a quote of $472. *tr

The ford explorer from the mid-2000s is starting to show multiple defects. ford co. advised owners to report these problems through this complaint form because as of now they are not doing anything to recall the defects. the back panel below the back window cracks vertically right near the ford emblem. some cars have multiple cracks. the majority of this type of ford explorer body type are showing the crack. it happens around the 5 year mark. i believe it is due to freeze/thaw happening at the back window, which then cracks the body. it is an expensive repair job and owners are advised to not even bother because it will happen again. it appears abruptly and is disconcerting to see this suddenly and for no personal reason happen to your car due to bad design. newer explorers have been redesigned so it doesn't happen. the second defect which is happening now to many explorer owners at the 5 year mark is the failure of the heating system. the damper flap starts clicking non-stop and there is no heat. again the repair is expensive because the entire dashboard has to be taken off to repair. these defects are widely discussed on the internet and this is the only real formal way to document them. the ford explorer has proven to be a real lemon, full of design defects and a real disappointment.

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford explorer. the contact stated the back tailgate was cracked. the dealer was contacted and advised the contact to call the nhsta hotline since there were no recalls or valid warranty for the failure. the manufacturer confirmed that there were no recalls or warranties related to the failure and offered no assistance. the failure mileage was 78,000.

The rear liftgate cracked from the bottom up to and around the ford emblem all the way to the rear window. i called the dealer and was told that this a very common problem and that there was no recall so i would have to pay for the repair. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford explorer. the contact stated that the structure underneath the tailgate cracked under the window. the contact called the dealer and the manufacturer and was advised that the crack was cosmetic and not considered a safety issue; therefore, there was nothing they could do. the contact stated that if the pieces fall off of the vehicle while driving a crash could occur. the failure mileage was 87,000.

Crack in the rear hatch panel caused by a defect in the design of the vehicle known by ford motor company but no recall issued. *tr

I noticed the plastic trim panel below my rear hatch glass cracked in half after getting my truck washed at a touchless car wash!! i've noticed hundreds of complaints across the internet about this, so it doesn't seem this is a random occurrence. *tr

After coming back from a vacation to the airport to get my car, i noticed the tailgate of my blue 2005 explorer xlt was cracked all the way through with a 8" long crack from the bottom of the glass to the bottom of the tailgate. after a brief internet search, it turns out that this is a widespread problem that ford knows about, which they refuse to do anything about. i even have a ford full-extended warranty that covers everything and they still refuse to do anything. the repair will be $400-$500, which i am not going to pay for. it's a ford design flaw, they knew it back in 2002, yet continued to produce explorers with the same defect for three or more years. the safety issue is that the tailgate piece is broken and can come flying of the vehicle at anytime. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford explorer limited. the contact stated that the vehilce's rear hatch plastic molding was cracked. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer collision center for inspection, and they advised that there was not a safety recall related to the defect. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 97,000.

Electrical system , body structure , gas pedal. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford explorer. the vehicle was parked when he noticed that there was a large crack that extended from the window to the lift gate. the vehicle was not inspected or repaired. the failure and current mileages were 60,000.