NHTSA Complaint #10078541 — 2002 FORD EXPLORER

RETURNING HOME ONE SUNDAY EVENING FROM GROCERY SHOPPING WITH MY GRAND-DAUGHTERS(AGES 4 AND 5),I REMOVED THEM FROM THE VEHICLE AND SENT THEM IN THE HOUSE, WHILE MY TEENAGE SON AND I UNLOADED THE GROCERIES. AFTER THE LAST OF THE GROCERIES WERE REMOVED, MY SON STARTED TO CLOSE THE LIFTGATE GLASS. AS I STOOD NEXT TO HIM, THE LIFTGATE GLASS HAD ONLY MADE IT HALFWAY DOWN ,WHEN THERE WAS AN EXPLOSION .THE LIFTGATE GLASS HAD DISINTEGRATED AS IF SHOT WITH A GUN. AT THE TIME OF THIS INCIDENT, I HAD THE EXPLORER BACKED INTO THE GARAGE. SO WHEN THE GLASS EXPLODED,IT FLEW OUTWARD TOWARDS US ,AS WELL AS INWARD INTO THE VEHICLE. THE NEXT DAY, I DROVE THE EXPLORER BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP WITH THE LIFTGATE GLASS MISSING. I WAS FORTUNATE TO STILL BE UNDER WARRANTY, BUT WHEN I ASKED THE FORD SERVICE ADVISOR TO CONFIRM THAT THIS PROBLEM WILL BE COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY, HE WAS NOT REASSURING. NOT HAVING THAT CONFIRMATION THAT THE DEALERSHIP WAS GOING TO COVER THIS UPSET ME GREATLY. I WAS CALLED BY THE DEALERSHIP LATER THAT DAY (MONDAY), ONLY TO TRY TO PERSUADE ME TO AGREE TO $500 DOLLARS WORTH OF MAINTENANCE, UNRELATED TO THE LIFTGATE PROBLEM. IN THIS SAME CALL, THE SERVICE ADVISOR DID CONFIRM THAT THE DEALERSHIP WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM.TWO DAYS HAVE GONE BY, AND I HAVEN'T HEARD FROM THE DEALERSHIP SO I CALLED AND FOUND OUT THEY HAD ORDERED A NEW LIFTGATE GLASS AND WOULD REPLACE IT. HOWEVER, BY THE END OF THE WEEK (FRIDAY), I CALLED THEM AGAIN,SINCE NO ONE WAS CALLING ME WITH UPDATES AND WAS TOLD BY THE SERVICE ADVISOR THAT THEY WILL HAVE TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE LIFTGATE DOOR. AND BECAUSE OF THIS THEY WILL HAVE TO KEEP THE VEHICLE FOR A FEW MORE DAYS, SINCE THEY NOW WILL HAVE TO PAINT THE NEW LIFTGATE DOOR TO MATCH THE COLOR OF THE VEHICLE. AT THIS WRITING,THE DEALERSHIP HAS HAD THE VEHICLE FOR OVER A WEEK NOW. I DON'T HAVE AN ACCURATE ACCOUNT OF WHAT WAS SPECIFICALLY CHANGED (I.E. PARTS), BUT I WILL INSIST ON A DETAILED LIST OF WHAT WAS DONE AND WHY. PE04045. *AK