NHTSA Complaint #10325167 — 2005 LINCOLN AVIATOR

I NOTICED A CRACK ALONG THE REAR HATCHDOOR LIFT GATE ALONG THE BEZEL OR EMBLEM THAT RUNS VERTICALLY DOWN THE LIFT GATE, IT WAS BOUGHT TO MY ATTENTION FORM OTHER AVIATOR OWNERS WITH THE SAME EXACT DEFECT ON THEIR REAR HATCH DOOR LIFTGATES, THAT THIS IS A DEFECT ALL AVIATOR HAVE. I STARTED TO NOTICE OTHER AVIATOR AND SURE ENOUGH THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME CRACK, MY NEIGHBOR WAS ABLE TO DET HIS FIXED WITH THE LINCOLN DEALER IN PEMBROKE PINES, WHO ACKNOWLEDGES THIS AS BEING A COMMON DEFECT. ALTHOUGH I WENT TO THE DEALER, AND THEY WERE WILLING TO COVER PART OF THE COST, BUT I WILL STILL BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR A PORTION, I FELT THIS SHOULD NOT BE MY RESPONSIBILITY BUT LINCOLNS FOR THE POOR DESIGN. I ALSO DID RESEARCH ONLINE AND DID FIND OTHERS WITH THE SAME SITUATION, WITH THE CONCLUSION THAT THE DEFECT IS CAUSED BY STRESS ON THE DOOR, FROM OPENING AND CLOSING, AND MANY OF THESE CRACKED PANELS HAVE BEEN REPLACED. LINCOLN IS NOT TAKING FULL RESPONSIBILITY BECAUSE IT HAS NOT BECOME A RECALL. I THINK IT IS ABOUT TIME TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS AS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT DUE TO THE EXCESS NUMBER OF VEHICLES WITH THE SAME DEFECT GOING BACK TO 2003 MODELS. THE LINCOLN AVIATOR MODELS HAS A DEFECT ALONG THE REAR HATCH DOOR LIFT GATE, THE A STRAIGHT CRACK APPEARS AFTER. *TR