NHTSA Complaint #10370419 — 2002 FORD EXPLORER

ON THE AFTERNOON OF DEC. 10, 2010 AT APPROXIMATELY 2:45 PM I NOTICED A LARGE CRACK ON THE REAR PANEL OF MY '02 FORD EXPLORER - EDDIE BAUER ED. I HAD ASSUMED THAT THIS WAS VANDALISM AND REPORTED IT TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. ON MONDAY I GOOGLED THE DESCRIPTION OF THE DAMAGE TO MY VEHICLE AND COME TO FIND OUT THAT IT WAS ACTUALLY A DEFECT IN FORD EXPLORERS - '02 - '04. I CONTACTED THE FORD COMPANY WHO TOOK MY COMPLAINT AND REFERRED ME TO MY NEAREST FORD DEALERSHIP. IN SPEAKING WITH THE REP AT THE DEALERSHIP THEY INFORMED ME THAT THIS WAS NOT A "SAFETY DEFECT" AND THEY COULD NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. I WAS TOLD THAT THE ESTIMATED COST WOULD BE BETWEEN $450-500. I ALSO READ THAT BACK IN 2006 WHEN THIS DEFECT OCCURRED THAT FORD WAS PROVIDING A "SPECIAL ASSISTANCE OUT-OF-WARRANTY" ON EXPLORERS WHERE THEY WOULD PAY ALL BUT $100. NOW APPARENTLY SINCE JAN. 2007 THEY HAVE STOPPED THIS AND NOT THE OWNERS ARE TO PAY FOR THE FULL COST OF THE REPAIR. I DO NOT SEE THIS AS BEING FAIR DUE TO THE FACT THIS DAMAGED WAS NOT DUE TO MY OWN DOING OR ANOTHER PARTY. FORD SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS REPAIR IF NOT ALL, AT LEAST HALF. *TR