NHTSA Complaint #10568568 — 2004 LINCOLN AVIATOR

AS I WAS EXITING A STORE AND WALKING TOWARD MY VEHICLE, I NOTICED WHAT LOOKED LIKE A BLACK STREAK ON THE BACK OF MY LIFTGATE. WHEN I WAS CLOSER, I SAW THAT IT WAS A CRACK IN THE BACK OF THE LIFT GATE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE EMBLEM OF THE VEHICLE FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE BACK WINDOW TO THE BOTTOM OF THE LIFT GATE. THIS CRACK WAS NOT THERE WHEN I PARKED THE VEHICLE TO ENTER THE GROCERY STORE BECAUSE I HAD TO WALK AROUND THE BACK OF THE VEHICLE TO MAKE MY WAY INTO THE STORE AND ALWAYS LOOK AT THE BACK END TO MAKE SURE THAT I HAD PULLED IN FAR ENOUGH FOR OTHERS TO PASS. AT FIRST, I THOUGHT THAT SOMEONE HAD BACKED INTO MY VEHICLE BUT THERE WERE NO OTHER MARKS, DENTS, SCUFFS, ETC. I WAS CURIOUS TO FIND OUT WHAT WOULD HAVE CAUSED THIS AND FOUND THAT THIS SAME CRACK HAS OCCURRED TO MANY OTHER OWNERS OF LINCOLN AVIATORS AND WELL AS FORD EXPLORERS AND MERCURY MOUNTAINEERS. FURTHER RESEARCH HAS INDICATED THAT THIS FRACTURE WAS, IN FACT, A DESIGN FLAW THAT WAS NOT ADDRESSED AT THE TIME OF MANUFACTURE. SO DISAPPOINTED. *TR