2002 FORD EXPLORER Structurebodyhatchbackliftgate Problems

112 NHTSA complaints on file

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All Structurebodyhatchbackliftgate Complaints — Page 3

#10106221 | January 12, 2005

PLASTIC BODY PIECE UNDER REAR GLASS ON DOOR CRACKED DUE TO STRESS. BROKE WHILE DRIVING DOWN ROAD. NO IMPACT. *AK

#10105716 | January 4, 2005

FORD EXPLORER, 2002. STRESS CRACK (ABOUT ONE EIGHTH INCH WIDE, SEVEN INCHES LONG) IN FRAME BELOW REAR HATCH WINDOW, TO THE LEFT OF THE FORD NAME PLATE. CRACK OCCURED WITHOUT ANY EXTERNAL FORCE BEING APPLIED (NO COLLISION, NOT STRUCK BY FOREIGN OBJECT, ETC.) THE FRAME IS SIMPLY NOT ABLE TO CARRY THE WEIGHT OF THE GLASS WINDOW. CONSEQUENTLY, THE REAR GLASS WINDOW APPEARS TO BE IN DANGER OF FALLING OUT. THIS IS THE IDENTICAL PROBLEM AS REPORTED AT WWW.NHTSA.DOT.GOV IN OID NUMBERS: 10049180, 10052830, 10052901, 10053989, 10079762, 10104457, 10105660. IN EACH CASE, NEITHER THE DEALER NOR FORD WOULD FIX THE DEFECTIVE WINDOW FRAME. AND LIKEWISE, THEY WILL NOT FIX THE ONE ON MY VEHICLE, EVEN THOUGH I HAVE AN EXTENDED WARRENTY IN EFFECT. AN INDIVIDUAL IN THE BODY SHOP AT MY DEALER SAID THAT HE HAS RECENTLY SEEN ABOUT A DOZEN SIMILAR PROBLEMS.*AK

#10104457 | December 24, 2004

THE PANEL ON THE REAR LIFTGATE WHICH CONTAINS THE FORD EMBLEM CRACKED FOR NO REASON AND I WAS INFORMED BY 2 DEALERSHIPS THAT IT HAS HAPPENED MANY TIMES IN THE PAST TO SIMILAR FORD VEHICLES BUT THAT THEY WILL NOT REPAIR MINES BECAUSE IT HAS OVER 36,000 MILES ON IT, BUT MY COMPLAINT IS THAT IT IS A FACTORY DEFECT AND THE AMOUNT OF MILES SHOULD NOT MATTER TOWARDS FORD REPAIRING THIS DEFECT.*AK

#10088368 | August 22, 2004

1) I OPENED THE TOP PART OF THE LIFT GATE, AND LEFT IT OPEN 2) I HEARD A LOUD CRASH, WHILE NOBODY WAS WITHIN 15 FEET OF THE VEHICLE. THE WINDOW HAD CATASHROPHIC FAILURE, AND LAID ON THE GROUND IN PIECES. IT APPEARS THAT THE WEIGHT OF THE LIFT GATE WAS TOO INTENSE FOR THE STRENGTH OF THE GLASS. 3)IT HAPPENED YESTERDAY, AND HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED YET.*JB

#10081376 | July 6, 2004

REAR HATCH BACK WINDOW SHATTERED WHEN OPENED. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK DUP OF 10079152.PCO

#10078762 | June 24, 2004

LIFTGATE GLASS APPLIQUE CRACKED. I NOTIFIED THE FORD DEALERSHIP, AND THEY TOLD ME THAT BECAUSE MY CAR WAS NO LONGER COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, FORD WOULD NOT REPLACE THIS ITEM. I EXPLAINED TO THEM THAT THIS WAS A STRUCTURAL DEFECT, AND THAT I DID NOTHING TO CAUSE THE PLASTIC TO CRACK. THEY WERE VERY UNSYMPATHETIC TO MY NEEDS. THIS IS A TWO YEAR-OLD CAR, AND I FEEL THAT IF THEY DO NOT FIX THIS PROBLEM, BY BACK WINDOW WILL NOT BE SECURE, THEREFORE CAUSING YET ANOTHER PROBLEM FOR ME. THE SERVICE MANAGER TOLD ME THAT HE HAS SEEN A NUMBER OF EXPLORER'S COME IN WITH THE EXACT SAME DEFECT. THIS CRACK HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MILEAGE OR ABUSE TO THE CAR. I FEEL THAT FORD SHOULD REPLACE AND REPAIR THIS DEFECT AT NO CHARGE TO ME, AND ISSUE A RECALL ON THIS MODEL.*AK

#10062877 | March 10, 2004

GLASS LIFT HATCH OPENS WHILE DRIVING. *AK REAR DOOR LIFTGATE INTERMITTENTLY UNLATCHES AND UNLOCKS WHILE VEHICLE WAS MOVING. DEALER MADE FOUR ATTEMPTS TO FIX PROBLEM. FORD WEREN'T ABLE TO FIND OUT THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. *LA

#10053989 | January 13, 2004

THE CONSUMER COMPLAINED ABOUT A REAR HATCH BACK WINDOW PROBLEM. THERE WAS A CRACK AT THE BASE OF THE WINDOW APPROXIMATELY 8 INCHES WIDE. *AK *SC

#10052901 | January 12, 2004

I HAVE A CRACK DOWN THE BACK HATCH OF MY EXPLORER. IT EXTENDS FROM UNDERNEATH THE BACK WINDOW TO THE LATCH OF THE BACK DOOR. IT DEVELOPED WITHOUT INCIDENT AND STEADILY WIDENS ON A DAILY BASIS. *LA

#10052830 | January 11, 2004

FOUND STRESS CRACK IN REAR HATCH...GOES FROM THE BOTTOM OF GLASS TO THE BOTTOM OF THE HATCH...THIS IS A DANGEROUS PROBLEM THAT SOMEONE ELSE REPORTED TO YOU ON YOUR SITE. THIS IS A DEFECT THAT COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT OR INJURY SINCE THE GLASS MAY DISLODGE AND CREATE A ACCIDENT...BRINGING TO DEALER TO GET FIXED.*AK PANEL CRACKED (VERTICAL) DOWN TRIM PLATE. COLD TEMP CONTRACTION. PURCHASED 08/02. 04/02 DOB. NEW DESIGN

#10049180 | December 4, 2003

I PURCHASED A 2002 FORD EXPLORER. THE REAR HATCH HAS CRACKED OPENING APPROXIMATELY 1/16 INCH WIDE THROUGH THE HATCH BELOW THE WINDOW APPROXIMATELY. 5 INCHES LONG. FORD HAS AGREED TO REPAIR UNDER WARRANTY BY GLUING THE CRACK. AS I HAVE SEEN NUMEROUS INJURIES FROM OTHER CRACKED HATCHES, I WANT FORD TO REPLACE THE HATCH NOT JUST GLUE A REPAIR. THEY HAVE REFUSED. *NLM

#10044214 | October 17, 2003

THE HALF WAY CARGO GLASS EXPLODED WHILE CONSUMER OPENED THE DOOR. TECHNICIAN STATED IT WAS RELATED TO NHTSA RECALL 01I010000. VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: 2002 FORD EXPLORER AND MERCURY MOUNTAINEER SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES. THE BRACKETS CONNECTING THE LEFT CYLINDERS TO EACH SIDE OF THE LIFTGATE GLASS COULD ROTATE OUT OF POSITION IF EITHER THE URETHANE BOND OR TORQUE ARE NOT SUFFICIENT. THIS WAS NOT A SAFETY RECALL; HOWEVER, IT WAS DEEMED AS A SAFETY IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN BY NHTSA. *AK DUP_PCO

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