2004 FORD EXPLORER Equipment Problems

WHILE REMOVING GROCERY BAGS FROM THE REAR OF MY 2004 FORD EXPLORER XLT, THE LEFT LIFTGATE HINGE SNAPPED AND THE WINDOW HALF OF THE REAR LIFTGATE DOOR CAME APART LEAVING THE LEFT SIDE OF THE DOOR STILL ATTACHED TO THE HYDRAULIC LIFTGATE BAR BUT OTHERWISE DANGLING AND UNSUPPORTED. THEN I COULD NOT SHUT THE DOOR SO WE PROPPED IT WITH PILLOWS TO EASE THE STRESS ON THE LEFT SIDE. I HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE LIFTGATE HYDRAULIC BAR COLLAPSING ON MY PRIOR FORD EXPLORER BUT THOSE REPAIRS WERE COVERED UNDER A RECALL. THIS MORNING FORD DENIED THERE WAS A RECALL FOR MY PRESENT VEHICLE AND REFUSED TO PROVIDE ANY INFORMATION ON PRIOR RECALLS INVOLVING THE SAME LIFTGATE APPARATUS FAILURE THAT OCCURRED TO MY 2004 MODEL. I CALLED THE FORD DEALER WHO SAID THEY WOULD HAVE TO CHARGE ME FOR TOWING TO BRING MY SUV FOR REPAIR THERE. MY LOCAL REPAIR SHOP...

I HAVE A 2004 FORD EXPLORER WHICH WHILE DRIVING LAST YEAR I WAS TOLD THAT MY HUB ASSEMBLY ON MY DRIVER'S SIDE WAS BAD AND THAT I NEEDED TO REPLACE IT. I REPLACED IT WITH A HUB ASSEMBLY FROM ADVANCE AUTO PARTS IN JAN 2010. I JUST HAD TO REPLACE THIS PART AGAIN IN DEC 2010. I LOST BREAKS. I ALSO HAVE A HORRIBLE JERKING WHEN I AM BACKING UP FROM A TIGHT SPOT AND THE WHEELS ARE TURNED SHARPLY. MY DOOR AJAR LIGHT AND ALL INTERIOR LIGHTS DO NOT GO OFF WHEN THE DOOR IS OPENED OR THE VEHICLE IS CRANKED UNLESS I TURN THE INTERIOR LIGHT SWITCH TO THE OFF POSITION AND BACK TO THE ON WHEN THE DOORS OPEN POSITION. I HAVE HAD THE ELECTRICAL ISSUE REVIEWED TWICE IN THE PAST. I HAVE HAD THE JERKING LOOKED AT WITH NO REASON GIVEN MORE THAN ONCE. I HAD...

I TAKE VERY GOOD CARE OF MY 2004 FORD EXPLORER. WHEN I WAS HAND WASHING IT I NOTICED A CRACK IN MY BACK HATCH. *TR

MY CONCERN IS IN REGARD TO AN ONGOING PROBLEM THAT MY VEHICLE AND THOUSANDS OF OTHERS LIKE IT HAVE; THE LACK OF SAFETY ONE MAY BE FACED WITH IF THE REAR ON THESE VEHICLES FAIL DUE TO SUBSTANDARD PARTS USED IN THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL ON THE FORD SUV'S AND F-150'S. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE COSTLY REPAIR THAT IS REQUIRED THE MANUFACTURE WILL NOT HONOR AFTER THE BASIC WARRANTY IS OVER EVEN THOUGH THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM. ON THESE VEHICLES. I WAS TOLD TODAY THAT IF I CONTINUE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO THE POINT OF COMPLETE FAILURE I RISK THE VEHICLES BACK WHEELS LOCKING UP. MY QUESTION TO THE NHTSA IS WHY HAS THERE NOT BEEN A RECALL ON THESE VEHICLES KNOWING THAT THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM IN THE DRIVETRAIN OF THESE VEHICLES. I HAVE 79K ON MY VEHICLE AND A FRIEND HAD THEIR REAR DIFFERENTIAL REPLACED...

OF THE NUMEROUS ISSUES WITH THIS VEHICLE, THE WORST IS THE TRANSMISSION (40,000 MILES ). SAME OLD STORY. STARTED WITH CLUNKING AND HESITATION AND SURGING WHEN SHIFTING INTO REVERSE AND NOW IS 'CLUNKING' INTO GEARS 2 AND 3 DURING NORMAL DRIVING. THE REAR DRIVERS SIDE WINDOW MOTOR HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE. THE REAR WINDOW PANEL HAS A VERTICAL CRACK TO THE LEFT OF THE FORD SYMBOL THAT JUST MYSTERIOUSLY OCCURRED EVEN THOUGH WE DON'T EVEN USE THE WINDOW. THE TRUCK STALLS WHEN THE CRUISE CONTROL IS APPLIED BELOW 45 MILES AN HOUR. MY WIFE AND I REALLY LOVED THIS TRUCK BUT LIKE MANY OTHERS WE HAVE BECOME EMBARRASSED BY OUR PURCHASE. IF THIS KIND OF FRAUD WERE TO OCCUR WITH ANY OTHER PRODUCT WE WOULD HAVE SOME SORT OF RECOURSE BUT NOT SURPRISINGLY THE MOTOR COMPANY'S SEEM TO ENJOY A CERTAIN LEVEL OF PROTECTION. THE 'BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU' WON'T EVEN...

I OWN A 2004 FORD EXPLORER ON 7/14/2008 I TOOK IT TO THE FORD DEALER SHIP DUE TO MY O/D LIGHT FLASHING. I WAS TOLD I WOULD NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION $3,200.00 DOLLARS SO THEY REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION,I PICKED UP MY EXPLORER ON 7/28/2004 AND ONLY DROVE IT 30 MILES AND THE O/D LIGHT BEGAN FLASHING AGAIN AND THE TRANSMISSION WAS NOT PASSING GEARS. NOW THIS IS A NEW TRANSMISSION THE DEALER SHIP WAS CONTACTED AND THEY NOW HAVE MY VEHICLE AGAIN SO NOW I WILL HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE WHAT THE OUT COME IS AGAIN. *TR

MY 2004 FORD EXPLORER HAD TO HAVE THE COMPLETE REAR END FIXED. IT HAS ONLY 40,000 MILES AND SHOULD NEVER HAVE HAD TO REPAIR THIS PART OF A AUTOMOBILE. ESPECIALLY A 2004. THE REPAIR SHOP SAID THEY HAVE NEVER HAD TO REPAIR A REAR END AND THEY HAVE BEEN IN BUSINESS FOR 30 YEARS. THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING WRONG THAT FORD DID TO MY VEHICLE TO HAVE THIS BREAK THIS SOON. IT COST ME OVER $1200 OF WHICH WE ARE ON A FIXED INCOME. WE HAD TO SELL THINGS, BORROW MONEY WITH INTEREST AND WITH MY HUSBAND SO VERY ILL THAT HIS MEDICINE FOR 7 PILLS EVERY THREE MONTHS IS OVER $700 A 3 MONTH. SOMEONE HAD TO MAKE A MISTAKE. I HAVE DRIVEN FORDS SINCE I STARTED DRIVE OVER SEVERAL YEARS AGO. MATTER OF FACT THE FIRST CAR I DROVE WAS THE FORD PUSH BUTTON. PLEASE FIND OUT...

I HAVE TAKEN MY FORD EXPLORER (2004 XLT V8 4WD) TO THE DEALERSHIP FOUR TIMES TO HAVE THE DIFFERENTIAL FLUID THAT IS LEAKING FIXED. I HAVE SPENT ABOUT $800 GETTING IT FIXED, NOT TO MENTION THE GAS THAT IT TAKES TO GET THERE AND BACK AND EACH TIME I PULL IN MY DRIVEWAY AND LOOK OUT TO SEE IT STILL LEAKING. AFTER THE SECOND TIME THAT I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP, THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT LADY TOLD ME THAT THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHY IT WAS LEAKING AND THAT THEY WERE GOING TO HAVE TO CONTACT FORD TO SEE IF IT WAS A RECURRING PROBLEM--AND OF COURSE IT IS---AND THEY HAD TO ORDER A DIFFERENT PART (THAT IS STILL NOT WORKING) TO FIX IT. COULDN'T THEY HAVE KNOWN THAT IN THE BEGINNING? NOW THEY ARE TELLING ME THAT IF THIS DOESN'T WORK THEY ARE JUST GOING TO HAVE TO REPLACE...

HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/FORD/EXPLORER/2004/TRANSMISSION/TRANSMISSION_SLIPPING_SHIFTS_HARD.SHTML. VIEW THIS WEBSITE. I TOO HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AT 10000 MILES. I HAD THE VEHICLE SERVICED, AND AM NOW EXPERIENCING A SLIGHT HESITATION WHEN BACKING AGAIN. THIS NEEDS TO BE LOOKED AT. I DID NOT REALIZE THE WIDESPREAD PROBLEM UNTIL I SAW THE RECENT COMPLAINTS ON THIS WEB-SITE FOR THIS VEHICLE'S YEAR/MAKE/MODEL. THIS WA S A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE. *AK

WHEN THE EXPLORER IS PUT IN REVERSE IT TAKES UP TO 5 SECONDS TO ENGAGE AND THEN JERKS BACKWARDS AFTER MAKING A LARGE CLUNKING NOISE. U JOINTS AND WHEEL BEARINGS HAVE BEEN REPLACED, BUT PROBLEM STILL OCCURS.

CAR WAS PARKED IN A DRIVEWAY WITH REAR WINDOW TOWARDS GARAGE DOOR. THE BACK WINDOW OF THE CAR ALONG WITH A PIECE OF THE ACTUAL DOOR EXPLODED OFF. THE PIECE OF THE DOOR FLEW UP INTO THE AIR AND CAME CRASHING BACK DOWN ONTO THE CAR. THEIR WAS GLASS EVERYWHERE. HAD ANYONE BEEN FACING THE CAR IT COULD HAVE CAUSED SOME SERIOUS BODILY INJURY. OR HAD THE CAR BEEN IN MOTION ANYONE INSIDE THE CAR COULD HAVE BEEN HURT OR ANYONE DRIVING BEHIND COULD HAVE BEEN HURT.*AK