2003 ford explorer cracked rear hatch

I'm a new guy to this forum but am familiar with forums such as the one we use for our RV. It's wonderful for an auto nut like me or anybody who needs hands on advice. So.......thank you AF.
My 2005 Ford explorer recently got a crack in the top hatch panel. No hit or abuse. I think it's a faulty manufacturing Job. My body man says he has replaced ones on NEW vehicles. Any experience with this out there?
Thanks in advance....

two different types of materials glued together. when cold and you wash with hot water, it shrinks. there is a service bulletin, but not recall.

two different types of materials glued together. when cold and you wash with hot water, it shrinks. there is a service bulletin, but not recall.
Thanks for the info. I think I'll start bugging the Ford rep through my dealer. It's obviously a defect. Maybe I can stir up a small hornets nest!

I can't believe I'm the only 03 Ford owner with a cracked upper rear hatch. Maybe it WAS my wife that is the culprit. Anybody else out there? I need more ammo so I can bug the Ford Rep or my dealer.
Thanks

I'm a new guy to this forum but am familiar with forums such as the one we use for our RV. It's wonderful for an auto nut like me or anybody who needs hands on advice. So.......thank you AF.
My 2005 Ford explorer recently got a crack in the top hatch panel. No hit or abuse. I think it's a faulty manufacturing Job. My body man says he has replaced ones on NEW vehicles. Any experience with this out there?
Thanks in advance....


fmrmarine,

You are not alone. My wife got back from the grocery store two days ago, went to open the hatch and dicovers it had cracked in two places. I have never personally ever heard of such a thing happening let alon seen it. There are no indications of any type of impact it just cracked right down the middle.

Knowing how difficult Ford can be I have since taken pictures and performed some research to see if anyone else has experienced the same issue. The Explorer is 2002.

I would appreciate you updating this thread with any new updates and as I will with my dealings with Ford. This is clealy a manufacturing defect and Ford should fix it at no cost.

Thanks

Bill

fmrmarine,

You are not alone. My wife got back from the grocery store two days ago, went to open the hatch and dicovers it had cracked in two places. I have never personally ever heard of such a thing happening let alon seen it. There are no indications of any type of impact it just cracked right down the middle.

Knowing how difficult Ford can be I have since taken pictures and performed some research to see if anyone else has experienced the same issue. The Explorer is 2002.

I would appreciate you updating this thread with any new updates and as I will with my dealings with Ford. This is clealy a manufacturing defect and Ford should fix it at no cost.

Thanks

Bill
Bill,
Thanks for the reply.
I agree that Ford should pay. I happened to be at a body shop a few days ago. There was a Merc Mountaineer that they were replacing a panel on just like ours. I haven't fixed mine yet and will not until I've had the chance to get to the proper folks. Maybe now with the holidays over I will devote time to it. Seems funny that after several cold seasons that it would happen now. It was about 25 degrees when mine let go.
I'll keep you posted.

Paul

The panel on my hatch is cracked too. My car was OK when I parked it at work, but when I came back I immediately realized the panel was cracked. Nobody was able to touch it where I parked the car. I went to the dealer and they told me it was my fault. They claim I slammed the hatch shut. The hatch is a glass window. If you slam it, the window would break, since it is on the inside. The plastic is just glued on from the outside. I saw two more Explorers at the dealer with the same problem. THe dealer told me, if I think this was a material defect, I should call Ford. When I did, Ford customer service directed me back to the dealer. The plastic is glued to the glass hatch from the outside. The glass expands when its heated from the inside, or through the defroster, but the plastic doesn't. It cracks due to different expansion of both materials. I consider this a problem Ford needs to take care of, since the repair costs about $250. The mechanics at Ford and at a body shop told me this happens all the time. I will keep bugging Ford and even escalate to consumer groups if they don't want to take care of this problem.

Hello All,
:banghead:
The same thing happened to me. I have a 2002 Explorer XLT. I live in Renton, WA, about 20 minutes SE of Seattle. Our weather here for the past few days (Feb,15,16,17) has been about a low of 26 degrees Farenheit. Wednesday and Thursday morning, my vehicle was iced over, but not this morning. It felt just a lil bit warmer. Currently, the weather reads as 28 F. I stopped to get gas this morning before work, and approached my vehicle from the rear and didn't even notice it then, so I don't know if it was there at that time or not. When I arrived at work this morning I noticed that the tailgate panel that the ford "applique" is on (Just below the glass) was cracked about a couple inches from the center, with a 1/4 inch gap in between the cracks. I started thinking to myself how and when it could have happened, because there has been no impact to the rear of my vehicle. I didn't notice the crack last night when I drove it. My co-worker who was carpooling with me this morning suggested it might have something to do with the cold weather. I immediately googled "2002 Explorer cracked tailgate panel" when I got to my desk, and sure enough, there are a few forums where they are talking about the same problem. When thinking about it, it was even more weird, because there was no ice on my vehicle today, so I didn't even use my defrost, as I had Wednesday and Thursday, but i don't think it cracked until today. In my case, as I purchased my car used, I don't have warrantly coverage for it, so most likely I will have to pay out of pocket. But I am trying to find the part number for the panel, and also wanted to keep in touch with anyone else who had this problem to see how your situation is going, So I can formulate a plan of action. If you could e-mail me at rico5331@hotmail.com or PM me with any future developments, I would really appeciate it.

Thanks,

Rico

Add 2 more 2002 Explorers to this list. My bother came over yesterday and was upset because he had noticed a crack in the rear hatch just below the window (just right of the Ford symbol). We both looked at my Explorer and there was no sign of a crack. I went out to my Explorer today (26 degrees currently) and guess what.. SAME CRACK! :eek: This has to be a manufacturers defect.

Based on the previous referenced $250 estimate, I would say something has to be done. I thinkwe have the makings of a class action lawsuit if Ford does not step up and do something about this.

Has anyone been successful in getting Ford to do something about this?

Add 2 more 2002 Explorers to this list. My bother came over yesterday and was upset because he had noticed a crack in the rear hatch just below the window (just right of the Ford symbol). We both looked at my Explorer and there was no sign of a crack. I went out to my Explorer today (26 degrees currently) and guess what.. SAME CRACK! :eek: This has to be a manufacturers defect.

Based on the previous referenced $250 estimate, I would say something has to be done. I thinkwe have the makings of a class action lawsuit if Ford does not step up and do something about this.

Has anyone been successful in getting Ford to do something about this?

A little bit of internet research.....

Make sure your vehicle is actually one affected by this recall before you go, oe they will turn you away, and rightfully so. Everyone gets so upity about these things, yet they don't want to perform and due dilligence to see if they actually qualify for coverage. (not picking on you pickarw, just trying to point out that a few minutes of research would reveal what everyone is looking for here.....)

Good Luck guys (and ladies)

Safety Recall 04S20

At no charge to the vehicle owner, dealers are to replace both the right and left hand liftgate glass ball stud mounting brackets with a new design bracket. In addition, dealers are to replace both the right and left hand liftgate window hinges. This must be performed on all of the affected vehicles in your inventory as well as vehicles that have been delivered to customers.

Thank you for the feedback, I understand your point and would just like to point out that part of being on this site shows that some research would have had to have been done.

The notice that you copied into your thread applies to the hinges that attach the rear liftgate window onto the vehicle. This is not the issue discussed in this group. The issue is a cracked plastic panel just below the glass.

p.s. The hinges on my vehicle were replaced with the recall when the notice was put out a little more than a year ago.

Thank you for the feedback, I understand your point and would just like to point out that part of being on this site shows that some research would have had to have been done.

The notice that you copied into your thread applies to the hinges that attach the rear liftgate window onto the vehicle. This is not the issue discussed in this group. The issue is a cracked plastic panel just below the glass.

p.s. The hinges on my vehicle were replaced with the recall when the notice was put out a little more than a year ago.

Oops, my bad....:banghead: :eek:

I left my vechicle at an airlines parking to return home after a week on 2/24/06 and find a crack in the top panel of the rear hatch of my 2002 ford explorer. No hit or abuse to the vechicle. :disappoin The vertical crack is to the right of the ford "applique" about 1/8" wide extending from the bottom of the glass straight down hatch. :eek: I agree that this has to be a manufacturing defect. based upon what I have read regarding the other mishaps, and not sure if this plays into the cracked hatch problem. But from I was told that the weather in Detroit, Michigan on 2/22/06 the high for the day was 49 degrees and a clear sunny day with the low of 19 degrees. I will be talking with the ford dealership. if you have had any success with this problem please post a message and let everyone know.

Thanks

Hi -
The rear liftgate on my 2002 Explorer also cracked. I brought it up with the dealership when it was a small crack (when the replaced the hinges on the window for the recall) and they told me that it was a paint blemish and referred me to a body shop. Now, after driving up to the cold weather in Lake Tahoe, California, the crack has enlarged and spread into about 4 cracks - it looks TERRIBLE. The dealership told me that it'd cost $500.00 to fix since my car is now out of warantee. This feels like a runaround to me and I think that they should replace the part. Anyone know what to do or how to pursue FORD on this?
Thanks.

I recently had the same thing happened with my 2003 Explorer. One moment there was no crack and then suddenly there was a 1 inch long vertical crack to the left of the Ford Emblem from the window downward. I have not spoken to a dealer yet, but plan to. I googled and found your threads. Living in Texas, though, I would say it had to do with the heat and we recently had a cool down. This has to be a defect as I have never had a car spontaneously crack. I will keep up with your postings. If anyone has found out about a recall or warranty info, please post.

I have a 2003 Ford Explorer that I bought used three months ago with 40K miles. The tempature yesterday was 55 degrees and sunny so I took the car through the car wash. I noticed today that there is about a 2 inch crack in the rear hatch right below the window. I am seeing all of the other complaints and apparently Ford is doing nothing about this. If anyone has any information that may help please email me at kushmj@netzero.com. This is very disapointing since we now own two Ford Explorers.

I just talked to the dealership and the manager said that if the vehicle was under warranty that they would replace it. They have seen quite a few. My vehicle has 40k miles on it so I am just out of luck. He said it would cost $330 to fix. I said I hope Ford knows the imapct thsi will have on loyal customers as I have two Explorers and apparently this will be my last.

I also have a 2003 Ford Explorer with a cracked rear hatch. Took it to my dealer and was told the part would cost me $400.00 plus the Ford logo. Installation and painting would be billed at $65.00 per hour. This is rediculous when it seems obvious that Ford has a problem, not us.

OK...no body is allowed to blame the wife for the cracked panel...:nono:

We travel all over the US and our hobby over the past year is to see how many Ford/Mercury SUVs we can find with the cracked panels.

The numbers are staggering. We have a 02 Mountaineer and it too is cracked. They still only have a service bulletin out, but several body shops tell me this is a common Ford flaw.

We are trying to hold out and not fix it hoping that there will be a recall.

:banghead:

no no no

I just noticed that my wifes 2004 Exploder is cracked right at the FORD decal on the smaller hatch with the window. 22K and always garaged. It seems it appeared when we had a cold snap. I am very interested in what the dealers are saying on who is going to fix this!

Typically, a recall will only be issued if there is a safety or health hazard associated with the flaw. I don't have a current generation Explorer or Mountaineer, so I'm not sure what exactly the crack is like. From the descriptions though, I don't think it would fall into a safety or health risk category.

Don't hold your breath for a recall, but a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) or class action lawsuit may happen.

-Rod

I have an 02 XLT and just last week saw the cracks in mine. I thought someone hit it in the parking lot but I couldn't find any other dents or evidence of an accident. I went to the local Ford dealer and they said it would not be covered under warranty because I have 60K on it. I then took it to a local body shop and they told me they have repaired a bunch of Explorers with the same problem. If you have this repaired, what keeps this from happening again the next time it gets cold out. I assume the replacement part is made of the same material. Is it not?

My 2003 mercury mountaineer also has a crack in the same place as everyone elses. It was about 22 degrees out when I noticed the crack. Please let me know if anyone gets any action going from ford.

Actually, I have a 2002 Ford Explorer. I bought it new. A couple of months after I had it, I noticed a vertical crack in the rear hatch that runs from the bottom of the window all the way down to the horizontal seam. I just figured that someone may have backed into me in a parking lot and that was that, until I started noticing other Ford Explorers (amazingly many of them the same dark green as mine) driving around town with the same crack. About a year or so later, another crack appeared, about 8 inches from the initial crack. Same vertical crack, from just underneath the window down to the seam. Has anyone had any luck in pursuing this with Ford? I've not contacted my dealer or anyone about it, since I've had the vehicle for 5 years! Other than that, it's been great. It was a little disheartening, though.

I had my 2002 Explorer fixed under warrenty. Now it is cracked again. I assumed when they fixed it they would replace it with a new and improved part but seemingly, no.

I had my 2002 Explorer fixed under warrenty. Now it is cracked again. I assumed when they fixed it they would replace it with a new and improved part but seemingly, no.

I have the same thing going on with my 2004 Mountaineer. I was told it was a "known defect" by the dealer the first time it happened and this time the dealer basically says "Too Bad So Sad" you're our of warranty. They said they would check with Ford to see if they're willing to do anything but they were kind of like "Don't hold your breath".

Ok so today I noticed the same issue with my trunk-hatch clean vertical crack just to the right of the from emblem, also in NM we commonly get 75-85 degree weather during the day and 40-50 during the night. too bad it just cracked. Shouldabaddachevy instead

'02 XLS from Buffalo, N.Y. with same problem. Dealer was no help. The two cracks on mine have opened up into a gaop about 1/8" wide. Anyone know how to remove the plastic panel? I'd at least like to patch it from behind to close the gap.

this just happened in my 2002 Explorer. I love my Explorer but I'm sick of paying for defective parts. Anyone had any luck having Ford cover this for them?

Also, on carcomplaints.com, people have said they've had it fixed and it happened again... so does that mean that the TSB does not actually fix the problem?

thanks

EDIT: I found 3 TSBs on this issue:

Make : FORD Model : EXPLORER Year : 2002
Manufacturer : FORD MOTOR COMPANY
Service Bulletin Num : 03126 Date of Bulletin: JUN 23, 2003
NHTSA Item Number: 10002687
Component: STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE
Summary:
LIFTGATE GLASS APPLIQUE DAMAGED/CRACKED - SERVICE PROCEDURE. *TT


Make : FORD Model : EXPLORER Year : 2002
Manufacturer : FORD MOTOR COMPANY
Service Bulletin Num : 0485 Date of Bulletin: JAN 01, 2005
NHTSA Item Number: 10008546
Component: STRUCTURE:BODY
Summary:
LIFTGATE GLASS APPLIQUE DAMAGED/CRACKED. SERVICE PROCEDURE. *TT


Make : FORD Model : EXPLORER Year : 2002
Manufacturer : FORD MOTOR COMPANY
Service Bulletin Num : 15892 Date of Bulletin: MAY 01, 2002
NHTSA Item Number: 637771
Component: STRUCTURE:BODY
Summary:
SUBJECT REGARDING REAR LIFTGATE APPLIQUE (TRIM PANEL) CRACKS. *TT

2002 Explorer XLT, same issue as everyone else, long crack on back panel between glass and seam. Doesn't seem like the worthless people at Ford are doing anything to resolve the issue (free or paid for). Anyone have any luck with remedies? Either body shops, dealers, or at home?

I just purchased a 2002 Ford Explorer on Thursday. Friday morning I noticed a crack in the rear hatch under the window. I was searching for the part when I found this website. Now I know it is due to defective material. The salesman where I purchased the car (a Ford dealership) told me he would try to get it fixed but said not to get my hopes up. I feel Ford (the big guys) should have it fixed at no charge to me or anyone else with this problem because the part is made with defective material. If a class action suit is started for this problem I want to be included.

I also have this wonderful crack in my 2003 Explorer, mine goes all the way from the top to bottom, it is a upside down Y. I contacted the Ford Dealership today and was told this is a common problem and that it is a defect from the factory but they will only cover the repairs if it is less than 3 years old and less than 36K miles. The Ford Dealership told me that the glue that was used on these Explorers was defective glue which is letting water get behind that cover and when it gets cold and freezes, it causes this crack. I also feel they are the ones who are to blame for these defects so they should be fixing them. I was told by my insurance agent (which by the way, your insurance won't cover it because it is a manufacture defect) to contact the Zone Rep. which you can get the number to contact them from the dealership. Has anyone had any success with doing this???

I just purchased a used 2004 Explorer XLT a few days ago. I noticed that the driver side window hinge didn't look quite right, but thought nothing of it. Today I tried to open the tailgate window and the hinge fell apart and I had a heck of a time getting the window back into place. It didn't break the window, but it did upset me. I called the ford dealer about this but they only gave me a voicemail. The window locked back in place with no leaks that i found yet, it is pouring here. The hinge is now fried and should be replaced @ no charge to me. Guess I should have checked this site sooner. 2004 is the same body style as '02&'03. I didn't notice any cracks below the window yet, but the temp was 60 in Cleveland and rainy, changing to snow tommorow. We will see what happens.

I'm planning to cover the crack in my son's rear hatch with a piece of 0.5mm X11" X11" carbon fiber sheet with 3M adhseive backing that's available from protechcomposites for $21/sheet. Heck of a lot cheaper than the $400 at a body shop. Should be able to cut the carbon fiber sheet about the width of the indentation below the panel and cut out a hole for the emblem and then peel the cover off the tape and stick it in place. If there's a bit of a crack at the top of the panel under the edge of the glass, or around the emblem, this can probably be filled with silicone caulk to keep out dirt and moisture. Haven't received the carbon composite sheet yet but the stuff is real tough, not bad looking on most body colors and is workable with hand tools - Dremel tool, sand-paper, etc. If you replace the panel with a new one, what's to say it won't just crack again??? Put a carbon fiber panel over it and the panel should spread the stress and make it stronger than new.

Good Luck!

I too had the dreaded crack on the rear hatch too! I went on a cruise in October and my sister had my truck, when I got back the mysterious crack was on there. The weird thing was that she did not drive the truck while we were gone, and it was in the garage the whole time. Now that I have found this site, and seen literally hundreds of Explorers here in Texas with the same crack I know without a doubt that FORD needs to do something about the issue. It bothered me so much the I contacted the dealer. They of course knew about the frequent occurance of this problem and were not obligated to do anything because the manufacturer is not addressing the problem. I was lucky because the dealership where I purchased my vehicle from, I actually have bought 4 vehicles myself, and my family have purchased probably 10 additional vehicles, and to save my patronage to this dealership, they did fix the panel for me at no charge. But i'm sure this is the exception not the rule obviously. So far it has held up, I'm hoping that they did not use the same glue again when they did the repairs!!!!!!!!!!!!

I also have the crack on my rear lift gate, just below the window just to the right of the emblem as everyone else has mentioned but one thing is a bit different then all others thus far. My crack is on a 2005 Lincoln Aviator, even though the Aviator is basically a dressed up Explorer. One other prior post mentioned bad glue, wet/ cold weather. When I noticed my crack I was on a business trip in Orlando Florida, in and out of the rear hatch many times. The morning I first notice the crack the weather had been wet the night before and that morning was cold, low 30’s, cold for Florida anyway. Since I had been in and out of the hatch many times the day before, when I noticed the crack I knew it had happened that night / morning. The crack was so fine it first appeared to be a black head hair but when I tried to wipe it away with my finger I could tell it was a crack. One other thing, my Lincoln emblem to the left of the crack has always been “unappealing” in appearance due to what looks to be water intrusion under the clear plastic. I do believe it is a material defect and water / cold weather plays a roll. I am still under warranty and will see what my local Lincoln dealer will say, they have been great so far with my Aviator and I hope there will be no problems. I will repost after I contact my dealer.

OKAY.....so I posted a thread w/out seeing yours first but I have the exact same dilemma.........WHAT CAN WE DO? If this is a manufacturing flaw - shouldn't we as a group be able to address it with FORD?:banghead: Please count me in and let me know what any of you have done in the past about contacting the company...THANKS.
Must B Caffinated

2005 Lincoln Aviato, I went to my Local Lincoln dealer and they said they have seen many of these same cracks. They didn’t bat an eye to do repair under warranty and even gave me a rental car while repairs took place, it took about three days. As I said before my local Lincoln dealer (Roy Brown of Crystal River Fl.) has always been great and their service is a big reason I will be buying another Lincoln soon.

It wouldn't suprise me if the Lincoln service is better than Ford, even throught the same dealership. When my wife had her Passat (which she traded in for a Lincoln LS) we had coil pack issues. The same engine in the Audi A4 had a recall for the coil packs, but for the Passat, they were just addressed through a TSB, so the VW customer had to purchase the coil packs when they failed. Buy the premium model, get closer to premium service, I guess. I'm experiencing almost the opposite though, my co-worker gets better service on his Nissan than I get on my Infiniti. Plus, his dealership is local, mine is 2 hours away.

-Rod

Ok here is my problem:
I've had the same cracked rear panel problem on my 03 explorer. I had it fixed under warranty about 3 years ago but....it has been coming unglued ever since. I pulled the panel off yesterday and spent about 3 hours removing the adhesive from the lift gate. The dealer and another body-shop used is a black possibly windshield glue. Has anyone had success reattaching the panel with other products? I purchased some 2 part epoxy from an auto store but I'm apprehensive about using it? After dealing with this panel coming off and considering I have 80,000 miles on the vehicle I'd be willing to live with it cracking again and not worrying about the panel falling off on the highway.

On another note I noticed the atom smashers at ford redesigned the lift-gate on the new models and did away with the panel. The question should be who doesn't have a cracked panel on there lift-gate as opposed to who does. Every explorer I see on the road is cracked. I guess it's better than the tires blowing out and having the thing roll over...oh wait.

This has always been a common issue with these models along with all the other problems they are plagued with.

JB Weld works really good on plastic and fiberglass believe it or not. If you can get ahold of the LORD MFG product called "Fusor", then use it instead.

Hello,

I have a 2003 Ford Explorer with the same problem. I came out to my car and it was cracked. I called the 800 number that Ford gave me to call and they told me to take it to the nearest Ford Dealership and have it evaluated. I did and the guy there said I have seen a lot of Ford's with this problem but there is no recall and the part is 6 grand...I was shocked. My sister who lives in AZ also has the same crack. I was driving by a house yesterday and took a picture of one in a garage with the same crack...I'm shocked that Ford wont' fix this...I told them that I'm going to the news with this...I'm going to contact the Turko Files tomorrow..

A. Mobley

Hello All - New to this forum _ found you all after researching the cracked rear hatch on my wife's 2004 Ford Explorer - now I see that many others have the same problem.

I am looking for others with the same problem in S. Florida for a potential class action lawsuit against Ford - they are dragging their feet on making repairs to my wife's vehicle and I have had enough with their delays.

Please send me an email if you are interested in joining a class action lawsuit to be filed here in SE Florida - Broward County

Thanks,

Ted Galatis

You wouldn't happen to be a lawyer would you? Does anyone involved in a class action lawsuit actually "win" other than the lawyers?

Hmmm, would you be the Vice Mayor (http://www.wiltonmanors.com/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={45814A9F-0AF6-4CFC-B6BC-3683C285710A}&DE={926D01B8-CE41-4296-8FF0-A96170F83D0A}) from Broward County?

-Rod

Rod, yes on both counts - I have never handled a class action, but I was thinking that it may be worthwhile to do so, for all parties involved (except Ford, that is). Or I may be able to shop it to someone who does handle class actions, if there is an interest. I just can't see letting Ford get away with not accepting responsibility, if it is in fact a design/manufacturing defect (which I am not certain if it is). What do you think?

I don't know all the specifics of the cracks and have not seen an independent failure analysis to show what the root cause of the cracking is. If it is purely cosmetic and the warranty clearly does not cover the cracked panel in those cases where the owner's panels were replaced, then I don't think it is Ford's responsibility to repair these.

That being said, fortunately I have not experienced this issue (my Mountaineer is a 2000 so not subject to the plastic panel), nor has my brother on his 2003 Explorer, and I would be frustrated if the panel cracked on my vehicle, but I also don't feel it is the responsibility of the factory to cover non-warrantied items just because they didn't last as long as some consumer's think they should. I suspect the bean counters have done the math and determined the risk of losing customers is significantly lower than the cost to replace all the affected panels and dealing with consumers who will attempt to take advantage of the voluntary recall, etc.

-Rod

Well,

Guess I am the lucky one - Ford called me today and just sent me a release in exchange for a check for $349.58 to repair the crack. Bye.

My 04 Mercury mountaineer has a crack in it as well. Near the glass on the lift gate. Pieces also separate when the weather is warm.

I don't know all the specifics of the cracks and have not seen an independent failure analysis to show what the root cause of the cracking is. If it is purely cosmetic and the warranty clearly does not cover the cracked panel in those cases where the owner's panels were replaced, then I don't think it is Ford's responsibility to repair these.

That being said, fortunately I have not experienced this issue (my Mountaineer is a 2000 so not subject to the plastic panel), nor has my brother on his 2003 Explorer, and I would be frustrated if the panel cracked on my vehicle, but I also don't feel it is the responsibility of the factory to cover non-warrantied items just because they didn't last as long as some consumer's think they should. I suspect the bean counters have done the math and determined the risk of losing customers is significantly lower than the cost to replace all the affected panels and dealing with consumers who will attempt to take advantage of the voluntary recall, etc.

-Rod



I'm sorry you cannot appreciate the frustration and anger of the people who did experience a crack on the rear panel of their Ford Explorer. I love my Explorer - this is my second one. I bought it used and the day after I got it the panel cracked. I was really upset, I hadn't had it 24 hours and already it was damaged due to no fault of mine or anyone else's (except Ford.) The dealership refused to do anything about it. I found this website and realized there are hundreds of people who have the same problem. The panel is definetly defective - if the plastic on the car cannot withstand water and cold weather something is wrong with the materials used to make it, and, yes, I think Ford should reinburse the owners who have this problem. There should have been a recall when it was apparent that this was a problem. When I or anyone else purchases an automobile we expect it to stay in the condition it was purchased in and not fall prey to poor materials or workmanship.

Elin

But that's where I have issue. Generally a recall is for a safety issue. Where's the safety concern due to a cracked appearance cover? I don't disagree that it would be extremely frustrating to experience such a crack. This though is similar to the beds of late '80's Toyota pickups rusting out before the cabs, and probably prematurely. Should Toyota have issued a recall for the rust if the vehicle is no longer under the rust-through warranty? I don't think so. Should they have considered extending the rust-through warranty to keep customers satisfied? Possibly. However, once the financial numbers are crunched, it probably wouldn't make sense just to keep customer's happy. Did it hurt Toyota in the long run? Apparently not.

Ford is running a business to make money for the shareholders. It isn't always practical to do what even they may consider is the morally correct thing to do.

Just my $0.02. Those who are impacted by the cracked panel probably feel differently, but it's hard to argue with the business plan.

-Rod

I have 03 explorer, same thing right down the middle! It sucks!

:mad: Well, I am hear to join you all. I have a 2003 Ford Explorer XLT. I only had 60 k on mine. I noticed a crack on my hatch. It started from the window down to the ford emblem. I went by the Ford dealer. They said that there is not a recall. He also said that he has seen a lot of these. A couple of days later, I noticed that it went the rest of the way down. No chips on the paint, no dents. It is obvious that I did not treat my suv badly. It is my baby. I took it to a friend that owns a dealership. He checked with the body shop. They said that they can fix it but they can't say if it will last a week, month, or year. It is a stress fracture/metal fatique. They said that it would be the same price to replace just the hatch that has the window and fracture. I am hoping that Ford will replace it because it is still expensive. If anyone finds out something, let us.

But that's where I have issue. Generally a recall is for a safety issue. Where's the safety concern due to a cracked appearance cover? I don't disagree that it would be extremely frustrating to experience such a crack. This though is similar to the beds of late '80's Toyota pickups rusting out before the cabs, and probably prematurely. Should Toyota have issued a recall for the rust if the vehicle is no longer under the rust-through warranty? I don't think so. Should they have considered extending the rust-through warranty to keep customers satisfied? Possibly. However, once the financial numbers are crunched, it probably wouldn't make sense just to keep customer's happy. Did it hurt Toyota in the long run? Apparently not.

Ford is running a business to make money for the shareholders. It isn't always practical to do what even they may consider is the morally correct thing to do.

Just my $0.02. Those who are impacted by the cracked panel probably feel differently, but it's hard to argue with the business plan.

-Rod

"Hard to argue with the business plan?" Should we discuss the profitability of Ford? Or the declining market share to Japanese competitors? It happens for a reason. Same crack on my 03, happened with less than 50k. Ridiculous

This type of decision is poor business with the auto makers asking for a few billion from the U.S. government. Auto makers have driven away customers with these types of decisions. The only reason I buy domestic vehicles is because I worked in the steel mills years ago and I don't like to see business
move overseas.
I would stop at an independent body shop and get an estimate. This will give you another opinion.

2004 Mercury Mountaineer cracked rear hatch panel - I also have the same problem. Seems the dealer would want to right this wrong, but will not. Can you advise of any recourse for this issue?

I want a check. How did you do that?

Add me to the list. Mines an 03 explorer xlt that I bought new. I live in Reno, NV, and I just noticed it 2 days ago, about the time the temps dropped @ night. I'm off tommorow so I'm calling the dealer, I'll let you guys know...

Im in.

my 2002 Explorer also has the cracked panel.

So I called the dealer today,and they told me that since there is no recall from the company, they wont pay for the fix. The dealers body shop quoted me 460 bucks to have it fixed. I'm pissed, but unless you know someone of authority within Ford, I think thats what you're gonna get.Good luck.