2002 Ford Explorer Hatchback/Liftgate Problems
- 111
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 111 stored complaint records:
- 0 indicate a crash
- 7 indicate injury
- 0 indicate fire
What owners report
- rear window · 29 records
- lift gate · 18 records
- rear liftgate · 15 records
- rear hatch · 14 records
- below rear · 13 records
- panel below · 12 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 30–60k mi | 31 |
| 60–100k mi | 26 |
| 1–30k mi | 7 |
| 100–150k mi | 5 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Hatchback/Liftgate
THE REAR BACK HATCH CRACKED. *TR
ODI 10561050
Hatchback/Liftgate · Visibility/Wiper
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that the lift gate window was shattered on the ground. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. After diagnosis they advised him that the hinges fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 140,738. The current mileage was approximately 149,229. *tr
ODI 10502444
Automatic Transmission · Column · Hatchback/Liftgate
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. When he attempted to turn the ignition switch, the steering column fractured. Secondly, the rear lift-gates panel split in half. Thirdly, the transmission intermittently slipped out of gear. None of the failures have been remedied. He previously filed a complaint. The failure and current mileages were 80,000.
ODI 10286564
Hatchback/Liftgate
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. When entering the vehicle, the contact noticed that the rear liftgate below the window was cracked. He was concerned that the window panel would fail and cause the glass to slide out and shatter. No repairs were made to the vehicle. The contact is in the process of taking the vehicle to the dealer and notifying the manufacturer. The failure and current mileages were 83,000.
ODI 10267429
Hatchback/Liftgate
My wife opened the rear hatch to get groceries out. It started falling on her. Her friend reached to lift it up and it exploded on my wife when she tried to lift it off my wife. I am debbie's husband. We bought the car in 2004. They recalled it in 2006 to put the new hinges on, that were supposed to be ford's recall fix for the problem. It did not resolve the problem. It appears that people are still having the…
1 injury
ODI 10260859
Hatchback/Liftgate · Labels
We have a ford explorer xlt 2002. The rear window lift gate would not stay up on its own, so my son pushed it up, and the rear window glass exploded. He and my husband received minor cuts and it came very close to my sons eyes. I did some research online and found that others had very similar experiences at www. Carcomplaints.com in 2004 we took the vehicle to the dealer secondary to a recall regarding the shocks on…
2 injuries
ODI 10258723
Hatchback/Liftgate
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The vehicle was parked at his residence when he observed that the rear liftgate exhibited a crack near the emblem. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. The vehicle has not been repaired at this time. The failure mileage was 100,000. Updated 2/22/10 *cn updated 05/10/10
ODI 10302189
Hatchback/Liftgate
I own a 2002 ford explorer xlt i was lifting my rear glass window not the whole liftgate just the glass i was about 3/[redacted] up when i heard this loud noise and was showered by falling glass and then eventually struck by the bottom of the door. I called ford they say there is nothing they will do to fix this issue i have done some research on this and it seems that i am not the only person with this issue. *tr
1 injury
ODI 10248460
Hatchback/Liftgate
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. When the contact manually closed the liftgate, the rear glass exploded unexpectedly. The vehicle was repaired according to nhtsa campaign id number 011010000; however, it failed to sufficiently correct the safety defect. The vehicle has not been repaired. The contact was concerned of the safety risk involved. The failure mileage was 76,249 and current mileage was 76,259.
ODI 10246809
Hatchback/Liftgate · Owners/Service/Other Manual
My husband opened the liftgate to my 2002 eddie bauer ford explorer to bring our hurricane supply kit into the house. Afterwards, he went to close the liftgate, just as normal, and the glass, without any warning, exploded into hundreds of pieces and the frame below the glass crashed to the ground. Glass was found halfway down the driveway, under the car, inside the car, and on top of the car. The hinges were clearly…
1 injury
ODI 10233683
Hatchback/Liftgate
I was loading groceries into the back of my 2002 ford explorer when the liftgate window exploded. The hinge on the liftgate had actually broken, shattering glass everywhere. My hand was cut and i was hit in the head by the liftgate. While devastating, it could have been tragic. I had the hinges and liftgate serviced and repaired several years ago due to a recall issued by ford for a manufacturer's defect.…
1 injury
ODI 10228703
Hatchback/Liftgate
Rear tailgate on my 2002 ford explorer was recalled for the hinges to be exposed since then the tailgate would exhibit random door ajar indications. Recently the plastic panel on the outside under the glass has split vertically in the middle. *tr
ODI 10225354
Hatchback/Liftgate
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The back hatch was partially opened, and when opened all the way it shattered. There is a safety recall 04v442000 - structure:body:hatchback/liftgate: hinge and attachments. The vehicle is currently at the dealer. The current and failure mileage was 80,000. The purchase date was not available. Kg
ODI 10221466
Hatchback/Liftgate
Rear liftgate glass shocks were no longer holding up the window when open. Replaced both shocks, closed the liftgate glass and the window exploded, resulting in the bottom trim piece falling and shattered glass flying everywhere. Fortunately their were no injuries. *tr
ODI 10218415
Hatchback/Liftgate
I have a 2002 ford explorer and a crack appeared overnight in the rear lift gate panel. This seems to be a recurring defect in ford explorers and ford should be accountable to fix the defect. *tr
ODI 10217837
Hatchback/Liftgate
2002 explorer rear window exploded when my 14 year old daughter closed the top lift gate. Rear window recall was performed in 8/2007 ford will not cover cost ($1,400.00) for repair. *tr
ODI 10215826
Hatchback/Liftgate
Stress fracture running vertically along plastic panel of liftgate directly under back window appeared. The crack is located to the left of the ford emblem running from the glass the length of the panel. No force of any kind was applied to the area to cause this crack. I live in a cold weather climate with rain and snow and am now worried about water getting inside and effecting the electrical system. Since this is…
ODI 10216280
Hatchback/Liftgate
2002 ford explorer rear hatch plastic panel cracked completely through, top to bottom directly above and below the oval ford emblem. Ford customer service ran the vin. No. And told me this panel had been replaced once already. *tr
ODI 10214657
Hatchback/Liftgate
The paint on my 2002 ford explorer was peeling off the panels between the windows after 3 years (and it's primarily parked in my garage). After contacting ford and appealing to 2 different dealers for assistance, i decided i could live with it because it was cosmetic flaw even though the dealers admitted that this was "normal" for this to happen. However, on dec 26, 2007, i went out to my car in the morning while…
ODI 10224845
Hatchback/Liftgate
2002 crack on hatchback panel under rear window. On december 26, 2007 i went into my garage and noticed 2 cracks, one on each side of the ford emblem, each about 3 to 4 inches long. I know for sure they were not there the night before because we had taken some packages out of the hatchback, and there were no cracks. It is evident that the 2002 ford explorer has a faulty manufactured hatchback. When i searched this…
ODI 10223810
Hatchback/Liftgate
REAR LIFT GATE CRACKED IN THE MIDDLE. *TR
ODI 10220666
Hatchback/Liftgate
I recently purchased a used 2002 ford explorer. The middle section of the hatch cracked down the middle. Upon further research i found this is a widespread problem with explorers of this year model. It's obvious to all those who own one that the problem was a defect in material from the manufacturer. Ford refuses to fix it or even make partial restitution for having it repaired. *tr
ODI 10225679
Hatchback/Liftgate
Outside cover on hatch lid cracked just below the glass. Have seen several other explorers with the same problem. I talked to the owners and they also have had no response from the dealerships in our area. I have talked to 15 other owners and have seen many more cars with this crack. *tr
ODI 10222561
Hatchback/Liftgate
CRACKED LIFT GATE/ UPPER HALF. *TR
ODI 10223628
Hatchback/Liftgate
The problem is my 2002 ford explorer rear window liftgate, my panel below the rear window is cracking for no reason, i do not use is part of the liftgate, after doing some research on the internet i found over 100 owners with the same problem. This is a design and engineering safety problem that will allow the rear window to fallout or explode when operating the door or normal driving of the vehicle . Ford motor…
ODI 10199687