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
Rear liftgate structure below the glass has cracked. Crack is 6 inches long and growing. It seems this is a issue that is related to the design flaw covered (recall 04s20). This flaw will eventually effect the structural integrity of the rear liftgate structure and make unsafe.*ak
ODI 10112490
Automatic Transmission · Hatchback/Liftgate · Service Brakes, Hydraulic
Several problems - at 9,000 miles my brakes went and had to have my rotors resurfaced by 23,000 miles my rear brakes were completely gone and my front brakes were nearly gone. This cost me over $1,000 to repair. At 25-27,000 miles my vehicle would not change gears properly. Going in reverse the vehicle would "bang" into gear, then going from park to any gear this would happen. On level ground and on hill. The…
ODI 10110201
Hatchback/Liftgate
Recall campaign: recall issued for liftgate on 2002 ford explorer. *bf prior to the liftgate being repaired it opened twice without using the latch release. The plastic panel which is a part of the liftgate cracked but the dealer refused to replace it under the recall. *nm
ODI 10114891
Hatchback/Liftgate
'recall campaign' issued for 2002 ford explorer, parts not available. *bf (the rear lift gate window) *sc
ODI 10113019
Hatchback/Liftgate
The consumer received a recall notice(04v442000) rear liftgate glass no parts available. Notice was received on nov. 2004 however still no parts availabl to repair liftgate. *tt
ODI 10108620
Hatchback/Liftgate
The panel just below the back lift gate window on my 2002 ford explorer has cracked from top to bottom in two places. I have found that this is a common problem on the 2002 ford explorer. I have seen numerous other vehicles with the exact same cracks and there are 100's of reports of the same problem on the internet. This is obviously a defect. Ford corporate said to contact a dealer about the problem so they…
ODI 10204743
Hatchback/Liftgate
1. No event leading to failure. 2. Rear hatch applique panel is damaged and cracked. 3. Nothing. I had to pay for the repair since the vehicle has 45k miles. 9000 miles beyond the warranty. *jb
ODI 10106494
Hatchback/Liftgate
Two large cracks in back body panel below back window. Appeared spontaneously and have steadily worsened. Two separate dealers have stated this is a common problem, but is not covered under warranty, and i would have to pay $400-500 to have it fixed. Have seen this problem in many other 2002 explorers and have never heard of ford owning up to the problem or fixing these cars. *jb
ODI 10181863
Hatchback/Liftgate
Nhtsa campaign 04v442000; ford issued a rear liftgate glass recall. This vehicle is included in the recall, but the dealer does not have the available parts in order to repair.
ODI 10109692
Automatic Transmission · Electrical System · Glass, Side/Rear · Hatchback/Liftgate · Hoses, Lines/Piping, And Fittings
At 74000 miles our transmission went out completely while we were on vacation! The dealership where we bought the vehicle, said that "we were the only one's who have had this problem" (yeah right!) it cost us $6000 out of our pocket to fix. At 86000 miles the rear window cracked right below the window. Ford and the dealership refuses to fix it. Again, stayton ford told us that,"we were the only people who have had…
ODI 10177659
Hatchback/Liftgate
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…
ODI 10105716
Hatchback/Liftgate
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
ODI 10104457
Hatchback/Liftgate
Recall campaign: the liftgate on the consumer's 2002 ford explorer was recall but no parts were available to repair it. *bf prior to the liftgate being repaired it opened twice without using the latch release. The plastic panel which is a part of the liftgate cracked but the dealer refused to replace it under the recall. *nm
ODI 10114887
Hatchback/Liftgate
The back hatch on my ford explorer has a crack in the plastic. Ford has told us that this is an on going problem but will not fix the problem. My truck is not the only one that i have seen. *ak
ODI 10114098
Hatchback/Liftgate
Panel directly below rear windshield cracked from top to bottom. Ford delorships and the ford motor corporation refuse to repair it. I was told by the delorship and ford that this was happening to hundreds 2002 explorers nationwide. Some how, they still believe its not necessary to recall. They have, however, issued a techinical service bulletin to delorships nationwide with intructions on exactly how to fix it.*ak
ODI 10108370
Hatchback/Liftgate
Broken plastic body panel on rear hatch of explorer 2002--vertical break in panel piece occurred just after purchase. Crack widens in cold weather and shrinks in warm, so it can't be patched. Just cosmetic, but rampant with this car. Ford apparently developed a "better" panel, but it is not considering this a recall defect. Very frustrating, but probably should be expected behavior. *jb
ODI 10155589
Hatchback/Liftgate
Plastic body piece under rear glass on door cracked due to stress. Broke while driving down road. No impact. *ak
ODI 10106221
Hatchback/Liftgate
Recall campaign: no parts available for recall#04s20 rear liftgate. Freeway ford [redacted]. Please provide more information. *nm
ODI 10107324
Hatchback/Liftgate · Torque Converter
Originally informed ford dealer of loud shudder in vehicle upon starting when cold at about 11,000 miles and was told that is "normal" for this transmission and they do not know what causes it--"keep on driving it." transmission over-drive light began to flicker at about 69,400 miles. Ford service department looked into the problem and had the vehicle for repair for over three weeks. Reported broken seal in trans…
ODI 10108373
Hatchback/Liftgate
Consumer received a recall notice. However, consumer was still waiting for parts, and recall repairs had not been performed. *ak
ODI 10109290
Hatchback/Liftgate
Nhtsa recall campaign 04v442000; ford issued a rear liftgate recall. This vehicle was included in the recall, but there were no available parts in order to do recall repairs. This was dangerous because the liftgate could fall off.*ak
ODI 10111597
Hatchback/Liftgate
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
ODI 10088368
Hatchback/Liftgate
Consumer has received recall letter/recall number 04v442000. However, the consumer has been waiting for almost 4 months now. The problem still exist. Consumer was told there are no parts. Please provide any further information. *nm
ODI 10108557
Hatchback/Liftgate
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…
ODI 10078762
Hatchback/Liftgate
Rear hatch back window shattered when opened. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak dup of 10079152.pco
ODI 10081376