2003 Ford Explorer Body Problems
- 134
- 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 134 stored complaint records:
- 0 indicate a crash
- 1 indicate injury
- 0 indicate fire
What owners report
- Hatchback/Liftgate · 5 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 60–100k mi | 48 |
| 100–150k mi | 29 |
| 30–60k mi | 25 |
| 150–400k mi | 8 |
| 1–30k mi | 8 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Body · Hatchback/Liftgate
2003 ford explorer , 70,000 miles rear lift gate cracked in middle splitting off in "y" shape there was no impact done to make this happen. Heard loud pop told that ford will not do anything & i will have to pay out of pocket.*tr
ODI 10302002
Body
I have a 2003 ford explorer xlt with the crack in the back panel next to the emblem. I came out to my car and it was cracked all the way from the window seal to the bottom of the hatch. I called the 800 number that ford gave me to call and they told me there is no recall and the part. There are several thousand people with this same complaint. The local body shop told me that the problem is in fords design of the…
ODI 10314696
Body
I own a 2003 ford explorer. I just noticed a crack in the panel underneath the rear window of my explorer. I have no idea what caused it. I noticed other explorers with the same exact problem. Ford needs to fix this. Didn't they get bail out money from uncle sam?!
ODI 10295545
Body
My 2003 ford explorer developed a crack in the rear applique from the bottom of the glass to the liftgate. After contacting my dealer, i was told to email ford, as this was a common complaint. After doing so, ford told me that although that are thousands of other complaints about this obvious defect in the vehicle, there are no recalls for this problem. Most of the people have paid out of pocket for the repairs.…
ODI 10298822
Body
I just noticed a crack in the panel underneath the rear window of my 2003 ford explorer. I searched online to see if there is a recall & there is not. I came upon a website, www.carcomplaints.com & noticed several complaints as mine in the same make & model & around same mileage. I contacted ford to let them know my problem, referenced the site i found & how to initiate a recall or financially responsibility. I am…
ODI 10291889
Body
Dear mayzel, i appreciate your timely response, but i must admit that i am more than a little disappointed (and confused). I am reading ford explorer recall #04v442000, "ford recalls 2002-2003 ford explorer vehicles for liftgate glass" (see below), and it seems to cover my model year and my situation exactly. The lift hinge has stripped out the bolt three time, leaving the glass to hang from the other hinge (and…
ODI 10420259
Body
On 5-14-09 at about 7:15am i got my children's diaper bag out of the back of my 2003 ford explorer my hatch door was fine. I then went to work and it was a warm day but not hot. At about 6:10pm the same day i went out to get something out of the back and i saw it. There is 2 cracks the upper part of the hatch in to the left of the ford emblem. One starts at the window and goes down the other starts at the bottom and…
ODI 10268834
Body · Hinge And Attachments
We have owned the subject 2003 ford explorer xlt since it was new. The rear liftgate hinge holding the rear glass failed. I understand that this failure is the subject of nhtsa recall #04v442000. Ford informs me that they will not fix this continuing safety defect because they replaced the hinge once before in 2006. I have no record of such a repair, not do i agree that ford's policy of only performing one…
ODI 10263990
Body
Our 2003 ford explorer has what appears to be a stress crack on the plate below the rear hatch window, next to the ford emblem. I've seen dozens of explorers since this happened with the same issue, and thousands of complaints online regarding this defect, yet i am told that ford will not pay to repair their defective part, as there is no recall on it. *tr
ODI 10293255
Body
The back lift gate (hatch) of my 2003 ford explorer has a vertical crack under the window next to the center ford logo. I noticed on the internet that 1,000s of other people are having the exact same issue with explorers and mountaineers. *tr
ODI 10261833
Body
TAILGATE IS SPLITTING. *TR
ODI 10284069
Body
We had cold weather the last few days (-11 below) and now there is a crack in body, just below the window on the rear hatch. It extends from the bottom of the window to the end of the hatch. *tr
ODI 10255489
Body
Rear tailgate/liftgate door panel cracked in two places vertically while in garage parked. *tr
ODI 10255745
Body
Large spontaneous stress crack appeared, bisecting the upper liftgate body panel on my 2003 ford explorer. Ford refers to this part as liftgate glass applique. *tr
ODI 10262682
Body
Plastic body panel below rear window on the lift gate has cracked. *tr
ODI 10255921
Body
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer eddie bauer edition. While attempting to close the lift gate glass, the hinge on the passenger side failed. The manufacturer stated that the vehicle was not included in a recall; therefore, they were not liable for the repairs. The dealer has not been notified. The vehicle has not been repaired. The current and failure mileages were 98,773.
ODI 10254218
Body · Structure
The ford explorer's most frequent problem - is it cracks in the plastic panel below the rear window. This occurs on explorers from model years 2002, 2003 & 2004. With most affected explorers now past the standard warranty period, most owners will end up having to pay for the repair out of pocket. Because the cracked panel is not a safety defect, there is very little chance of a recall. For a short time in late 2006,…
ODI 10354904
Body
Applique underneath the rear window cracked next to emblem with no impact. *tr
ODI 10254165
Body
I have a 2003 ford explorer it has a crack in the rear panel under window of liftgate i had it replace before for the same problem now ford refuse to fix the crack saying the have no records of this problem. *tr
ODI 10265547
Body
I was driving on the highway before dawn and heard a very loud noise (it was the sound of an explosion). I thought that a tire may have blowout, which was strange since the car has a set of new tires and i did not notice any changes in the driving of the vehicle. I stopped on the side of the highway and checked the car using a flash light. I saw nothing. Later that day when i went to get gasoline, i saw a crack in…
ODI 10252962
Body
Ford explorer rear hatch defect, crack in hatch, ford has released a technical bulletin but says it is an owner responsibility to have it repaired. As a disabled veteran on a fixed income i cannot afford to have it repaired. There are hundreds of complaints on the internet regarding this issue with basically the same answer from ford. *tr
ODI 10252898
Body
2003 for explorer eddie bauer - the rear liftgate panel under the rear glass has a crack all the way through it. No known cause. There appear to be a large number of vehicles with this problem. *tr
ODI 10251771
Body
The rear panel below the window on the hatch just suddenly cracked... It wasn't hit or anything, it just cracked. *tr
ODI 10250772
Body
The back lift gate (hatch) of my 2003 ford explorer has a vertical crack under the window next to the center ford logo. I noticed on the internet that 1,000s of other people to include in our city are having the exact same issue with explorers and mountaineers. This happened in winter. I see in car stats there are complaints there too. *tr
ODI 10262392
Body
Plastic body part below rear window glass cracked. *tr
ODI 10249854