2004 Ford Explorer Hinge And Attachments Problems
- 58
- 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 58 stored complaint records:
- 0 indicate a crash
- 10 indicate injury
- 0 indicate fire
What owners report
- lift gate · 26 records
- rear window · 14 records
- rear lift · 12 records
- failure mileage · 8 records
- rear hatch · 8 records
- current mileage · 8 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 60–100k mi | 18 |
| 100–150k mi | 13 |
| 30–60k mi | 13 |
| 1–30k mi | 4 |
| 150–400k mi | 2 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Glass, Side/Rear · Hinge And Attachments
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. The contact stated that after opening the rear glass lift gate window, the two plastic hinges attached to the window fractured causing the window to fall and separate from the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 141,500.
ODI 10618786
Glass, Side/Rear · Hinge And Attachments
Upon opening the rear glass hatch, the passenger side of the hinge broke when fully open and the window fell down, hitting me in the head. The panel below on this same window to the left of the ford logo plate had also cracked about 6 months ago. *tr
1 injury
ODI 10608317
Hinge And Attachments
My car was parked outside of the grocery store. I opened the rear hatch to load my groceries. As i reached up to close the hatch the right side of it collapsed and fell right on my head leaving a large lump. Upon investigation i found that the hinge on the right side of the hatch had snapped and the weight of the hatch has twisted the hinge on the left side. Luckily, i broke the fall of the hatch or there would have…
1 injury
ODI 10558540
Hinge And Attachments
Rear lift gate hinges cracking at pin causing rear gate glass to shift down and tailgate not to latch correctly. *tr
ODI 10536776
Hinge And Attachments
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. The contact stated that the rear liftgate hatchback hinge was corroded and cracked, causing the glass to separate from the frame. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. The manufacturer advised the contact that the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign id number: 04v442000 (recastructure: body: hatchback/liftgate: hinge and attachments). The vehicle was…
ODI 10489084
Hinge And Attachments
Our 2004 ford explorer - my son opened the liftgate and the right hinge snapped leaving the window dangling in my 10 yr olds face. After much reading online, we have discovered that the rear window lift gate glass hinge has been a problem for many ford owners. The rusted out plastic pieces are snapping off and allowing the glass to fall from the hinge. I was able to rush to the back of the car to grab the glass…
1 injury
ODI 10471428
Hinge And Attachments
The right hinge on the rear window lift gate is corroded and as a result is half broken off. The window rattles due to it being loose. The left hinge is now starting to do the exact same thing. There have been times when i turn the vehicle on and the message center will indicate 'rear liftgate ajar' and it is the window hatch that is ajar. I feel this issue w/the hinge will ajar from the latch. I called a local…
ODI 10512128
Hinge And Attachments
Upon opening the rear lift gate, the hinges completely gave out and the lift gate fell away from the truck. I was fortunate in that i was able to catch and hold it, as my 5 year old son was standing beneath in order to hand me his beach toys, at the time of the incident. I had to hold the (very heavy) lift gate until a mechanic arrived to detach electrical components and placed the lift gate inside the 2004 ford…
ODI 10469497
Hinge And Attachments
The left (driver side) rear lift gate hinge broke making the rear lift gate and window unusable. This occurred when i was going to close the door, thankfully it was only the window section that was being closed as i'm sure the door itself is pretty heavy. *tr
ODI 10466403
Hatchback/Liftgate · Hinge And Attachments
The rear lift glass hinges on my 2004 ford explorer broke during use of the lift glass. The pin broke right through the hinge on both sides. This happened while car was parked and lift gate window was open. Left side just fell, and then right about 1 minute later, i just happened to have some 2x4's in the back which prevented the window from falling to the ground. This seems like a pretty dangerous defect. Internet…
ODI 10429365
Hinge And Attachments
The liftgate glass hinge on my 2004 ford explorer (model exxltspnbx) broke while closing. There is only one bolt holding each of the two hinges onto the glass and the bolt broke on one of the hinges. Fortunately, i held the glass as to not slip down and pull the other hinge causing it to break. The window lift did hold it but would not slide back up. The lift had to be removed in order to shut and latch the window…
ODI 10413569
Hinge And Attachments
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. The contact stated that the hinge on the rear lift gate window separated from the vehicle and the glass shattered on the ground. One person was injured as a result. An authorized dealer was notified, but did not offer any assistance. The manufactrer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 129,990 and the current mileage was 130,000.
1 injury
ODI 10413513
Hinge And Attachments · Latches/Locks/Linkages
I have had my 2004 ford explorer for 3 years now. Today i went to open my rear hatch and the window hinges just broke. Now my window is hanging thereand i don't know how i am going to get them fixed since i don't have any extra money. I think this should be a recall since there has been a lot of complaints about this problem. *tr
ODI 10369258
Hinge And Attachments · Latches/Locks/Linkages
2004 explorer with 110k miles - developed crack in liftgate panel app dec 2008. Ford covered 80% of repair cost of $750 since vehicle was under 75k miles, even though an obvious design flaw. Sept 29, 2010 rear hatch window hinge breaks causing door to fall onto my hands and legs...sore but not permanent. Two co-workers had to help me raise it up enough to lock it in place. Dealer repaired for $65 parts in $170…
ODI 10358758
Hinge And Attachments
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. The contact attempted to close the rear lift gate window and the hinges fractured causing the glass to fall and shatter over her head. She suffered minor injuries as a result. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where she was awaiting a diagnosis of the failure and repairs. The failure and current mileage was 80,000.
1 injury
ODI 10350533
Automatic Transmission · Hinge And Attachments
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. While the vehicle was parked, she opened the rear glass window located on the lift gate. The window was open for a few moments until one of the two hinges broke resulting in the window hanging by one hinge. Upon examining the broken hinge she noticed that the screw holding the hinge in place also broke in half. The failure was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. She…
ODI 10348110
Hinge And Attachments
2004 ford explorer lift gate glass fell off after upper left hand hinge snapped. Secondary failure of left hand gas shock shearing near mounting boss on gate. *tr 1) the glass lift gate was getting harder to close. I believe corrosion loosened the hinge joint to the glass. 2) the failure was immediate and without warning. The back gate came crashing down and the right hand side came flying up. 3) short term fix -…
ODI 10343561
Hinge And Attachments
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. The contact stated that the rear liftgate glass hinge was fracturing from the vehicle. The dealer informed the contact that the hinge would need replacing and there were no recalls for the vehicle. Any repair to the vehicle would be at the contacts expense. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 115,000 and the current mileage was 150,100.
ODI 10361587
Engine And Engine Cooling · Hinge And Attachments
I was driving down the street and heard a noise. We turned around and the liftgate had fallen off its on hinges and was hanging loose on both sides. We had to hold it on and drive the car back home. The car has not been driven since that date in 2010. Ford needs to be responsible for the 2004 model and all of its defective products. This is the second complaint that i have filed against ford concerning this car. The…
ODI 10459014
Hinge And Attachments
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. While sitting idle, the contact pressed the passenger rear window release button and the hinge fractured from the vehicle. The manufacturer would not provide any assistance. The vehicle had not yet been repaired. The current and failure mileages were 74,800. Updated 06/03/10*bf updated 06/07/10.*jb
ODI 10325626
Hinge And Attachments
2004 ford explorer right rear liftgate hinge pin has corrosion causing the hinge to break loose from the glass. When opening the window it broke and fell on my husband while loading cargo. The right side shock (strut) has seemed to get stuck at times making it hard to close the hatch. *tr
ODI 10308792
Hinge And Attachments
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. While manually opening the rear lift-gate, it spontaneously closed. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection, and the lift-gate hinge kit was ordered for the repair, because the lift-gate hinge had fractured. The failure mileage was 69,400. The current mileage was 69,450.
ODI 10294050
Hinge And Attachments
The rear lift glass hinges on our 2004 ford explorer broke during use of the lift glass. The pin broke right through the hinge. This is a vehicle that has been parked in a garage with only minimal use of the actual lift glass. We are now searching junk yards for replacement hinges but assume these will also be bad. *tr
ODI 10283062
Hinge And Attachments
1. The events leading to the failure were normal use of the vehicle. 2. Rear lift-gate hinges on 2004 ford explorer xlt began failing with a loud bang from the rear of the vehicle. The rear window began to sag and over the course of several months cracks appeared in the hinge structure. I have purchased new hinges, but at this time i still need to install them. *tr
ODI 10291664
Hinge And Attachments
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. The contact stated that the rear hinge liftgate was fractured. The contact referenced nhtsa campaign id number: 04v44200(structure: body: hatchback/liftgate: hinge and attachments)but the dealer informed the contact that his vehicle was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure yet the vehicle was not repaired. The current mileage was 76,000…
ODI 10406274