2004 Ford Explorer Body Problems
- 208
- 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 208 stored complaint records:
- 2 indicate a crash
- 7 indicate injury
- 0 indicate fire
What owners report
- Hatchback/Liftgate · 2 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 60–100k mi | 71 |
| 30–60k mi | 50 |
| 100–150k mi | 31 |
| 1–30k mi | 12 |
| 150–400k mi | 12 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Body
Vehicle was parked. Operator opened rear hatch glass, at which time the right hinge separated. This caused the glass to slam down. Fortunately, the operator was able to jump out of the way to avoid injury. The glass did not break, but the struts are bent. Both the right and left hinges appear to be defective and in need of replacement. The rear hatch is not usable until the hinges and struts are replaced. *tr
ODI 10485339
Body
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. The contact stated that the panel on the exterior of the rear lift gate was fractured. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000.
ODI 10485827
Body · Visibility
After a day of shopping i pulled into my driveway and parked my suv. I went to open the rear window hatch when the left side came apart from the vehicle and landed on top of me. Fortunately the right side of the window was able to stay intact while my husband was able to run to my aid to lift the door up. I am four months pregnant and my three year old son was standing by my side. I have read that many complaints…
ODI 10483942
Body
The rear panel cracked for no apparent reason. *tr
ODI 10497704
Body · Visibility
The rear liftgate window hinge broke off and the entire rear window fell on my wife. The hinges are made of a white type of metal that has corroded and sheared off. The pins inside apparently broke and it didn't appear to be falling off, it just came off. The window hit my wife in the arm and leg. We were lucky it wasn't one of our kids closing the gate at the time or that they weren't inside when it happened or…
1 injury
ODI 10482036
Body · Visibility
Rear hatch window hinge (left side) broke and released the glass while driving. Window fell to one side. I had to make an immediate emergency stop. It was difficult to prop window to a safe position and lock down. It must remain locked down until i can fix it. *tr
ODI 10483459
Body · Visibility
When closing the rear window hatch, the left hinge that holds the glass completely let go of the glass. Fortunatley my husband was the one closing it and was able to catch the glass before it broke the other hinge and pulled the glass off completely. The right hinge was also bent, as the window will now not sit level to be put back into place. This should be recalled, as there is a large hazard of th window falling.…
ODI 10477164
Body
The hinge on the right side of the rear liftgate glass is falling off. I purchased this vehicle used in august 2012. The hinge seemed to be in tact then but has slowly been corroding and falling off. The glass makes an awful noise when i drive over pot holes, bumps, etc. I do not use the glass in fear it will fall on me. There have been times when i turn my vehicle on and the message center says "rear liftgate ajar"…
ODI 10484810
Body
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. The contact stated that the hinges on the rear liftgate broke and the window fell down on the contact's shoulder, resulting in a shoulder injury. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was informed that the hinges on the rear liftgate needed to be replaced. The dealer also stated that the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id…
1 injury
ODI 10467204
Body · Visibility
The hinges that hold on the rear window are starting to break. The 02 and 03 model explorers were recalled for this but ford refuses to issue a recall for the 2004 models even though this appears to be a huge issue affecting a large numbers of explorers. I have caught it before total failure but many people have had the glass come loose and injure them. It is a huge safety issue. *tr
ODI 10464236
Body
Vertical crack down the middle area of the rear lift door around the ford emblem. *tr
ODI 10649365
Body
Tl* the contact owns a ford 2004 ford explorer. The contact stated that the lower portion of the lift gate glass exhibited a long stress crack. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 69,000. The vin was unavailable.
ODI 10461648
Body
The plastic piece of molding underneath the rear glass window cracked and fell off. Nothing was done to prompt this. I have read that thousands of other vehicles have this same issue. *tr
ODI 10461379
Body
The left rear lift gate window hinge broke causing the window to fall and bruise my daughter's arm. Terrible design and fraught with peril. *tt
1 injury
ODI 10459251
Body
The pins on the liftgate window are breaking through the hinge. The driver side has broken clean through and the passenger side is beginning to break through even though i haven't used it since the other one broke. There is also a crack under the window on the back lift door. *tr
ODI 10471456
Body
My 11 year old daughter went to close the rear window gate and the right hinge broke off at where the hinge attaches to the window. My wife and daughter tried to get it lined up with the hinge again but was not able to do anything with it and had to drive home with the windows hanging by the struts. Later when i got home i noticed that the right strut was not decompressing as well which probably put some pressure on…
ODI 10456103
Body
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. The contact stated that there was a 6-inch crack from the base of the rear window to the license plate. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was contacted, but denied any assistance with repairs to the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 70,000. The vin was unavailable.
ODI 10448774
Body
After a cold spell in january the panel under the rear window fractured from the window down. We took the car to the ford dealer and was told this is very common and it would be around $400.00 dollars to fix. If this is common why is ford not correcting this without the customer having to pay out of pocket. It seems this is a manufacturing problem not a consumers! *tr
ODI 10448614
Body
Update on rear cracked panel: rear back panel replaced twice. Ford service told me it would cost approx $800 to replace cracked panel again then suggested i take my '04 ford explorer to a body shop for a repair at a cost of approx $200 which i did. That repair lasted about 3 months...panel has cracked again. If the glass falls out someone is going to get hurt. It is ridiculous that ford will not take full…
ODI 10444358
Body
When we had the cold snap a few weeks ago, a plastic panel, under the rear window cracked. The cost to repair this is about $450 to $550. Searching on line, this seems to be a problem over a number of model years, as there are several hundred reports. In the past week, i have seen 7 more explorers with a similar crack. Ford customer service says there is no recall. It is not a safety issue, but it is expensive to…
ODI 10446202
Body
REAR BODY PANEL APPLIQUE FORD SERIES PART #402A30. *TR
ODI 10447017
Body · Visibility
Cracked panel below rear window. Also, rear window appears loose. *tr
ODI 10439306
Body
Rear liftgate glass hatch failure hinge and attachments back glass fail off. *tr
ODI 10432675
Body · Visibility
The rear passenger window hinge broke causing the glass to fall on top of me and hit me in the head and knock me down to the ground. *tr
ODI 10439850
Body
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. The contact stated that when opening the rear lift gate, the hinge fractured and fell back, striking him in the head. The contact received a minor injury as a result. The vehicle was not inspected by a dealer nor repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 70,900.
ODI 10424424