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
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. The contact noticed two cracks below the rear window on the tailgate. The contact called the manufacturer who offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.
ODI 10369094
Body
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. On october 7, 2010, the contact noticed that the rear liftgate glass had a crack in the panel. The dealer stated that there were no related recalls. The contact called the manufacturer who stated she might be eligible for reimbursement, if there failure became a recall. The current and failure mileages were approximately 57,000.
ODI 10361360
Body
A crack has formed in the rear lift gate panel. It occurred overnight while not in use about 2 weeks ago. I didn't think much of it until i began noticing many other explorers and mercury mountaineers of about the same year (2002-2004) with the same defect. I decided to see if there was a recall, but all i could find was a lot of people complaining and no action from ford. I don't know how many others have filed a…
ODI 10359483
Body
There is a crack in the rear panel under the windshield of my 2004 ford explorer xlt. Aside from being unsightly, i'm afraid that this crack will weaken the panel which is integral to keeping the rear windshield seated properly. *tr
ODI 10355284
Body
Panel beneath rear glass cracks on ford explorers. Several reports of same occurrence on internet and 3 (including myself) where i work. Almost all same description, "panel breaks near ford emblem". *tr
ODI 10354773
Body
Cracked rear panel on 2004 ford explorer. Drove it through a car wash and it shattered. It can fly off and hit someone. *tr
ODI 10352709
Body
I discovered a crack in the plastic panel below the rear window of my 2004 ford explorer last night while unloading groceries. There had been no impact to this area of the vehicle so i had no idea where it came from. I checked with a local body shop and the estimator told me this is a very common issue with ford explorers and mercury mountaineers. It was apparently a manufacturing defect and that i should check with…
ODI 10350602
Body
2004 ford explorer has a cracked rear panel splitting the entire back panel. I contacted ford and they will not do anything about it. I think it could be a safety concern as the whole panel could break off by the rear window. I've researched this on line and this appears to be a common issue with my year explorer. Ford should take responsibility for their faulty product.
ODI 10366564
Body
I noticed a crack in the panel beneath my rear window in my 2004 ford explorer. The crack has continued to get larger since i noticed it a couple months ago. *tr
ODI 10347574
Body
VERTICAL CRACK UNDER THE REAR WINDOW. *TR
ODI 10401135
Body
REAR HATCH CRACKED ON MY 2004 FORD EXPLORER. *TR
ODI 10329801
Body
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. The contact noticed that the rear plastic tailgate strip was cracked in the center. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. The technician informed that the manufacturer would be responsible for the expense of replacing the plastic strip for vehicles that do not exceed 36,000 miled. The vehicle was not repaired because the contact exceeded the required…
ODI 10378432
Body · Latches/Locks/Linkages
The hatchback hinge on my 2004 ford explorer broke yesterday, luckily i caught it before it hit my 4 year old in the head. The same thing happened on a 2002 ford explorer i owned before, but that was recalled and ford fixed it. This model is not included in the recall, but the part is obviously defective. It could have easily hit someone and hurt them, or fallen off while i was driving and caused an accident. *tr
ODI 10324054
Body
I am so angry., i own a 2003 and a 2004 explorer. The 2004 has a crack that suddenly appeared in the rear panel. Ford knows this is and has been a problem with a defect in their product and talk condescendingly to their customers on the phone if you try to discuss it with them. They are not capable of doing anything but reading a response from a card, they are unable to have any type of conversation other than…
ODI 10320330
Body
Went to load something in the back of my explorer and noticed a black line running down between the window and tailgate and could not believe it was cracked,,did nothing to cause it to crack. I got online and found that many other owners have had the exact same thing to happen. I suppose it will be treated like the transmission issues that i and many many other owners have had also, just ignored but never recalled…
ODI 10310323
Body
Crack in rear panel on lift gate below window at the ford emblem. *cn
ODI 10307617
Body
My 2004 ford explorer back hatch has a big crack on the left side of the ford emblem. This happened overnight with the weather change. I have researched the internet to see thousands od similar stories with the same issue. *tr
ODI 10301786
Body
A crack on my 2004 explorer under the back window. There are 1000's of others on the road also have see all the complaints on the internet. This has to be recalled before the back window falls out. *tr
ODI 10299894
Body
I have this crack in the middle of my liftgate and i have seen some other ford explorers and found on internet complaints about it. I called ford dealer and they said there was no recall for this. As i have said. I have seen other fords with the same crack on the middle of the lift gate. *tr
ODI 10438467
Body
Rear glass on explorer became disconnected from brackets. This matches prior complaint number rq08003. *tr
ODI 10313950
Body
2004 ford explorer xlt v6 rear panel under window on tailgate cracking and falling off also transmission failure at 60,000 miles was outraged by ford when they stated that after the car leaves the factory its not their problem. *tr
ODI 10296926
Body
On december 15, i went shopping and when i went to place items in the back of my vehicle, i noticed a crack all the way from the back window to the bottom of the panel. I take very good care of my vehicle. There was no indication that the vehicle had been hit as there were no damages. *cn
ODI 10306876
Body
Plastic under back glass around ford logo cracked after a cool morning. (maybe 35 degrees) now the crack stretches open and closed various amounts each day. *tr
ODI 10303288
Body · Visibility
Cracks appeared below the rear window of my ford explorer. There was no accident. *tr
ODI 10295240
Body
2005 ford explorer has a crack in the rear hatch. Our friends had the same issue and the rear window eventually shattered while they were driving. This seems to be dangerous but ford has not issued a recall. *tr
ODI 10294690