2005 Ford Explorer Body Problems
- 107
- 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 107 stored complaint records:
- 0 indicate a crash
- 2 indicate injury
- 0 indicate fire
What owners report
- Hatchback/Liftgate · 2 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 60–100k mi | 48 |
| 100–150k mi | 21 |
| 30–60k mi | 19 |
| 150–400k mi | 7 |
| 1–30k mi | 3 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Body · Suspension · Unknown Or Other
Rear wheel well shock tower mount is rusted out. There is no reason this should be happening. This is a major safety issue.
ODI 11191216
Body
The back lift gate panel cracked on the back of our ford explorer and when we went to shut the lift gate the whole back window shattered. Ford won't replace it because they say its not a safety issue and our year of our ford was not apart of the recall of these panels being cracked. Please be aware that if you have one of these cracks that the back window can shatter when closing the lift gate.
1 injury
ODI 11020756
Body
We have a 2005 ford explorer and the back lift gate panel was cracked right by the ford symbol. When we went to open the back lift gate and the panel where it was cracked broke in half and shattered the whole back window and injured us. Ford wants to charge me $140.00 to just look at it. Come on ford do what's right! Beware if you have a cracked panel on your ford! It can break in half and the glass can shatter.
1 injury
ODI 11020618
Body
2005 ford explorer. Frame is rotting along the welds. Not up and down. Length wise running with the frame. Obviously a factory weld issue and a big issue at that as the issue could have the frame fail and entire hub/axle/wheel assembly rip right off the vehicle. This is also a very common issue with ford's in general from 02-2005. As you already know i'm sure. This vehicle was well maintained and taken care of and…
ODI 11084224
Body
I have a 2005 ford explorer and upon opening my rear tailgate, the screws on the two hinges broke from the glass. Tthe only thing holding it halfway up is the hydraulic power lifters. Glad i was parked and not on the highway
ODI 11003870
Body · Visibility/Wiper
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford explorer. The contact stated that there was fracture in the rear hatch above the rear windshield wiper and all the way down to the bottom of the hatch. The failure allowed moisture to enter the door. The contact was concerned that the fracture would cause the rear windshield to shatter, causing serious injuries or worse. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be inspected. The…
ODI 10968706
Body
CRACKED APPLIQUE ON REAR LIFT GATE.
ODI 10925712
Body · Electrical System · Unknown Or Other
While parked in the driveway, we found that the back window of the hatch was completely broken and the body in the back was lifted off the car. It looks as if the hydraulic arm malfunctioned overnight.
ODI 10870598
Body
CRACK IN REAR HATCH PLATE BY FORD EMBLEM
ODI 10763087
Body
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford explorer. While opening the rear door, the contact noticed a large crack on the rear panel that extended from the rear window vertically all the way down to the end of the panel where the ford emblem was located. The vehicle was inspected by the insurance adjustor. The vehicle was not diagnosed by an independent mechanic nor the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer…
ODI 10704994
Body
Walked out to my garage and noticed a cracked had showed up overnight. It goes from the back eindow, by the right edge of the ford logo, to the bottom of the lift gate. It is almost perfectly vertical, i have seen a ton of these on xlts. I thought i was lucky, i was wrong.
ODI 10730488
Body
Typical ford problem with 2002-2005 explorer/mountaineers. Rear tailgate cracked all on it's own because it's cold here, and because it's a defect ford should have fixed when they knew of the issue. I am not the only one (of many) with this problem. *tr
ODI 10689494
Body
Crack on back panel from window down around ford emblem literally just appeared one day. My explorer was purchased new in 2005 and is in excellent condition except for this mystery crack that i am now noticing on a lot of explorers around the same age. It is an obvious defect! When is ford going to take care of this?....updated 11/13/15 *bf
ODI 10743379
Body
Paint in roof channels bubbling, roof rusting. *tr
ODI 10664151
Body
I walked outside to enter my vehicle and noticed a crack in the hatch lift on the back door adjacent to the ford emblem that was not previously there. Since then, i've noticed this same flaw on most ford explorer xlts of approximately the same age as mine. *tr
ODI 10662359
Body
Crack appeared to left of ford emblem on rear hatch door, under glass. *tr
ODI 10652536
Body
Rear widow is also a hatch. The hatch has a fracture in the center of where the hatch secures itself to the frame. The hatch will not close properly and needs to be physically manipulated at an angle to be secured. *tr
ODI 10630965
Body
Discovered a crack in the panel below the rear window hatch above and below the ford emblem. *tr
ODI 10641041
Body
The plastic bracket that holds up the overhead control console between the drive and passenger and right next to the rear view mirror broke and the entire console fell while the car was off and parked with no one in the car. The console dropped and blocked the rear view mirror. Had i been driving it would have been a shock and caused me not to use my rear view mirror. When i went to remove the bracket to get a…
ODI 10629719
Body
I went out to my 2005 ford eddie bauer explorer to remove items inside back cargo area and noticed that the plastic tailgate panel below the rear window had vertically cracked all the way down and through the whole piece. There was no physical evidence to show cause for the spontaneous wide crack. The car has been well cared for. Parked daily in garage and not even driven daily. I am extremely concerned that the…
ODI 10607918
Body
First noticed what appeared to be a scratch underneath rear window. Grew into a crack which runs from the bottom of the rear window down around the ford emblem to the bottom of the window hatch. Crack has widened to about 1/8 inch. Vehicle purchased my myself brand new. *tr
ODI 10670780
Body
I am another very annoyed owner of a 2002-2005 ford explorer with a cracked rear panel. From what i can tell, this affects nearly 100% of all explorers of those model years and it is ridiculous that ford has not issued a recall notice for this defect. *tr
ODI 10609321
Body · Electrical System
Body issues: i have a 2005 ford explorer and have never been in a car accident. My tailgate somehow develop a crack that goes through where the ford logo is. Nothing happened to the suv to cause the crack. It just somehow happened on it's own. I believe the vehicle is defective or at least the materials used to make the vehicle. Electrical issues: another issue i have is with the electrical. My turn signals (most…
ODI 10588964
Body
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford explorer. The contact stated that the rear panel near the hatch was fractured. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and indicated that no recalls were associated with the vehicle. The vin was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000. *tr
ODI 10567621
Body
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford explorer. The contact stated that the rear lift gate was fractured. The vehicle was not taken for inspection or diagnosis. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.
ODI 10563016