I have a friend with an Explorer and she has what appears to be a very common problem. The plastic panel below the rear glass has a vertical crack from top to bottom. She contacted the dealer about it and they say they don't have a problem with that. That's obviously false because since she told me about it I've bee noticing others with the same problem. Has anybody else experienced this problem ? If so, has Ford offered to do anything about it ? The crack is not a result of damage. It's obviously from poor material or a stress issue. Ford should fix it.

 

If it is out of warranty and is not a safety hazard....ford will not spend the money...

Im just saying............

 

Poor Quality and worse Customer Service.

 

I've seen on quite a few websites ( http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.eea73f3 , http://www.carcomplaints.com/Ford/Ex...nt/index.shtml , http://www.aboutautomobile.com/Compl.../Explorer/Body ) that a lot of Explorer owners have complained about cracks in the applique panel on the back hatch glass (over 1,000 complaints on these 3 sites alone).

This crack usually occurs on one side or the other of the blue oval, sometimes both sides. Cracks usually run top to bottom, hairline to 1/2". Ford acknowledges that this is a manufacturing defect (the applique is glued to the glass. Both have different expansion rates. Since the plastic is the thinner of the 2, it cracks), but refuses to fix the problem. It is not an owner issue & is not from "slamming" the hatch shut, as some Dealers have accused the owners. Around 2005 Ford had a program where they would assist with the repair, however their stance is now that this is out of warranty & is no longer their problem. Some of the owners that paid $300 and up to have this defect fixed on their own have complained that the "repaired" panel has also cracked. I've noted on one other site that a respectable dealer fixed this with money in a "slush fund" for such problems.

If you have this problem, please post what you have done to have it corrected. Did Ford fix yours, what was the cost, etc. If you've had a success story with getting Ford to fix yours, please let the rest of us know how it was accomplished.


You can contact the Ford Customer Relations Center @ crcfmc@ford.com and let them know how you feel about their policy. Additionally, I am having bumper stickers made to let others know about this problem & to see what can be done to get it fixed. It says "Here is my Explorer Butt Crack... It's a Ford defect, Ford won't fix it.", with an arrow pointing to the crack.

If anyone is interested in one these, just let me know. Email me @ myexplorerbuttcrack@hotmail.com

 

There was a class action law suit going after Ford for this problem, which they knew about, but continued to manufacture the part. Check on line.