2004 FORD Explorer

When the Explorer was bought used in 2015 the cracks that are common in the glass lift gate cover panel did not exist. We purposely did not open the glass part of the lift gate to avoid cracking it. Eventually it cracked on its own just from opening the full tailgate. Then recently the lift gate latch keeper bolts/studs rusted to the point of failure behind the cracked panel and the glass lift gate released on its own. The interior lights came on as a result. This drained my battery in this summers heat. I had to purchase a new battery.

To avoid this battery issue from happening again, I rigged the lift gate latch with zip ties through the holes to temporarily hold the lift gate shut. It won\'t hold long like this so I need to fix the attachment parts that rusted behind the glass and then the colored cover panel that is now badly cracked, The cracking of this very poorly designed and poor material choice body part let water in behind it after it cracked like virtually all those on other Explorers. This caused rust of the latch attachment studs behind it.

Ford\'s issuance of VSB\'s about this issue are proof they were aware and should still be on the hook despite occurring after warranty expiration for such a poorly designed and widespread tailgate issue that is a safety concern, since the glass lift gate can open upon latch attachment bolt failure, due to rust.

Having transmission problem and as i research i have notice a lot of other people having the same problem with their transmission shifting hard, not going in gear, coming out of gear while driving. This a serious problem that has been made aware of by the ford company. Ford explorers from the year 2000-2004 have all had problems with the transmission and it has not been a recall issued for this vehicle. I have two small children and this is my only transportation and i would hate to be driving with them and my car comes out of gear and i get into a serious accident because this issue was overlooked.

Bought a 2004 Ford Explorer on March 22, 2017 from LBSI Automotive, had a crack on rear panel didn\'t think it was a dangerous problem yesterday on July 9,2017 went to open lift gate and hinge broke and glass shattered all over me and my husband, went online to replace and seen they had problems with the cracked rear panel. Had my 3 month old son in back seat and thank god it didn\'t get on him. One of us could have been seriously injured. Car dealer should have been aware of this and told us what could happen.

The back lift gate is cracked and getting worse.

Plastic panel, under lift gate window cracked due to temperature change. This allowed moisture into the latch mechanism for the lift gate window to stick. The window will not open.

Panel crack and back window keep comin up

Panel below rear window is cracked. I see a lot of other Explorers on the road with the same crack.

Rear window panel has cracked. My car is a 04 with just 47xxx miles. Has spent a very good part of it\'s life in the garage, and has not been involved in a accident or left out in the weather.

While driving a constant hum and grinding could be heard. ABS lit up as well as 4×4 High came on as I was driving.
The truck seemed to be trying to switch into 4×4 high on it\'s own.
Code testing at the dealership showed left side sensor issue. This truck needs to read all four wheels and adjusts to driving conditions. When it goes out it can cause 4×4 to actuate and ABS brakes not to work correctly which can cause an accident.
Dealership told me it was both front wheel bearings which cost me $1053 to fix since both whole hub assemblies needed to be replaced.
After just a quick search it seems this is a common problem on these Ford models yet no recall has been done.
What will it take for Ford to make this right? Do I or one of my children need to die in an accident before Ford recalls this issue they know about?

Transmission Failure

Reverse just stopped engaging. All forward gears working, no loud grinding coming from transmission.

Poor Design of Intake Manifold. Unit is made of PLASTIC and cracks causing antifreeze leakage on to the spark plugs which cause my care to turn off while driving with NO Warning for the past couple of years as I was not aware of the crack. Because this is made of plastic and the crack let go fully, antifreeze spilled all over the driveway and the check engine light finally went on. Prior to computer gave NO WARNING signs of the leakage or why the car was shutting off while driving down the road. The #5 sparkplug, below it, is the weak spot of the intake manifold and effected the single spark plug.

The throttle would not respond. Electronic throttle control and engine service warning lights lit on dash. Engine would not rev over 1000 rpm. Had to get electronic throttle body replaced at a cost of $875 plus $65 towing. Electronic throttle control failure has been common Fords going back to 2002. Ford has replaced over 1.6 million units under their Consumer Satisfaction Program. However, there was no recall. Called Ford, and was assigned a case #, however, Ford would not assist with payment. Vehicle out of warranty.

Transmission

This doesn’t even include the driver’s side visor that I had to replace 3 times and one time it ripped the electrical out of the roof of the vehicle.

the transmission and heater/ac, seat belts and power seats are the things that bother me the most.
there is a reason why i purchased an automatic, with a/c, power seats and seat belts.

I was driving down the road and heard a really loud pop. I look in my mirror and see that my rear windshield is gone. I just arrived at my destination. At first I thought, it may be a rock, but when I got out I realized that the hydraulic arms that raised and lowered my hatch had pushed out and popped the sides of my hatch out. This resulted in the shattering of my rear window. This happened today so I have not yet had a chance to estimate repairs.

Transmission failure.

Transmission failure, not fixed yet

Transmission Failure

I own a 2004 ford explorer, Today while unloading items in the back, as I pulled down the rear window, The right window hinge snapped and in seconds the whole back rear window shattered, injuring my hand and knee. My main concern is after typing online “2004 explorer back window broke” I came across many owner’s with the same exact issue and many on the same side as my vehicle “right rear window hinge” I took pictures of everything, the part’s and the damage, you can see on the hinge that it snapped. I honestly cannot afford to pay for this to be replaced, I’d like ford to do something about this. although you have not acknowledged the hinge to be a “defect” complaint’s say other-wise, it’s too widespread. now I love ford, but this is bad, I have two kids and now can’t keep anything valuable in the car. it’s troublesome.

I have experienced what seems to be a very common failure on the rear panel of my explorer. The panel is cracked throughout the entire piece which occurred on its own. I believe the cracked must have formed as a result of water getting between the panel and the window frame and froze and expanded and cracked. There was no obvious sign that someone had hit the rear panel and the car has not been in an accident. I would like to file for a recall so that Ford can address this issue and fix it properly as to make sure the problem doesn’t happen again.

Cracked Tailgate

Cracked rear hatch

Crack in rear tailgate below window

THE TRANSMISSION FAILED EARLY ON AT ABOUT 88000 MILES, WE PURCHASED AND REPLACED THIS. MY HUSBAND HAD BEEN IN AUTO REPAIR AND PARTS FOR OVER 20 YEARS, SO HIM AND MY SON DONE THE REPAIR, WITHOUT COUNTING ANYTHING FOR LABOR THE TOTAL COST FOR THE REPAIR WAS AROUND $2000.00. FROM THAT POINT ON WE HAVE HAD LOTS OF MAJOR PROBLEMS THAT HAD TO BE REPAIRED OR PARTS REPLACED. THE INTAKE AND PARTS COST US AROUND 700.00, NO CHARGE FOR LABOR. THE TIMING C+HAIN FAILED AND WE CHOOSE THIS TIME TO TAKE IT TO THE REPAIR SHOP WHICH COST US $1100.00!!! NOW AT 156000 MILES THE TRANSMISSION HAS FAILED, THIS ONE HAS AROUND 68000 MILES ON IT. WE HAVE NEVER HAD ONE DIME IN HELP FROM FORD ON ANYTHING. THIS IS THE THIRD EXPLORER WE HAVE OWNED IN THE PAST 15 YEARS. WE ALSO OWN 3 F-150’S AND A MUSTANG. WE HAVE NEVER HAD THIS KIND OF PROBLEMS WITH ANY OF THE OTHER VEHICLES. I CAN HONESTLY SAY WE ARE VERY DISAPPOINTED IN THIS 2004 EXPLORER AND I FEEL WE WILL MOST LIKELY NOT PURCHASE ANOTHER FORD VEHICLE IN THE FUTURE!!!!!

Transmission slipping. Estimate for repair is about $2,000. We just paid $1,400 for heat to be repaired! We will never buy a Ford again!

I tried to start the car and it felt like the engine jumped and would not start. The Wrench warning light came on. I tried to start again and it started but the light stayed on. I carried it to my mechanic and they couldn’t find anything wrong. This is the second time it has done this. Now the light is out but it idles rough. The cracked tailgate panel was not there when I bought the car in 2008. The first one appeared in 2012 just below the back tailgate glass, and the other crack appeared a few months later just left of the first one. They both run all the way up and down the panel just below the glass.

Transmission has nearly failed 4 times since purchasing it! It began when it had about 80000 mi. Approximately 2500+ in costs!!!!! Manufacturer paid 0. It was purchased from a used car dealership!
This is a White 2004 Ford Explorer.

This problem went from being drivable to breaking down completely on the highway with my baby in the car. It was very sudden and not much warning and was almost in two accidents because of it not shifting. I think Ford should recall this tranmission and fix it at no cost before they end up with a lawsuit due to someone getting seriously injured.
I was told by a Ford dealership that this transmission would cost me 4,000. AS a mother of three children living on only my fiance’s income, this is not feasible for my family and now we have no vehicle to get to and from work.

ON or about March 24th the Ford suv was parked and my rear windshield just shatter no force or anything have not have it repair there was someone sitting in the vehicle
contact ford and they wouldn’t so anything about it. I report it and it did no good. thank you.

Rear plastic panel below rear window completely cracked.

While shifting gears the vehicle makes a hard jerk, steering wheel locked up making it very hard to control without any warning. When this happens the car slows down to a complete stop. The gear shift indicator is stuck on the number 3 and it doesn’t move to tell what gear it’s in. The back door of the suv is cracked by the logo and was not cause by an accident.

REAR PANEL BELOW REAR GLASS 2007 38000

The panel below the rear window panel is cracked. The paint is peeling from the roof and the side rear tire where it’s now rusted.

While driving on an interstate at 70 mph the engine stopped – put it in neutral, restarted the engine. Engine restarted immediately. Since then the same thing happened in October 2013 and again in early March of 2014. Ford service run a diagnostic test – have found nothing. Question: is it safe to drive this vehicle?

panel below rear window cracked. Not due to collision or other impact, normal use only

I suddenly noticed a crack in the rear panel/liftgate –there was no impact. Numerous comments on the internet have indicated that Ford knew of the problem since 2002 . They should repair the damage at their expense

I have had an issue with this Explorer as well as my prior Explorer. The car eventually seizes up around the 70,000 mile marker. For no odd reason you can shift in reverse but the car doesn’t move. After pushing on the excelarator the car lunges backwards with a loud clunk noise. Then you get in start the car and all the sensors light up and stay on the 4X4 high starts blinking and the car tries to shift automatically into 4 wheel drive high by itself and creates an awful grinding and then the car just seizes up and won’t move. You have to keep trying the excelarator until finlly it lunges forward a couple times. This is very dangerous when you are driving in rush hour traffic. This is a serious problem that should have been addressed long ago. It seems like Ford doesn’t want to recall it, but it’s their mistake. I guess no one has proved they lost someone through death over this problem, so Ford won’t do a recall until it is proven. This totally unsatisfactory for a company as large as Ford. I’m not sure I will ever purchase a Ford again and I will recommend my friends don’t either.

Crack in rear hatch below rear window.

Crack in the plastic panel just below the rear glass, it runs top to bottom of the panel midspan.

Car would hesitate before changing gears. I eventually got a check transmission light on the computer system. I took my eplorer to a Ford dealer and they informed me that I would need a new transmission. After only 81,500 miles I find it troubling that I would need a new transmission. I have not yet had it repaired but was quoted a price of $3,600 to replace.

Biggest problem slipping transmission

REAR LIFT GATE CRACKS

Transmission started slipping around 40-50 mph. Also jumps in reverse. Called Ford but will not help unless recall or lawsuit

The paint is peeling off the roof . The throttle position sensor went out . Now the transmission is going out and the dealer said its a known problem and it won’t hurt to drive it but eventually the valve body would have to be replaced over 800.00. This is the first Ford I’ve ever owned and most likely the last.

transmition has no reverse.

Transmission slipping

Crack appeared in rear tailgate below rear window.

i saw this car today and i liked it. it has 75k and seems to be in good condition. i just read that explorers 2002/2004 are the ones that most problems have had with the transmission. might your input could be used for my decision to buy this one or not.

Transmission is going out at 108,000 miles. Bought with 76,000 miles and less than 1 month after i deployed to Afghanistan my wife reported the Transmission was grinding at low gears. Continued throughout whole deployment. Now since ive been back, JAN 2012, EVERY single time I go into reverse, it shakes the entire vehicle, not just a jolt, but a body jarring shake. There is no reason a vehicle with less than 100,000 miles should need a transmission replaced. This is not just me either, this is a huge problem with this vehicle, and needs to be fixed at the expense of the manufacturer. I have read accounts where this problem started with brand new explorers with 10,000 miles on them this is unacceptable.

problem was with solenoids, Now it’s November and it’s a new problem with the 1-2 shift. going to cost over 2000 and none paid from manufacturer.

WHILE DRIVING ON US-23 THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL SEPARATED DUE TO LUG FAILURE. ACCORDING TO MSP THIS PROBLEM IS ENDEMIC RESULTING FROM FAULTY SHOP PRATICES, AND IS BEING COVERED UP BY THE MANUFACTURERS AND INSURANCE AGENCIES. NHTSA SEEMS TO BE UNAWARE. THERE ARE TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS AND EXPERTS ON THE PROBLEM. WHO IS GOING TO EFFECT THE RECALL OF MILLIONS OF CARS FOR THIS DEFECT? I AM A RETIRED PROFESSOR OF AERO ENG WITH SOME MATERIALS EXPERTISE. WE HAVE A FATIGUE PROBLEM HERE. PERHAPS YOU WILL. THANKS

Back panel cracked. Could fall off causing a accident

May noticed vibration set up appoint to have wheel bearing looked at. On the way to the shop axle snapped. not a big deal could have been wear and tear. BUT in August transmission started slipping, only slipped 3 times, then 3 hours after first slip, no transmission at all.

Transmission started to slip and then would lurch forward. Grinding noises and car would not move after low gear.

transmission has gone out twice. March of 2011 and Nov of 2011 with a total bill of 3900 dollars. Now my O/D light flashes, getting a check transmission error and check engine light is on. Will never purchase another ford vehicle again after this one.

Transmission failed.

Throttle Body, valve, reprogram pcu, transmission no longer shifts to reverse and will not pass, 30 or 50 miles..

This vehicle has had every transmission problem. first the o/d light flashes, then it accelerates funny, then it grinds in gears, it do not reverse any more.

The transmission is sliping not completely gone yet. I have taken it to the garage over 10 times. They have replaced the gear shift but it is the transmission.

Plastic panel on back door under glass panel cracked.
Seat handle and assembly that allows rear seats to be folded down have broken at least 4 time and were repaired under warranty 3 times. One is currently still broken but I have not invested in having it repaired.
the front drivers side handle and assembly broke after warranty but I have not had repaired.

O/D light come on and the transmission down shifts and starts slipping and then slamming back into gear and the engine over revs. You have pull off the road, shut the car off wait 10 seconds and restart to clear this problem. I feel if I was driving on a major highway this problem could cause a serious accident. Since there were only 38,000 miles on the car, we called Ford complaint department and they said the car was out of warranty and they could not do anything for us. Once again Ford will not own up to their mechanical mistakes. My family has always been a Ford family, but I informed them I will never buy another Ford product. This car has also been in for transmission problems three times while under warranty but the fixes never lasted long.

in 2008 had vehicle looked at for transmission jolting into gear and was told at this time nothing was wrong, march 2012 vehicle transmission begins to slip took to a shop and was told that i need a new transmission and looking at a beginning cost of 1300$ just for a used transmission, which does not include labor. Upon doing research it has been brought to my attention that this is a on-going issue with this yr make and model but yet ford is not fixing this problem instead its coming out of my pocket and I am still paying monthly payments for a vehicle I cannot drive

Temp reading failed in about 2007 never complained and still broken. Had tires replaced by non ford about 3 years ago and they have leaked since. Battery went about 3 years ago fine but had to tow to ford to fix after independent had for a week. Rear brake shoes replaced last year. Failure of blower motor for heat and air 2011. Overheated July 2011at 70000 miles which was some sort of repair for about 400.00 and a friend did for next to nothing and than shortly after abs and od light came on. Now looking at new transmission at 73000 miles. Called Ford and they dont care. Havent drove the piece of crap for 2 months and is currently at another shop who believes trans prob needs to be replaced. Oh and rust over gas tank since about June 2011 and stress fracture on back hatch.. rust on interior hinges of back windshield. This also occurred within the last year. Please help.

Paint bubbling on aluminum hood (re Ford tech service bulletin 04-25-1). I am bringing my Explorer to a body shop to get this repainted. It started bubbling up shortly after I got the vehicle. I thought it was an isolated case…perhaps my hood was touched by an operator with greasy fingers before paint on the assembly line….but just learned that this is a well known and wide spread Ford problem. They should pay my repair cost. In fact, the dealer should have informed me of this years ago because I have brought the vehicle in many times for warranty repair and service on other items. That dealer is Hastings Ford in Hastings, MN and I will never buy another vehicle from them as the only repair they have ever performed successfully was defective AC. My gear shift indicator has been broken from day 1 and their fix lasted 3 days. My driver side speaker has not worked from day 1 and they could “not find anything wrong with it” (ah, how about no sound)! Most recently my power windows have quit working which is another well known Ford issue.

tranny slips jerks , happened on hwy when my wife and kids were coming home, replaced solenoid was good for a few days then got worse. not sure what im going to do now. These 04s explorers are real lemons and a huge safety factor

O/T light comes on and the computer says “Check Transmission”. Transmission mechanic says replace transmission. Estimated cost near $2500 and up to 3 weeks in shop waiting on transmission delivery and instillation.

transmission failed out of the blue, no warning at all

I purchased a brand new 2004 Ford Explorer from the dealership at around 70,000 miles I started to notice the gears were slipping and kicking. When I took it to the Ford Service center they advised me that the transmission needed to be replaced which would cost around $3,500 to $3,700 out of my pocket. My car currently only has 80,000 miles and the issue seems to be getting worst. I can’t believe Ford is not taking any action on this known issue with this model

Fiberglass body panel on rear door cracked under the rear window. I am afraid that now cold and ice can get in the rear of the car and crack the rear window. Ford Customer Service said that there were no complaints and not to worry about it.

A crack has developed on the back panel of vehicle

The transmission started slipping at 40 to 50 miles per hour. There was also a miss occurring. The mechanic found that second and third gear were fuzed together and numerous bands were burnt.

My emergency brake shattered in the drum. My transmission put my car into reverse while it was in drive and I could not get it into any other gear. I finally was able to manually put it into first gear and get it moving forward. I was in the line at my son’s school to pick him up and almost backed into the car behind me. Transmission is very slow and stutters a lot and also jerks very hard going into reverse.

transmission bangs really hard when shifting from reverse to forward, when going from 3rd to 4th with engine at higher rpm’s, and when coming to a stop will slam back to lower gears very hard. This has been occurring for numerous years.

Transmission: Delayed shifting as I shift between forward and reverse. Delayed shifting in all gears.
Wheel/axle: grinding noise. Had to replace wheel bearing and hub

The plastic trim on the rear door cracked just below the window and went all the way to the bottom of the top hatch. With this crack going all the way through and all the way down this may come off going down the highway and cause an accident.

The molding under the rear glass has cracked for the SECOND time since I’ve owned this vehicle (since new) This is clearly a manufacture’s defect that Ford should repair.

Solenoid pack in transmission failed. I have it checked by a transmission shop and they found that the pack was bad, replaced and the truck shifts correctly. We caught the repair before the transmission failed keeping the cost down for me.

Panel below rear window cracked
Transmission clunked in reverse and slipped in forward gears.

O/D warning started to blink………service transmission ASAP. A transmission should not fail after only 61,672 miles!!!

In 2005, my Explorer was part of a major recall concerning the transmission. I took my car to a Ford service dealer. They put some type of additive in the transmission and said the problem was fixed. From 2005 to 2011, the transmission showed signs of slipping. When i put it in reverse the car would pause then shift back harshly. Also, when put it in drive it would occasionally turn off. Unfortunately, when this happened. Now, in January 2011, when I put my car in drive it would turn off . The service engine light and o/d light came on. I took my car to the Ford dealer and said I needed a new transmission .they put in the new transmission and I got my car after 2 weeks in the shop .after 2 weeks of drive in my car I begin to experience the same problems. My car is now currently in the shop being repaired for the same problems . It is March 8, 2011 and I still do not have my car back from Ford. they are now trying to fix the transmission but it seems that they do not know how to fix the problem or what the problem is. Someone please help me is there a class action lawsuit regarding this vehicle

I parked my Explorer 2004 in the driveway for the night, when I left for work the next morning I noticed the crack on the rear hatch just below the window and to the left side of the ford emblem. I went to my ford dealer to see if this was a reoccurring problem and they said it was a design problem but ford company. Now I know this is their problem and I think it should be on a recall for when and if this problem occurs. Granted this problem isn’t a very big deal to everyone but I love my Explorer, my last 2 vehicles have been Fords and my next one will probably be one too. I just think that a company as big as Ford should take care of their customers when a problem happens and they know it’s their fault and not stick it to their Ford lovers. I hope that Ford sees the problem as their fault and steps up to correct the problem and be the great motor company that we thought they were. This problem has been going on for some time and this molding can crack and fly off while driving and hit a vehicle behind you. THIS makes it a safety issue!!

I have had issues with my transmission jumping out of drive when I am going down the highway. I have three children and I feel this is very very unsafe. I have had the car in the shop three times for the same issue and every time they have told me it was the rear differential/transmission. I have called fords customer service line and they will not do anything. My explorer is now having issues going into reverse and staying in any gear. please look into these problems with the 2004 explorer before someone gets killed or injured from this. I have researched this problem and thousands of other 2003-2004 explorer owners are having the same issues with the transmission and rear end. The 2004 ford explorer is a death trap.

I got my 2004 Explorer in 2008 and within about 6 months the transmission started to slip, and sometimes wouldn’t go into gear unless I reved up the engine and it would slam into gear and now its getting much worse. I understand the early to mid 2000 model explorers are really bad for transmission problems. I still owe on this vehicle and I’m disabled. I have to get back and forth to my doctors. But I’m afraid to even go to the grocery in it. This is a shame since i was a huge Ford man but now since they wont do anything about it to help me. I won’t purchase a Ford product ever again. If they still choose to not help people out with this problem ill turn everyone i know away from ford I’ll even go to the ford dealerships and turn people away if I need to.

A large crack in the painted plastic trim below the rear window. The crack is all the way through the trim piece from top to bottom in the middle, and it’s noticeable. I would like ford to offer to fix this issue. I have noticed many other explorers having the same crack. I believe this is a manufacturing defect and not damage caused by the vehicle owners.

This is the second time I have had this problem with my 2004 Ford Explorer, the 1st time was in 2007 I walked outside to find the rear panel under the window, with the Ford emblem cracked. My vehicle was still under warranty, it cost 403.47, I paid 250.00 and the warranty covered 153.47. here it is 2011, I walk outside to find the rear panel cracked once again, apparentley this is a defect on that body part. With all the Ford Explorers driving around with this crack in the same place, why hasn’t Ford stepped up and made a recall. They are only going to lose customers, I will never buy another Ford, I was leary when I purchased this one. They Have always had a reputation , Ford meaning (Fix Or Repair Daily) now I no why.

The rear door panel underneath the back glass has cracked on my 2004 Ford Explorer. This is a common problem with hundreds of complaints. Ford motor company should fix this problem due to the large number of complaints.

The problem that I’m concerned about is the Transmission and rear end. For the transmission-This is the third time for this problem with our truck. Had it at the dealer ship just after the warranty went out around 37,000 an paid a little over $600.00 to fix it . Lasted till 80,000 them took it back and paid around $200.00 to fix. Now at 136,000 and the truck will not move at all. Dealer ship want’s another $3,306.00 to fix it again. the rear end is making a loud whine noise.

Purchased 2004 Explorer in November 2007. 95489 miles. No prior indication in drivability, noise or lights coming on. Going along, most speed available was 20 mph, rpms on 6; then jerked to change gears. Driving on highway in town, overdrive light and check engine lights came on. Limped into nearest repair shop, which happened to be a transmission shop,. Transmission had to be rebuilt. Obviously Ford knew about these problems because they had sent shop update notices and what to do with transmission problems

Periodically, system will not release cd from player
Heat plate had to be replaced due to clicking noises and failure to heat
rear passenger window will not roll down
Transmission problems since purchase of vehicle during summer of 2004. Car jerks into to drive and reverse. Car jerks into gear when taking off. Car jerks into gear when acccelerating on the road. Car has difficult time acccelerating. Transmission additive has been fords solution to the problem but it has not fixed the problem. This problem has been going on since purchase of vehicle.

Paint started to peel off the roof. Contacted Ford through email and phone calls. No help. Not even at the corporate level.
Bought car brand new in 2005. Now car is rusting.

Every 30,000 miles or so I have to repair the same thing in the transmission they tell me its a sensor that needs to be replaced which cost 1065.00 each time I’ve had to replace it now about 3 times and its in need of the same repair once again. I call the customer service to see if they could help me with the repair since this is an on going thing with the vehicle they informed me no not unless they have a recall on it. This is totally outrageous for it to be the same issue each time. If you go to look online for used SUV and you look up Explorer you will find that each of them requires transmission work to be done on them. If ford knows this is an issue you would think they would want to fix them so people will want to continue buying Ford cars or trucks. I will never buy another on now since for one they won’t stand behind their vehicles. I now own a Honda and they take care of all the issues thus far. Good luck to anyone who wants to own one.

I have a 2004 Ford Explorer with less than 90,000 miles. My wife and 3 year old daughter was on the high way coming home when the car stopped. Fortunately, they were unharmed. I sent the SUV to Ford, Garden State Auto Plaza for repair. To my shock I was told that the transmission was totally gone, and that it would cost $4300 to get fixed. I search on-line to learn that this has been a problem for early ford cars, and it is estimated that 1 in every 10 Fords that was purchased between 2000-2004 would have transmission failure. I am so disappointed, I don’t have $4000 to repair a car that was faulty to begin with.

Crash

I BOUGHT A 2004 EXPLORER AND IT SEEMS LIKE THE TRANSMISSION IS SLIPPING

See failures

CRACK ON THE BACK PANEL UNDER REAR GLASS LOCATED BY THE FORD EMBLEM

transmission has never been smooth. Several times now the car will jolt and slip out of gear. second time the tranny needs to be rebuilt. 1FMDU75K24UA30832

Trans hesitates when shifting gears and then lunges foreward when it engages. Load clunking noise when putting in reverse. Told dealer about this in first year when it was under warranty and they said it was normal. Check Transmission light came on recently and O/D off light flashes. Had trans shop check and they said it was shot and missing 2nd completely and had to have it rebuilt.

The transmission needed to be rebuilt. I take care of all of my cars and this car should have not had a transmission problem do early in its life span. I have an F150 with double the miles with no transmission problems. In fact this is our second Explores and we had no problems with that one. I contacted Ford and they simply said there was nothing they could do since my warranty expired.

REAR VERTICAL CRACK BY THE FORD NAME ON REAR WINDOW PANEL AND THE DRIVE POWER SEAT DO NOT MOVE UP AND DOWN ONLY FOWARD AND BACK. MADE NO ATTEMPTS TO GET REPAIRS AT THIS TIME.

No way to check transmission oil – it was low. Then when a quart of oil was put in by the mechanic, and he checked the fluid, it had metal filings in the oil. I cannot believe this. We need a new transmission…AND…on carcomplaints.com, others had this problem, replaced the transmission, and it didn’t fix the problem. This is our only vehicle! We live paycheck to paycheck…what do we do?????????? I will NEVER buy any type of Ford again, and I am posting this everyday on my facebook and twitter accounts so everyone knows to never buy FORD!!!

My explorer rear hatch cracked below the window on both side of the ford logo. I can’t believe that ford has had three years of failed rear hatchs and they have not made this right.

my 2004 ford explorer has a cracked rear panel – I called Ford customer service and they will not do anything about it. I reseached online and found this is a common problem with my year vehicle and since it is not a safety issue they will not repair. This is ridiculous and I wanted to file a formal complaint.

cracked rear panel on 2004 Ford Explorer.

As with many other thousands of people I have seen accounts from, the transmission which is notorious for having multiple problems has been shifting rough, jerking, clunking, etc….it also has difficulty going into park. started having some problems and is now at its end…the transmission jolts and clunks violently between gears and the O/D light came on along with a service transmission warning. Looking into it more it is apparent that this is an ongoing problem with these cars and Ford has not done anything to resolve issues with there customers. I expect normal repairs after a car gets older, but replacing transmissions along with many other parts after only 50,000 miles is ridiculous! I can not afford to repair a car I am still making payments on, and after hearing all the terrible stories about people having to repair the transmission several times, spending upwards of 10,000..I would just soon get rid of it. This is terrible business on Ford, how can you sell these trucks for more than $30,000 and make people indure the costs of fixing them!

vehicle stalled while traviling on the Pennsylvania turnpike at 65 mph. After several attempts, restarted, The following day the vehicle stalled again the Interstate 79, while traveling at 65…no prior warning just stalled like someone turned the ignition key off. Took truck to Towne Ford in Orchard Park NY. They had the truck 2 days “claimed” several attempts to retrieve any codes out of computer were negitive….”but found a loose vaccuum hose….secured it” left dealer with truck 2 days later stalled again while exiting off thruway in Buffalo. Took truck back still cant locate problem. As of this thursday July 8th the vehicle stalled on the Interstate Thruway at 4:45 pm {rush hour} took truck to dealer again,,,,they had the truck from the 10th till the 13th…..claimed after several tests still could not find problem, Service writer wanted me to authorize one of there service techs to “drive my truck on his personal time for a week to experience the problem”…told them no way not on my insurance!!!!…..”their” tech finally is guessing the fuel pump is failing…”claimed” to have replaced it “test drove” and truck is “ok” I left the dealer and got no further than 4 miles…..truck started spitting and bucking and YES stalled!!!!…..small wrench indicator light came on on dash this time….looked it up in owners manuel says it put vehicle in “limp home mode” ” drive vehicle home call dealer” Told dealer I have had enough….I want this truck turned in as a lemon! Dealer refused, I told dealer to take truck back, took all my personal property out of the truck….called later today 7/14 and was informed the dealer never had service look at truck….but because I told them to shove the truck the salesman dan hensel and mike worthington {sales manager} are filing papers to show it as a repossesed vehicle…they were filing papers to have it logged to my credit history. real nice huh buy a 35000.00 vehicle and this is how they treat a customer…..let alone this is my 5th Explorer.. AND BECAUSE OF THIS ……..WILL BE MY LAST FORD EVER!!!!!

There is a crack in the rear liftgate near the Ford emblem that goes vertical through the entire middle piece that separates the rear glass window to the top of the metal part of the rear liftgate.

The problem was noticed at 36,900 miles. It is obvious that it happened before. There is a problem with the paint on the front lip of the hood. It is bubbling and flaking off in a few spots. About the size of a quarter to a half dollar. The dealers have all ignored my complaints of Ford being reponsible. No one is willing to fix this problem. The vehicle is leased and the warranty is up at 36k miles. It now has 40k and the paint issue is getting worse.

Rear window latch opens without warning. It happened as many as 4 times in 2 days. Couple of times while on the freeway. Lucky there was no children or pets in vehicle at any time. Jacobs Ford in Chicago replaced the latch free of charge.

pause during shifting,pause when shifting into reverse resulting in a harsh bang into gear, does not sound normal at all

paint bubbling and peelingcontacted ford dealer acknowledged peeling problem with explorers, referred to ford customer service who denied dealers explanation and would not agree to a conference call with dealer to comfirm acknowledged peeling complaints. Dorian ford and ford refuse to repair with out copayment from me.

Paint bubbling and pealing from alluminum hood. I have not had it repaired yet. I first noticed this problem last year at about 70000 miles.

My car has had a vibration and noise rumble at various speeds, mostly 60-75 mph. Ford has worked on my car extensively replacing the drive shaft 2 or 3 times and replacing the differential 2 or 3 times and balancing the the drive shaft. The balancing made some improvement in the noise but the rumble or vibration still remains. Ford says they have done all they can do. Others have this same problem and the rental car that I had also had the vibrations. I don’t know what’s left other than a suit or arbitration. Class action takes too long.

Just months after I purchased the vehicle I started having problems with the transmission. first an additive was put in the transmission since that time it has been in the shop 3 times just for the transmission…now after just one day of getting it out of the shop transmission fluid was allover my driveway and in my garage. I have called many times and no return phone calls..I finally went to the dealership and was told that its my problem when the warranty is up unless I get a packet from ford at arbitration. I have also had it in the shop in march of 06 for the alternator going out..I reported a squeak on the wheels that at time sound like the front of the car will fall off and that is also something that they still can\’t find….I have reported it to the dealer and ford motor company…they claim to know nothing of transmission problems..I informed them that they should investigate like I am. the vehicle is not safe..when you use cruise control you take your life in your hands

If The front passenger seat belt is not fastend it does not do the following:1) It does not show any alarm light on the dash bourd.2) It does not make any alarms or chimes to indicate belts are not fasteded.I have been back to the Ford Dealer on a number of occations due to my concerns, the answer I am given is that some models have a alarm and others do not ??I have a number of grand children who at times sit in the front seat, I am concerded as to what may happen if they would “undo” there seat belt or not “fasten” there seat belt. ??I have talked to the ford representatives in Dearborn Michigan and they cannot explain why there is no safety belt lights or alarms features on the front passenger seat.This was either a disign problem or somethink got missed in the production process. Any Ideas.SincerelyCliff Vernon

I purchased a 2004 Ford Explorer in August, within 8 months the vehicle has been in the shop 8 times with 12 repairs.

I haven’t repaired it yet, I feel ir should be a warranty issue.

I have encountered the dreaded “Ford butt crack”. The panel below the window on the back hatch has a crack in it. I noticed this in July 2010. The mileage on my truck was about 86,000. I was given the name of the body shop my dealer used and told there would be a cost of about $500-600 that would be out of my pocket. I was also told that if I did have it repaired, more than likely it would occur again.

I feel this is a design flaw. The materials do not stand up to the use of the hatch. The failure of research or testing should not fall in the laps of the trusting consumers.

I have a Ford Explorer 2004 model. Just recently, I was approaching my car from the back side and saw a crack on the hatchback cover. There was no other obvious damage to the vehicle – no dents or trauma anywhere around the area. I took my car into my local dealership, where I was told this was a common problem among Explorers and the fix would be around $600 or $700 and not covered by a warranty or covered by Ford.

I began looking up the problem on the internet to find that it is indeed a common problem and the pictures posted looked exactly like my crack. Some of the owners posting said they were able to get some compensation from Ford by calling their customer service center. I did this and was basically told that it wasn’t a safety issue, was not covered by warranty, and Ford would offer no help with a repair.

My concerns about this issue go further than being upset with the cosmetic damage to the vehicle. I cannot understand how this is not a safety issue. Suppose the panel disconnected from the car and hit a vehicle behind me. How about the crack extending to the glass and shattering when I am closing the hatchback or it shatters on the vehicle behind me on the road? Furthermore, I cannot understand how Ford can refuse to fix an obvious flaw since it is occurring randomly to the same type vehicle in the same spot.

Next, I wrote to Ford telling them my safety concerns and expressing my extreme disappointment with the company’s customer service, lack of loyalty to customers acceptance of their structural flaws. I received this letter in response:

“Dear Miss Rahe,

Thank you for your contact and valued thoughts.

After receiving your letter, we have thoroughly reviewed your situation. Our records indicate that you spoke with a Representative at our Customer Relationship Center who appropriately addressed your concerts.

Based on the information provided, we support the previous decision.

This issue has been closed. However, should any new information become available, please contact us and we will be happy to review the situation with you at that time.

Sincerely,

Marsha Wojewski-Boyd
Ford Motor Company
Customer Relationship Center”

I am wondering if your organization can help me and other disgruntled Explorer owners. My hope is that exposing this flaw will get Ford to own up to their obvious vehicular flaw. Please help all the frustrated drivers out there.

I developed a high pitch whining nosie in the rear of the vehicle. I took my Explorer back to the dealer on March 29, three weeks after I purchased it, and I was told that Ford knows about this problem and that a FIX is being worked. But as of right know this isn\’t one and asked me to call them back in 30 days to see if one has been released.On April 2, I called the dealer and they said a FIX was ready to bring me Explorer in on Monday, April 5 for repairs and that it would take up to 3 days for the repairs. I took the vehicle in on the 5. The FIX is not for my Explorer. Only the Explorer\’s with the 3:55 gear ratio are being fixed. There is still no fix for mine which has a 3:73 ratio rear. As of today 4/13/2004 they still have not contacted me about repairs. Could you look into this further and any information you could provide me would GREATLY appreciated.

FAILS TO START ON COLD MORNINGS. HAVE DASH LIGHTS AND RADIO WORKS, BUT WHEN YOU PUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION IT MAKES NO SOUND AND DOESN\’T TURN OVER AND START THE ENGINE.

Engine stalls while driving and tailgate doesn\’t shut properly

CRUSE CONTROL, ELECTRICAL, SUSPENSION, BRAKES, REAR AXLE, SHOCKS. ALL WENT BAD THE CAR WAS VERY UNSAFE TO DRIVE, I PAID OVER 24K FOR THIS CAR AND HAD PROBLEMS ONE AFTER ANOTHER,ESPECALLY WITH THE BRAKES WHICH FAILED BECACUSE OF A DEFECTIVE REAR AXLE THAT WAS LEAKING FLUIDS ONTO THE BRAKE CYLINDERS CAUSING THEM NOT TO STOP AND FORD JUST CHARGED ME OVER 2 HUNDRED DOLLARS TO RE-DO MY BRAKES

BUBBLING AND BLISTERING UNDER THE PAINT ON EDGES OFALUMINUM HOOD.POWER WINDOW FAILS TO OPERATE ON REAR DOOR DRIVERS SIDE.TIRE PRESSURE ALARM ACTIVATES FREQUENTLY.

1) The paint is peeling off the sub coat on the hood of my Explorer. The hood is aluminum and therefore does not qualify for the rust out on the 5 year/unlimited warranty from Ford for this problem. The Ford dealer said they were not Ford, so they could not help me with the paint.2) The harmonic balancer seperated and took out the sensors in the front of the motor.

transmission went out at 69,000 miles. I take good care of my car and only drive too and from work, and around town. I have never even used the tow package that came with the car. Always had transmission and car serviced.

Transmission ongoing problem, complete failure within first year of ownership.

transmission jumps when going in reverse, shifts hard, and the o/d light comes on once in a while making driveability difficult when you don’t know what is gonna happen.

transmission failed

Transmission failed allowing vehicle to roll freely when taken out of park, engine running. Would not go into gear. Transmission needed total rebuilding.

THROTTLE BODY REPLACED

This problem with the paint bubbling and peeling on the hood of the Explorer actually started after the car was 2 1/2 years old. I took it to the Northbrother Fords and the service mananger told me because it had over 36000 miles on it, they would not absorb any of the cost of the repair. This appears to be a problem that Ford has chosed to ignore. I have since taken my car to Maaco to have it repainted.

There is a crack on the plastic on the rear hatch to the left of the Ford Emblem. I stopped at my Dealer who informed me it wasn’t covered under warranty and it’s $400.00 to repair. I personally have spoken with two other Ford Explorer Owners in Town who have the exact same crack. My dealer said Ford is aware of this problem but won’t do anything about it.

The roof is peeling on my 2004 white Ford Explorer…. I searched the intranet and found LOTS of people having the same problem as me and also found ford has a TSB on this issue. I took my explorer to one body shop and two Ford dealerships. My local body shop AND the Ford dealerships inspected my vehicle and it was determined my explorer falls under the TSB… One Ford dealer even told me this is a very common problem and he has had a lot of complaints. Ford will do nothing because it’s past the 36K/3yr paint warranty… My local body shop gave me an estimate of 1,500 for the roof repair… NEITHER of the Ford dealerships would even give me an estimate.

The Paint is peeling off the roof in sheets. Manufacturer wont do anything

The check gas guage light stays on and the fuel tank needle does not work and the service engine soon light stays on. A Ford employee said that it’s an faulty part but Ford won’t fix it. The other problem is the paint is bubbling and the car is only 6 years old and its a factory defect and they don’t want to fix it.

The car jerks when going into gears, especially first, second and reverse. The first time it was repaired by replacing the solenoid at 15,690 miles and still under warranty. The second time at 24,190 miles when the dealership recalibrated and charged me $118. The same problems again at 26,900 miles and the dealership again wants to replace the solenoid. I have called the ford customer line and the response "I understand your frustration, but there is nothing we can do because the car is not under warranty." It obviously wasn’t fixed when it was under warranty.

Rear Glass fell off the car as hinges broke; Front hood paint peeled from aluminum edges- never fixed by dealer(est. $600 repair by body shop); Rear Axyl clutches replaced. Tow bill and aver night motel/meals /two day delay were om me; ABS sensor in rear axle replaced; Recall on transmission fluid was needed; Car lurches forward when starting – togh luck comment from dealer.

Plastic panel below window on rear lift gate cracked. Noticed this last night when unloading groceries. I talked to a body shop who informed me this is a VERY common problem with Ford Explorers and said it was a manufacturing defect and I should check with the ford dealership. I stopped by the Ford dealership but the service manager was out to lunch. Waiting on a call back.

Paint is bubbling and chipping off on the front of the hood. This is on an aluminum hood. The dealership suggests replacing the entire hood at about $1,200.00

Paint bubbling and peeling on front fenders.

Originally (prior to expiration of extended warranty), noticed that when attempting to accelerate on highway starting at 50mph that SUV would hesitate and then jerk forward while in motion. Took to my regular Ford service center and at first they could not reproduce the problem until I took manager on test drive. They said that there were bad "valves" and was replaced under warranty. Less than a month later the same problem occured, took back and was told that they couldn’t find a problem with transmission but they went ahead and flushed the transmission. This did not totally fix the problem, but it did not happen as often and the hesitation/jerking had "softened", but I continued to drive the vehicle for 20K miles and no longer complained to the Ford service people. Now, after vehicle is out of warranty and only 88K old (I purchased in 2004 and was brand new), I was getting on hwy and attempted to accelerate. The SUV hesitated and then did a hard jump and finally accelerated, and at the same time the CHECK TRANSMISSION light came on and O/D light started blinking on and off. Took to Ford service center the next day. Of course they "test drove" vehicle (don’t see how they did that because when I got my vehicle back it had same mileage as when I turned it over to them) and did not reproduce the problem. Did self test, found codes P0735 and P0775. Ran Oasis, found TSB 09-12-12 for similar conditions. Suspect servo bore has worn and causing abnormal transmission action. Was quoted a price of $1100 to install servo bore kit (not Ford piece) without a warranty guarentee, because would be fixed with non Ford parts. Was told that they had done this on 4 other vehicles over the past year and it fixed the problem. Was also quoted a price of $4500 to replace trans assembly (with a 3 year, 100000 mile warranty). But of course, neither of these fixes would guarantee that it would finally repair the problem that I have. When asked why wasn’t this fixed prior to warranty expiring, was told that it’s not the same problem and they usually see this type of problem occuring at 88K miles. What????? Vehicle is only 6 years old with 88K miles, never driven off road or under harsh conditions, never pulled trailer and always serviced (by the same Ford service center) at it’s regularly scheduled times. Why transmission problems? Why not fix problem now without charge when originally detected problem prior to expriration of warranty?

noticed problem early September. Attempted repair with Duplocolor to prevent rusting over winter. Original paint blistered/peeled after application at affected area. Fearing defect checked web and found this site

Noticed a round section (size of grapefruit) on hood where paint started bubbling. It got progressively worse and has spread to the entire hood! Paint peels off down to the gray primer. Only part of the truck that has a paint issue. The rest of the vehicle shines like brand new.

I’ve had so many problems with this Explorer. I don’t know where you want me to start. The last 3 years all I had was problems that went wrong with this SUV. If I did not buy a Extended Warranty when I bought this truck I would be out about $9,000 dollars. It’s a shame because I really liked this SUV when I bought it, but I can say that I will ever buy another FORD ever again. I paid $37000 dollars for this truck and had nothing but problems the last 3 years. I feel like a bought a Lemon now that is almost PAID FOR. What a waste of my moneys. If I knew what I was in for I would have never bought a Ford period. Now my warranty is almost expired and I have a no good SUV that I have to constant put money in, what a shame, for Ford Company. You wonder why Ford’s sales are where they are now. I will probably buy a Toyota now, and that a shame. This is what happens when Ford manufactures junk!!!!!! that’s how I feel after spending 37000 dollars on a piece of junk. Then I take to the Ford shop and they have a problem fixing my SUV with a warranty. That’s no good at all!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m not happy right now and I probably will sell it after spending all this money for a lemon!!!!!!!!

I bought my car in May of 2006 with 36,000 miles. I’ve had nothing but repairs since the day I drove it home. My car had been making this whirling noise as I accelerated for several months which started at about 50,000 miles and just kept getting louder. Finally it got to the point where I could not drive my car at all and in June of 2009, I had to fix the differential at 70,000 miles and paid $1200. Now 1 year and 4 months later I am having the same problem again, but now I’m wondering if it is my transmission instead. I have had transmission problems for almost two years like not being able to put it into gear at all sometimes, delay in getting into forward gear after reversing, a clunking noise when it shifts, the gear shift indicator has never worked from the day I purchased the vehicle, and now this vibrating under my feet – which I thought was the differential, but from what I’ve read from other owners it sounds like it’s the transmission. I’ve had to repair the brakes at least three different times but not just the brake pads, the roters, the calipers, the bearings, and when I removed all the parts down to the hubs the hub nuts on all four wheels were corroded. My CD player won’t eject the CD’s anymore and the keyless door entry doesn’t work either both since about 1 year 6 months after purchase. I’ve also had to replace the alternator, the battery, and get 4 new tires. I know some of these things are standard upkeep problems, but when you are paying car payments and still have to dump a bunch a money into the car too, it is ridiculous. I really think that I purchased a lemon or a car that was in a flood at one time, but maybe it’s just really poor workmanship. Forever I have been a Ford fan and only drive Ford vehicles, but after this I guess I’m not so sure. Sad thing is that I really like the Ford Explorer but I will never feel as though I can own another one and be sure I’m not getting screwed.

CRACKED REAR PANEL

Cracked rear panel on tailgate. Has been cracked for a while. Drove through a car wash and it completely shattered. I can’t get an answer as to why Ford won’t repair this since all models have the same problem.

Cracked rear panel above and below the Ford emblem. A perfect straight line. e-mailed Ford and then called customer service. They told me to go see the dealer and they would tell me what to from there. At the dealer they told me that happens to a lot of Explorers. Is a defect in materials, they would contact Ford and let me know. Went to the dealer again after a week cause nobody call me. Was told to get an estimate from the body shop, which I did from the dealer’s body shop. The estimate was $577.77. Wait and come back again. Today went back to the dealer and the told me that Ford offered to pay $150.00 out of the $577.77. Even told me to take it to other body shop, that probably would cost me less,

cracked real panel near the Ford emblem.

Crack in the back hatch by Ford emblem. Has been there for a while, cannot afford to have it repaired. I have seen many Explorers with the same defect and feel that Ford should open up a recall.

Crack in panel under rear window.

Biggest issue is the paint peeling from the roof of my ’04 Explorer, white. Been to several local dealers. All say too bad, so sad, but your warranty has expired. Dealership I bought it from in August 08 said the same thing. (A Ford Dealership in Toronto, ON – Thorncrest Ford) Estimates are around $2000.00 to repair. I do not have $2000.00 to repair this. So much for Ford’s claim that quality is job 1 and the customer comes first. What a load!

At 25526 miles vehicle had delay in shifting gears. Dealer flushed with BG conditioner. At 26073 miles returned to dealer with same issue the dealer found debris in pan, replaced solenoid pack and said vehicle was fine. Between the work and the total failure returned vehicle to dealer for delay in shifting but they were unable to replicate the problem. At 63323 miles total failure of transmission. Neither dealer nor BG conditioner would honor any warranties. Have all paperwork to back up this complaint.

All Ford Explores 2002 – 2004 have a cracked panel under the back window.. Fix it ford…

2004 Ford Explorer cracked panel below the rear window

1-the sunroof control console came loose from the roof- 1st dealership said it was not covered- 2nd dealership looked at it, broke it loose completely from the ceiling and then charged me for the new one but did not charge labor 2- I have had 2 power windows stop working for periods of time- the ford service dept told me to hit a bump and it may start working again 3- worst problem- peeling paint from the roof- tried 2 dealerships, 2 calls to Ford- will not fix 4- arm that holds driver sun visor shattered in many pieces- was told this should not have happened, but dealership would not fix either

2004 ford explorer. consumer states transmission problem *tgw the consumer stated the transmission would slip out of gear and then there was a harsh bang when it was put into reverse. the consumer began to experience problems not long after the vehicle was purchased. he took the vehicle to the dealer and upon inspection it was discovered the factory put in the wrong fluid. however, two years later the problem resurfaced. the consumer went back to the dealer and they replaced the transmission fluid. the problem went away for a weeks, but soon returned. *jb

2004 ford explorer had brake problems**cc the abs locked up and caused the vehicle to overturn. the air bags failed to deploy during the accident. *nm

The consumer was involved in a single vehicle rollover accident in his 2004 ford explorer limited in which the seat belts failed to properly restrain him. the air bags also did not deploy. *cc the seat belts had been recalled and fixed prior to the accident. the consumer was not seriously injured and only sustained minor scrapes. *nm

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, another vehicle hit the rear. the crash caused the air bag light to flash on the instrument panel. the contact drove the vehicle to an authorized dealership to have the air bag light inspected. the dealer informed the contact that the air bag sensor needed to be replaced. upon starting the vehicle, the engine malfunctioned and the vehicle became completely inoperable. the failure mileage was approximately 105,000. updated 11/03/10. *lj

Michelin crossterrain tires suffering tread separation. three out of four so far. had i not been paying attention to this problem it would have happened on the highway..

Tires! tires! tires! again! a second tire has suffered tread separation and failed completely. why can't i get anyone to take this problem seriously?

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. she stated that when closing the lift gate the hitch snapped and the glass almost fell out as a consequence. the dealer was contacted and they stated that there were recalls for the same problem for the 2002 and 2003 vehicles. nhtsa action number, rq08003, structure body, hatchback/liftgate, support device visibility glass, side /rear structure body, hatchback/liftgate, hinge and attachments were related to the failure and was closed on october 24, 2008. the contact temporarily repaired the vehicle. the contact is afraid to drive the vehicle since the hinge could snap and potentially cause serious injuries and/or a crash. the failure and current mileages were 79000.

Both hinges on the rear hatch glass broken. window ready to fall out of vehicle. can't believe this item hasn't been recalled as there are tons of complaints about these hinges.

Transmission failure with overdrive light blinking .no first gear,shifts hard , sometime it wont shift without letting off gas .with codespo731,po733,po734,po745 needs total rebuild this happened while driving down the road at 40 miles a hour , abs light is on . codes show wrong line pressure.engine knocking , timming chain issues.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. while driving 55 mph with the cruise control activated, the vehicle lost power steering and braking, which resulted in a crash. all the warning indicators illuminated. the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence and then towed to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. a police report was filed. there was one injury that required medical attention. the contact was treated for second degree burns. the failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Significant front end impact with no airbag deployment. vehicle was moving forward at the time of the accident on a city street.

The airbag on the drivers side did not deploy during the crash. the vehicle was traveling at 50 mph as indicated on the speedometer. vehicle was on the highway at the time of impact. this failure resulted in multiple injuries to the driver.

2004 ford explorer traveling 40-45mph on a rural road. driver lost control of the vehicle at a "s" curve and hit an utility pole with the front end. the pole was snapped in half. airbags did not deploy. driver was the only person in the vehicle. 35 lb dog was on the passenger seat. driver was wearing a seat belt. driver hit his chest on the steering wheel bruising his lung. driver also hit his head on the windshield causing a laceration (approximately 1.5") down to his skull. driver was transferred via ambulance to the nearest hospital and admitted for 48 hours. the canine broke her back and had to be put down the following day.

The lift gate on my truck is cracking and getting worse. two of my seatbelts are hard to get out of the retractor and they are so tight that they are uncomfortable to the wearer.

Bought a 2004 ford explorer in march 22, 2017 from lbsi automotive. seen a crack in rear panel, didn't think much of it. on july 9 2017 went to open lift gate at walmart and hinge busted and window shattered on me and my husband hit my face glass all over me, cut my husband in few places, . looking online to replace it and seen that the crack in rear panel was causing problems. i had a 3 month old son in back seat and thank god it didn't get on him. my opinion the dealer should have been aware of this and told us.

When putting the explorer into reverse it would shift hard and throw the vehicle back and then when you put it into drive the engine would race and rev up high and then slam into the next gear. it made the vehicle hard to be reliable. took the explorer in and they said this is a known problem for ford vehicles and they don't know why there is no recall for it but the transmission was shot now having to pay $4500 out of pocket to get my vehicle fixed as i need it for dr appointments. they said the o/d had put shavings down in the pan as well as other problems with the transmission and it would cost more to replace individual parts than to do the entire thing. frustrating to know that ford knows this is an issue and doesn't do anything to help the consumer.

The car was running fine and no warning light of any kind came on. we went to go start it today and it start up fine. when we tried to put it in all the gears and pressing on the gas it didn't do a thing. i mean it won't move at all.

Transmission shifts harder and shakes the entire suv. when i press the gas and get to about 35-40 it will start knocking really bad and feels like it's losing power. when i stop the exact same thing happens with the knocking. i was going 35 around a slight curve on i-45 freeway by little york shepard gulf bank area to be exact and the suv was driving fine. i was just getting onto the freeway at this time. hints the reason i'm not going so face. when i started picking up speed the transmission jerked so hard i flew into the next lane. luckily no one was around me but image if i was in traffic and this happen.

I was driving on the interstate about 70mph. i was in the far left lane. my explorer suddenly lost pressure tried hitting the gas pedal to the floor, rpms, still dropping, no fuel pressure at all. i was trying desperately to get over at the same time trying to take into account the speed of the other vehicles and if i was going fast enough to make it over two lanes of traffic. by the time i made it over to the right shoulder i was literally going about 5mph. it was the most intense moment in my life, car, trucks, tractor trailers moving at 70+mph don't see you until they are up on you. i have researched and ford has known issues with their throttle body assembly. instead of taking care the issue they wait until something catastrophic happens to take care of it. this unacceptable they know there is a problem with this part and they wait and wait until some magical number or lord forbids someone dies trying to get off the road. you call them and they tell you "no recalls on your vehicle at this time keep your receipt if you get it repaired incase a recall occurs in the future" what this means is, "they probably know there is an issue but enough people haven't complained"! they have lawsuits being filed as we speak so i'm asking "nhtsa" to issue an investigation on our behalf. everyone please make your voices heard!!!!

While traveling on the i285 interstate we heard a loud pop/ snap and we were trying to figure out where it came from, my daughter noticed glass shards on clothes and that ts when we looked up and realized the moonroof had shattered.

I was in my driveway and i popped my back window, so i could get some items out of my back part of my vehicle. when i went to close the back window, my window fell sideways, almost busting me upside my head. i've read a few things saying that this was a recall on the year, make and model of my vehicle. i'm not sure how to go about finding out if that is correct or not. if it wasn't recalled, it should of been.

There is a crack running vertically through the entire rear panel just below the window. it runs right along side the ford emblem. this happened in dec. 2014. i do not know/recall if the vehicle was moving or not. i just discovered the crack. i thought that it had happened because we were visiting bend, or and it was extremely cold. this isn't a safety issue i don't believe. but, given i see at least one explorer every 2-3 days with the same crack it seems to me that ford should fix the problem.

When the explorer was bought used in 2015 the cracks that are common in the glass lift gate cover panel did not exist. we purposely did not open the glass part of the lift gate to avoid cracking it. eventually it cracked on its own just from opening the full tailgate. then recently the lift gate latch keeper bolts/studs rusted to the point of failure behind the cracked panel and the glass lift gate released on its own. luckily the explorer was parked. however, the interior lights came on as a result. this drained my battery in this summer's heat. i had to purchase a new battery. to avoid this battery issue from happening again, i rigged the lift gate latch with zip ties through the holes to temporarily hold the lift gate shut. it won't hold long like this so i need to fix the attachment parts that rusted behind the glass and then the colored cover panel that is now badly cracked, the cracking of this very poorly designed and poor choice of material body part let water get behind it and hold there after it cracked like virtually all those on other explorers. this trapped water caused rust of the latch attachment studs behind it. ford's issuance of vsb's about this issue are proof they were fully aware of there bad material choice for this panel and i feel they should still be on the hook to repair and replace parts despite failure occurring after the vehicles warranty expiration, based on such a poorly designed and widespread tailgate issue that is later in the vehicle's life a safety issue, since the glass lift gate can open upon latch attachment bolt failure, due to rust.

Transmission failure. shift solenoid "b" circuit failure transmission does not shift into 2nd gear until vehicle reaches 3000 rpm. o/d light flashes, service engine soon light activates and transmission stays in 3rd gear. don't use vehicle and is out of extended warranty.

Cracks on rear panel happened a few years ago. i was told it's a common known problem with ford, but they won't repair it and it's not needed. now the hatch won't fully close or lock shut due to the parts behind the ford emblem rusting out due td the cracks. water has gotten behind it, also the rear wiper will not work due to the water getting through from the cracks. i can now not drive my only truck that fits my family. we were leaving to go out to a family advent, and i noticed the back hatch was open, that is when i found out how damaged it was due to the panel being cracked. i called ford, they told me i would have to repair it out of my own pocket at a ford dealership. this could cause a huge issue if i drove and the back widow fully came off while driving, it could have severally hurt someone or damaged another vehicle and or person, or persons. this common issue needs to be corrected and recalled. i'm not the only one!

While driving down the street i activated the cruise control feature, but when i deexcellerated using the the steering wheel cruise control buttons down to a speed below 40, the engine shut off and power steering off, while i was still in motion on the street. i had to put the vehicle into park and crank up again (which almost didn't crank back up), to get back running. this is the first time using my cruise control feature and have read other horror stories of their ford explorer shutting off mid drive due to using the decel button during cruise control. must be recalled for highway and interstate safety hazard immediately.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. while driving 40 mph, an overdrive warning indicator illuminated while the vehicle decreased in speed. the contact stated that the vehicle was restarted, but the failure recurred. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 127,695.

I have already put a complaint in about my throttle body issue. this evening i went about a mile and a half, and my wrench light came on and my truck started to not to be able to move. i pulled over, turned it off. waited a bit and restarted it. this time it took a bit to get it to start up. i then proceeded to go back home because of how it was acting a mile and a half after driving, not often two minutes later it happens again, and the engine started chugging, i couldn't move, and i almost got rear ended again! i then again turned it off and waited and then started the truck up. it took sometime once again to start. i finally made it back home in tears. i was able to get codes off, since i picked a up a code raffia few days prior. i got code p2104, p2111, and p2112. this issue needs to be addressed. i will be calling ford tomorrow!

I was driving on a highway going 60mpg, out of no where my ford explorer stops moving and decreases in speed fast. at that same time a wrench symbol popped up on my dash. i almost got rear ended due to the speed dropping so fast, i could not pull over fast enough. once pulled over, i turnoff my ford for a few minutes. after a few minutes i started it back up. the wrench symbol was gone, i was able to then accelerate and get to the correct speed for the speed limit. once i got home i stopped at my local shop and they scanned the computer to see what was going on. i was told that it was my throttle body. i was not giving any codes and the shop owner cleared the codes out of the system. he told me that if it comes back he did say that if it comes back i would have to replace my throttle body. this is very dangerous i know there are recalls that are being petition on other ford vehicles and i have read many complaints on other websites in regards to this issue ford should really replace these because they can cause a very hazardous accident when it the throttle body stops performing. i hope this can be looked into and corrected in a reasonable amount of time i know that i am not the only one with this issue. thank you

Engine dies when driving with cruise control operating and heading down slight hill at speed of around 35 mph. cruise is designed to maintain driving speed going down the hill (up or down hill for that matter). the tachometer indicates a slowing of engine rpm. at higher speeds, the slowing of rpm does not fall too low. however, at the slower speed around 35mph, the rpm drops below 500 rpm and the engine stalls. i lose power steering and breaks. i have a difficult time steering and breaking. this is a safety problem on a curve or if a red light is ahead. i can't steer the car on the curve. i may not be able to stop the car at the traffic light and end up in an intersection and be hit by vehicles with a green light. i may hit a car in front of me that has stopped at a light or stop sign. i may not be able to stop for a pedestrian crossing at the intersection (with the light). i may not be able to avoid a child ... who darts into the roadway. this is a problem for many owners of the 2004 explorer. there are many complaints about it on the web. it is a problem that has been noted for years. i complained about it to dealers several times. dealers dismissed it as nothing can be found, replicated or just not a problem. it is time to recalll the vehicle to fix this safety problem. this is an ongoing problem. i try to avoid using cruise control control at the 35mph range. it seems ok at highway speeds. the last of many instances was in november 2020. the problem first happened when there about 30,000 miles on the car.

While driving home from work last week i noticed a slight 'bumping' feel like an unbalanced tire, so i took a look when i got to my driveway but found nothing. the next day on my way to work the "bumping' was much worse so i stopped to check and found a large bulge on the tread of the right front tire. after slowly returning home i removed it and set it aside. a few hours later the threads were separating badly so i let the air out before it blew apart. i ordered a replacement tire (different brand) but i've still got three more of these on the vehicle .they have 36k miles on them and a 60k warranty with only modest thread wear but i still check them every day. i don't feel safe.*dt consumer stated he still has a defective tire.*jb

I looked at the back of my 2004 ford explorer, ltd one morning (10/11/2016) and there was a crack straight down the back panel. the vehicle was parked in my driveway. after discovering the split in the panel i started to notice that there are several explorer with this same problem. i asked my dealer and they said there was no recall and the only suggestion would be to get it repaired myself. this is clearly a ford issue. now while driving a hear rattling and hope the entire panel doesn't fall off. i did call the ford customer service today to register my concerns. they also told me there were no recalls at this time but he would file my concern and gave me a case # [xxx] for future reference. i am on a retired income and this is something i can't afford to have repaired then keep receipts in hope that ford will do the right thing and recall and/or assist me with the repair expenses. in reading on-line after several owners had the panel replaced, it cracked again later. please advise me and help me get assistance with this issue with my 2004 ford explorer, ltd back panel splitting for no obvious reason. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

This past weekend i was driving an 04 ford explorer when both side airbags spontaneously deployed. i was not in an accident. i was driving down a two-lane road at less than 35 miles per hour when the airbags deployed. i was able to pull over but not before sustaining an injury to my ear and not before the passenger sustained an injury to her right arm. i reported this to ford, which advised to carry the vehicle to a dealership. took it to the dealership, where the service manager was unconcerned with the fact that the airbags spontaneously deployed. he looked at the vehicle for two days only to report he was not aware of why the airbags deployed and stated there was nothing he could do about it. i repeat, i was not in an accident and the airbags deployed while driving. this is of course quite concerning to me but ford does not seem to care. please follow-up on the safety of ford's vehicles.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the wheel studs detached on multiple tires while driving. the failure recurred three times on multiple wheels on different occasions. the contact stated that the vehicle was taken once to an independent mechanic where the studs were replaced; however, the failure continued. the contact also stated that she replaced multiple studs herself. the manufacturer and dealer were not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

The ignition keys loses the program and i constantly have to have noth reprogramed. i was told this was a recall that ford knows about. the cause the car inability to start

Plastice parts are deteriorating, desolving in front inside drive sun visor-lighted visor broke off; centerl rear a/c and heat moon roof light console falls off-plastice clips desolved and will not fasten into roof assembly, causing blocked eyesight and at time on right turn hitting head or eyes . this is unsafe and ford motor knows of complainst. part are not availble. this is a highway safety issue. the model was the eddie bauer top of the line $40,,835 car fmv $5000 only 54000 miles pri level code 450240u74 ship wgt 4357

The vehicle was moving at a slow rate of speed (approx 5-10 mph) on a bumpy road. the driver was looking for a parking space. the side airbags deployed. the insurance company has determined that there was no collision or reason for the airbags to deploy and therefore they will not cover the damage.

My 2004 ford explorer has recently and quickly began shifting very badly. i always come to a complete stop and shift into neutral before shifting into reverse or drive because when shifting into reverse from p or d, it always takes a while, then clunks aggressively into place. while driving sometimes downshifting will also clunk into place. this issue has been reported by countless other drivers and has caused many potentially dangerous situations. from accelerating slowly then banging gears and taking off, to stuttering while trying to accelerate, or even switching into reverse while parking, and having the car try to jump back a few inches is only a few issues this problem has caused myself and countless others. people are replacing transmissions left and right to no avail, only a few 10 thousand miles after installing new transmissions, their car starts to experience the same issues as before. at low speeds and in parking lots this becomes a game of luck as you accelerate more than necessary to try to get going, then stopping and waiting a few seconds while you shift to neutral before shifting to reverse as fear of it banging into gear as you try to maneuver your car around people and other parked cars becomes a more dangerous task than it should be. in sum, while stationary, slow speed, or just cruising, the transmission while shifting gears, or shifting into reverse/drive, sometimes wants to bang into gear or lose power, or delay shifting only to bang into gear moments later. some issues when taking cars into repair is finding metal transmission shavings where they shouldnt be! finally, the excessive banging can also damage the engine over time in addition to the transmission. please reference the following link to get a better idea of the issues: https://www.carcomplaints.com/ford/explorer/2004/transmission/transmission_slipping_shifts_hard.shtml thankyou

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford expedition. the contact stated that the brake lamps, turn signals, and emergency flashers failed to operate properly. this was a distraction to the contact's driving because he could not notify other drivers of the vehicle's movements. the vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic, but they did not have time to diagnose the vehicle. the contact called a ford customer service line, but they did not assist. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 264,000.

My steering column broke right off! trying to put it in drive @99,735 mi. had to tow it to shop, and replace the steering column. i see other people had this same problem. there should be a recall for this!!! i also had to replace the transmission @ 103,000 miles it would skip 3rd gear. seems everyone else has to replace the transmission. also back bearings!! what a disgrace. recall this disgraceful workmanship! no honor!

I was getting stuff out of my back seat and my rear window just blew out shattering glass all over .the bottom piece that secures the glass to the door warpred about 6 inched on each side exploding the glass

I have cracks in the plastic on the outside of my lift gate . each time i use the handle to lift the cracks become worse. there are several posts online asking about the same problem. every one i see in a parking lot or on the road has the same problem. ford reports that it affects 1997-2007 explorers. i don’t understand why this hasn’t been addressed. i called ford and they referred me to your organization. some of these cracks i have seen reach to the back window which i believe would be a safety hazard.

Tl* the contact owned a 2004 ford explorer. while the contact's son was driving 40 mph, he lost control of the vehicle and struck a tree, a light post, and an electrical box. the air bags did not deploy. the contact's son was not injured. a police report was filed and the vehicle was towed to a tow yard. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer to be diagnosed and was deemed a total loss by the tow company. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 291,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. while driving and attempting to shift gears, the contact's son pulled too hard and fractured the gear shifter. the contact stated that the gear shifter was currently too loose and would not shift into any gear. the dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the failure mileage and vin were unknown.

In 2004 ford explorer with v8, the cruise control turns off engine when traveling 35~45 mph and going down a hill or decline. this affects power steering and brakes making it difficult to control and slow down the vehicle. this has happened repeatedly for the past 10 years, so i am used to this defect. my workaround is to put the vehicle in neutral and restart the vehicle and then continue.

I get a strong smell of rotten eggs when driving. it only happens when i drive for a long time. my back hatch is cracking in 3 or more spots i am afraid that it will probably fall off and cause damage to someone driving behind me.

Takata recall i had an accident on hwy 701, i went off the road and hit a cement culvert going 45mph and my driver side airbag didn't deploy i suffered 2 spinal fractures.

The drivers seat belt has come unlocked on several occasions. it has happened so many times i tug hard every time i buckle up to make sure it’s clicked and it has unlocked while driving even though i double check it.

Brake failure, front wheel brake hose (burst/failed), 3x in one year including failure of new parts installed by ford. this resulted in total lack of brakes, in once case while traveling on i287 at high speed! this was in 20011/2012 before we traded car in. ford insisted there was no problem with the part. the car had about 100,000 miles on it, was 6-7 years old. i have never experienced this type of failure on any other car i owned including many that were much older and had many more miles ... let alone 3x on the same vehicle! this really must be a defective part!!! an the problem seems to be ongoing with newer models of the ford explorer as well?

I am having electronica issues with my 2004 ford explorer, that control lighting and speed of my vehicle. also the left signal arm that controls high beams, and lighting snapped off while i was on the freeway on august 5th, 2018. the electrical problem started in june 2018.

Takata recall i was driving about 5 miles per hour when the side air bags deploy on there own making a big blast without been involving in accident i don't know watt cause the air bags to deploy this could been a big accident if i was driving on the main highway at normal speed resulting in possible death

Rear glass liftgate hinge broke causing glass to fall out of position. vehicle was stationary and liftgate glass was being opened when the hinge failed. this is the second ford explorer this happened to. the first one was a 2006 ford explorer.

Well we just bought this explorer and just as i have read from others on this website our explorer is doing similar things. such as shifting in reverse takes 3-7 seconds to take hold, going up the mountains the suv had major kickbacks and jerks. i have not taken to dealership as of now. will make an apt. and put results later.

All four seals where leaking including pinion seals. clunking noise 40 to 50mph when you let go of the gas ,holds back,heater gauge+mph gauge don't work most.of the time.paint chipping away all over.replaced all seals 5 times +yoke cvhalf shaft. replaced front differential still making the noise.poor lighting at night.it has a miss fire gave it a tuneup and still is doing it. radio volume won't turn down it goes louder when turning down.

Brake lights came on by themselves, both while driving and at a standstill. i could pull the on the brake peddle but when i shut the door the brake lights would come on. when driving it must have been confusing to people behind me thinking i kept applying the brakes. i took it to a shop to have the brake light switch replace and found that there wasn't a replacement switch available and a different one hd to be wired in at the cost of over $180.00.

It slippes and won't just take off some take offbut the suv sits and when it does takebodf you have to let your foot up off the gas to get it to shift

When driving my 2004 ford explorer started making a grinding and humming noise on the left front of driver side tire area. abs and 4x4 high lights came on instrument panel. truck felt like it was going into 4x4 mode on its own and braking felt like abs system failed. took it to a ford dealership and i was told that both front wheel bearings needed to be replaced at a cost of $1053. since this truck uses sensors and traction control the sensor on the left driver side had gone out causing this feature no longer to work. it is a good thing this did not result in an accident since the vehicle was going into 4x4 mode on it's own and the brakes abs no longer functioned. just a quick search online will result in many found issues regarding this that ford has not done a recall on yet. what is it going to take to get ford to stand behind the safety of trucks they sell?

Problums with timing chain the guides and tentioner always braking or the timing chain it self braking , it is all i hear about the 4.0 motors , i my self this is the second one that it has happened to me

The throttle would not respond after starting. electronic throttle control and engine service warning lights lit on dash. engine would not rev over 1000 rpm. had to get electronic throttle body replaced at a cost of $875 plus $65 towing. electronic throttle control failure has been common fords going back to 2002. ford has replaced over 1.6 million units under their consumer satisfaction program. however, there was no recall. called ford, and was assigned a case #, however, ford would not assist with payment. vehicle out of warranty. 31,155 actual mileage

The panel under the rear lift gate window has cracked 3 times now. this panel cracks near the ford emblem on either the right or left side. i called ford and filed a complaint and was told that they have no information on this being an issue. my panel has cracked for the 4th time and ford is refusing to do anything about it. i have had the vehicle since 2005. i can submit photos if needed to support this matter. the panel appears to crack due to the lift gate flexing when it is opened and closed. in the past 3 years, i have observed "all" the fords around that year have busted panels and they're telling me there is no problem.....another cover-up in the making!

Paint peeling roof hood differential replaced twice bearings wear out repaired twice back of tailgate panel cracked replaced 3 times

2004 ford explorer limited edition transmission went out. it does not gear back when at a stop and fixing to go. it goes very slow until it switches gears.

I have replaced the panel under the rear lift gate window 3 times at a cost of over $ 400 per time. this panel cracks near the ford emblem on either the right or left side. i called ford and filed a complaint and was told that they have no information on this being an issue. i am an auto insurance claims adjuster and i see this problem daily on my insured's vehicle. my panel has cracked for the 4th time and ford is refusing to do anything about it. i have had the vehicle since 2006. i can submit the invoices for my repairs and photos if needed to support this matter. the panel appears to crack due to the lift gate flexing when it is opened and closed. the local ford dealership said they try to put something behind the panel when they replace it to help reinforce it.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. after opening the liftgate window, the contact noticed a crack on the driver side hatch. the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 172,000.

Transmission slippind o/d light flashing rpm's high just bought car not happy

The car was involved in an accident on 3/20/2016 - the air bags did not deploy on impact.

Transmission went out at approx 93,000 miles, heat went out around 85,000 miles, seat belts have been replaced once under warranty and again don't work, electric seat doesn't work, misc. other things

When pressing on the accelerator there is a sometimess a delayed reponse when the vehicle moves it is sudden and unxpected. as result of this i recently backed into a fence causing damage to my car and the fence

Came home from work friday evening and sat. morning the vehicle would not start. took battery in and tested, it was dead. replaced the battery and the car still would not start. only clicked, relay and starter were fine. had to tow it to a mechanic who has determined that the anti-theft system has shut down my engine for no reason. the key no longer connects to the system. why is there not a recall on this issue?? i have seen online forums and many complaints about this issue. now i have to tow my vehicle to a dealer 40 miles away and pay to have my vehicle and keys reprogrammed. over $120!!! this issue left me stranded with no vehicle for over a week. i think ford should be responsible for the repair and tow costs!!!

Takata recall i was traveling home on a local city street. i was coming to an intersection with cars stopped at the traffic light. i had to have been going no more than 35 mph at the most when the "side" airbags deployed. the drivers and dash airbags did not deploy. only the four side airbags deploy. the road was smooth and not bumpy. i did not hit the brakes hard. i did not hit anything nor did anything hit me. i do not know what caused them to deploy. no accident happened because of the deployment because i was not traveling at a speed that would cause an accident. i have made calls to ford and my vin number is not one listed for the recall at this time.

Tl* the contact owned a 2004 ford explorer. the contact heard a loud boom and discovered that his parked vehicle was on fire. the fire department extinguished the flames. the insurance company determined that the vehicle was destroyed. there were no injuries. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the vin was invalid. the approximate failure mileage was 155,000.

In the middle of the rear panel under the rear glass near the rear wiper cracks. the first time we paid to have the panel replaced. because we were concerned that the glass would come loose causing an accident. less than 18 months and the cracks have reappeared only now there are two cracks in the same location. we have seen multiple cars on the road with this same crack. the dealer says they have seen as well. called ford regarding this issue. however, ford refuses to acknowledge that there is a default in the panel which can causes the rear glass to fall out causing serious accidents.

Was driving on the road almost to my parents house when i heard an explosive sound. i look in my mirror to discover that my rear windshield had exploded. at first i thought a rock had hit it but when i got out i discovered that the hydraulic arms had expanded and pushed out the sides of the hatch, which resulted in the shattering of the windshield. my children were in the car but fortunately the glass only exploded into the back of the car and not into their seats.

The right rear passenger wheel came off my 2004 ford explorer when i was driving westbound on interstate 70 near kingdom city, mo. all five (5) bolts and lug nuts securing the wheel/tire were broken off. my wife and i were traveling at 70 mph in the right hand lane of interstate when there was a sudden loud noise from the rear and the vehicle swerved violently to the right and then left. the vehicle spun and entered into the grass median in the middle of the interstate and the cable stopping system. the vehicle became entwined with the cable system causing it to flip on its side and come to rest. the left and right side air bags deployed, but the front air bags did not. my wife and i had difficulty releasing the seat belts since the vehicle was laying on its right side. i was finally able to release both seat belts and open the sun roof for both of us to exit the vehicle. the engine area was smoking, but did not catch fire. luckily, my 2004 ford explorer did not completely roll over or that my vehicle nor my loose rear wheel and tire did not hit another vehicle that were near me on interstate 70 at the time of this accident. upon examination of right rear wheel well, the right rear wheel and tire were completely missing and the five (5) lug bolts had all sheared. there appeared to quite a bit of fluid around the wheel well. it might have been brake fluid. we were able to find one of the lug nuts, which still had a part of the sheared bolt remaining inside. i would never have thought that all five lug bolts securing the wheel and tire could fracture and shear allowing the wheel and tire to become free of the vehicle axle. the missouri state highway patrol wrote up an accident report, #150733145. my wife and i were pretty shaken up by the accident. her right side, arm and wrist and my head, neck and side hurt after the accident.

When driving and you then shifting from drive to reverse it goes into reverse hard. sometimes it eases into gear and other times it is very hard. i thought well maybe it was me did my foot slip off brake or something?? it wasn't that i made a very conscious effort to make sure i did it correctly and still had the same problems. i also noticed that the vehicle doesn't shift from drive to park correctly kind of stops you before entering park then will go in after you were denied the gear the first time. currently still dealing with this was hoping there was a recall for either issue.

The rear hatch hinge holding the rear window broke. it happened in a parking lot but the hatch window fell on me.

My car was parked in front of my residence on the street, it had not been driven that day. the back window in the tailgate exploded, causing damage to the tailgate. no one was driving it, it had not been touched that day. there was a prior crack in the tailgate which i have seen on other explorer's, and since learned that it is a defect in the care.

Sun visor bracket cracked and disintegrated leaving sun visor blocking my view. had to pull over and disconnect the wire and remove visor. 2nd incident, pressed button to open rear glass and the hinges snapped ejecting the heavy glass panel at me. had a child been opening it, they could have been killed. as it was, i caught the glass panel.

On friday, august 7th at 1:00 pm i was going north on highway 52 out of rochester when the side airbags in my 2004 ford explorer spontaneously deployed. it sounded like a bomb went off in my vehicle and the driver side airbag struck the side of my face. after realizing what happened i could not see out the passenger windows of my truck (safety hazard as the airbags are now blocking vision of the highway), so i was forced to pull off on the left side of the highway (very dangerous). because i was so shaken up i had to stand outside of my vehicle as i was so scared that the front airbag was next. i had someone come pick me up. i left the vehicle there and went to the ford dealership to let them know about what happened. i was told that there is probably nothing they can do because my truck is out of warranty…what??? on monday i called the ford motor company and explained the situation. i was told that the case was being escalated to the regional level and that they would contact me within 24 hours. i called again on tuesday afternoon and was told they would send an e-mail to have the rep call me as soon as possible. wednesday i called again and was told they would send an email and they also connected me to a voicemail so i left a message. i finally received a call at 5:00 on thursday and was told that ford will pay for the cost to download the data i am responsible for any repairs because the vehicle is out of warranty. i want compensation and i want answers! i could have been killed, i could have killed others if i had lost control, this could have been a very bad and dangerous situation and something needs to be done.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. while driving at approximately 40 mph, the vehicle stalled and various unknown warning lights illuminated. the vehicle was not able to restart. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine timing belt failed and the engine needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was unknown.

My suv shuts off, at full speed!!! i've been in contact with ford's corporate office, dealerships and other mechanics..... it is an issue that tens of thousands of ford explorer owners have had. there are thousands of complaints online! it is so common that mechanics know what you're talking about, before you finish a description of the problem. it's alsoi common for individuals to replace motors and continue to have their vehicles shut off on them, at full speed!!!. i am afraid for my child's safety, as well as my own.

I've had two (2) accidents (rear-ended and front accident), in which the air bags did not deploy. i didn't think of it at the time, but both accidents sustained extensive damage to my vehicle, yet the air bags didn't deploy. i hit the wheel hard and went to the hospital for x-ray, but it wasn't an injury that required anything further. my concern is that the air bags don't work. what should i do? i'm the original owner.

Overdrive light starting blinking car started shifting really hard and jerking. this is a known issue with ford explorers and need to be recalled. i dont have another vehiclebi really need help please

Went to open rear window hatch and right hinge snapped off causing whole rear window panel to fall on me. the left hinge managed to stay in place and was able to get center latch reattached to keep the window panel from completely falling off. only a matter of time until left hinge snaps. taking it in for repair but both hinges could have easily snapped and potentially fallen into the roadway. this is a heavy load bearing hinge and if broken when a child opened it could have caused serious injury. i notice this is not uncommon with this particular vehicle and is a danger not only to the owner but potentially to those on the road behind this model.

2 vertical cracks in upper rear hatch below window

I went to open small window type rear gate and the left hinge broke. i caught the gate before it hit the ground and had to drive very slow to get car home safely.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. while driving at 35 mph, a loud abnormal noise emitted from the vehicle and it started to swerve out of control. the contact stated that the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 185,000. the vin was not available.

Complete engine failure while driving. service engine soon light appeared 2 days previous but did not yet make it to the mechanic. computer reading suggested a sensor problem. engine shut down, lost power steering and all systems. engine restarted but now idles rough.

Truck suddenly accelerated when i was in traffic not moving.

Car starts but will go forward when shifted in reverse. turned the car off then back on, but when i would put the car back in reverse or drive, it stalled out. had it towed and then it was fine after that. now its about 6 months later, now my orange wrench light pops up and cruise control shuts off at 65mph. then it jerks a couple times. have had it checked and came back with 14 codes mainly for transmission.

Overdrive light comes on and the car will not shift gears.. coded pressure control solenoid. put one in and it still has the light blinking and runs like crap..

My rear hatch in the back of my explorer has a crack in it. which i think has caused the back window to shift which in turn has caused my door ajar light to flash while the door chimes go off and the interior flicker while you are driving down the road but there are no doors open . the lights flickering make it hard to drive in the night. i think ford should fix this problem for everyone. *tr

Car was parked. i opened rear hatch (just the window part) and the passenger side hinge broke causing hatch to fall down on my head (quite painful!). about a year ago this same thing happened with the drivers side hinge (though i was able to catch it before it hit my head). i had that side repaired, but now it looks corroded so i worry it will happen again. *tr

Transmission failure, common for ford explorer 2004. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. while driving at approximately 55 mph, the service engine soon warning indicator illuminated and the engine stalled. the vehicle restarted and started blowing fuel fumes into the driver's cabin. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the spark plug blew out of the cylinder and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 130,000. ma 08/06/15 updated 10/11/2017*cn

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer equipped with capitol precision trac ii tires, size: 245/65r17 (na). while driving approximately 55 mph, the contact was alerted by another driver that there was a bulge in the rear passenger side tire. the contact discovered that the tire had a bulge on the outside wall. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 14t013000 (tires). the vin was unavailable. the approximate vehicle failure mileage was 147,000 and approximate tire failure mileage was 3,500. the dot number and vin were not available.

There is a vertical crack on the top rear lift gate 10" to the left of the vehicle logo toward the rear door. in cold temperatures, the crack is barely visible yet in warmer temperatures, the crack would expand. *tr

The liftgate glass hinge on my 2004 ford explorer broke as i was closing the rear window glass. without warning it just came undone with the screw popping loose. cheaply made material of the liftgate glass hinge was clearly the cause, along with a faulty design that allows the bolt to strip out of the hinge. *tr

Had my used 2004 ford explorer for a week and i noticed the transmission jerking when it shift into the last gear. sometimes when i put it in reverse, i have to wait for a full minute for it to finally reverse. sometimes it jerks hard when i put it in reverse or drive. i'm sure the dealership knew about all this but never revealed it. of course when you buy as is, your screwed. *tr

Had my used 2004 ford explorer for one week and the liftgate latches both broke. if it hadn't been for the shocks that were on the liftgate, the window would have crashed to the ground and shattered in a thousand pieces. from what i'm told, i'm going to have to contact the dealership and pay god knows what to have it fixed. can't even use my trunk now. the dealership is a joke. *tr

Bought my used 2004 explorer a week prior and had to have the back wheel bearings replaced. used dealership told me that they would help out and never followed thru. *tr

Cracked rear hatch. i had heard about this problem and my hatch didn't crack till after this cold winter. but, this is the first winter that this explorer has been kept outside, not garaged. my garaged is under my house and insulated. it never gets below freezing in the garage. i called ford and asked them if they can help financially with the repairs. they said no. *tr

I was driving interstate 64 getting off the exist going around the ramp and a knocking noise started as i rounded the curb, then oil pressure dropped, my power was gone and, i barely made it off the ramp, but luckily the vehicle had enough speed to coast the curb to get to a safe place to stop. upon having it checked out by a local mechanic he suggested that the engine and oil pump needed to be replaced? as a single mother i don't have the money for the repairs, and from others complaints that i've seen it makes me wonder if its worth the trouble to find another engine and will it happen again. i thought had found a good vehicle that only lasted a few months...feeling irritated...get it together ford because this 2004 explorer is trouble!! was this just a test dummy model to see what problems would come of it??? we want and need answers to these problems. we're spending so much hard earned money on a vehicle that has more problems that keeps happening often. *tr

Liftgate has a crack and the hinge to the liftgate broke due to crack. it is hazardous to drive due to possible falling while driving or parked. *tr

Rear cracked panel on 2002-2005 ford explorer -when it rains water fry the rear taillights . *tr

I've have my vehicle for 10 years. paid the dealership $450 to have a warranty for the power train and when i went to the dealership for them to fix it they wouldn't. i find out that my major issues are the mechanical differential. still having the this issue to this day and can never have my transmission cleaned or flushed because of that. also, my fuel system gets clogged a lot and gas mileage is horrible. also, my antifreeze leaks after i paid money to have the cracked seal fixed. this is just scratching the surface. i have many things wrong with my vehicle i feel should be covered by the manufacturer but i would like to know what defects are out there for my vehicle. *js

Driving down the road at 10:52 pm and with no warning the entire truck shut down/off. all lights inside and out shut off, engine shut off, no power to the entire vehicle. coasted to a stop, put it in park and turned the key off and then back on - the truck started right up with out a problem. *tr

While closing the rear window glass hatch the driver side hinge broke allowing the window to fall out on that side. the rear glass hatch window is heavy and could have easily broken the hinge side allowing the glass to fall off the vehicle. a previous ford recall on the very same component covered vehicles up to 2003. the exact same problem is occurring to this 2004 vehicle. contacted ford and they are not willing to help owners out. had the vehicle been traveling at highway speeds and the hinge let go, there would be a very high probability of property damage and a very high probability of personal injury to others on the road. *tr

Rear panel cracked in the shed. i have had to replace my transmission a year ago replace front hubs several times. and just last week i had to replace the back wheel bearing again. i don't understand why ford has not done a recall on these things.i see a lot of fords with the same crack on the back hatch.this is just crazy. if i new we couldn't check transmission fluid i would have never got this truck.i will never buy a ford again. we also have a 1994 diesel that we had to put a transmission in at 80,000 miles it sits in the shed and now my husband drives a chevy.our ford diesel only has 134,000 on it what ashamed. it will not even crank when its cold. bad work ford!!!! *tr

My daughter was driving our ford explorer, had come to a complete stop and was waiting to exit the freeway, traffic in front of her had also stopped. she got hit from behind by a car who failed to stop and was going at unsafe speed, according to police report, and pushed our explorer onto a truck. the front passenger airbag deployed but there was no other passenger in the car. the driver side airbag did not deploy and my daughter hit her face against the steering wheel. we have been the only owners of the vehicle. *tr

Good morning, my car was parked in the driveway, not running, 11:15pm, when horn started to continuously and would not stop. smelt wires burning. i started the car and was attempting to move it out of my neighborhood and upon driving, i tapped the horn and it stopped. smell of wires burning. it happened again, yesterday am and today am, on the way to go, and i hit the horn and it stopped. can this be airbag related??? i am scared to drive my car, fearing the airbag will open or a fire is going to start. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving approximately 25 mph, the transmission seized. the contact stated that when the accelerator was depressed, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the gears failed to shift and the transmission had to be replaced. the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 65,000.

Sun visors have been replaced twice. horizontal plastic panel with the ford logo has cracked and been replaced 3 times. current one on vehicle is cracked. sent an e-mail to ford and was told basically "too bad--out of warranty ". formoco has known of this problem on both the ford and mercury but has done nothing to fix it because it is not a safety issue. and of course this " damage " will lower the value of my vehicle when i sell/trade it for something other than a ford. *tr

The oem steel brake line that connects the left and right rear brakes was apparently rubbing against some components over the right frame rail which abraded the plastic coating resulting in corrosion of the brake line and failure of the braking system. *tr

I have a 2004 ford explorer and when i hit the 84000 mile my car started falling apart starting with the heater a/c vent actuator first time in late 2011 then again in jan 2015 this repair has cost me over $1200 then the engine light has come on and i've been told by ford repair shop which was $97 just to look at it that it was from different coils that were over $300 a piece which has been replaces a couple of time to the cadillac converter which was over $3500 to replacing the bearings a couple hundred many times. i'm at the point where i'm not sure to keep this car or junk it these repairs are breaking me! i see that i'm not the only one that is complaining about these problems.... there should be some type of recall....!!!!!!!!!!! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the service engine and the battery warning lights illuminated. the contact also stated that the vehicle jerked and made a loud noise. the vehicle was taken to a dealer who replaced the front driver side hub and wheel bearing, the rear springs, the three passenger gear calipers, four rear driver side calipers, the battery, five rear brake pads, and six rear rotors plus an oil change. three weeks after the repairs, the vehicle stalled without warning. in addition, the brake pedal hesitated to respond. the vehicle was towed back to the dealer, who diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 140,817.

The back hatch has split next to the ford sign. it got cold and when i got up to crank my truck i saw it.it was not hit and was in the shed when this happen. i was told it had a recall from someone that has the same thing happen to her. we also have had the transmission replaced.ford really need to fix this .i can say i will never buy another ford!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *js

I noticed one day that the rear panel of my 2004 ford explorer xlt was cracked. there was no crash nor indication of damage from outside source. i believe the cracked formed because of the expansion of water which seeped in throughout the year. there is no recall for this problem and i see the crack on every explorer on the road within a few years of mine. i need to get a recall in order to fix this problem not caused by me and which everyone else i know who has this model have the same problem. *tr

Leaving work at end of day, pulled out of parking space and rear glass shattered. the edges of the back hatch pulled away from the truck and curled up causing the glass to blow into the truck. a crack in the plastic of the hatch (which i have seen on many of this year model) has not been recalled and i have emailed ford many times about this problem for fear of water getting in behind the panel. my belief is that water did get behind the panel and that is what caused the plastic panel to pull away and blow in the glass. luckily my children were not sitting in the 2nd or 3rd row seating or this would have been a much larger problem. i believe ford should have this problem addressed and recalled before someone gets seriously hurt from that flying glass. *tr

Driving through town was out in intersection and it just took off speeding slammed on brakes and i shut it off. started it back up and like lost all power no control of foot feet explorer started shaking and died tried to start no success. towed it home had mechanic put it on computer and got p2111 ford -throttle actuator control system stuck open. and i changed the tps and no luck changed the whole throttle body no luck still won't start. was doing research and several fords have been having same problem but when i called dealership he said he couldn't do anything about it because my vin. # wasn't on the list. if other people are having the same thing happen to them that i am having why can't he help me too. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer limited. the contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 mph, there was a vibration coming from the rear driver side wheel. the contact noticed that the wheel was fractured. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 144,000.

The car is in parking condition at work and after a long awhile it would not start even the full battery. i have attempted to make lots of checks for all component like relays, fuses and wiring connection they are all fine, in good condition. but finding out the starter relay had no power, no current flowing through it. i belief that the faulty is ( pcm unit ) power train control module that blocked a current from the starter relay. *tr

Fuel spill because defective filling hose. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. while driving approximately 20 mph, a rattling sound emitted from the vehicle. after parking and inspecting the vehicle, the contact discovered that four lug nuts were detached from the rear passenger tire and two of the rim spokes were cracked. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. the technician was unable to diagnose the failure. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. while driving approximately 55 mph, the rear hatch opened without warning. the failure recurred several times. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 60,000. updated 01/09/15*lj the consumer stated the glass has shattered once before. the liftgate developed a crack. updated 9/28/2015 *js

The transmission failed early on at about 88000 miles, we purchased and replaced this. my husband had been in auto repair and parts for over 20 years, so him and my son done the repair, without counting anything for labor the total cost for the repair was around $2000.00. from that point on we have had lots of major problems that had to be repaired or parts replaced. the intake and parts cost us around 700.00, no charge for labor. the timing c+hain failed and we choose this time to take it to the repair shop which cost us $1100.00!!! now at 156000 miles the transmission has failed, this one has around 68000 miles on it. we have never had one dime in help from ford on anything. this is the third explorer we have owned in the past 15 years. we also own 3 f-150's and a mustang. we have never had this kind of problems with any of the other vehicles. i can honestly say we are very disappointed in this 2004 explorer and i feel we will most likely not purchase another ford vehicle in the future!!!!! *js

This is the second occurrence of this event. first one failed at 90,000 3 years ago. this was a rebuild ford transmission installed by the dealer. it failed again, this time the car was able to get safely to the side of the road, safety was an issue as it was not a movable car and stranded on side of busy road. *tr

The morning of the incident my wife turn the car on to warm it up before taking the kids to school and she was sitting in the driver's side when the airbag pop by it self she hurt her left arm and right arm called ford the same day of the incident and they told me to wait a couple of days for they could send a letter to me for i could take it to a dealer waited and took it they took a look at it and pulled the restraints control module and installed a new one and waited for ford to look at the module they pulled they send me a letter saying nothing was wrong with the module and they could not tell me why airbag pop. *tr

The morning of the incident my wife turn the car on to warm it up before taking the kids to school and she was sitting in the driver's side when the airbag pop by it self she hurt her left arm and right arm called ford the same day of the incident and they told me to wait a couple of days for they could send a letter to me for i could take it to a dealer waited and took it they took a look at it and pulled the restraints control module and installed a new one and waited for ford to look at the module they pulled they send me a letter saying nothing was wrong with the module and they could not tell me why airbag pop. *tr

The morning of the incident my wife turn the car on to warm it up before taking the kids to school and she was sitting in the driver's side when the airbag pop by it self she hurt her left arm and right arm called ford the same day of the incident and they told me to wait a couple of days for they could send a letter to me for i could take it to a dealer waited and took it they took a look at it and pulled the restraints control module and installed a new one and waited for ford to look at the module they pulled they send me a letter saying nothing was wrong with the module and they could not tell me why airbag pop. *tr

The morning of the incident my wife turn the car on to warm it up before taking the kids to school and she was sitting in the driver's side when the airbag pop by it self she hurt her left arm and right arm called ford the same day of the incident and they told me to wait a couple of days for they could send a letter to me for i could take it to a dealer waited and took it they took a look at it and pulled the restraints control module and installed a new one and waited for ford to look at the module they pulled they send me a letter saying nothing was wrong with the module and they could not tell me why airbag pop. *tr

The morning of the incident my wife turn the car on to warm it up before taking the kids to school and she was sitting in the driver's side when the airbag pop by it self she hurt her left arm and right arm called ford the same day of the incident and they told me to wait a couple of days for they could send a letter to me for i could take it to a dealer waited and took it they took a look at it and pulled the restraints control module and installed a new one and waited for ford to look at the module they pulled they send me a letter saying nothing was wrong with the module and they could not tell me why airbag pop. *tr

The morning of the incident my wife turn the car on to warm it up before taking the kids to school and she was sitting in the driver's side when the airbag pop by it self she hurt her left arm and right arm called ford the same day of the incident and they told me to wait a couple of days for they could send a letter to me for i could take it to a dealer waited and took it they took a look at it and pulled the restraints control module and installed a new one and waited for ford to look at the module they pulled they send me a letter saying nothing was wrong with the module and they could not tell me why airbag pop. *tr

The morning of the incident my wife turn the car on to warm it up before taking the kids to school and she was sitting in the driver's side when the airbag pop by it self she hurt her left arm and right arm called ford the same day of the incident and they told me to wait a couple of days for they could send a letter to me for i could take it to a dealer waited and took it they took a look at it and pulled the restraints control module and installed a new one and waited for ford to look at the module they pulled they send me a letter saying nothing was wrong with the module and they could not tell me why airbag pop. *tr

Vertical crack down the middle area of the rear lift door around the ford emblem. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the rear liftgate back panel developed multiple cracks, which caused the liftgate windshield to become very unstable. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 98,000.

I was at a stoplight and when the light turned green my car would not move. the car was in drive and it would just rev. the cars behind me started honking. i put it in the lower gears and finally started moving forward and drove it to the dealership. as i was driving to the dealership in the lower gears the car shifted out of gear while in traffic, i put it in neutral and back into 3 and it started moving forward again. this is very dangerous since the car will just shift in and out of gear and stop moving forward. at the dealership the car would not move while in drive or reverse. they told me the transmission needs to be replaced at a cost of $4,200, this is after i just had the throttle body replaced two months ago at a cost of $1,800. ford need to do a recall in these transmissions it could lead to an accident. *tr

When i slow down or come to a stop, the truck cuts off. even while in mid turn. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. while driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle shook and vibrated. the failure occurred twice. an independent mechanic replaced the studs on both front wheels. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 119,884.

When i shift into reverse it takes a few seconds to shift gear and when it shifts into gear it feels like the transmission fell on the ground . there's a big jolt right before it shifts into reverse. *tr

My vehicle burned through another alternator, everything on the vehicle is 100% factory so i don't know what is causing that. immediately after i replaced the alternator for the second time in 6 months, the power steering has vanished. i checked all the belts made sure everything is running properly and in the correct place. the power steering pump seems to be pumping but not working. *tr

When starting the vehicle, its not wanting to run. then when i start to pull out it stalls. i mean, u push the gas pedal and it takes maybe four seconds before anything happens, then the tires spin it jerks forward and my kids scream. it jerks u back in the seat. ok, we're on the road, i don't know if its going to run. one minute its acting like its getting enough fuel. the nexts its like it isn't. now the service engine light has come on. i call the guy who works on cars, he use to be a head mechanic for has his own shop now, he automatically tells me its the throttle body and says if i cant find a used one, u wont like buyin a new one. an the bad thing is u have to replace them about every 120000 miles. now isn't that great. the auto parts store says about $725 will take care of the part, what about the labor??? i bought this vehicle because it had a third row seat. i have three kids. i need it to be safe, not a death trap. ford knows it has a problem, fix it!!! *tr

I had just got on the freeway when the rear of my truck started shaking. i knew something was wrong so i exited the freeway at the following exit. i was driving on the side streets to get home at approximately 25 mph. i turned a corner and heard and felt the rear end of my truck fall. the rear passenger tire fell off as i was turning the corner. upon further inspection all the lugs except one were sheared off. we had the truck towed to our mechanic's shop. the mechanic couldn't figure out what had caused this. we have also had to replace all the ball joints with the rear passenger ball joint being replaced twice now. our mechanic was able to replace all the lugs and pull the rear corner panel back out but the incident ruined the rim which will have to be replaced. a week later i asked my son to check the lugs on the tire and 2 were loose again. *tr

Exact dates are various , vehicle has 39000 miles on it presently , have multiple vehicles , drive over the road truck driver ... changed brakes and rotors twice , emergency brake not working , had fixed , had to have ekg replaced and some exhaust sensor , tires wore out at 29000 , exhaust system replaced , both ball joints replaced , pinion gear gasket leaking from rear end , both cv joints leaking , appears right cv joint needs replacing , gets 14 mpg ( 4.0 liter ) paint peeling from roof for quite awhile now , rusting around fuel tank door , as all are ...... vehicle has been a nightmare , getting rid of this at 39000 miles , ford has a better idea , buy another one !

Every since we've financed this lousy suv 08/2012 we've had a clicking noise from the rear and still cant figured out what that is,but the transmission has been slipping and shifting hard,we have replace front left wheel bearing and abs sensor just a few months ago and the bearing is bad again and the front right wheel has a bad ball joint and the visibility thru windshield is horrible,always have a hard time seeing, cna only see a few inches ahead!!! this car needs serious recalls the air conditioner stopped working in less then a yr!!! and we bought this car with only 68,506 miles!! we already spend over a grand for a fuel pump!!! this car sucks!!! plz help we still owe thousands and everytime we blink an eye it's not safe to drive because of wheel problems!!!! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that after opening the rear glass lift gate window, the two aluminum hinges fractured causing the lift gate to fall. the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the technician stated that the hinges needed to be replaced. the vehicle has not been repaired since the parts were not available. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 85,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that while having the vehicle inspected, it was discovered that the ball joints were worn out. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

My wife was driving and the engine just stalled . we pulled into a gas station with no power steering or brakes. i had it towed home that day. later i found out the timing chain had come off. *tr

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.

While driving home at 25 mph, i heard and felt a vibration from the front of the car. since i was only a few hundred yards from my parking lot i continued directly into the parking lot (only minor turns were necessary). upon entering the parking lot, i turned the car left to park in my spot. immediately after turning the wheel left, the right front of the car collapsed. i got out of the car and noticed the right front wheel had fallen off and the entire hub (and car front end) actually landed inside the wheel (thus minimizing secondary damage). upon closer inspection, i found 2 lug nuts still attached to the studs on the ground next to the wheel. inspection of the hub showed that 4 of the 5 studs had sheared off flush with the hub (there was one stud remaining on the hub). next day, i replaced the entire hub assembly and checked the torques on the other 3 wheels. i had to have a body shop replace the front fender (it was jammed up and back into the hood and passenger door). i still have the old hub assembly. *tr

The car was parked in a grocery store lot. i used the remote to open the back latch to store my groceries. it did not open. i tried again. suddenly the back window exploded and the back hatch came off it hinges. i am unable to drive the car until it is repaired. i found many stories online that said the same thing has happened to other 2004 explorers and ford has not done anything with the complaints. this episode could have been very serious had it occurred while driving or if someone had been hit by the flying glass debris.

The rear hatch door cracked and noticed so took to auto body shop and they told us it was a ford defect and if fixed it would crack again due to the make of this car. *tr

Driver #1(me) was traveling south on statesville rd. driver #1 stated that she was initially a few car lengths behind vehicle #2. driver #1 stated that vehicle #2 made a sudden stop. driver #1 stated that she could not stop in time and struck vehicle #2 in the rear. driver #2 stated that he stopped to turn into center and was rear ended by vehicle #1. witnesses, stated that the driver of the honda (vehicle #2) appeared to have over shot his turn, and slammed on his brakes to make a right turn into the pva. *tr

The rear window latch on the right side facing the vehicle broke off and nearly caused the right side to also break. i am uncertain as to whether or not the hydraulic lift for the window failed or the latch just broke. *tr

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

While opening the smaller window in the back of the car, the window started to fall. luckily there were two people to catch it. i noticed the passenger side hinge was broken. we usually take our infant around to the back of the car while we load things. fortunately, we had already buckled her in. had the glass fallen or we not paid attention , it could have seriously injured her or us. *tr

The back hatch window doesn't seem to line up with the latch. the back hatch also cracked right near the ford logo. i have seen many of the explorers that this has happened to. its time ford fixes this defect. also while doing around 60-65 mph my timing chains broke, all 3 of them at the same time. i could understand 1 maybe but all 3 ? this to has to be a manufacturer defect. *tr

In winter the blend for actuator went out in explorer and left me with no great so when i drive i have to continue to try and wipe frost off of the inside of windshield it is dangerous to have to drive vehicle in winter and always wiping windows especially with kids in the car there are many reports of this happening in this model and year of vehicle this is definitely a safety issue you are driving down road at night and as soon as you pass a car the cars headlights mess with frost on window and it is blinding not to mention when it rains and the windows steam up and you can't see then either. *tr

When accelerating the suv shakes, it has a hard time sometimes going from one gear into another. i started the truck today and it made a thumping sound. the transmission is going on it and i take care of it. i have a hard time getting the truck to go into gear to go in reverse. *tr

When closing rear panel, the panel cracked. *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the rear wheel wells and frame were rusted. and the rear hatch was fractured. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the failure mileage was 40,000 and the current mileage was 100,000. updated 09/30/14*lj the consumers stated the transmission jerks into gear. updated 02/25/2015 *js

Daughter driving vehicle, right wheel bearing ceased, causing rear end of vehicle to fish tail, had to drive home on back road (not highway) as the vehicle would have flipped. car was smoking so bad, could not be placed into garage as it would have burned down the house. had to be towed, damaged from bearing to rear axel and emergency brake/cables. if she were on the highway she would have been killed. there are multiple complaints about this problem, what will it take? anyone heard of any class actions to make ford step up to bat and recall these unsafe vehicles? *tr

When driving to work i began to hear a noise in the front end part of the vehicle. after leaving work and driving less than 1 mile the noise got loud, so i pulled over and waited for a tow truck. had the vehicle towed to a shop and fixed. 1 year and 1 week later it had to be replaced again. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that there was an abnormal noise coming from the front end of the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the technician diagnosed that the dome over the shock absorber was rusted. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure and current mileage was 117,000. updated 08/11/2014*lj the consumer stated ford would not repair the vehicle. the vehicle was traded in to ford with a reduced amount to the trade in allowance because of the failure. updated 08/12/2014 *js

Tl * the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. while driving 40 mph, the vehicle would decelerate automatically to 20 mph and not regain speed. the vehicle would also not shift into reverse. the failure occurred twice over a six year period. the vehicle's transmission has been replaced twice. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer. the manufacturer was notified. the approximate failure mileage was 22,000.

Rear glass lift gate: cracks appeared in the rear hatch on both sides of the rear ford logo.( i now notice many ford explorers with same cracks). top right glass hinge twisted significantly and top left glass hinge twisted slightly. the fastening bolts for both glass hinges are rusted through. this resulted in the rear glass window shifting, apparently causing the cracks in the tail gate. i contacted sunshine ford's service dept. in newburgh, ny and was told ford is not responsible for fixing/replacing this defect. they chose their words carefully. they emphasized that "my model year" was not recalled for this defect. i asked if "any" explorers had a recall for this defect. they would not say; but instead repeated,"my model year" was not recalled for this defect. nhtsa has already received consumer complaints of injuries from owners whose lift gate glass broke off its mounting hinge while open, and caused head injuries. it is only a matter of time before a rear lift glass panel detaches from an explorer in motion on a highway. that could easily lead to a multi vehicle accident along with multiple fatalities. i checked and ford had a similar part recall for 2002 & 2003 explorers. ford changed the part then and has not met the # of complaints to be forced to recall 2004 and up explorers. unfortunately, i think many explorer owners check with the dealer as to whether or not there was/is a recall and give up upon hearing no. we need to get anyone we know with this problem to file a complaint with the nhtsa. it is only a matter of time before some innocent person dies as a result of this "known" defect! as i understand it, this is a known defect for which ford is not willing to take responsibility. ford should fix this problem at no cost. *tr

While driving my explorer down the highway, the transmission blew with out much warning with my baby in the car. the vehicle went from drivable to not moving within one day. it started with a hard shift and acceleration being delayed when trying to make a turn. then the o/d light came on and the vehicle lost all power within ten miles of my home leaving us stranded in the dead of winter on the highway with very little room to pull over so we could have been hit at high speeds. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the indicator on the instrument cluster would not properly specify what gear the vehicle was engaged. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure and current mileage was 117,000. the vin was not available.

While parked, i started up my vehicle and put the truck in reverse. however, the truck would not reverse. i was able to drive forward and took my vehicle to mechanic. he stated that the fords were "well known" for having bad transmission due to certain pieces not fitting, especially the 2002-2006 models. i searched online and realized this problem is a lot bigger than just "a few" cases. this is an epidemic of neglect! additional issues include the throttle body for which your establishment has already investigated but limited the "recall" for years 2009-2013. this should be extended further to cover all incidents within a certain mileage. mine started around fifty thousand miles until i had it replaced for $650! i request an investigation on the transmission failures, specifically with the inability to reverse. *js

Stopping at red light stepping on brake vehicle speed up instead of stopping. causing me to side swipe four vehicles and go through an intersection

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the rear liftgate glass unexpectedly shattered without accessing the door. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 69,000. ...updated 04-10-14 *bf updated 04/22/14

I was driving at approximately 45 mpg and the vehicle started to slow down on it's own in the middle of traffic. i was close to home and able to get it into my driveway. i had to have it towed to the shop where they diagnosed that the electronic throttle body module was bad and replaced it at a cost of repair of $644.00. *tr

Cracked panel below rear window, went to garage and found this, cracked all the way thru. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated while driving 10 mph, the transmission failed. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 130,000. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the rear lift gate was fractured directly on the logo where the lift gate lock was located. the defect could have caused the rear lift gate to open while driving. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 14,000 and the current mileage was 16,000. *tr

Rear lift gate plastic cracked through ford logo with no contact. third row seatbelt stuck and hard to release.

Crack in rear hatch below rear window. as i understand it, this is a known fault for which ford is not willing to take responsibility. ford should fix problem at no cost. *tr

This is a county govt vehicle purchased used from a dealer about 2 years ago. i had been highway driving for about 3-4 hours at speeds between 55-70 mph. i made one brief stop during that time, and was mostly using cruise control. just prior to the incident, the speed limit drops from 70 to 55, and then to 35 in a relatively short distance. i used the cruise control coast to reduce my speed from 55 to 35. the 35 mph speed starts on a bridge- there is a small incline and then a little larger decline. at about the base of the bridge, the engine shut off, i lost steering and coasted to a stop. i don't recall if i had braking. i was with a passenger; it was night, and this occurred in an area that was not safe. i tried restarting the car, and it restarted with no problem. i drove to a nearby gas station. the power steering fluid was low, so i filled that, restarted, and drove the remaining 1 1/2 hrs with no problems. other employees continued to drive over the next 2 1/2 months locally-very little highway driving, with no issues. on february 21, i was returning from a trip in this vehicle from the same area, with the same circumstances as above. when i was still on the bridge where the speed drops to 35, the engine shut off again. this time i was alone. there was a vehicle following very close behind me but fortunately i continued to coast as this was on the decline of the bridge. i was able to steer slightly to get off the highway. the check gauges; check engine, and battery warning lights were all on. the car restarted with no problems. i drove to the same gas station; checked the gauges-all were normal and no warning lights. i drove the 1 1/2 hrs remaining with no problems. on a web search, i found multiple cases of very similar problems on explorers with no resolution. i could find no recalls on the vin. this is an extremely dangerous and potentially fatal problem. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the rear liftgate was cracked. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for repairs. the manufacturer was notified of the issue. the approximate failure mileage was 89,846.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that while loading the vehicle, the hydraulic arm failed and the glass of the lift gate struck a passenger in the head. the passenger suffered a laceration to the head. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was contacted about the failure. the failure mileage was 127,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the hinges for both the driver and passenger's side sun visors became fractured, making the visors unusable. the contact stated that due to the defect he was unable to reposition the visors in order to block the sun when driving. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified and no solution was offered. the failure mileage was 65,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford ford explorer. the contact stated there was a crack underneath the window of the tailgate. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing or to be repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 8,627. ..updated 03/25/14 *bf

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 been shattered glass everywhere. definitely a safety issue. *tr

My 13 yr old was loading groceries while the window was popped up it fell w/o warning severly hurting her head rt bracket on upper windoe broke can cause serious injury

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving approximately 25 mph, the vehicle independently shifted from first to second gear accompanied by an abnormal noise from the transmission. additionally, the contact experienced resistance when attempting to shift from park to reverse. the contact would have to shut off the engine and restart the vehicle before the vehicle would engage. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but had not been diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 107,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact noticed a crack on the lift gate near the manufacturer's emblem. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 147,000.

The rear liftgate panel cracked for no apparent reason. *tr

This is the second ford explorer i have owned and both of them had the same transmission problems. yet ford has no recall or even anything to fix them except $3,000.00 to a dealer out of you pocket for their mistake. i guess since no one has been proven to have gotten injured or died due to this issue, then there won't be a recall made on it. this is totally unsatisfactory for the ford motor co. because they have workers that screw up, the consumer ends up footing the large bill of repairing it. there is a known problem with the transmissions of these explorers from 2000 - 2005 yet no one seems to want to address it. ford motor should be ashamed of putting such faulty vehicles out on the road and endangering another humans life for their profit. this is the last time i will buy and ford product and i will encourage everyone i know not to buy ford either. i wonder how ford would like the media exposure for this issue. no good customer service or product. *tr

The brake pedal went to the floor as i was about to pull out of a parking space. i shut the vehicle down and called for a tow. i had the vehicle towed to a service station. the mechanic found that the rubber hose component of the brake line had sprung a leak, leading to the complete lack of braking. my concern is that if it had happened on the highway or in traffic, or just about any other moving situation, i would likely have crashed, with dire results to me and potentially to others. there was no warning. there were no lights. i have never experienced a situation like this in over 30 years of driving approximately 1 million miles .very disconcerting. very disappointing. i would like for ford engineers to explain themselves. *tr

When setting cruise control at around 35 to 40 mph the engine dies. the power steering stops working and is very difficult to steer out of traffic. turn the vehicle off and then it will restart and run until you try to set the cruise again. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the gear lever would not shift in and out of gear until after several attempts. in addition, the transmission would slip gears while driving. the failure recurred intermittently. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. the contact was advised to rebuild the transmission and replace the torque converter. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 89,456.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer xlt. the contact stated that upon inspection, the left hinge that held the trunk window snapped unexpectedly. the window was held by the contact while another person latched the window back into place. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified. the failure mileage was 25,000.

The ford motor company is well aware of the problem with its ford explorers produced 2002-2008. the back door panel cracks all the way through just under the window. there are thousands of owners with this problem and many documented who have been driving the vehicle and had the back window completely explode. there is no telling when this is going to happen only to alarm the driver and cause a major freeway accident. right now there is a class action lawsuit moving to get the ford company to repair this problem. but they are waiting for a major accident, injury or loss of life to do the right thing. *tr

The original equipment harmonic balancer came apart. the inner portion separated from the rest. this allows. it would have caused the destruction of the serpentine belt, and crankshaft position sensor if i had not caught it in time. this would have resulted in loss of engine power, loss of power steering, and loss of power brakes! this seems to be a common problem with the 2004 ford 4.0 liter v6. this could result in somebody losing control of the vehicle with little or no warning. i was replacing the water pump on my vehicle when i saw this defect. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that he opened the rear trunk window and the left hinge became fractured. the window fell onto the contact unexpectedly, which saved the window from falling and shattering. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where the mechanic stated that the hinge would need to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified. the failure mileage was 80,602.

Just bought a 2004 explorer eddie bauer edition with 105,000 miles on it as soon as i got home the transmission started to slip. it lunges hard when put into reverse. this is a well known problem with ford. they refuse to do a recall. i'm sure someone will have to die before its dealt with. i pray it's not you or yours. *tr

After coasting through intersections, transmission slips and then clunks as i accelerate

I was on my way to work on a tuesday morning with my son who is a college student at my school on august 20, 2013. i work at a community college and it was the first week of the fall semester 2013 starting. i arrived about 10:15 a.m. and could not find parking. i found a parking stall in the staff parking lot. i put the ford explorer in reverse and was going backwards to park in the stall. when i moved the shift gear handle to put the truck into drive into the parking stall, the gear shift was just broke off. i couldn't believe it! i had to act quickly and hit the emergency brake and turn the ignition off from the car to make it stop. i was really scared! luckily, i dropped off my son so he can go to his first class. i had to have the car towed to banning, california and have my mechanic fix it. still to this day, ford cannot provide a part to fix the steering column shift level. ford says its on backorder, no one has the part. they don't know when i will have the part to fix my truck. i need help, i hope you can issue a recall on all 2004 ford explorers with gear shift level breaking off. very upset need your help to get my truck fixed. this matter has made me sick with high blood pressure and would appreciate someone to investigate this matter right away. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving 25 mph, the brakes failed. the vehicle did not stop until after repeated attempts to apply the brakes. the vehicle was restarted after several minutes and operated normally for five miles. the vehicle then accelerated independently, reaching speeds of up to 65 mph before the contact was able to stop the vehicle. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and the contact was awaiting diagnosis. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 124,000.

On the body the tailgate panel keeps cracking this makes my truck look bad compared to the money i put into it. my engine or transmission acts as if something is wrong it is not shifting gear right. on the electrical tire pressure light keeps coming on and it also keeps leaking water from somewhere. ford needs to go out of business for selling these pieces of junk. it makes no sense. *tt

Rear lift gate hinges cracking at pin causing rear gate glass to shift down and tailgate not to latch correctly. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. the contact mentioned that the anti-theft alarm engaged automatically while attempting to start the vehicle. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer for a diagnostic. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure and current mileage was 190,000.

2000-2005 explorers have a rate of 1 out of 10 having transmission failure. i want to know why there is not a recall or a class action law suit for this vehicles transmission problems and failures. i would like any information possible to further this. there was mention on ford complaints and failures website for out of warranty explorers a "goodwill repair"? i contacted the ford company and said my vehicle did not fit the criteria. yet when i asked for the guidelines to be sent or emailed to me, i was told this was confidential information and was told nothing could be done...i purchased this vehicle with my daughters disability money so that she would have a safe ride to dr's etc. a little over a year later the gears went totally out while driving. road side assistance took 4 hours up until 4am. lengthy wait for anyone let alone a disabled child. now my daughter and i as a single mother can not afford another vehicle. or the repairs for fords mistakes. ford really needs to acknowledged their mistakes and fix them on a case by case basis or someone needs to put their foot up their tailpipe and sue the company. any help suggestions or other ways to deal with this matter would be gratefully appreciated. thank you ..[xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that when he attempted to shift gears, the vehicle failed to respond. the contact believed the transmission was defective however, the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 115,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that after having some unrelated repairs performed on the vehicle, the vehicle failed to shift out of park and when it did, the vehicle could only be operated in third gear. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the transmission was defective and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 123,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the transmission failed. the vehicle would sporadically surge and would exhibit an abnormal grinding sound. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer where it was determined that the fly wheel was spinning because the torque converter had failed. the vehicle had not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 129,000.

Transmission is slipping and makes a grinding noise while driving and when back up turning the wheel it jerks and makes a banging noise. garage said it be $3500 to fix it. it seems like tons of people with this suv are having the same problem. *tr

I opened the lift gate window to load groceries when the right side of the window suddenly let go up near the hinge. this caused the right side of the window to drop and then the left hinge broke, causing the entire rear window to drop. i was able to catch it so it didn't break and eventually release the support struts so i could get it into the back of the vehicle. it appears that the fastener near the hinge was corroded through and when i tried to open the window the weight was finally too much for it so it snapped, releasing the window on that side. fortunately this fastener failed in a parking lot and not on a freeway or the whole rear window may have come off and posed a danger to the cars behind. ford has already issued a recall for 2002 and 2003 models which used the same hinge assembly, don't know why 2004 was not included. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the abs system would independently activate without warning. the failure caused the brakes to seize and the vehicle would sway 180 degrees to the side before stopping. the vehicle was taken to dealer for inspection. the failure was located at the brake hydro lock system. the contact was advised that the abs electronic unit needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure and current mileage was 88,902.

On may 31st of 2013 at approx. 4pm, after removing some items from the back of my 2004 ford explorer via the window hatch, i proceeded to shut the window and i heard a snap followed by the right side (as i am facing the vehicle)of the window fall. i was able to catch the window and began to try and line the window back up and close it by securing it to the locking mechanism at the base. noticing me struggle with the window a gentleman came over and began trying to help me, only to find that the window would not budge due to the right side (as i am facing the vehicle) shock/support/strut being froze. we could not get the shock to retract which prevented the window from closing. while i continued to hold the window up the gentleman went to get his tools to remove the shock/support/strut. with the shock/ support/ strut removed we could then align the window and close it by locking it into the locking mechanism at the base. i strongly believe that due to the sock/support/strut on the right side freezing up, it prevented the window hatch from closing properly which in turn caused the right side hinge to snap under the pressure. i have not opened the rear window hatch since and will be contacting ford as to what their course of action will be for such a failure. any assistance with this issue would be greatly appreciated. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the horizontal panel under the rear lift gate was fractured. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure and current mileage was 99,000. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the vehicle shook. upon inspection, the driver noticed that the rear passenger side lug nuts had loosened and the tire was only being held in place by one lug nut. the contact mentioned that the failure recurred on the rear driver side tire but in this occasion the tire detached while driving 70 mph. in addition, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift into third gear. the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the technician diagnosed that the transmission, studs, log nuts, rotors, and tires needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was repaired. the failure mileage was 124,000 and the current mileage was 132,000. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the rear hatch was defective and the plastic that covered the license plate area on the hatch became fractured. as a result, when the hatch was opened, the contact and two children sustained lacerations to the hands. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 35,000 and the current mileage was 114,000.

While was driving on i-95 i gave the car a boost of speed to pass another vehicle. i noticed my back window become "dirty" (covered in coolant) and while the car seemed okay i moved to the right lane. there was no shoulder to pull off due to construction. without a shoulder i had to keep going another couple miles; after a couple miles i started loosing speed gradually. with children in the car this was a safety issue - i was fortunate to make it to an exit where upon immediately the car died as i slowed and white smoke started billowing out of the engine compartment. the problem was the thermostat housing failed causing the car to lose coolant. since i was unable to pull over it resulted a blown head gasket. due to design of the engine this repair is prohibitively expensive. i have seen this thermostat complaint numerous times and it is time that ford take responsibility for the plastic parts that are connected to the engine. this part should be aluminum according to my mechanic. please consider recall to replace plastic thermostat housing with metal: ford must use metal parts because plastic warps in the heat. the affected parts are the thermostat housing and it's connection to the engine. i have good maintenance, oil changed regularly, fluids checked and maintained regularly. i also drive very conservatively and am easy on my driving. ford must fix this! between this issue and a bolt in my steering column falling out (causing a loss of steering) my confidence in ford is diminished. *tr

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 dealership to see if this was a recall and he stated not on my specific vehicle after giving him my vin. i feel this is a huge safety issue. i refrain use of the window in the fear it will fall on me. now my fear is the window will fall completely off while driving.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the horizontal panel under the rear lift gate was fractured. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure and current mileage was 85,000. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving approximately 55 mph, the sun visor became detached. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 148,000 and the current mileage was 154,000. *tr

Purchased this vehicle as used on 4-19-13 and had noticed the crack to the left of the ford emblem. upon closer look today there is a second crack about 8 inches to the right of the emblem. *tr

When opening the rear hatch window, there was a failure in the pin in the hinge causing the window to fall. the window was not broken however a repair had to be made before the vehicle was drivable due to the possibility of the glass falling. *tr

My daughter weighs 99 lbs she opened hatch at gas station and the window portion of the entire hatchback fell off also there is a crack in the plastic down the hatch which i see on every old explorer. *tr

This is in response to the investigation of ford for "limp mode". every time that i use my cars cruse control under 50 mph the car goes in to limp mode. after i pull over and restart the car it run normaly, *tr

I was closing the upper door on the back of my suv when the right hinge broke and the door almost dropped to the ground. i managed to wrestle it back up but the hydraulic shock on the door broke and leaked fluid all over the car. i cannot get it back into the window opening properly it is open about an inch. i am afraid to drive the car in case the window falls out. *tr

Transmission seems to slip and engine revs also when put in reverse transmission seems to jump. *tr

At about 65,000 miles, my transmission began slowly acting up; it vwas difficult to put into gear and clunks while driving. it is getting worse, and ford will not help with repairs because it is out of warranty. *tr

Rear body panel around back window split

While driving, the vehicle just shut off. i had no control of the vehicle once it shut off, except to utilize the emergency brake to get me stopped. once stopped, i put it in park and it started up first try. no check engine light came on. same thing happens on a regular bases. usually happens while braking or turning at speeds lower than 30mph, then engine just stalls and everything turns off. this to me is a major safety concern, because without total control of the vehicle and vehicle lighting at night, it could seriously injure or kill someone. i highly recommend investigating this further so we can all continue to be safe. thanks! *tr

We was drive the street doing 30 mph until we came until a stop light . when the light turn green the transmission started to act like in didn't wont to go into gear . when only had the car for a year in only put almost less then 9 to 8 thousand mile on it. when the car full service every time... don't know what to do any more. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that none of the windows were able to be opened when engaged. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection and they stated that the fuse needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. the manufacturer was notified but provided no assistance. the failure mileage was unknown. ...updated 05/29/13 *bf

Going 55 miles an hour truck slip out of gear. *tr

My car won't shift in to gear any more. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that as she approached the vehicle, she noticed that the horizontal panel under the rear lift gate was fractured. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where they advised her that the panel needed to be replaced. the vehicle was replaced for the horizontal panel and emblem. the manufacturer was contacted and offered no assistance. the failure mileage was approximately 21,652. the current mileage was approximately 36,000. *tr

The rear panel cracked for no apparent reason. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the rear liftgate body panel was cracked. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the body panel needed to be replaced. the contact also stated that while driving approximately 25-35 mph, a noise was heard coming from the rear differential. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the technician stated that the rear differential needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated the vehicle was not included in any recalls. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 80,000. the vin number was not available.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that there was an excessively long fracture in the rear liftgate near the manufacturing emblem below the rearview window. the vehicle was not inspected or repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 50,000.

While driving, the cruise control stopped working and car stalled. at the same time the abs light comes off and on. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving 60 mph around a curve and over a pothole, the driver lost control of the vehicle. the vehicle then began jerking and the vehicle flipped over five times while the driver was attempting to complete the turn. the contact was a rear passenger in the vehicle. the contact stated that the rear seat belts failed to secure the passenger’s properly. as a result, the contact’s head was thrown through the window and stuck the ground each time the vehicle rolled over on the roof. the contact and one other passenger were injured. the vehicle was destroyed. the vin was not available. the failure and current mileages were unknown.

While the vehicle was parked for 2 or 3 days under the carport in the driveway, the back panel under the window cracked for absolutely no reason. *tr

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 not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 80,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 volvo vnl. the contact stated that the vehicle was parked on an incline when he applied the parking brake and the vehicle unexpectedly rolled away. the failure recurred three times. the vehicle was taken to an independent auto shop for diagnosis. the technician determined that the brake slack adjuster on the second axle was faulty. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the defect. the approximate failure mileage was 415,000.

The rear window hinge pin (passenger side) has corroded and broken allowing the window to fall off of the rear tail gate. i noticed the broken hinge before using the lift gate which has prevented it from falling off thus far. i have read that this is a very common problem on this vehicle and ford will not own up to the problem. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that while stopped, the vehicle accelerated independently and without warning. the failure recurred numerous times. the vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis where the throttle body sensor unit was replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified but offered no assistance. the failure and current mileage was 74,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that after exiting the vehicle, she noticed that the rear hatchback window panel was fractured. the vehicle was not taken to a mechanic. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted about the failure and advised the contact that they were unaware of the issue. the failure and current mileages were approximately 92,000.

There is a crack to the left of the ford isignia on the rear lift tail gate. the crack runs from the bottom of the rear panel just below the rear window to the bottom of that panel. the panel is the top half of the lift gate where the gate opens to enter items without opening the entire tail gate. i understand from other ford explorer owners that this can cause the rear window to blow out because the panel is no longer secure due to the crack. obi# 10487645 *tr

On april 6th of this year i purchased a 2004 ford explorer. the next day i took the car for city inspection...it passed. the very next day (sunday) the check engine light came on. the abs light would also illuminate. i took the car to autozone to have it diagnosed (egr valve). only the check engine light could be diagnosed because the abs light came on at random while i was driving. the car was still under the 1000 mile warranty so the egr valve was replaced and a speed sensor believed to be the problem with the abs light. i purchased an independent extended warranty so i would be covered for any surprise expenses. i had my chance to use it in just a few months later when the car ran hot. the repair was not covered. this happened in july, just a few months after buying the car. earlier this month (november 2012) the service engine light came on again but it didn't stay on so i couldn't get it diagnosed. no need to have it diagnosed because the battery light came on too. i took it to autozone once again and the battery tested bad. it wouldn't start at the store. i bought the battery, it was installed and checked again. the alternator showed it wasn't charging. i had to have the alternator replaced. with the cold weather, i discovered the defrost vents don't work. air only blows from front vents. on the morning of november 19th, i was taking my son to school and the overdrive light started flashing. it happened again while on my way home from work on november 21st. so now i suppose i have transmission problems. ford needs to answer for their horrible engineering. *tr

First issue was with the solenoids now the issue is with 1-2 shift ratio. shifting into neutral. *tr

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.

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

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

While driving north on us23 at brighton mi the right front wheel and tire separated from the vehicle because of the fracture of the 5 wheel lugs. according to the msp this is a common occurance because of metal fatigue caused by the improper use of impact and not torque wrenches when the vehicle is serviced. the problem is being ignored by the auto manufacturers, and i have found publications on this subject matter. there are likely millions of affected vehicles in service, and the wheel loss would produce results similar to the previous ford/firestone tire problem. *tr

While putting the car in reverse in the parking lot the gear shift completely snapped off and the car was stuck in reverse. the keys were stuck in the ignition and i couldn't turn the car off. i had to put the emergency brake on and call for help on my cell phone. when help arrived after a couple of hours they were able to manuever what was left of the gear shift enough to put the car back in park and turn the car off. i called the ford customer service division and spoke with a representative named [xxx], he preceded to tell me that ford has never heard of such a problem and that he couldn't help me. he said there are currently no recalls available for this part. i searched the internet and found hundreds of the same complaint on fords and advised [xxx] and again he said ford has never heard of such a problem. i am relieved that it happened in a parking lot and it didn't cause an accident. ford should be ashamed of themselves and their shoddy workmanship and take the necessary steps to resolve this problem. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

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 about this issue have been made to the ford corporation regarding this problem but they continue not to rectify the issue at hand; while leaving vehicle owners helpless when this situation occurs. i read that this was a good avenue to report this issue since ford continues to ignore the problem and wonder if my husband would not have been in shouting distance what would've happen to my son, unborn child and myself!!!!! *tr

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" only to find that somehow the glass liftgate is not latched. nobody uses it so unsure if the corrosion and broken hinge is causing the glass to ajar from the latch. i called a local ford dealership to see if this has been recalled on my vehicle, as it has on numerous other 2004 ford explorer. i was told it was not recalled and the part is $50/piece. the left hinge is starting to do the same as well. i am scared that this will eventually fall off while i am driving the vehicle and think this should be recalled as it is a huge safety issue. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. while driving approximately 25 mph, the overdrive warning light illuminated intermittently on the instrument panel. the contact stopped the vehicle on the shoulder and shut the vehicle off. after restarting the vehicle, the warning light continued to illuminate. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. the technician stated that the transmission would have to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 98,000.

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 this could have been a lot worse. after searching online for information about this issue i found thousands of complaints about this exact issue and hundreds of post of injuries incurred from this. ford recalled other vehicles with the same issue with the same part and yet the 2004 was never included. something needs to be done. a part over time shouldn't break off and cause a safety hazard. *tr

Started driving and when i went to make a turn i felt a grab. thought i might be imaging things but happened again on the next intersection turn this time causing me to have to make a wheel correction. on the third turn it was markedly worse and a grunch sound accompanied it and it was more difficult to make the turn. and then next few turns markedly worse again to the point i am considering pulling over and getting a tow as now it is dangerous. i figured out that it was mostly straight driving to the mechanic garage and three turns so i drove cautiously. a very difficult drive making turns and i could barely turn into the garage drive as the steering barely worked and was accompanied by very loud grunching. it was a quick fix as a bolt in the steering column had come out. had this happening on a highway this could have been a life threatening situation to navigate off the highway. no injuries. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving 55mph the transmission down shifted to first gear causing the vehicle to slow down and the rear tires to drag. the contact was able to shift gears which brought the vehicle back to speed as he merged into a rest area. the vehicle was towed to the dealer to have a diagnostic performed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the approximate failure and current mileage was 136,000.

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. what if my daughter had been standing underneath as usual, or he had not been able to catch the window and it broke and sen "exploding" glass pieces everywhere. i see that this appears to be a very widespead issue when looking through complaints. also, the tailgate in my explorer has also experienced the same mysterious crack that so many other vehicles have had. one day it was fine, then it was cracked. could these issues be somehow releated? or is the entire hatch just full of flaws. *tr

4 years ago the plastic next to the ford emblem cracked right of the emblem on my back hatch. i looked into it and there was 10's of thousands of the same complaint that i had at an average cost of only $800. then tonight my wife got some chairs out of the rear hatch then when closing it the rear glass falls out of the explorer because " the aluminum rear hatch hinge on the right side broke" which has an average cost of $300. mind you the little piece that holds the window hinge on is only the size of an eraser head, both of the rear hatch defects are not under any recall yet many complaints have been filed and or posted via the internet. this is a safety concern to families as it should be to the ford motor company " which seems not to care " and also to the nhtsa as it could be a huge safety issue if this was to have happened traveling down the high way at 70 mph. *tr

I purchased a 2004 ford explorer in july 0f 2011, and traded in my 2001 oldsmobile of 5 years. i also purchased the 12 month 12,000 mile warranty. before driving it off the lot i had the dealer fix the abs system because the light was on. there is a crack going down the back of the trunk but nothing else was wrong at the time so i left the crack alone. in april of 2012 i took it to the dealership for a belt, check trans, shocks, ball joints, and a ticking in the heater when knob was turned to heat (not cool). i told him to just fix what was on the warranty and also give it a oil change. he informed me that the trans was fine. after getting the car back my heat went out and i was told by a mechanic buddy that my brakes, rotters, emergency brake pads and the back tires were shot. so i had him replaced them because this was also not covered on warranty. just last week my rpm started jumping with miles over 65.(no lights were on at the time)so i took it to 6 different places getting estimates on what could be wrong. all shops said the same thing. "start with fuel filter, oil filters and oil change". the day after i paid for all this the service engine light came on. (egr valve code) the man at auto zone told me to take it off and clean it with spray and let it dry before replacing. i took it to a shop and had them do this. the same day i picked up the car my service engine light came on again, o/d light and the car was driving like i was hauling a bus and jumping. i took it back the next day and he replaced the egr valve new since the same code was showing up. later that day after getting it back the car started doing the same thing after driving for 5 miles this was friday 9/21/12. *tr

I was driving down the highway and all of a sudden my transmission started slipping and the cruise control kicked it because the vehicle started to slow down so it went into high rpms then the transmission grabbed and shot the vehicle forward and i lost control and we spun in circles off the freeway. had it not of rained all day the suv would have flipped. now my transmission is leaking fluid and it must be repaired by dealership or garage only and i cannot afford this repair and i see that there is a major problem these transmissions in these vehicles and me my child or my husband could have been badly hurt if not killed had this been on dry pavement!!! *tr

I had to have the heater blend door replaced on my ford explorer. the cost was over $1000.00. the entire dashboard had to be removed. i know that a tsb was issued by ford on this problem,many owners have had the same problem as i did. this is an engineering/manufacturing defect that is not only costly to repair,but in my opinion can cause the windshield to fog up while driving because you can not control the heater function. this can lead to a poor or non visibility situation and could cause an accident. please look into this problem to avoid any possible accidents. i have read numerous reports from other owners online regarding this problem.please contact ford about this potentially hazardous problem and issue a recall notice. the blend door is not strong enough to withstand the blowers air pressure. thank you for your help in this matter. *tr

Filled up the tank and it registered no fuel, bad fuel sensor. *tr

This issue involves the driver side sun visor. the plastic piece on the left side of the visor that holds it in place on the ceiling has broken off. when you hit a bump or dip in the road the visor falls down and blocks your view to see what is going on in front of you. this is a real safety concern to me. i don't want to hit someone or something because of this. i am asking for a recall to be issued. thanks *tr

Transmission went at 74,000 miles. *tr

Cannot accelerate, feels like transmission is shifting hard. scares me to be in traffic with two small children in backseat. put into reverse it jolts into gear after a few seconds. makes a loud noise when driving down the road. sometimes there is almost no acceleration making it impossible to get around town. *tr

I left work on friday when shifted from reverse to drive noticed i had a hesitation/slippage of gears in the middle of the road. i picked up my children went to the store noticed a mild burnt smell which i was told was transmission fluid burning so i was told to park the car. i finished my shopping came out got the kids in their seats started to back up and had no transmission. my kids and i were stranded 8 miles from home because we had no fair warning that it was going. i had never had any issues with it before. the guy i bought it from had replaced the transmission 2 years before i bought it. ford needs to issue a recall and get things like this fixed. my kids and i could have been seriously injured has that happened on the road on the way home instead of in a parking lot. *tr

Transmission shifts very hard so bad that it jerks me and my children's heads forward when it happens. this occurs the worst when going into reverse and into 2nd and 3rd gears. brakes lock up/stick after being pressed for 3 seconds. *tr

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

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 before it fell. my entire right side is sore from trying to hold the glass and trying to shut the window lift gate so i could get the car home. with one adult and three kids, i was stuck trying to figure out how & what to do with this window dangling. we are shocked that ford has yet to recall the 2004 models but has recalled previous years. this is obviously a huge problem & it needs to be addressed. someone is going to get very hurt. the hinges & struts need to be recalled on this model. *tr

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 explorer. i then had to drive home with no lift gate while exhaust fumes filled the truck. it should be noted that prior to this incident, the tailgate cracked, which i see is a common issue with this particular vehicle and the subject of a class action lawsuit. *tr

I had just purchased this vehicle to tow with. i was driving in the country with the cruise control on and set at about 45mph. all of a sudden i realized i the vehicle had turned itself off. no power steering, no brakes nothing. it did start right back up after getting off the road. later in the day returning home it did the same exact thing at 50mph with cruise engaged. i talked with ford shop and they say it is a known problem with no known fix. this is very dangerous. *tr

The rear hatch just came off as i was driving out out of a store, the hinge just broke off. *tr

Driving, and and light came on, 4x4 light blinking 5times every 2/3 miles. went to reverse and got a hard jerk. car started making a rubbing noise. took ithe shop was told it was either the transmission or the transfer case. *tr

Traveling with the cruise control set at approximately 58 mph, traffic 100 - 120 feet in front of the vehicle came to an abrupt stop. pressed the brake to disengage the cruise control and started applying pressure to the brake pedal. the vehicle seemed to initially start to slow, however, as we approached the stopped traffic, the engine continued to rev and we could not stop, causing us to hit the rear-end of the vehicle in front of us. the vehicle we hit moved forward a few feet and we hit the rear-end again as the explorer's engine continued to rev and drive us forward even with constant pressure applied to the brake pedal. after the second collision, we were able to pull the explorer off to the side of a road, notify the police, and file a accident report. the explorer has not yet been taken to the dealership to evaluate what had happened. *tr

Transmission is slipping, not fully gone yet, only a matter of time before it completely goes. i do not have the $2500.00 to replace the transmission. every person i have talked to say this is a common problem with the ford explorers. i have taken into the garage over 10 times. ford should be forced to recall these transmissions and ford should have to pay for it. *tr

The transmissions for ford explorers have about a 10% failure rate. the safety issue is that the car may not accelerate when needed. the transmission acts as though it is in neutral when shifting from second to third gears. the symptom also appears during normal acceleration (merging onto highways, trying to pass other vehicles). the danger is that you may not be able move out of the way of other vehicles. we have not been hit, but we no longer drive this vehicle on the highway. we expect a total failure at any moment, and do not want to be in a situation where the vehicle will need to be towed for a large number of miles. this vehicle is unsafe, and unreliable. ford should fix this product, much like honda did for their 2003 acura tl. *tr

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

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the vehicle hesitated to accelerate from stops. the failure occurred while in drive or reverse. the contact also stated that the vehicle jerked violently while shifting gears. the vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and offered no assistance. the failure mileage was 75,000.

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 number: 04v442000 (structure: body: hatchback/lifgate: hinge and attachments). the failure and current mileages were 160,000.

O/d light came on and the transmission started slipping and slamming in and out of gears and the engine started over revving. i have to pull off the road and turn car off and wait about 10 seconds to start car again in order for problem to clear. this has happened may times since. i bought the car new and have returned it to the ford dealer 3 times while under warranty and there fixes would not last long. now they want $3,000 to replace the transmission which i feel they should have done in the first place. i contacted ford customer service and of course they said there was nothing they could do because it was out of warranty. i feel because of the cars history and low miles on it they should have at least done something. i feel if this happens on a major highway it could cause a major accident. *tr

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

The hatch back cracked down the middle. right below the windows. i just shut the glass door and notice a crack. *tr

Right rear liftgate window hinge failed (cracked) causing heavy (apprx 40 lb) glass liftgate glass panel to fall on a person causing minor injury. appears 02/03 models recalled for same issue (despite ford's response on the first investigation of this it is the same issue as 02/03). the hinge part is inadequate to hold the heavy glass panel in place over time with use. since the back glass is a heavy slab of unframed, tempered glass it could "explode" if it falls potentially causing serious injury or traffic accidents to trailing vehicles. ford apparently does a good business in selling these replacement hinges at a cost of over $100 each for a small piece of weak cast metal. forty pound slabs of glass falling off of vehicles with no prior warning is a safety issue! research indicated many other owners with the same complaint. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact was driving 2 mph in reverse when the back up sensor failed and the contact crashed into another vehicle. the crash caused no injuries and the police were contacted. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection of the failure or repairs. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure and the current mileage was 131,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that while going 45 mph, the brakes were applied but failed. the contact tried to pump the brake pedal and it would only depress partially. she tried again a few moments later and the brake pedal was depressed completely into the floorboard. the contact had to use the parking brake in order to slow down. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection where they informed the contact that there was a failure in the brake line, which needed to be repaired. the vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred several times later. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 115000.

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.

2004 ford explorer. consumer writes in regards to crankshaft pulley failure *tgw the consumer stated he was unable to move the vehicle from the road and had it towed to a repair shop, but was unable to make the repairs, due to other damage to one of the components. the vehicle was then towed to the dealer, where they informed the consumer the crankshaft pulley had failed, broke the v-belt, which in turn hit and damaged the crankshaft position sensor. *jb

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

2004 ford explorer. consumer writes in regards to transmission problem *tgw the consumer stated there was a delay in the transmission when he attempted to put the gear in reverse. there was also a hard shift when the vehicle was warm and on several occasions, it would slam into gear. *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the hinge of rear passenger glass fractured, causing the window glass to shatter. the contact was able to notice wear on the rear driver's side, but the driver side had not broken. the vehicle was taken to dealer for inspection, but no repair was made. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the current and failure mileage was 97,102.

Bought the car used with about 85,000 miles on it. after one year of average use (no towing or off-roading) the transmission failed (about 97,000 miles). had it rebuilt and now 2 years and four months later it is failing again (at 122,000 miles). *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the engine transitioned into safe mode and stalled. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, where the pcm, throttle, jack shaft chain, and bearings were replaced. the failure continued. both the dealer and manufacturer stated that the failure could not be diagnosed. they recommended attempting various trial and error remedies. the contact stated that the pcm and throttle again needed to be replaced. the failures continued. the failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was 118,861.

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 first was a #2 valve falling in the engine and causing the engine to blow up. nhtsa please do something about ford. someone has to make car manufacturers responsible to the consumer. every time that nhtsa is contacted nothing is done until millions are negatively affected. *tr

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

Vehicle's transmission started to slip, as we were driving we would hit the gas harder to compensate and then the transmission would catch causing the vehicle to surge forward unexpectedly. *js

On 1/17/12 driving on highway and noticed a burning smell. it was a strong smell. noticed a glow under the dashboard and pulled into a empty parking lot. the truck went up in flames. called ford and they said prove what happened. not sure but the vehicle was in very good condition with no problems that i knew of before this fire. no one was hurt. *tr

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 the hinge. i tried to push it back up manually it wouldn't budge. i was able to remove the right strut and close and latch the window but now it's crooked and obviously not working. i did research and see there are tons of complaints about this same thing happening on 04 explorers. i am very concerned that the window will fall off and this almost caused bodily harm to my daughter when it failed and fell. *tr

While loading groceries, i noticed the hinges to my rear window were cracked. i quit using the window in fear of it breaking. the cost to replace the plastic hinge is completely outrageous! i also had a friend call today and his hinge broke, thankfully the glass did not break. ford knows the hinges are defective. why would a major company like ford overlook this problem and take a chance of many law suits due to their negligence? there are over 1600 complaints recorded. how many more is needed for a recall? ford needs to stand behind their product. i hesitated buying this ford because my first ford caught fire while i was driving it. thirty years later i still think of all the bad stories and now, i want my chevy back. *tr

Transmission failure, slips between gears, replacement required. *tr

On 19 apr 2012 while opening the back hatch window, the passenger side hinge of the window failed. when this occurred the driver side hinge was bent and the hydrulic lifts popped open the window rather rapidly which could have severely injured me if it hit me. i was unable to close the window myself so i could drive again. a bystander helped me out to close it. after reading other reports and complaints online, this is not an isolated incident for 2004 ford explorers. *tr

First had my transmission looked at in may 2008 where it was slipping into reverse and jolting the vehicle, which had only 44133 miles. had it looked at my a ford dealer that told me there was nothing wrong. now in may 2012 at 110,000 miles my transmission was re-looked at for slipping into first and second gear. which at this time i was told that i needed a new transmission and yet i am still making payments. ford complaint line tells me they are not doing anything to resolve this problem at this time and now me and my 3 children are without a vehicle because my transmission had now completely failed and the vehicle remains in a store parking lot broke down. thanks ford! *tr

Rear window hinge fractured causing glass to fall off of rear door. this is the same problem as the 2002-2003 ford recall #04s20. ref nhtsa campaign id number 04v442000. ford does not include the 2004 explorer in their recall but the problem is the same. i have heard of other 2004 explorer owners having the same problem and the service manager at the dealer who replaced the hinge said it is a common problem on the 2004 model year. i feel that the problem extended into the 2004 models and should have been included in the recall of the 2002-2003 models. *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, he heard a loud noise. after inspecting the vehicle he noticed that the bolt to the lug nuts were separated from the rear driver and passenger tires. the vehicle was taken to a tire specialist where the lug nuts were replaced. the manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. the failure and the current mileages were unknown. the vin was unavailable.

The o/d off light began blinking and there was uncontrolled deceleration and when accelerating from a stop there is higher than the usual rpm's needed to shift from first to second gear. my investigation revealed this is a known problem with this particular year of ford explorer and there was an article in april, 21, 2009, atlanta constitution-journal reports regarding an announcement by the nhtsa regarding the faulty transmission problems. at this time there is no current recall for this issue, however, it is a costly repair to consumers for an issue which ford and the nhtsa is aware of. *tr

Shortly after i first purchased the vehicle after about 2-3 years ago. i noticed it would jerk & was hard to shift gears. it would sometimes be in gear & not gas. after i took it to a shop to have it looked at it was a wire or cable loose to the trans. everything seemed ok for awhile thereafter but then it started again. just recently as i was on the expressway the transmission overheated light sensor came on & then the check transmission sensor followed. i researched and found that 1 out of every 10 customers with a ford explorer between 2000-2004 have transmissions issues. also i called to ford customer service and was advised that there is no recall even with several complaints and that no goodwill or financial services could be offered to assist me with the repairing of my vehicle, even after i stressed my complete dissatisfaction with the outcome. *kb

After starting vehicle and moving shift lever from park to reverse - rotating shift handle mount broke off- required towing and $1800 repair cost. have seen similar instances on consumer complaint boards - ford fails to recognize as being a safety manufacturing defect. *tr

The engine shuts off while using the cruise control. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that when driving anywhere from 30-50 mph with the cruise control activated, the vehicle would stall. the vehicle would have to be placed in neutral in order to be restarted. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where they advised the contact that they were unable to diagnose the failure. the manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. the failure mileage was approximately 100,000. the vin was unavailable.

There is a long hesitation while attempting to accelerate either from a complete stop or while the vehicle is rolling. *tr

The hinges that hold on the rear window are failing and i cannot open the rear window because i am afraid that it will fall off. other year explorers were recalled for this very reason and i cannot understand why the 2004 model was not recalled. the parts are the same as they were in other years. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the transmission failed without warning. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told that the transmission overheated, the fifth gear failed and the housing rod was fractured. the dealer also stated that the failure was common in the particular year, make and model vehicle. the failure and the current mileage was 153,435. updated 04/19/12*lj updated 04/30/12

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving 40 mph and without warning, the vehicle slipped into various gears. the contact also stated that the only way the first gear could be disengaged was to apply pressure on the accelerator pedal. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. in addition, the contact stated that the transmission had to be replaced twice. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 75,000 and the current mileage was 85,000.

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.

Rear body panel applique ford series part #402a30. *tr

A year ago my rear left window hinge broke. cost to repair $50 for part. now the right rear window hinge broke cost now has increased to $80 for repair. rear panel cracked when heat wave occurred. ford says no recalls for each issue. this seems to be an issue on this model of ford. ford holds no recall for both issues. *kb

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

On the highway, passing a tractor trailer and the right rear wheel bearings gave out. wheel froze and caught on fire. pulled over and fortunately others had stopped and assisted in putting fire out. was terrifying - our children were sitting in the back! we then ended up stranded away from home as we were on a family trip. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that heat no longer flowed through the vents and she was unable to defrost the windshield. as a result, her vision was obstructed while driving. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and they informed her that the blend door needed to be replaced. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was notified and they offered no assistance. the failure and current mileages were approximately 36,000. the vin was unavailable.

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 repair. *tr

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 responsibility for this defective part.

Wife and kids where driving home and the tranny started kicking in and out of gear (slipping). it jerked into first at the stoplight in town. *tr

Transmission and throttle body failed. *tt

Was driving my vehicle on the highway and got off went to turn. the lug nuts sheard off, thought it was a flat tire. this has happened three times. there is no recall for this. i had my kids in the vehicle all three times. i would like to have this matter resolved.

I was trying to park the car when i took it from drive to reverse the whole gear shift came right off. it will no longer switch gears nor can i drive it. i searched online and there are numerous other 2004 explorers that this has happened too. there are 16 different complaints which all were exactly like mine on carcomplaints.com. this is super dangerous, imagine if my children were in the car when i went to switch gears and it broke off and the were no way to move or stop it from hitting someone. the expense to fix this 'little' problem of fords is costing me more than i make in 2 months. *tr

While at work my rear lift gate window exploded. at first site i thought it was vandalism but nothing (car chargers/cd's/ road side kit etc) was taken. after further investigating, things just didn't add up nor were consistent with the site of my destructive rear window and uplifting of the panel underneath the shattered glass (which was mostly on the ground as opposed to being inside my vehicle.) *tr

About a year ago i noticed the panel below the rear window start to crack. as time went on the crack continued down the entire panel next to the ford emblem. the rear window now makes a rattling noise. i don't know if it will loosen enough for it to pop out if i hit a bump in the road. it has certainly reduced the value of the vehicle. i went online to see if anyone else was having this problem and was shocked to see hundreds of comments. i contacted ford and they said there was no recall from you and that until there was i should go ahead and have it fixed. repair costs seem to be around $400. for the panel plus painting. i really think a design flaw should not be my problem. they know it was a flaw since the newer models are designed completely different. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the rear liftgate exhibited a fracture that started from the top of the manufacturing emblem and down to the bottom of the liftgate. the contact spoke with the manufacturer but was advised that there was nothing that could be done to assist. the vehicle was not repaired. the current mileage was 89,000 and the failure mileage was unknown.

Cruise control is intermittent, sometimes accelerates unexpectedly especially when pushing the button to turn it off. so far have been able to stop car, but it is a scary situation. also, rear warning indicator works only occasionally. could run over or into someone if depending on it. *tr

Cracked panel below rear window. also, rear window appears loose. *tr

There was a noticeably jerk and the o/t off light came on with the computer saying to "check transmission". the transmission mechanic said replace the transmission. *tr

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

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

I purchased a 2004 ford explorer brand new from the dealership. at 70,000 miles i started to notice a change in the transmission slipping and suddenly kicking when going into gear. i took the vehicle to the dealership and they advised that the transmission would need to be replaced at my cost and there is no recall at the present moment. this is a safety concern because no transmission should start having problems with such little mileage. this matter really needs to be investigated and ford needs to correct this issue promptly. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer limited. the contact stated that the rear liftgate was fractured and the contact was concerned that the window would possibly fall out while driving. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where they advised him that the failure was not a safety concern and offered no further assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. the failure mileage was approximately 58,000.

With no warning or abnormal instrument indications, both side air bags inadvertently deployed during vehicle operation. vehicle was on a level paved state highway, between intersections, operating between 30-35mph. *kb *tr

Http://www.carcomplaints.com/ford/explorer/2004/accessories-interior/supports_for_sun_visors_cracked.shtml the sun visor clip has broken and i am unable to use the visor, it just dangles. it can cause an accident. one needs to be able to use the visor for sun protection. i feel ford should do a recall because so this is happening in too many vehicles so there has to be a manufacturing problem. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

In april of 2009 i bought a 2004 explorer from car connections in palm bay florida! this has been nothing but a nightmare! but my "main" complaint 2 weeks ago i took the truck in for regular service to find out that my "over drive" gear is gone. aamco explained to me that ford knew that and it is a defective part! so, to get a 2nd opinion i took my truck to meineke, they also made the same comment of "that is a defective part from ford" and they will not recall the part! well, i am being charged from $3,400 to the lowest of $2,800 for repairs "excluding" tax! why am i and thousands of others paying for something that ford knew was going to be a costly repair for us consumers in this horrible recession! i feel that we/i should be compensated in some sort of way just to help for something bad they sent out. i can't even trade the truck in due to the value has decreased tremendously! i am stuck with a vehicle that is basically going to rust in my driveway for being so costly! please let ford know that they should honor what they knew was wrong! please help! *kb

My vehicle failed to engage in park even though i shifted into park and console indicator displayed park. i had shifted into park on a steep hill. as i exited the vehicle, i released the brakes and one of my passengers alerted me that the vehicle was rolling backwards. i jumped back into the vehicle, applied the brakes and the motion stopped. i verified that park was displayed on the center console, which it was. i then shifted into reverse and neutral and back into park, and the second time the transmission engaged into park. without my passengers alerting me to the vehicle motion, my vehicle would have crashed and potentially injured those in the vehicle. after determining the vehicle was in park, i examined the tire tracks in the snow to see if there was any chance that the vehicle slid rather than rolled on the road. the tire tracks showed clear tire indentations and did not indicate sliding, leading me to determine that the vehicle did not engage into park even though the console indicated it was in park. *tr

Transmission was working just fine till one day it wouldn't shift into overdrive and then it was shifting hard from 2nd to 3rd. rear window hinges broke. rear tail gate cracked right down the middle by ford symbol. also just the other day my passenger window stopped working no signs nothing of anything wrong. i'm going to start buying chevy this is just unacceptable. no wonder america is not doing good our car company's can't make good products anymore. *kb

Rear liftgate glass hatch failure hinge and attachments back glass fail off. *tr

The hinge on the glass hatch broke as i opened the hatch. there was no damage to the hatch hinge prior to this. *tr

I have a 2004 ford explorer, about a month ago i noticed the plastic hinge for the back tailgate glass was breaking off. after visiting several ford used car lots, i seen several explorers with the broken hinge and realized this is a very common problem. i have contacted ford and expressed my concerns, but they are standing by their product. i recieved an estimate of $360 to repair the hinges, but being a single parent of four there is no way i could afford to have this repair done. i hope that ford will step up and recall this issue but no luck yet. *tt

Vehicle transmission slips when climbing elevation. starts clunking noise and won't shift. rpms go way up and vehicle still will not shift. hard to get vehicle into park on the gear shifter. have thought the vehicle was in park only to have it roll when i take my foot off the brake. took vehicle to mechanic today who says a new transmission is needed. appx cost 3600.00 *tt

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 research has revealed this issue was cause for a recall on the '02 & '03 explorer and seems to be wide spread on the '04, yet no recall for the '04. *kb

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that smoke emitted from the steering column while the vehicle was parked. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where they confirmed that the multi function switch malfunctioned. the manufacturer was not contacted and the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 145,000.

I was at a grocery store with my young children, came outside, popped the tailgate (top half of the trunk on ford explorer) and loaded my groceries in the car. my 12 year old then went to close the trunk (top half only) and the left side of the tailgate came off of the hinges. the window/tailgate was extremely heavy, so i had to run to the back of the car and help her to hold the window up. then, as we were trying to put the window/tailgate back onto the hinge, the other hinge broke and the whole window came down. the window was only connected by the wiring and the shocks that are inside the window. we easily could have been injured by this falling window/tailgate. mind you i had no warning that these were going to fail...no cracks, no problems closing the tailgate, nothing! my daughter, a woman who was in the parking lot, and i could not get the window back on so i could drive it home (45 minutes away), so i had to call my brother in law to come help me because he was closeby. he ended up having to take the shocks of the window/tailgate off completely, so that we could put the window/tailgate into the car so i could drive it home. the wiring was still connected. i have contacted ford directly, and they will not take responsibility for this failure...even though they have done recalls on the 2002 and 2003 ford explorer plastic hinges for the tailgate. same problem, different year. i have researched online looking to find if my 2004 explorer had a recall, and found that many people had this same things happen to them on their 2004 explorer. i am not the only one. *kb

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer xlt. the contact stated that the front windshield wipers, interior lights and all four windows failed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised that her vin was not included in the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number: 00v072000. (electrical system: fuses and circuit breakers). the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure who advised that she could file a claim and offered no further assistance. the failure mileage was 132,000.

Paint bubbles in the hood. the dealer just responded that it was a manufacturers problem and that i would just need to replace the entire hood at a large cost. *kb

Transmission shifts hard o/d light flashes. *tr

I bought a used 2004 ford explorer in september 2009. in june 20111 my husband and was driving and i was in the passenger seat. we both could feel the transmission slipping as he drove but figured that it could not be the transmission because the vehicle only had 57,177 miles on it. we arrived at our destination 10 minutes later and by that time we could no longer reverse the vehicle at all. i called the local ford dealership and they said to drive the vehicle over there and they would take a look at it. the paperwork i have from them states "verified concern, performed electronic transmission diagnosis, pulled code po731, checked fluid level - full. dropped the transmission oil pan and found excessive metal debris indicating internal failure. tech recommended replacing with a ford reman unit." the ford dealership's estimate for me was almost $5,000.00 for the transmission to be replaced. i called around to other shops and had the transmission replaced with a jasper unit which cost me $3467.30. it has a three-year warranty on it. i have been reading online about this problem with 2004 ford explorers. for almost a year before the transmission died it would often have delayed shifting when going in reverse and i just assumed it was a touchy pedal, looking back now i realize it was most likely the transmission. this never occurred to me because of the vehicle only having 57,000 miles on it. i no longer feel comfortable driving this vehicle knowing that it has the problems that it does but i have no other choice because we still owe more on the loan than the vehicle is worth. *tr

Rear panel cracked under window. there was no damage to vehicle, an di have seen several ford explorers with the same crack. *tt

I currently own a 2004 ford explorer and purchased new in 2005. have had to replace, the 2 front hubs 3 times, the rack and pinion steering and the transmission slips excessively. this vehicle is driven by my wife to school and home and used for transporting my family. i keep seeing the same problems online but no action by ford. can you say piece of junk? *tr

The brackets holding both the driver and passenger sun visors broke in 2008, just four months after we bought the vehicle (may 2008). we had them replaced on 09/19/2008. the new sun visors on both the driver and passenger side are again cracking as of 09/02/2011, with the driver's side again almost falling off. this will be the third set of visors on this vehicle since we purchased it in may 2008. this is ridiculous. ford will not replace them, even though they are under warranty. many other ford explorer/ranger owner's are experiencing the same problem. *tr

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.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer xlt. the contact stated that the panel below the rear window of the tail gate developed a crack. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated it was a design flaw and the panel needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance since the warranty had expired. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 60,000 and the current mileage was 75,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact was driving approximately 45 to 50 mph when the vehicle became hesitant to acceleration attempts. in addition, the gears were slipping when shifting gears. the vehicle was inspected by a dealer and they advised him that the transmission would need replacing. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted and they advised that there were no recalls for the vehicle. the failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the rear liftgate glass was hanging beside the struts. the dealer was not notified of the failure. the manufacturer denied any assistance with repairing the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 180,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. while parked, the vehicle began to roll backward while the contact was standing outside of the vehicle. the vehicle crashed into a gate and then began to roll forward. the contact was able to enter the vehicle and depress the brake pedal causing the vehicle to stop. the contact shut the vehicle off yet the failure recurred a second time. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostics or repairs. the approximate failure mileage was 90,000. updated 9/20/11 *cn updated 2/23/12 *cn

One of the rear lift gate hinges has failed. the pin has pushed through the hinge. the structural strength of the aluminum used as seemed to failed. the other hinge shows similar signs of failing but has not completely failed. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact was driving 50 mph when the engine stalled and the vehicle came to a complete stop. the instrumental panel gauges were illuminated during the failure. the vehicle restarted immediately, and was taken the dealer. the manufacturer was contacted, however the vehicle had not been repaired. the failure mileage was 42,000 and the current mileage 42,933. updated 9/16/11 *cn updated 2/23/12 *cn

Blend door motor for the heat melted...apparantly this is a common problem for explorers...is this not a fire hazard???? the piece is plastic and melts...could this not cause a fire?

The first tire i had problems with was the front right tire that kept going flat, i had it checked to be fixed when the service man showed me the defect in the tire. the inside of the tire had a slit or where the seam was splitting all the way around the tire, only on the inside. i had to replace the tire and went ahead and replaced the front left tire as well. two weeks later driving my three children and my grandmother to go school shopping my back left tire blew. luckily i was on a dirt road and only driving about 20mph. upon changing the tire i noticed the same seam rippage or slit on the inside of the tire so i immediately checked the right back tire and found the same thing on it. so i have 3 out of the 4 tires on my 2004 ford explorer that have this defect. its very disturbing to think what might have happened if we had been on the highway when this happened and that both back tires might have blown. i have been researching these tires and so far have not found any recalls on this specific tire. goodyear, wrangler sr-a, p235/70r16 104s. *kb

Speed control operates only intermittently, disconnects without warning, and occasionally speeds the car up without warning. rear warning system is also intermittent. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that there was a small oblique on the rear liftgate which fractured. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where they advised replacing the oblique but the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. the failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

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.

The paint on the roof of my 2004 ford explorer is chipping. i spoke with two auto body shops and 1 ford dealer, and they all said that the chipping is due to the fact that the primer did not adhere properly to the vehicle, so the paint is chipping. in reviewing this issue, i read online that there is a multitude of people experiencing the same issue. i spoke with ford, and they told me that there is no financial assistance available to help me, although they acknowledged that this issue is their fault. i would like there to be a recall so that i can get this issue resolved.

It seems that my transmission is starting to slip and shift hard. *tt

I have a 2004 ford explorer with less than 75,000 miles on it. i am a very conservative driver and do not put a lot of miles on my cars. the transmission went out and the guy at aamco said the inside of it was a mess, everything was chewed up. it cost me $3,550 to have it fixed. at the time it failed i was going down the highway at 55 mph and it suddenly dropped to about 25mph. *kb

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 door. the back panel below the window was cracked when i bought the car and this may have lead to shifting in the window and additional stress added to the bolt in the hinge. this is the same problem that occurred in the 2002 and 2003 hatch window hinges. there are many examples online of the bolt breaking in the 2004 models but a recall has not been issued yet as has the two previous years. *kb

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact was driving 65 mph when a crash occurred. the air bags failed to deploy and both the driver and passenger were injured. the passenger was ejected through the windshield and injured. the vehicle was destroyed. prior to the crash, the brakes, rotors and wheel bearings were repaired. the vin was not available. the police were notified and a report was filed. the failure mileage was 85,000. the vin was unavailable.

Rear wheel studs sheer off causing wheel to come off while driving. gave no warning, and was not visible due to wheel cap covering. has happened twice in 2 months, two different wheels. both rear. *tt had to replace all 5 studs, lugs, and rotor on first failure. replaced studs, lugs, and wheel on second. lugs are still intact with the studs. studs show stress fracturing prior to breaking off. have the studs/lugs from last break.

When at a stop the automatic transmission fails to engage until engine rpms are too high for safe initial forward or rearward movement. according to the ford dealership in my city this problem is due to a defective solinoid body inside the transmission.there was one attempt to repair the problem by the local ford dealership in 2005 when the car had 11127 miles. at that time the automatic transmission solenoid valve was replaced, but the problem still persisted. that dealership went out of business about a year later. just lately the new dealership thought that the original transmission might have to be replaced in order to return the car to a safe and normal driving condition. the cost was estimated at $3500. this problem with the 2004 ford explorer has been reported by hundreds of other owners to the us dot nhtsa , but nothing has come of these complaints. the ford motor co. also refuses to do any repairs under warranty and/or due to a factory recall, etc. the problem described refers to a very dangerous condition in which the drivers of 2004 ford explorers do not know exactly when or at what rmp level their car will suddenly and rapidly accelerate from a stop.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving, there was an abnormal increase in engine rpms yet the vehicle would not accelerate. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the transmission solenoid was defective and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure and the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 64,000.

The paint on the roof is all peeling off it looks like crap i was told that it would cost about 600.00 to 1,500 to repaint and fix it car paint should not peel off the roof i have read that other people have had the same trouble with the paint on there explorers. *tr

Concerning my 2004 explorer xlt. the rear hatchback that opens the back windows has a broken latch. i am very upset that this part just seemed to implode and left me unable to close the rear back window. the garage i took it to said ford informed them the part was on back order until 07-18-2011. i am wondering if this is going to be a recalled item for the garage informed me it happens quite regularly. please let me know if i have any recourse or am entitled to reimbursement for the needed repair. . *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact was driving approximately 25 to 55 mph when he noticed an abnormal howling from the rear of the vehicle. the vehicle was inspected by a dealer and they advised that they would shim the pinion and ring gears to silence them. the vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred twice after the repairs. the manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. the failure mileage was approximately 29,700.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact placed the gear shifter into reverse to drive and noticed that the transmission would hesitate before engaging. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technicians replaced the solenoid in the transmission. after the repairs were performed, the contact continued to experience the failure. there was also an abnormal grinding from the rear of the vehicle. the dealer replaced the rear end bearing, three rear axles, the pinion bar and seals and a shaft kit was installed. the dealer also advised that the failure was caused by an over torque by the manufacturer. in addition, the contact stated that the driver and passenger side sun visor joints were failing sporadically and causing the visors to obstruct the contact's vision of the roadway. the sun visors were not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 49,000.

Original owner of vehicle,car shifts roughly into gear while driving feels like it is dragging,transmission has a hard clunk engagement when putting in reverse then engages hard with a sudden unexpected jolt backwards when car only had 3,945 miles in oct 2004. when car is in park i start the car it will sometimes jolt forward. took car to dealer within 90 days of purchase for transmission & they replaced a solenoid in the trans. took car back 2 more times within a year still having same problems now warranty up & ford will not help car has 170k= miles & is 6 yrs old still running but same transmission issues daily. this is very unsafe with the car jolting into gear especially when i start the car. they need to recall & replace the transmission. *tr

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 and the failure mileage was 76,000.manufactured near the cutoff date of mentioned campaign. same exact problem. paid for replacement hinges. replaced myself. updated 09/14/2011 *ln updated 12/13/11

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the vehicles hatchback was cracked. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer and the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 77,000. updated 08/10/11*lj updated 08/12/11.*jb

1-"miles to e" have always registered as dashes after a fill up since 2004. dealer says nothing is wrong and to add gas additive (which doesn't work) or i can have it fixed at my expense. dealer has been sold and new dealer now has "no record" of my previous complaints-- whenever i had the car in for service i asked them to check it. i see plenty of other complaints for this same problem but ford refuses to fix this as well. 2-back hatch below window has cracked recently. husband had same vehicle different year and his cracked as well. dealer acknowledges many vehicles with same problem but says there is no recall and ford will not fix it. i see there is now a class action suit for this defect. just wanted to go "on record" as another unhappy ford owner (of over 40 yrs).

2004 ford explorer. in 2008 the rear back panel cracked and was replaced by ford at a cost of $100 to me. it is now 2011 and the rear back panel has cracked again but this time the crack(s) appear on either side of the ford emblem. ford needs to recall these back panels because they are defective. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the sun visor came off of the mount causing it to obstruct the drivers visibility. he also stated that as a result of the heat in the vehicle the plastic mount started disintegrating. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who made advised him that there were no recalls related to the failure and stated that the visor assembly needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was repaired. the failure and current miles were 115,000. updated 08/19/11

While attempting to shift from "park," into "reverse," the column-mounted gear selector, broke away from the column and into my mother's hand. the vehicle sat in a parking lot for a few hours. later on, we found a temporary workaround utilizing a pair of "vise-grips," and we were able to drive the vehicle home. the gear selector has not been repaired; and the vehicle just sits there, because the she is too afraid to drive it. *tr

My 2004 ford explorer's rear trim underneath the rear window blew off the truck at 60mph. the (whole trim) shot through the sky like a boomerang. it sent a motorcyclist behind me off roading. it very well could have lead to his death as there were tree's a few feet away. i have not replaced any parts yet in fear it may happen again. *tr

2004 ford explorer xlt side air bag deploy without any reason. *tr

Vehicle rear liftgate has a crack down the middle of it. failure occurred at approximately 63,000 miles. problem confirmed as common problem with this year/model of explorer. no repair or replacement as of this time. *tr

My 2004 ford explorer has a crack on the rear window panel by the ford emblem, its been this was for awhile, just thursday night i noticed glass on the ground behind my vehicle then looked up and it was my back window. it shattered, the panel bowed out as if it warped outward and shattered the window. luckily it had been parked and no one was around when it happened. as a result of this the entire lift gate and rear window will need to be replaced. i'm still waiting for my insurance to come and appraise the damages. *tr

A couple of weekends ago, the passenger side hinge on our rear window hatch broke. my mom opened the back window hatch on my vehicle & when she went to shut it, the entire window came down on her. then we could not get it shut. we had to stand there in 80+ degree heat holding the entire window (which is quite heavy), while my 2 year old baked in the car, until my dad & brother could get to the store we were at to rescue us. we were able to get it to shut (though we were terrified the glass was going to shatter at any moment due to the tension on it) & we duct taped it to keep it in place. we had the hinge repaired by our local body shop, & had them replace both hinges to be proactive. it cost about $200. after this happened i did some internet searches & was upset to find so many other 2004 ford explorer owners had experienced the exact same problem & i also found out that ford has recalled the same hinges on 2002 & 2003 models. i don't understand why the 2004 explorer has not had the same recall when they're the same hinges? this seems like such a blatant disregard by ford. people could be seriously injured by this window either falling on their head, or falling off while driving. the 2003 ford explorer recall was explained as this: on certain sport utility vehicles, the liftgate glass strut may become disengaged or the hinge may fracture allowing the glass to fall and possibly break. the exact same thing could be said of 2004 ford explorers. i am writing this in the hopes that a recall can be made on this equipment. it needs to be recalled before someone is hurt. thank goodness my 11 yr old wasn't the one under this window when it broke!! i did email ford regarding this issue & they weren't exactly helpful. they basically said, sorry & that there were no recalls on the 04 at this time & that they work with nhtsa to stay on top of areas of concern. *tr

Vertical crack under the rear window. *tr

Pin on rear hatch window broke,which can cause window to fall out. *tr

While removing grocery bags from the rear of my 2004 ford explorer xlt, the left liftgate hinge snapped and the window half of the rear liftgate door came apart leaving the left side of the door still attached to the hydraulic liftgate bar but otherwise dangling and unsupported. then i could not shut the door so we propped it with pillows to ease the stress on the left side. i had problems with the liftgate hydraulic bar collapsing on my prior ford explorer but those repairs were covered under a recall. this morning ford denied there was a recall for my present vehicle and refused to provide any information on prior recalls involving the same liftgate apparatus failure that occurred to my 2004 model. i called the ford dealer who said they would have to charge me for towing to bring my suv for repair there. my local repair shop that is less than one mile away is coming to pick up the vehicle and repair it. i think ford has still not resolve these liftgate apparatus problems after all these years of being on notice of the structural problem and even having prior recalls for 2002-03 explorers!! i could have been seriously injured had the door collapsed on me. it also could have caused the window to shatter and my liftgate glass door fully breaks away from the car, it will result in body damage to the rear bumper. *tr

2004 ford explorer xlt, mileage at time of failure 28,819 left front bearing hub failed prematurely vehicle started to pull to the left. no injuries, repair cost $270,00. vehicle off warranty due to age. all vehicles should be warrantied for 36,000 miles or more with no years . wheel bearings should last at least 75,000 miles. *tr

The transmission on my 2004 ford explorer has started slipping. it does not want to go into gear correctly. it only has 107,600 miles on it. i live just outside birmingham, al and the traffic is very heavy and dangerous here. not a place i want my vehicle breaking down. i just hung up the phone with ford motor co and they have nothing to offer in the way of help. they said to hold on to receipts in case of recall. :-( you bet your life i will! my sister's 2005 did the same thing at just over 100,000 miles. *tr

The transmission has a delayed shift and causes the engine to rev before shifting. this causes a hesitation especially when pulling out into traffic from a stop. this occurs every time and the 0/d light flashes as well. the service engine light is now because of the transmission problem. this is situation dangerous. *tr

Ford explorer transmission failed at 84000 miles. this vehicle was released from the factory in 2004 without proper transmission fluid additive. ford addressed the problem 1 year later, but this transmission is failing well before its time. repair costs are $4500. ford will not offer any assistance. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the rear window on the hatch shattered. the contact looked at the hatch and found a crack on the metal piece of the hatch directly underneath the window. the contacts insurance company inspected the vehicle and said it was a defect. the manufacturer told the contact that this was an isolated incident and the rear window was not under warranty or recall. the failure and current mileage was unknown.

2004 ford explorer eb. back liftgate cracked below glass. no accident or impact occurred. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a owns a 2004 ford explorer. while driving approximately 35 mph the contact heard a loud pop noise followed by banging noises coming from under the hood. the vehicle was pulled over and the contact noticed exhaust fumes were coming from the engine. the vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop where the contact was told one of the spark plugs broke. the vehicle was in the process of being repaired. the failure and current mileages were 130,000.

I have had the shifter lock actuator replaced twice in less than 2 years. this actuator defect prevents my explorer from coming out of park. *tr

Transmission has a hard clunk engagement when putting in gear and total disengagement while driving, then the od light starts to blink, and you have to either let off the gas, or tap the gas to get it to engage again, it started around 50,000 miles, and continues to do so, the is no recall and no warranty for it, dealer ship said it needs rebuilt or replaced 2200.00 or 4200.00 dollars, we don't have. *tr

2004 ford explorer. consumer states cross member support snapped forcing the vehicle to become inoperable *tgw an inspection revealed the cross-member support was not welded properly during the manufacturing process of the vehicle. (son wrote in on behalf of his father who owns the vehicle) *jb

I have had issues with my transmission jumping out of drive when i am going down the highway. i have three children and i feel this is very very unsafe. i have had the car in the shop three times for the same issue and everytime they have told me it was the reardifferential/transmission. i have called fords customer service line and they will not do anything. my explorer is now having issues going into reverse and staying in any gear. please look into these problems with the 2004 explorer before someone gets killed or injured from this. i have researched this problem and thousands of oither 2003-2004 explorer owners are having the same issues with the transmission and rear end. the 2004 ford explorer is a death trap.

Without warning my rear wheel hub assembly keep braking. suddenly the vehicle starts to shimmy and pull and make grinding noises and the wheel is practically falling off by the time i get home. this has happened to me 6 times in the past year! so far i have been lucky and my wheel hasn't fallen completely off, only because i have replaced the rear differential twice in the last 2 years so as soon as i feel something out of the ordinary i have it checked! it is terrifying when it happens, the whole wheel wobbles and going slow only makes it seem worse. i've had to replace the whole hub assembly at a cost of $300.00 plus each time! *tr

2004 ford explorer. consumer writes in regards to having to replace the solenoid for the third time. *tgw the consumer stated the vehicle would not engage into reverse without jolting and hard shifting. *jb

Crack in rear hatch body panel containing ford emblem. defective part has not been replaced. crack occurred by itself, no additional physical damage to hatch itself or rear end of vehicle. ford had received over 900 complaints about this item and there is an ongoing class action lawsuit for this defect in california. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. while the vehicle was parked, the contact stated that the lift gate strut fractured without warning. the failure was similar to nhtsa campaign id number:04v442000 (structure:body:hatchback/liftgate:hinge and attachments). the dealer and manufacturer informed the contact that his vehicle was not included in the recall and offered no additional assistance. no repairs were made. the current mileage was 35,000 and the failure mileage was 30,000. the vin was unavailable.

My 2004 ford explorer has had a problem since it was new where the cruise control (speed control) would disengage on its own and at the same time kill the engine. the dealerships could not make it happen again and have never been able to fix the problem. it does it much more often at speeds less than 50 mph, so i don't use the cruise at slower speeds; however, it has now started doing it above 50 mph and the abs light also comes on occasionally. this situation is extremely dangerous because when the engine dies your power-steering no longer works and steering is very difficult. it sounds to me like this should be included in a recall. *tr

In sept 2009 the transmission on my 2004 ford explorer failed an needed to be replaced. the vehicle had an extended warranty and the cost of the repair was covered. 18 months later the rebuilt transmission failed at 60,400 or 20,000 miles after the rebuilt transmission was put in. the extended warranty expired on 1/30/11 or 60,000 miles. the rebuilt transmission according to ford expires with the vehicle warranty even though if you purchase a rebuilt transmission for a ford vehicle not under warranty they will offer a 3 year/100k mile warranty. i called ford with my dilemma and explained that the rebuilt transmission went 33 days after the expiration of the warranty or 400 miles above the 60,000 mile limit. i was told that they were very sorry this happened but there is nothing they can do. outside the issue of not being very fair since if i had purchased the transmission on my own the repair would have been covered, this 2004 ford explorer is now on its 3rd transmission and the vehicle only has 60,000 miles on it. something seems inherently wrong with that. thanks for reading my complaint.

There are many cracks below rear window which are getting larger and larger. the safety concern is that the entire window will fall out because obviously the hinges are being affected by these large cracks. there have been many many concerns on this exact problem and for safety reasons, ford needs to recall all vehicles that this affects before someone gets killed or hurt really bad.

Hello, i have a 2004 ford explorer truck with a crack on the back of the hatch door. i don't know where this crack came from. i contacted the ford company about this issue but since my vehicle is no longer under warranty they aren't willing to help. i first notice the crack about a year ago. when i contacted ford to find out if this was a recall they said no. recently i have been noticing that a lot of the ford explorer trucks i see all have a crack on the same portion of the truck. i spoke to another individual with a ford explorer and she doesn't know where the crack on the back of her truck came from either. we think this maybe a recall issue. i just started writing down the license plate numbers of the various explorer trucks i see with the same or similar crack on the back hatch. although i only have six tag numbers right now, i know that their are many more trucks with this problem. i seen more trucks but at the time i wasn't documenting the license plate numbers. there was also a recall on the hatch window in 2003 for the ford explorer truck. in 2007, i had the same issue as the 2003 recall on my 2004 vehicle but was told i had to pay to get it fixed myself because there wasn't a recall reported for 2004. although it was a year later. it is obvious that the issue wasn't resolved because i had the same problem. there is also a break light switch problem. this issue has your break lights randomly coming on although the vehicle is turned off. which drains the battery and causes you to have to get the brake switch fixed and a new battery. please help me. i had no luck with the ford motor company in resolving these issues. *tr

2004 ford explorer. consumer states rear cross member support snapped forcing the vehicle to become inoperable *tgw after further inspection by a ford mechanic and the insurance company, they concluded it was due to a manufacturing defect as the cross member support was not welded properly when the vehicle was built. *jb

The hatch back cracked down the middle. right below the windows.

I purchased a 2004 ford explorer from a toyota dealership on 1/28/11. the car was a certified / warranted vehicle. i was assured by the toyota salesman that any problem with the car would be fixed under the warranty. several problems which the car has include: mismatched tires, inoperable sunroof, leak in the differential seal & noise in the differential. i had the car inspected at a ford dealership & was told these problems needed repair. the toyota dealership has not returned numerous phone calls, emails & when i brought the car back to them, i was told all these repairs had been fixed & later found out that nothing was done. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that when shifting into reverse, the vehicle would not respond. when shifting, the vehicle would sporadically engage backward rapidly. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who performed a diagnostic test and advised that there was not a sufficient amount of transmission fluid in the vehicle. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted but would not provide any assistance. the failure mileage was 67,000 and the current mileage was 76,602.

Rear applique has cracked down the middle for no reason. i contacted the a dealer and they were aware that this was a defective item from ford, but ford has not issued a recall. i contacted ford and was told they are not aware of this issued. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer xls. the contact stated that while driving 20 mph she experienced a violent shake in the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they advised her that she needed a new engine because the timing belt had failed. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact stated that the engine needed for the vehicle was no longer being manufactured. the failure and current mileage was approximately 40,000.

2004 ford explorer: 1) plastic exterior panel below rear window is cracked, in 2006 ford had a repair assist program, thereby acknowling the failures. it no longer is offering that repair assistance?? there are numerous reports of this failure on internet forums. 2) left rear window hinge broke free from the window when i opened the window, i was fortuante it did not fall on my head (the riser piston was the only thing that kept it attached to the vehicle). i had to pay $50 for new hinges. i am waiting for the non-replaced hinge to fail as well. there are numerous reports of these hinge failures on the internet. the ford dealer nearest ford world headquarters in deaborn, mi where i bought the new hinges told me they have sold 10 new hinge packages in the last 2 months to customers due to the same failure. *tr

I have a 2004 ford explorer, and one day the car is fine the next there is a crack on the rear panel i though it was my fault but then i started seeing more explores with the same crack it has to be a defect. *tr

The od light is flashing and the trans is slipping. you can not excelerate in a hurry because it wont go making this truck a accident waiting to happen. *tr

The fuel gauge shows a false full and the tank does not fill all the way. the fuel gauge shows a false empty showing you have a half a tank when you may actually have 3 gallons. running out of fuel on the highway is not safe. the gas stations pump shuts off automatically giving you the impression that the tank is full and is confirmed full by an inaccurate gas gauge which shows full. so you might have 18 gallons in a tank that should have 22.5 gallons and the gauge shows a half tank when you have 3-4 gallons. *tr

Transmission slams hard into gear upon acceleration and when braking. does this all the time. when shifting into reverse, it does not engage immediately and then engages hard with a sudden and unexpected lurch backwards. this happens 8 of 10 times when shifting to reverse. no attempt to correct as it appears there is no fix short of a new transmission = $$$ i don't have. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the rear door panel cracked underneath the window. the contact was concerned because the windows were not secure and could fall out at any time. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer stated that there were no recalls. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 74,000.

Transmission failure!!! !the o/d warning began to flash...the recommendation is to service transmission asap. the only issue is that my 2004 ford explorer only has 61,672 miles. the estimated repair cost is approximately $2000-3000. *tr

I financed a 2004 ford explorer in 2008 and about 6 month later i noticed the transmission starting to slip. soon after it wouldnt hardly go into gear unless i reved up the engine then it would slam into gear really hard. now it is getting worse. im a disabled single father of my son who is also disabled and we are on a fixed income and dont have the money to fix this, [xxx] i still owe on it. i pay almost 300 bucks a month car payment on it. parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Rattling noise and shaking has been coming from engine area for some time now. could not find the cause until recently, and when looking for information online i found it is a very common problem. the harmonic balancer / crankshaft pulley goes bad. the inner ring breaks, causing the sensor to eventually wear down and also need replacement. this repair on average costs people more than $350. to replace. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer xlt. the contact stated that the rear tailgate metal was fractured in half in the center near the ford emblem. the contact was concerned that the rear windshield could shatter because of the failure. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer or a local mechanic for the failure. the vin was unavailable. the failure mileage was 87,000 and the current mileage 88,200.

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the vehicle was experiencing an intermittent failure in which the headlights, radio and windows stopped functioning while driving at any speed. the failures persisted for a duration of approximately 1-5 minutes. during the failures, the power door locks and instrument panel lighting also did not function. the vehicle was not taken to have the failures diagnosed. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 97,000 and the current mileage was 98,000.

2004 ford explorer: engine seized for no apparent or obvious reason at 53,000 miles. not repairable. also, rear plastic panel beneath window cracked. just read that this is a very common occurrence. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact was driving approximately 5 mph when the vehicle stalled without warning. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where the technician replaced the fuel pump, throttle body and several unknown sensors in the vehicle. the failure recurred and the vehicle was towed to the dealer. the technician advised that they would perform extensive diagnostic testing on the vehicle. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact stated that the failure would occur intermittently in cold temperatures less than twenty degrees. the approximate failure mileage was 45,000.

The sun visor on the 2004 ford explorer has a weak bracket that holds the visor. if the bracket fails, that can cause the driver to lose control and have an accident. *tr

The rear door panel underneath the glass on my 2004 ford explorer cracked. this is a common problem with hundreds of complaints filed. ford motor co should fix the problem. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated the hatch back fiber glass failed. the fiber glass cracked in half. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the fiber glass failed due to stress. the contact stated the fiber class was defective. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was contacted but refused to assist with the repair. the failure and the current mileages were 110,000.

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 mileage. the failure mileage was approximately 40,000. the vin was unavailable.

In 2005, my 2004 ford explorer was part of a recall for the transmission. i took it to ford service and they put some type of additive. they told me the problem was fixed. from 2005 to 2011 the transmission would have problems, it would turn off when i put it in reverse. furthermore, when i put the car in reverse it would pause then shift back hard. unfortunately, i never took the car back to ford to get it checked because the car would always turn right back on. in january of 2011 my car had 72,000 miles. while i was driving the car suddenly turned off on me. immediately, the service engine soon light came on. also, the o/d off light began flashing. when i would restart the vehicle it would turn on. however, when i shifted into drive it would turn off. so i was unable to drive the vehicle. i took the car to ford service and they explained to me that i need a new (remanufactured) transmission at a cost of $4,000. my car is currently in the service department waiting to be fixed. *ln

The problem that i'm concerned about is the transmission and rear end. for the transmission-this is the third time for this problem with our truck. had it at the dealer ship just after the warranty went out around 37,000 an paid a little over $600.00 to fix it . lasted till 80,000 them took it back and paid around $200.00 to fix. now at 136,000 and the truck will not move at all. dealer ship wants another $3,306.00 to fix it again. the rear end is making a loud wine noise. *tr

I am the owner of a 2004 ford explorer, with apprx. 50,000 highway miles. in 2007 i walked outside to find the rear back panel under the window with the ford emblem was cracked. i took it to the ford dealership , it was still under warranty. the total cost for repair was 403.47, i had to pay 250.00 & the warranty covered the difference of 153.47. here it is 2011, i walk outside to find the rear panel under the window with the ford emblem cracked again, the only difference this time is , i have no warranty. this apparently is a defect on fords part, the same crack 2 times on the same vehicle after being replaced and ford has not recalled yet. their is not one day you drive and not find ford explorer owners driving around with cracks on the rear panel. come on ford own up or lose consumers. *tr

Transmission failure on 2004 ford explorer at ~109k miles. crash/bang noise heard just before failure: high engine rpms and no forward propulsion, flashing od lamp and illuminated service engine soon lamp. problem preceded by intermittent failure to engage reverse gear, or sudden jerking/rough engagement, occasional slipping of gears on acceleration. upon total failure, dealership investigated, says "known problem with this vehicle", recommended complete transmission replacement at $4000. vehicle is one of those recalled in 2005 for bad transmission fluid formula installed at factory. this vehicle has always had peculiar shift behavior which ford consistently said was normal for the vehicle. apparently, as many other owners have since experienced, the rough shifting (perhaps precipitated by bad formula fluid and/or damage this may have done to other components) was indicative of eventual total failure. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the rear liftgate exhibited a fracture down the middle of the hatch. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnosis or repairs. the manufacturer was not contacted and the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 72,000 and the current mileage was 78,000.

Purchased 2004 explorer in november 2007. 95489 miles. no prior indication in drivability, noise or lights coming on. going along, most speed available was 20 mph, rpms on 6; then jerked to change gears. driving on highway in town during rush hour, overdrive light and check engine lights came on. limped into nearest repair shop, which happened to be a transmission shop,. transmission had to be rebuilt. obviously ford knew about these problems because they had sent shop update notices and what to do with transmission problems

The truck jerks into gear when put into reverse - it also jerks in drive but is more pronounced when backing up. the gears don't shift until i'm at 20 -30 mph and then they slip incredibly just to get get there. and even when i'm driving the car jerks as it is shifting gears. when i back into my parking space there is a full 10 second delay before the car to finally catapults into reverse. if there is ever anyone behind me they will literally be hit because of the jerking. the slow shifting into gears and jerking have been a consistent problem since taken brand new off the show room floor. although the ford dealership service department "tested trans; performed pinpoint test; r&r trans pan; and added a replaced solenoid body" - nothing has stopped this problem. it still persists to this day. and it has only gotten progressively worse.

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. while driving approximately 35 mph he heard a noise and the vehicle stalled. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer. he was advised by the dealer that the number three piston broke and ceased the engine. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was unavailable. he called the manufacturer for assistance and he was advised that the vehicle was no longer under warranty. the approximate failure and current mileages were 67,800.

I have a 2004 ford explorer and it recently started making a rumbling noise. i brought it to my mechanic and he looked at it and said it was my transmission. he also said that it was an extremly common problem for 2004 explorers. if you google "2004 explorer problems" and click on any of the links the first problem is transmission issues. i have owned this car since it was new in 2004 and have not abused the car. for a 2004 car with only 75000 miles on it to have a transmission go it is a problem. i have been quoted $3000 to fix this problem the fix being a new transmission. when ford knows about this problem they should do something about it. *tr

Noise in front end, premature failure of tie rod ends. *tr

Transmission went out on my 2004 ford explorer only a day after i bought it from a dealership. the replacement transmission will cost me $3400 plus the $10550 that i paid for the vehicle the day before. what a big mess this is. *ln

Vertical crack in the plastic tailgate attached to the rear window left of the ford emblem. ford dealer said they have seen many of these, so i feel this is a design flaw & ford should fix for free. ford giving me run a round. so much for ford tough. who should i contact to get this fixed for free? or should i take it to the news station about just how tough ford trucks are.... they crack like easter eggs....... i have never had this off road and keep it in a garage.

Crack appeared on plastic panel just to the left of ford emblem the car had 92k miles when occurred. body shop estimate $500.00 to repair. *tr

3 out of 4 wheel bearings have had to be replaced on 2004 ford explorer between 71,000 and 82,000 miles. drivers side front was replaced between 71,000 and 72,000 miles, drivers side rear replaced shortly after and now the passenger front needs replacing at 82,000 miles. several posts on the internet with the same complaint for the same make/model/year of this vehicle. i was told by the ford dealer that if i didn't fix them the tire could fall off at any time with out warning. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. while driving in reverse approximately 2 mph, the transmission exhibited a delay response and would slip violently into gear. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where they informed her that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. one year and six months later, after the new transmission was installed, the vehicle failed to accelerate over 30 mph. the failure was diagnosed by the dealer who stated that the transmission needed to be replaced for the second time. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 27,000. the vin was unavailable.

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer xlt. when the contact shifted into reverse gear the vehicle would not move for approximately four to five minutes. the vehicle also made a loud noise and then moved in reverse. the vehicle was previously taken to the dealer in 2007 and the solenoid was replaced per the warranty. the dealer wanted to replace the solenoid a second time for $1000 at the owners expense. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was 42,000.

Rear panel vertical crack below window. *tr

The tail gate on the 2004 explorer should be recalled,it will only get worse and lots of people will die when the back windows just start falling out. every explorer i see it like this! built ford tough..lol.....i guess it's ok for a few hundred to die until ford maybe recall it, it's there responsibility!!!!!!! i will never buy another ford till this gets fixed. think of all the lawsuits in the making ford..bad business!!! fix my found on road...before you get sued...my back window will fall out soon and guess who`s getting sued. fix your junk ford you lied to me quality is job 1000 making money and lying is job 1..your sickling boycott ford i already have 3000 plus with this problem just wait ford you'll get yours... *tr

My wife was driving our 2004 ford explorer eddie bauer uphill on a mountain road when she felt like the engine is loosing power. she stopped, exited the vehicle and saw smoke coming from under the car in the engine area. then some people stopped and pulled her away because from the point my wife was standing she could not see the actual fire. as a result the engine compartment burned down completely creating a big hole in the hood. the car had about 120k miles on odometer and we have not missed any service maintenance points. she said besides that power loss there was no indication that there is something wrong with the vehicle. *tr

My wife owns a 2004 ford explorer xlt with what i've found to be a common problem. the overdrive light flashes on the dash board. it usually is a transmission problem that is a very expensive repair. this issue with the explorer has been going on for over a decade. i think that ford should be held accountable. after all ford did take bail out money. i think that a recall would be the proper action for the ford. motor company. i am one of thousands of consumers who have been abandoned by another big company. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, he could feel a slip in the gears. he also stated that when shifting into reverse, there was a violent shift in the vehicle. the vehicle was inspected by a dealer who informed the contact that he needed to replace the transmission. the vehicle had not been repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 10,000. updated 12/14/2011 *cn updated 02/23/11

Noticed a number of cracked rear panels on late model ford explorers (2004-2006)- this problem is widespread on the ford explorer- ford has failed to acknowledge that this defect in workmanship exist- ford should recall these vehicles or offer a goodwill repair these ford explorer owners. *tr

The transmission on my 2004 ford explorer is failing; is will slip out of gear, and then shift back into gear hard enough that it makes the entire vehicle shake and lurch forward. the vehicle only has 68k miles on it, and is only used as a commuter vehicle. it has never been taken off road, and i have never used it to tow anything. *tr

1) 2004 explorer eddie bauer transmission badly slipping and delay in engaging resulting in vehicle lunging forward once it engages. 2) has been happening for about 3-4 years intermittently. dealer said this was normal in first time i complained. now it happens every day. 3) had to have the trans rebuilt at a cost of $2328.25. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle suddenly stalled and all the warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was able to be restarted. the failure occurred three different times. the vehicle was inspected by an authorized dealer who could not duplicate the failure. the vehicle had not been repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 67,100. updated 02/23/11*lj updated 05/04/11

The hatch below my rear window has cracked on both sides of the ford logo on my explorer. it seemed to have happened over night. i am concerned that it may not be strong enough to hold the window in while driving. ford has had three years of models with this some problem and hasn't made it right by it's owners. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. while the vehicle was parked, the contact tried to shift to drive when the gear shift broke off. the vehicle was towed to the dealer. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 55,242.

I backed suv out of garage and put in park, got out of vehicle while still running (to close garage door), closed the suv door, turned around and saw that suv was moving forward into my garage. i opened the suv door while it was moving and jumped in the drivers seat, pushed on the brake and suv did not stop, i was looking down at the floor to see why suv did not stop, pulled up my foot and placed it back down on the brake. suv still did not stop. it then made a loud noise like the engine was reeving up and then the suv took off forward, ran through the back of my garage, ran through my back yard, ran over a tree in the yard, ran through my back yard fence and my neighbor's fence and crashed into the back side of neighbor's house. all while this was occurring, i was inside of the vehicle with my left leg sticking out of the car (since i jumped in the suv in a hurry, i didn't realize that my leg was still out of the suv), i continually attempted to step on the brakes (each time lifting my foot up so that i could place it directly on the brake), the engine reeved up again while going through the yard. the only thing that stopped the suv was the tall concrete foundation of my neighbor's house that it ran into. i jumped out of the suv, fell to the ground and laid there for a few seconds before i realized that my suv was still running, then i jumped back into the suv and turned the ignition off.

I have a 2004 ford explorer which while driving last year i was told that my hub assembly on my driver's side was bad and that i needed to replace it. i replaced it with a hub assembly from advance auto parts in jan 2010. i just had to replace this part again in dec 2010. i lost breaks. i also have a horrible jerking when i am backing up from a tight spot and the wheels are turned sharply. my door ajar light and all interior lights do not go off when the door is opened or the vehicle is cranked unless i turn the interior light switch to the off position and back to the on when the doors open position. i have had the electrical issue reviewed twice in the past. i have had the jerking looked at with no reason given more than once. i had my vehicle inspected on nov 30th and nothing was mentioned about the terrible condition the hub assembly was in nor the bearings that a mobile mechanic showed me were terribly worn. i am replacing them soon. it seems to me that ford must know about all of these problems and it should be something that they are willing to help the consumer in fixing since most ford buyers are diehard ford owners like myself. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that when the vehicle was in park with the emergency brake engaged, the vehicle would abnormally accelerate without warning. the dealer was not notified of the failure. the manufacturer was contacted who advised the contact to take the vehicle to a dealer for a diagnostic test. the vehicle was not repaired or diagnosed. the current mileage was approximately 60,000 and the failure mileage was approximately 59,500.

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

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.

I awoke one morning and i found a large crack in the rear hatch of my 04 ford explorer. it was not like that the previous evening when i got home. i researched the problem online and found many similar stories. i also found that there is currently no manufacturer recall to remedy the situation. plastic rear hatch cracked under extreme temperature. rear glass may break while driving and pose hazard to other drivers. plan on replacing, however i don't believe i should pay for it because of the poor quality of the original part. *tr

Crack suddenly appeared in the rear panel below the window. from the glass to the bottom of the hatch. had window tightened. *tr

Were a family a ford explorer my family has 4 of them ranging from the years 1996,99,2002,2004 and everyone of these vehicles have serious issues. ranging from rotting suspension parts,to wheel bearing issues on newer models,rotting fuel and brake lines,this is supposed to be an american made company that is jeopardizing the lives of american and children with total disregard of human life,but i bet you the owners of ford don't have these issues they probably drives foreign haha but seriously someone will get hurt by this and it costing thousands of dollars out of pocket to fix an ongoing problem with these trucks please do a recall its so unfair at this point. *tr

Tailgate window hinges failed on 2004 ford explorer. the window fell out and damaged the lift struts. i was not injured. *tr

As everyone else, i am have a lot of problems with my transmission. it shifts very hard and jerks when put into reverse. also having issues shifting from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd. problem is steadily getting worse. this morning the o/d off light started blinking. i killed the car and restarted it and it stopped. i dont understand why there has not been a recall on this. ford obviously knows that there is a problem. how could they not? i have found tons of message boards on the internet with everyone else having the same problem.

While driving, i took a left turn and felt a bumping in my right rear tire. i pulled over thinking it was a flat tire. in fact, the wheel bolts had been sheared off completely. when i had the car towed to a repair shop, they discovered that a total of 10 bolts/nuts needed to be replaced and 8 out of the other 10 bolts were loose or worn. i also needed to get a new wheel. this morning while driving to work, i took a left turn and the exact same thing happened, again with the right rear tire. the bolts were sheared off. i have not yet brought the vehicle in for repairs for the latest incident but i have no doubt there will be additional bolt damage on at least some of the other tires. *tr

Crack suddenly appeared in the rear panel below the window, from the glass to the bottom of the hatch.

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.

While driving down a 4-lane highway, transmission failed. no warning, just thump and done. my research reveals that dealership are reporting that 1 in 10 2004 explorers have transmission failure. also, heater blower motor went out over 1 year ago, leaving no default heat for defrosting the windshield.

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the rear hinge on the tailgate was broken where the glass was hanging. the dealer was informed about the failure and stated that there were no related recalls. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 131,000.

Tl*the contact owns a ford 2004 ford explorer. while the contact was driving approximately between 55-60 mph, the engine completely stalled and the instrument panel warning indicators illuminated. the vehicle restarted and resumed without the illumination of the warning indicators. the failure occurred on numerous occasions and became progressively worse. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the failure mileage was 68,000. updated 01/13/11*lj the consumer stated the engine stalls at any speed. updated 03/23/11

2004 ford explorer, purchased new. every since i have owned the car it has had a transmission problem and will not gear down when turning or slowing down from a normal rate of speed. then takes apx 20-25 seconds to catch back up when accelerator pressed..has caused me to almost be hit several times.. because it won't go when it does catch up there is a hard bump in the car and loud sound..very aggravating and scary. has been back to the dealership and told its a (sp) solenoid problem and had been fixed, but it hasn't have been disgusted and been driving it this way because i don't have $2000 for repairs. *tr

2004 ford explorer xls with v6, bought new. incorrect transmission fluid put in all 2004 explorers at factory. recalled and put in additive around 40,000 miles. transmission problems started one year ago, around 50,000 miles. takes several seconds to engage and then shifts hard (clunks) into reverse. happens 75% of the time. have been told we need a new (or rebuilt) transmission. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. while driving 45 mph she hit a deer. the air bag only opened in the column of the steering wheel. powder residue came out of the air bag but the air bag did not come out at all. no one was injured; yet, there was damage to the front end of the vehicle. the vehicle was drivable to her residence. the dealer was contacted and informed her to bring the vehicle in for inspection. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 109,000.

Back glass hatch fell off in my hands could have really hurt someone. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact observed a long hair line fracture along the panel below the rear windshield. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where they informed the contact that the rear windshield panel would need to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 44,000. the consumer also stated he had difficulty shifting the gear into reverse. updated 01/06/11 updated 01/24/11 *bf updated 02/03/11

Ford 2004 explorer paint bubbling at front of aluminum hood. clearly a defect. took to dealer where the body shop manager said he repainted 70 so far this year but ford will not take care of it. asked to meet with the district supervisor. set up a meeting when he would be in town. he would not even come out to talk to me and sent someone else out to tell me ford will not fix it because in my warranty it reads, "rust must permanent from the inside out". i argued that it is an aluminum hood and will never rust! i then wrote ford motor company and have never heard back from them. i keep checking for recalls and have seen nothing to date. my wife and i see many of the same vehicles with this same problem all the time. shame on ford!! i would like to see something taken care of with this. this is clearly a defect and not something any of us consumers ever did to make this happen. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the rear lift gate panel was fractured below the glass. the vehicle was never involved in a crash. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer for repairs nor was the manufacturer notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 47,000.

There are numerous complaints on the internet regarding the 2004 ford explorer. the car jerks violently when going into first, second and reverse gears. the first repair was on 10/07 at 15,690 miles. the dealership replaced the solenoid and assured the problem was resolved. at 24,190 miles the same problem recurred and the dealership recalibrated and charged $118. now at 26,900 miles the problem has recurred and again they are going to replace the solenoid. of course at my expense. there is obviously something wrong and ford is refusing to address the problem. they should at least guarantee the work that was done under warranty. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the plastic panel on the rear hatch was cracked and could potentially fall off. the contact called the dealer regarding the cracked panel and the dealer informed her that there was no recall regarding the plastic panel and stated that the part was available for purchase. the contact had not replaced the plastic panel. the failure mileage was 74,000.

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.

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. when the contact depressed the accelerator pedal, the vehicle would not move. when she depressed the pedal again, the vehicle would suddenly take off at a high rate of speed. the contact called the dealer who stated that the problem was common but there was no remedy. the manufacturer had not been notified. the failure mileage was approximately 58,000. updated 12/30/10 *bf updated -1/10/11

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the rear panel was cracked by the emblem in the rear liftgate. the vehicle had not been inspected or repaired at the time of the complaint. the contact called the manufacturer who stated that there was no recall related to the failure. the current and failure mileages were approximately 55,000.

I have 2004 awd limited edition ford explorer with 69,000 miles. i am now faced with replacing the transmission at a cost of $5,000. this car is far too new, with far too few miles to be in need of a new transmission. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the panel in the rear liftgate was split. the contact called the dealer who stated that the failure was common. the contact called the manufacturer who stated that there were no recalls and repairs would be at his expense. the failure mileage was approximately 62,000.

2004 ford explorer cracked panel below the rear window. *tr

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 complaint with you, but at one website there are at least 290 other owners who have posted a complaint. if your interested, here is the link: http://www.carcomplaints.com/ford/explorer/2004/body_paint/cracked_panel_below_the_rear_window.shtml. *tr

10/20/2010 - spokane, washington - rear panel under back glass around ford logo cracked after a cool morning 32-35 degrees. the crack extends from the window all the way to the bottom of the panel. *tr

My 2004 ford explorer caught on fire today. the fire began under the hood. per the fire department, the fire started around the cruise control and brake master cylinder area. ford does not have a recall out for this year model, unlike the 2003 and older models, but this is definitely a manufacturer problem. the car was driven to several points, drop the kids of at school, one at daycare, and a stop for breakfast. nothing was wrong with our car. after arriving to work, my wife got a call that her car was on fire. there were no signs, malfunctions that something was wrong with the vehicle. regularly scheduled maintenance were always performed. *tr

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.

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving 70 mph, the check engine light flashed on the instrument panel and the vehicle suddenly shut off. the contact disconnected the battery to reset the computer so the vehicle would start. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was then taken to a local repair shop where the contact was told that the transmission did not need to be replaced but the throttle body did. the vehicle was repaired at that time; the contact had not experienced any further problems since the repair. the failure mileage was approximately 56,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact was driving approximately 55-60 mph when the electronic throttle warning light illuminated. the vehicle independently began to decelerate and before stalling. the contact shifted into neutral and coasted to the side of the road. she was able to restart the vehicle after ten minutes. the failure occurred twice. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where they were unable to duplicate the failure. the dealer suggested that the throttle be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 93,830 and the current mileage was 93,839.

Ford explorer 2004 - transmission failure - premature transmission failure with only 56,497 miles on vehicle. driven normally with no off road driving. no recalls or class actions at this time according to ford. numerous complaints of this problem posted on legitimate internet sites. cost of repair $2800.00. *tr

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 labor. dangerous and unsafe. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. while the vehicle was parked, he attempted to shift and the shifter level broke. the contact turned the vehicle off and vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the steering column needed to be replaced. the vehicle was being repaired at the time of the complaint. the current and failure mileages were 27,650.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the check engine lights continued to illuminate every two months after the vehicle was repaired. each time the vehicle was taken to the dealer, she was charged a diagnostic fee to perform the test and repair a different problem. the contact did not know what repairs were performed on the vehicle. the manufacturer was called who stated that they would send her information on how to trade the vehicle in for another vehicle, which included additional discounts; however, she had not heard from them. the failure mileage was 59,078.

Right rear tire keeps coming off. the lug nuts keep breaking off, this is the third time it happens. the rim was replaced, but still are breaking off. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. while driving 65 mph the vehicle stalled without warning. the contact was able to drive onto the emergency lane. the vehicle was towed to the dealer, diagnosed and stated that the failure was caused by the engines timing chain. the vehicle will be repaired. the manufacturer took report 1644590504, but didn't offer to assist with the repairs, because the motor wasn't covered by warranty. the current and failure mileages were 70,000.

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

Defroster heat control failed, couldn't see through windshield. *tr

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