We found the following complaints for FORD EXPLORER SPORT (2003)
Read complaints for FORD EXPLORER SPORT (2003)
"takata recall" airbag light keeps blinking with the seat belt noise. Changed the light bulb from the dash board and now the airbag light stays on but will not connect with mileage.
I was driving in semi wet conditions, going downhill and engaged the overdrive off button. The vehicle started to shimmy and shake, then fish tailed, resulting in me hitting an embankment and flipping the vehicle. Neither airbag deployed!i was able to crawl out of the wreck but the truck was totaled. This is the second time the vehicle did the exact same thing (except the crash), in the same weather conditions. The first time, i was able to get the vehicle under control.
While driving at 40 mph consumer's vehiclewas involved in a frontal collision. Upon impact,air bags did not deploy.consumer sustained minor injuries.dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.
I bought my ford exp.sport trac in 2005 with a few miles on it. I soon found out that it had a few problems with it's interior lighting. Then it was the door looks, then it was the radio going on and off by itself. Then the windows went up and down on there own. Now the ac comes on and off while in the off position. As of today know one knows what as gotten into my truck and when i adjust my steering wheel done the turning lights dont work and i have even received a ticket for it.
The ford explorer sport has serious electrical problems. *rear brake light would not turn off and caused my battery to drain. Took it to the shop and they stated this is a known problem with ford explorers, that the brake light switch that the car has is defective.the mechanic actually stated that they stopped making that kind of brake light switch, so they had to order a new kind of brake light switch. Because the mechanic's statement, this informed me that ford is aware of the brake light switch that came with the car is defective. *door ajar light sometimes comes on for no reason when all doors are fully closed, and then turns off on it's own after a couple days. I called ford and they stated this sometimes happens and i needed to grease the door latched and clean the rubber lining on the doors. I did all this and it still happens sometimes. I've seen complains about this online too. This is dangerous because now when the door ajar light comes on people may ignore thinking it's the regular glitch, when it could possibly be an open door one day. *power door and power window motor constantly goes out each year. I have had this repaired three times now.this is also dangerous because in an emergency passengers can't exit a window if needed.
The suv takes two times to start the vehicle up. The key and iginition are not matching up was told by the dealer but they won't fix it saying they have to see it first.
Was driving the vehicle when i noticed smoke coming out from under the hood. I pulled over as quick as possible into a strip mall parking lot. Before i got out flames were coming out of the engine compartment. I ran into a store and got a fire extinguisher to try and put out the fire. I failed, as the whole front of the explorer was in flames as well as the interior. The vehicle is a total loss. The fire department put it out. I had the vehicle for 7 weeks. The used dealer will not take any responsibility. Should they? i purchased the vehicle on mar. 3,2014 at oc auto expo in westminster, ca.
In february of 2006, i took my 2003 ford explorer in to have it fixed.at the time, my vehicle only had app. 36,300 miles on it.i had to have all the spark plugs replaced because they had gone bad.i was told the spark plugs should have lasted for 90,000 to 100,000 miles.in april of 2007, with app. 43,000 miles on the vehicle, the check engine light came on.i took it in for repair and was told the spark plug wires were arcing and were burned.i was told that the wires were routed badly and that they lay against hot areas of the car.i now have to replace all the wires.the garage has called all the dealers and distributors in my area for the wires and was told that they can't get the wires, that they seem to have been pulled off of the shelf.if the wires are routed badly and lay against hot things, i would think eventually that would start a fire.the garage is going to give me the old wires just in case i need them.i would think an investigation needs to be done to see if, in fact, the wires are routed badly and could start a fire.
Intermittently while driving vehicle stalled.sometimes this occurred more frequently in wet weather.driver would let vehicle sit for ten minutes then it would restart.
This vehicle stalls when idling at a red light or at standstill. This vehicle also doesn't always start at first try. There is also either a bad cluster or lose wires to the dash cluster.
After driving the truck for a long amount of time smells like rotten eggs.
"takata recall" airbag light keeps blinking with the seat belt noise. Changed the light bulb from the dash board and now the airbag light stays on but will not connect with mileage.
Bought used 2003 ford explorer sport xlt in october 2008. First car i bought from dealership. Car stalled prior to leaving lot and the dealership serviced it claiming it needed a carbon cleanup. Come to find the fuel reset switch's cable connector is melted on the front passenger side and causes car to shut off even while driving at high speeds.
Car has an intermittent problem and will stall and both high and low speeds, or when idling.when this happens and power assist fails, it's almost impossible to steer or to brake posing a serious risk to safety.this first starting happening about once a week last november, and nowit's pretty often.stopped driving the car, except to test drive as we're trying to find the source of the problem.we think it's either the fuel or vacuum system and are continuing to narrow down the problem.i am not sure if braking will work at all when it fails, as fortunately it hasn't stalled going downhill.i put all my strength into both braking and steering (i'm a pretty strong woman) to get it to safety.it may simply be stopping due to inertia.
In trying to determine where a new rattle was coming i heard on the way home, i noticed the rear gate glass hinge had broken or became dislodged. When trying to secure it to take it to the dealership for repair, the glass slipped and cut deep gashes into the body. I had just returned home and had it fallen offon the highway it good have caused an accident. The dealership attributed it to wear and tear even though i had previously only opened the glass lift gate twice during the life of the car. I was charged a fee just to replace the hinge. I did not get he body work repaired. There were recalls for this problem on other explorer's made during the same period mine was made, but i was told my vin was not involved in the recall. (ford recall no. 04s20 and a campaign number 04v442000 and safety report #10266375 and #10266836).
My car move backwards with parking shift,emergency and engine stops in a ramp driving into my garage.
2003 ford explorer xls4x4, front and rear hub bearings going out on a vehicle especially the front hub bearings.the left front hub bearing went bad and luckily we was not going down the highway at 55 mph or higher, we was only going about 25-30 mph. The left front hub bearing froze up and we did a "u" turn and no one was hurt.i had it towed to a service shop and they told me what the problem was,and they told me that this is a major problem with this truck.i contacted ford on this matter and they told me i had to pay for the repair by myself,but if the same problem is on many,many trucks this is bad and not safe. Do you have any ideas? the repair shop called me and told me we should replace the two front hubs and the rear axle bearings also,and looked at them after the repair and the other ones were worn excessive also.the repair work for parts and labor was $1488.00 with a limited life warranty on the parts.
My car move backwards with parking shift,emergency and engine stops in a ramp driving into my garage.
2003 ford explorer eddie bauer awd 4dr vin [xxx] under warranty - 33125 miles when in reverse experience bangs/jerks - dealer stated it was transmission shift solenoid pack and replaced 6/05 - continued to bang/jerk into reverse until approx 1 month later, vehicle would not move whether in drive or reverse, along with loud whining noises - dealer could not look at vehicle for one week at which time flat bedded at owners cost as now at 37,000 miles (out of warranty of course) ford inspected transmission and has denied repair/replacement under warranty. At 37,000 miles one would not expect a transmission to fail. Owner escalating this issue to ford customer service. Dealer has been great, after reading similar complaints from this website, it appearsford corporation is in total denial of a transmission problem for 03 explorers.updated 07/19/2012 information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)
Vibration in front end of 2003 ford explorer sport determined to be associated with the front wheel drive.resolution has not occurred to date.balanced all drive lines but still vibrates.vibration stops when front drive line is disconnected.next approach is to continue through rest of drive train.
While my son was driving west on route 64 in the left hand lane near rocky mount, nc at a speed of 70 mph, the brake light came on followed by a loud noise and then the vehicle pulled hard to the right causing my son to run a motorcyclist off the road to avoid being hit. I had the vehicle towed to a shop and the determined that the right front bearing assembly had failed. This could have been a fatal accident due to the sudden loss of control.
My wife and i purchased a ford explore sport 2003 new from the dealer; on several occasion we had problems with what i thought was the abs brake system.the vehicle would continue to go forward after applying brakes. The ford dealership replaced brake booster, master cylinder and it still today it continue to do the same things surge forward after two visit to the dealership with this problem. There response was we can't find it and sent us on our way. Now the warrant is gone and we are stuck with a vehicle that may or maynot stop in traffic which puts our lives and maybe someone elses life at rise. We really don't want to purchase another vehicle at this time; since ford can't fix or locate the problem. I pull the ford up to another vehicle of mine to jump the battery and it wouldn't stop and crash into my grill ;destroyed the front of my s10 chevy. However that i can fix. We appreciate any thing you can help us with.
I was driving at approx 55mph and the steering column locked up and i was unable to control the vehicle, it automiatcally pulled to the left and causing my vechicle to roll several times. (3-5 times) vehicle is now totalled. I received medical attention at the scene and i'm under observation for the next 48 hours. I'm highly concerned due to the level of other vehicles that are my same make and model that have had this same issue. Please advise asap. Thank you in advance for your help.
Bubbling and peeling paint.
I just bought a ford explorer sport 2 door to tow my boat. The specs for towing provided by ford are 5100 lbs. Maximum trailer weight, 350 lbs. Max tongue weight. My boat & trailer is 3200 lbs and tongue weight 280 lbs., well within specs.my first trip trailering 20 miles to the lake the vehicle then trailer swerved, since the weight pushes the rear down & front end up so that little weight remains on the front to control steering. The ford engineer consulted said "if he bought the explorer to trailer why didn't he buy the 4 door" (implying it has a longer wheel base & is more stable. The service director & shop foreman at the dealer agreed that the front end is too high to be safe but ford refuses to take any action to correct. Nlm
Left rear liftgate hinge failed/broke; liftgate glass almost fell off completely (but was still partially attached via right hinge). This happened when vehicle was parked. No obvious signs of "wear and tear"; liftgate hinge had been used normally for several years. Many other nhtsa reports list this defect (04v442000). Ford issued a recall several years ago (04s20), but it only covers a very specific and limited range of vin numbers; mine was excluded. Many other 2003 ford explorer sport owners report the same problem, yet nothing has been done to remedy this problem or compensate the affected owners for their losses. I had to pay "out of pocket" at a local private shop to get my hinge repaired.
The contact owns a 2003 ford explorer sport. While driving approximately 25 mph, a noise emerged from the rear hatch window. The contact pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and noticed that the piece that held the window in place was fractured. The vehicle was repaired for the same failure in march of 2015. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 159,149.
Opened the rear window (hatch) and the right side flew up - the hinge had disengaged from the body of the vehicle.located on nhtsa.gov #04v442000 which covers the same problem- was told by dealer my vehicle did not fall under this recall (04s20) and i would have to pay for the repair.
The contact owns a 2003 ford explorer sport. While driving 50 mph, a loud noise was heard when the sun roof exploded without warning. There were no injuries. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000. The vin was not available.
The contact owns a 2003 ford explorer sport. The contact stated that he noticed that the rear lift gate hinges were loose and the contact was concerned that the rear glass window would fall from the vehicle. The vehicle was not inspected by a dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was contacted and advised him that the vehicle was not included in a manufacturer's recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unavailable. The current mileage was approximately 153,000.
Rear liftgate window completely shattered. Vehicle was parked and been so for 3 hours. Temperature was about 60 degrees. There was no visible cracks or other defects. Was witnessed by several people. Did not just crack or break. It shattered into thousands or pieces. Was not being opened or closed. Vehicle was completely static
Left rear liftgate hinge failed/broke; liftgate glass almost fell off completely (but was still partially attached via right hinge). This happened when vehicle was parked. No obvious signs of "wear and tear"; liftgate hinge had been used normally for several years. Many other nhtsa reports list this defect (04v442000). Ford issued a recall several years ago (04s20), but it only covers a very specific and limited range of vin numbers; mine was excluded. Many other 2003 ford explorer sport owners report the same problem, yet nothing has been done to remedy this problem or compensate the affected owners for their losses. I had to pay "out of pocket" at a local private shop to get my hinge repaired.
The contact owns a 2003 ford explorer sport. While driving at an unknown speed, the body mount emitted an abnormal noise and was deteriorating. The failure occurred without warning. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 150,000.
Severe clanking/banging noise in passenger rear. Replaced shocks. Noise worsened. Researched and found numerous complaints regarding body mounts with ford explorer sport vehicles. Upon investigation - reaching up under vehicle found no "body insulator left on passenger side rear and on driver rear the insulator crumbled like dirt and fine powder. The body mounts appeared to be manufactured of a foam like material - substandard at best! replacement parts must be purchased through ford since no other aftermarket parts are available. Parts only (that being able to salvage the bolts and sleeves) and purchase the two pair of insulators only - $680.00. The same material that failed and should not. There are vehicles on the road with body mounts for 40 to 50 years. This is a manufacturer's responsibility and the cost for these parts is thievery. It is unsafe to operate a vehicle without repairing defective body mounts due to the possibility of body roll or other loss of control. Since the mounts should not fail throughout the life of the vehicle i sincerely request an investigation be launched into the multiple complaints being filed for the years 2001-2003 ford explorer sport body mounts.
2/14/2007 i noticed there is a fracture/crack between the tailgate door opener and the window. The fracture/crack becomes more/less wider depending on how hot or cold it is outside. I went to the dealer and they stated it would cause me between $400-$800 to get it fix and the whole area will need to be replaced. They stated that it should not cause much problem unless someone hits the back of my car or i close the tailgate not soft enough, which could damage the window. Since then, i have noticed that all explorers that i see have the same fracture/crack on the tailgate door on the same area location. I also have seen many many many complaints about this online. This has to be a defect that is causing the fracture on the tailgate door below the window. This could cause injury if the window breaks or there is issue with the door opener hinge.
Rear lift gate panel cracked while vehicle was parked.concerns with unstable rear glass, ability of hatch to remain closed and operation of rear wiper.glass instability a concern while driving and when using liftgate.prior injuries have been reported.
On the morning of 1/29/14 i was at the market ,came out to load my items into the vehicle , opened the rear lift gateat about the 1/3 open point the glass exploded into a million pieces . Which in turn sent shards of glass into my face ,hands , head and eyes . They were minor injuries but i'm still extracting glass from my head and hands and there is still glass embedded in my hands . I have an apt with my dr only because there is glass in my eyes. My mother was with me but she was at the side of the vehicle so she didn't get nailed .i have never seen a window explode like this, this is a serious hazard and needs to be recalled asap before it kills someone , the power of the flying glass was unreal some of it went through 3 -12 packs of soda with ease.also i have no resources to get a new windowas they are around 700 dollars . So this is what i get from ford for being a loyal customer ?
Body mounts deterioratedcrumpled.bodydown on frame causing irregular ride control
Window feel and shattered into a million pieces. After contacting my insurance to have the glass replaced i found out the reason for the incident was due to a faulty hinge. I was told by the glass company that the hinge failed due to electrolysis (two different metals reacting with each other). I feel this is the same issue that happened with ford recall manufacturer campaign number: 04s20, however my vin does not pull up this issue code and therefore i am not receiving assistance from ford with this manner. After doing research online i have found many other owners of my same make and model who have experienced the same issue. I feel this needs to be officially addressed as i was driving when my glass fell, but was fortunate that there was no one behind me when it happened. Otherwise i am 100% positive it would have caused an accident.
Was driving the vehicle when i noticed smoke coming out from under the hood. I pulled over as quick as possible into a strip mall parking lot. Before i got out flames were coming out of the engine compartment. I ran into a store and got a fire extinguisher to try and put out the fire. I failed, as the whole front of the explorer was in flames as well as the interior. The vehicle is a total loss. The fire department put it out. I had the vehicle for 7 weeks. The used dealer will not take any responsibility. Should they? i purchased the vehicle on mar. 3,2014 at oc auto expo in westminster, ca.
The contact owns a 2003 ford explorer xlt sport.while closing the liftgate the rear window shattered.there was no prior damage to the window.the failure resulted in a few cuts on the contact's hands.the current and failure mileages were 38,254.update 05/21/07.
The contact owns a 2003 ford explorer sport. The contact stated that the lift gate glass detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 04v442000 (structure) due to the vehicle being a two door and not a four door. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 100,000.
The contact owns a 2003 ford explorer sport. While the vehicle was parked the contact noticed that the hinge on the rear liftgate was detached. There was a recall under the nhtsa campaign id number 04v442000 (structure: body: hatchback/liftgate: hinge and attachments). An authorized dealer was notified and informed her that the vin was excluded from the recall defect. The vehicle had not been repaired when the complaint was filed. The failure and current mileages were 120,000.
Opened the rear window (hatch) and the right side flew up - the hinge had disengaged from the body of the vehicle.located on nhtsa.gov #04v442000 which covers the same problem- was told by dealer my vehicle did not fall under this recall (04s20) and i would have to pay for the repair.
The contact owns a 2003 ford explorer sport.when attempting to open the rear liftgate, the contact noticed that the glass was loose and the hinge was failing.he was able to safely catch the glass before it struck the ground or himself.the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that there was no current recall regarding the failure and the contact would be responsible for the repair cost.the manufacturer stated that no compensation would be provided because the vehicle was not included in a recall.upon further investigation, the contact found nhtsa campaign id number 04v442000 (structure:body:hatchback/liftgate:hinge and attachments) for the same failure.the vehicle has not been repaired.the failure mileage was 97,200 and current mileage was 97,250.
The contact owns a 2003 ford explorer sport. The contact stated that he noticed that the rear lift gate hinges were loose and the contact was concerned that the rear glass window would fall from the vehicle. The vehicle was not inspected by a dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was contacted and advised him that the vehicle was not included in a manufacturer's recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unavailable. The current mileage was approximately 153,000.
The contact owns a 2003 ford explorer sport. While driving approximately 45 mph on normal road conditions, an excessively loud rattle and wind noise was coming from the interior rear of the vehicle.the driver inspected the vehicle and observed thatthe liftgate hinge failed and the bolts loosened. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. The technician stated the failure was due to the liftgate hinge which was a common problem with this vehicle.nhtsa campaign id number; 04v442000 (structure:bodyhatchback/liftgate;hinge and attachments) is a identical to the failure; however, the vehicle was excluded from the recallsince it only applied to four door vehicles.the vehicle was temporarily repaired and resumed operation with caution.the contact is aware of the safety risk involved.the failure and current mileages were 65,000.updated 05/18/09. *ljthe rear defroster was inoperative. Updated 05/20/09.
The contact owns a 2003 ford explorer sport.the contact stated that the hatchback hinges fractured and detached from the vehicle.the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The contact referenced nhtsa campaign number: 04v442000 (structure); however, the vin was not included in the recall.the manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 58,000.
The contact owns a 2003 ford explorer xls sports. While the vehicle was parked the hatchback liftgate hinge broke and the glass fell but did not brake. He stated someone caught the glass. He called the dealer and was advised there was no recall for the failure. He referenced recall nhtsa campaign id number: 04v442000 (structure:body:hatchback/liftgate:hinge and attachments) and was advised that his vehicle was not part of the recall. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was 77,000 and the current mileage was 77,100.
The contact owns a 2003 ford explorer sport. The contact noticed that the rear lift gate hinges were loose. The contact removed the rear glass window so it would not fall off of the vehicle. The vehicle was not inspected by a dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was notified and advised him that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 170,000.
In trying to determine where a new rattle was coming i heard on the way home, i noticed the rear gate glass hinge had broken or became dislodged. When trying to secure it to take it to the dealership for repair, the glass slipped and cut deep gashes into the body. I had just returned home and had it fallen offon the highway it good have caused an accident. The dealership attributed it to wear and tear even though i had previously only opened the glass lift gate twice during the life of the car. I was charged a fee just to replace the hinge. I did not get he body work repaired. There were recalls for this problem on other explorer's made during the same period mine was made, but i was told my vin was not involved in the recall. (ford recall no. 04s20 and a campaign number 04v442000 and safety report #10266375 and #10266836).
Consumer complained ofvibration problem. .steering wheel vibrated when making turnsor when vehicle was in motion or stationary. Took vehicle back to dealership, who rotated the tires. The problem still occurs.
Severe clanking/banging noise in passenger rear. Replaced shocks. Noise worsened. Researched and found numerous complaints regarding body mounts with ford explorer sport vehicles. Upon investigation - reaching up under vehicle found no "body insulator left on passenger side rear and on driver rear the insulator crumbled like dirt and fine powder. The body mounts appeared to be manufactured of a foam like material - substandard at best! replacement parts must be purchased through ford since no other aftermarket parts are available. Parts only (that being able to salvage the bolts and sleeves) and purchase the two pair of insulators only - $680.00. The same material that failed and should not. There are vehicles on the road with body mounts for 40 to 50 years. This is a manufacturer's responsibility and the cost for these parts is thievery. It is unsafe to operate a vehicle without repairing defective body mounts due to the possibility of body roll or other loss of control. Since the mounts should not fail throughout the life of the vehicle i sincerely request an investigation be launched into the multiple complaints being filed for the years 2001-2003 ford explorer sport body mounts.
I have a 2003 ford explorer that i have had to replace both front wheel bearings and now 1 or both of the rear ones are bad.
While my son was driving west on route 64 in the left hand lane near rocky mount, nc at a speed of 70 mph, the brake light came on followed by a loud noise and then the vehicle pulled hard to the right causing my son to run a motorcyclist off the road to avoid being hit. I had the vehicle towed to a shop and the determined that the right front bearing assembly had failed. This could have been a fatal accident due to the sudden loss of control.
While driving 50 mphrear leaf springs failed. As a result,rear end collapsed, and vehicle could not bebe driven.dealer stated the part will not be available until january 2005.*sc
Was closing back hatch and glass window literally exploded!vehicle was parked in my yard.
Rear liftgate window on my 2003 ford explorer sport exploded into a million pieces.the vehicle was parked in my driveway and i went to open the door and it just exploded.
Severe clanking/banging noise in passenger rear. Replaced shocks. Noise worsened. Researched and found numerous complaints regarding body mounts with ford explorer sport vehicles. Upon investigation - reaching up under vehicle found no "body insulator left on passenger side rear and on driver rear the insulator crumbled like dirt and fine powder. The body mounts appeared to be manufactured of a foam like material - substandard at best! replacement parts must be purchased through ford since no other aftermarket parts are available. Parts only (that being able to salvage the bolts and sleeves) and purchase the two pair of insulators only - $680.00. The same material that failed and should not. There are vehicles on the road with body mounts for 40 to 50 years. This is a manufacturer's responsibility and the cost for these parts is thievery. It is unsafe to operate a vehicle without repairing defective body mounts due to the possibility of body roll or other loss of control. Since the mounts should not fail throughout the life of the vehicle i sincerely request an investigation be launched into the multiple complaints being filed for the years 2001-2003 ford explorer sport body mounts.
The transmission is shot i cant put it in gear and me and my husband were almost killed but were able to put it in 2nd gear to roll it to the shop. The 4wheel drive got stuck in 4 wheel low and would not shift at all. When we turned the car on it would rev up to 5 but only go 2 miles an hour.
This vehicle stalls out when stopping. When trying to get going again it doesn't throttle properly.
Speedometer and odometer is off. Speedometer off by 5 miles per hour odometer is off by 6 miles .
While moving in traffic on highway about 45 mph.gas accelerator padal went all the way down to floor on 2003 ford explorer sport and never returned to the up position.throttle cable for cable end broke off at throttle body for gas accelerator padal.
While trying to use the cruise control it will sometimes work and other times will not work.when it doesn't work the green indicator light just flashes when pushing the set button.also the area around the buttons gets very warm.it seems that it works less in warm weather then in cool. Updated 11/07/07
My back rear window explodedwhile i was at work. It happen at 400am so it was not hot.
The contact owns a 2003 ford explorer sport. While driving approximately 25 mph, a noise emerged from the rear hatch window. The contact pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and noticed that the piece that held the window in place was fractured. The vehicle was repaired for the same failure in march of 2015. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 159,149.
While pulling out of a parking lot at a slow speed the back window on my ford explorer sport shattered. The glass was completely gone and numerous pieces ended up inside and outside of the vehicle. There was absolutely no object from the outside that would have caused this incident. The lift gate had not been opened prior to this event. I believe it was caused by the hinges and the manner in which they were designed to attach to the glass that triggered this explosion of the rear window.
The contact owns a 2003 ford explorer sport.when the contact attempted to open the rear window, it completely shattered.the vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer.the failure occurred without warning.the current and failure mileages were 68,843.
Window feel and shattered into a million pieces. After contacting my insurance to have the glass replaced i found out the reason for the incident was due to a faulty hinge. I was told by the glass company that the hinge failed due to electrolysis (two different metals reacting with each other). I feel this is the same issue that happened with ford recall manufacturer campaign number: 04s20, however my vin does not pull up this issue code and therefore i am not receiving assistance from ford with this manner. After doing research online i have found many other owners of my same make and model who have experienced the same issue. I feel this needs to be officially addressed as i was driving when my glass fell, but was fortunate that there was no one behind me when it happened. Otherwise i am 100% positive it would have caused an accident.
Left rear liftgate hinge failed/broke; liftgate glass almost fell off completely (but was still partially attached via right hinge). This happened when vehicle was parked. No obvious signs of "wear and tear"; liftgate hinge had been used normally for several years. Many other nhtsa reports list this defect (04v442000). Ford issued a recall several years ago (04s20), but it only covers a very specific and limited range of vin numbers; mine was excluded. Many other 2003 ford explorer sport owners report the same problem, yet nothing has been done to remedy this problem or compensate the affected owners for their losses. I had to pay "out of pocket" at a local private shop to get my hinge repaired.
On the morning of 1/29/14 i was at the market ,came out to load my items into the vehicle , opened the rear lift gateat about the 1/3 open point the glass exploded into a million pieces . Which in turn sent shards of glass into my face ,hands , head and eyes . They were minor injuries but i'm still extracting glass from my head and hands and there is still glass embedded in my hands . I have an apt with my dr only because there is glass in my eyes. My mother was with me but she was at the side of the vehicle so she didn't get nailed .i have never seen a window explode like this, this is a serious hazard and needs to be recalled asap before it kills someone , the power of the flying glass was unreal some of it went through 3 -12 packs of soda with ease.also i have no resources to get a new windowas they are around 700 dollars . So this is what i get from ford for being a loyal customer ?
The contact owns a 2003 ford explorer sport. The contact stated that the rear hatch back window pin became fractured and caused the spring and the window to separate from the frame. The dealer previously replaced the hatch back pin however the failure was not corrected. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 110,000 and the current mileage was 145,000.
"takata recall" airbag light keeps blinking with the seat belt noise. Changed the light bulb from the dash board and now the airbag light stays on but will not connect with mileage.
As i was driving the sun visor dropped, and started to dangle and swing towards my face.it startled me and i swerved the car a little, tried to dodge the visor from hitting me in the face/head, and then pulled into a parking area. I noticed the sun visor hinge had cracked and the wiring came loose. I took it to the ford dealer quick lane and they stated it would cost me between $120-$250 depending on the color and it would need to be rewired during installation. This could cause someone to have an accident or injury, and there is no reason this part should of broken like this.
I had just put a bag of groceries in the back, was closing the rear glass hatch when it exploded about 1/3 of the way down. Very loud noise, and tiny glass pieces shattered across 3 parking spots, into and all around our vehicle, including the groceries which i discarded. This car is not included in the recall.
The contact owns a 2003 ford explorer sport. While driving approximately 45 mph on normal road conditions, an excessively loud rattle and wind noise was coming from the interior rear of the vehicle.the driver inspected the vehicle and observed thatthe liftgate hinge failed and the bolts loosened. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. The technician stated the failure was due to the liftgate hinge which was a common problem with this vehicle.nhtsa campaign id number; 04v442000 (structure:bodyhatchback/liftgate;hinge and attachments) is a identical to the failure; however, the vehicle was excluded from the recallsince it only applied to four door vehicles.the vehicle was temporarily repaired and resumed operation with caution.the contact is aware of the safety risk involved.the failure and current mileages were 65,000.updated 05/18/09. *ljthe rear defroster was inoperative. Updated 05/20/09.
The contact owns a 2003 ford explorer sport. The contact stated that the lift gate glass detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 04v442000 (structure) due to the vehicle being a two door and not a four door. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 100,000.
The contact owns a 2003 ford explorer sport. While the vehicle was parked and unoccupied the rear window windshield shattered. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that it does not shatter on its own. The manufacture advised the contact to file a complaint with nhtsa. The vehicle will be repaired. The vin was not available. The failure and the current mileages were 50,000.
Nhtsa safety recall 04v-442 of 2003 ford explorerford is refusing to fix my vehicle.ford is stating my vehicle has no recalls and this recall does not effect my vehicle.i was driving down a road with no other cars when my rear windshield exploded. This caused me to think someone was shooting or attacking which almost caused me to crash my vehicle thinking i was under attack. The police came and wrote a report, investigated and found no evidence of malicious acts.ford is refusing to resolve this and will not say why my vehicle is not effected.
Rear view mirror gives a false image, when there are no cars behind vehicle driver can ot see in rearview window.but if cars are behind driver can see.consumer was involved in an accident as a result, driver was involved in an accident.
The contact owns a 2003 ford explorer sport. While driving 50 mph, a loud noise was heard when the sun roof exploded without warning. There were no injuries. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000. The vin was not available.
2003 ford explorer xls4x4, front and rear hub bearings going out on a vehicle especially the front hub bearings.the left front hub bearing went bad and luckily we was not going down the highway at 55 mph or higher, we was only going about 25-30 mph. The left front hub bearing froze up and we did a "u" turn and no one was hurt.i had it towed to a service shop and they told me what the problem was,and they told me that this is a major problem with this truck.i contacted ford on this matter and they told me i had to pay for the repair by myself,but if the same problem is on many,many trucks this is bad and not safe. Do you have any ideas? the repair shop called me and told me we should replace the two front hubs and the rear axle bearings also,and looked at them after the repair and the other ones were worn excessive also.the repair work for parts and labor was $1488.00 with a limited life warranty on the parts.
Was driving the vehicle when i noticed smoke coming out from under the hood. I pulled over as quick as possible into a strip mall parking lot. Before i got out flames were coming out of the engine compartment. I ran into a store and got a fire extinguisher to try and put out the fire. I failed, as the whole front of the explorer was in flames as well as the interior. The vehicle is a total loss. The fire department put it out. I had the vehicle for 7 weeks. The used dealer will not take any responsibility. Should they? i purchased the vehicle on mar. 3,2014 at oc auto expo in westminster, ca.
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