2003 FORD EXPLORER Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE THE CONTACT WAS CLOSING THE REAR LIFT GATE THE HINGE BROKE WITHOUT WARNING. PRIOR TO THE RECENT FAILURE THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID #04V442000 (STRUCTURE: BODY: HATCHBACK/LIFT GATE: HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS) REPAIR WAS PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE. THE REPAIR WAS INSUFFICIENT AND FAILED TO ADDRESS THE SAFETY DEFECT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR INSPECTION WHERE THE DEALER REFUSED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE FREE OF CHARGE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 70,000.

I OWN A 2003 FORD EXPLORER AND WAS CLOSING THE WINDOW OF THE BACK HATCH WHEN THE REAR LIFT GATE HINGE FAILED AND BROKE AND THE WINDOW BECAME DISLODGED AND HIT ME IN THE HEAD. MY SON WAS STANDING NEXT TO ME AND THANKFULLY THE WINDOW DIDN'T FALL OUT COMPLETELY AND LAND ON HIM! I HAVE CONTACTED FORD AND THEY SAID THAT ALTHOUGH THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THIS VERY SAME PROBLEM, YOUR AGENCY DID NOT IDENTIFY MY VEHICLE AS BEING AFFECTED AND THEY WILL NOT REPAIR IT AT THEIR COST. AGAIN, THEY SAID IT WAS BECAUSE YOUR AGENCY DID NOT IDENTIFY MY VEHICLE AS BEING AFFECTED BY THIS DEFECT. AT THE PRESENT TIME, THE WINDOW IS HANGING BY THE STRUTS AND THE LEFT HINGE. FURTHER, I HAVE GONE ONLINE AND SEEN THAT MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS VERY SAME PROBLEM AND IT WAS NOT COVERED BY FORD'S RECALL. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AS THAT WINDOW COULD HAVE FALLEN OUT AND LANDED ON MY SON! THANKFULLY, I WAS NOT SERIOUSLY INJURED. I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT THIS HAS NOT BEEN RECALLED MORE EXTENSIVELY. I THINK IT IS REASONABLE TO EXPECT THAT A WINDOW OR A DOOR IS NOT GOING TO FALL OFF A HINGE AND POTENTIALLY CAUSE A SERIOUS INJURY. SAFETY IS A REASONABLE EXPECTATION! *TR

THE VEHICLE IS A 2003 FORD EXPLORER. HAS 142,000 MILES. HAD TIRE ROTATION AT 137,000 MILES IN JAN 2010. ON 3/6, WE DROVE 120 MI FROM HOME TO BALTIMORE, PARKED IN PARKING LOT FOR 6 HOURS. DROVE 50 MI TO TYSON'S CORNER VA, PARKED IN HOTEL PARKING LOT. ON 3/7, WE DROVE 15MI TO DAUGHTER'S HOME IN ARLINGTON. LEFT CAR THERE FOR 7 HOURS. DROVE BACK HOME ALONG ROUTES 66, 495 AND THEN 95. WENT ABOUT 60 MI WHEN I NOTICED THE STEERING WHEEL WAS SHAKING A BIT. KEPT DRIVING FOR MAYBE 5 MI BEFORE I HEARD A NOISE FROM THE FRONT END NEAR THE WHEELS. DECIDED TO PULL OFF THE HIGHWAY AND GET TO A SERVICE STATION TO CHECK TIRE PRESSURE. CHECKED TIRE PRESSURE AND BEGAN TO BACK OUT WHEN THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL FELL OFF. THERE WAS ONLY 1 LUG STUD REMAINING THAT WAS BROKEN OFF ABOUT 1/2 " ABOVE THE BRAKE DRUM. THE OTHER 4 LUG STUDS WERE MISSING, AND SEEMED TO BE SHEERED OFF ABOUT 1/2" BELOW THE DRUM. THANKFULLY, THE WHEEL DID NOT FALL OFF ON ROUTE 95, ELSE WE AND, MOST LIKELY OTHERS, WOULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO MY BODY SHOP, ALSO THE DEALERSHIP THAT I BOUGHT THE CAR FROM AND HAD THE TIRE ROTATION DONE. LOOKING AT SOME FORUMS, IT SEEMS LIKE THIS IS NOT THE FIRST/ONLY TIME THAT A FORD EXPLORER HAS LOST A TIRE BY BROKEN LUG STUDS DISAPPEARING. I WILL GET THE VEHICLE REPAIRED AND THEN WILL SELL THE VEHICLE. I WILL ALSO HAVE THE OTHER LUG POSTS INSPECTED, BUT WHO KNOWS IF ANYONE WILL SEE ANYTHING. I BELIEVE THAT THIS ISSUE WARRANTS FURTHER INVESTIGATION, IF NONE HAVE ALREADY BEEN DONE. THANK YOU. *TR

THE O/D LIGHT IS FLASHING ON THE DASHBOARD,SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AND WHEN I ACCELERATE THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS ROUGH,FORD SAYS IT IS NOT A COMMON PROBLEM,BUT I HAVE VISITED SEVERAL SITES TODAY WITH COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER CONSUMERS,ALL MAKES,ALL MODELS OF FORD TRUCKS AND SUVS. I HAVE 2003 FORD EXPLORER .THE VEHICLE JUST WENT OVER 80,000 MILE. *TR

THE REAR LIFT GATE CRACKED DOWN THE CENTER. EVERY FORD EXPLORER LIFT GATE I SEE HAS A CRACK DOWN THE CENTER. THIS HAS TO BE A DEFECT IN THE GATE. THERE ARE JUST TOO MANY PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEMS. *TR

1. FUEL GAUGE JUST STOP WORKING AFTER REFILLING THE VEHICLE. 2. THE FAILURE JUST HAPPENED AND NOW IT DOES NOT DETECT GAS IN THE ENGINE. 3. THE FAILURE HAPPENED SHORTLY AFTER GETTING A NON-RELATED ITEM FIXED ON FEBRUARY 27, 2010. *TR

I HAVE A 2003 FORD EXPLORER XLT WITH THE CRACK IN THE BACK PANEL NEXT TO THE EMBLEM. I CAME OUT TO MY CAR AND IT WAS CRACKED ALL THE WAY FROM THE WINDOW SEAL TO THE BOTTOM OF THE HATCH. I CALLED THE 800 NUMBER THAT FORD GAVE ME TO CALL AND THEY TOLD ME THERE IS NO RECALL AND THE PART. THERE ARE SEVERAL THOUSAND PEOPLE WITH THIS SAME COMPLAINT. THE LOCAL BODY SHOP TOLD ME THAT THE PROBLEM IS IN FORDS DESIGN OF THE PANEL. THEY HAVE ZERO REINFORCEMENT NEXT TO THE EMBLEM TO CLOSE THE DOOR WHICH IS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DOOR, WHERE NORMAL PEOPLE PUSH TO CLOSE IT. THIS MANUFACTURING DEFECT IN THE EXPLORERS FROM 02-03 IS VERY WELL KNOWN AND QUITE POSSIBLE OVER TIME COULD CAUSE A WEAKENING IN THE REAR WINDOW OF THE VEHICLE AND EVENTUALLY LOSE IT'S SUPPORT AND FALL. *TR

I OWN A 2003 FORD EXPLORER. THE BACK HATCH BELOW THE WINDOW IS CRACKED. I'VE SEEN MANY WITH THE SAME DEFECT IN PARKING LOTS. ONE WOMAN I SPOKE WITH SAID HERS FLEW OFF INTO THE WINDSHIELD OF A MINIVAN & CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. I E-MAILED FORD MOTOR CO. THEY WILL NOT ISSUE A RECALL. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD AND WITH SO MANY VEHICLES SO EASILY FOUND IN PARKING LOTS WITH THE SAME DEFECT IS CONCERNING ME. I CAN'T AFFORD TO HAVE THIS FIXED RIGHT NOW WHAT DO YOU SUGGEST? *TR

TL-*THE 2003 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PAINT PORTION ON THE LIFTGATE HAS CRACKED IN SEVERAL PLACES JUST UNDER THE GLASS. THE CONTACT FEELS THIS CAN BE A POTENTIAL SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE THERE HAVE BEEN OTHER VEHICLES WHOSE REAR GLASS HAS BROKEN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 75000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 80000.

I BOUGHT MY 2003 EXPLORER NEW. APPX. 2-3 YEARS AGO (DON'T HAVE EXACT DATE YET, STILL SEARCHING FOR INFO) IT WOULD SUDDENLY STALL AND SHUT OFF. THE RPM INDICATOR WOULD ALSO JUMP REALLY FAST. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID IT WAS AN IDLE ISSUE AND "FIXED" IT. A FEW DAYS AGO, I NOTICED A SIMILAR ISSUE AND NEARLY CRASHED. AS I WAS ROUNDING A CORNER, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED, THEREBY CAUSING MY POWER STEERING TO FAIL. I QUICKLY PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL, RESTARTED IT AND REGAINED STEERING, VERY NEARLY COLLIDING WITH A VEHICLE IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. THE CAR SEEMED OKAY FOR A FEW DAYS, BUT THEN DID THE SAME THING AGAIN. TWO NEAR HEAD-ON COLLISIONS ARE TWO TOO MANY. I STOPPED USING THE VEHICLE AND HAD MY DEALER LOOK AT IT. THEY CALLED ME YESTERDAY AND TOLD ME IT WAS THE IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVE, WHICH WILL COST $332 TO REPLACE. I CHECKED ONLINE AND FOUND THAT THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE (TSB 0335, FEB. OF 2003). I NEED THIS VEHICLE SO I WILL HAVE TO GET IT REPAIRED, BUT THINK FORD SHOULD TAKE SOME KIND OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE DEFECT. I HOPE IT DOESN'T TAKE SOMEONE HAVING A SERIOUS COLLISION DUE TO THE DEFECT FOR SOMETHING TO BE DONE. THANK YOU FOR ANYTHING YOU CAN DO. *TR