CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2003 Ford Explorer one of our worst vehicles on record. "Avoid like the plague" is putting it lightly.
The 2002-2005 Explorer has a very well-established record of expensive transmission failure at under 100k miles. The Explorer has an enclosed transmission which is typically replaced with a rebuilt transmission at a cost of almost $3,000.
Another common problem for the 2002-2003 Explorer is wheel bearing failure at around 90k miles, with a typical repair bill of $500 to $1000 depending on how many wheel bearings failed.
Adding insult to injury, the 2002-2005 Explorer also has a massive problem with the rear panel cracking. While it's a minor annoyance compared to transmission failure, ironically the crack usually goes right through the Ford logo.
Just came out to my car yesterday and it happened to me. Thought I was going to be one of the lucky ones and wouldn't have to deal with it. I called Ford customer service and the girl didn't even know what I meant by the back rear panel. So her answer was "let me look and see if I show any recalls on your vehicle". I tried to explain to her Ford won't recall it, but they should! She was very unhelpful! This sucks because you spend a lot of money to drive around in something that looks nice. And now I am driving a car that is obviously damaged. Wish Ford would step up and take responsibility for the defect!!!
well it seems that i am on the same boat as well one day i was leaving work i noticed a crack in the rear panel door i was shocked so i called ford company that i purchased the suv they said sorry we are not going to fix it its wear and tear , after reading each complaints , i will never deal with ford as long as i live , i tried selling the suv as is with cracks no lucks , yes i should get it fixed but the truth is i will like to show what you get when you by ford
When I first noticed the crack I went to the dealer and was told that it was cosmetic and the warranty had expired so they would not repair it. They did mention that I could pay for the repair around $300. The rear panel has cracked numerous more times over the past three years and now the glass lift is showing door ajar continuously. My local dealer still claims it is cosmetic and not a defect in the manufacturing of the car. The price has also gone up in the past three years but it looks like I am going to have to have it fixed. The cracks have got so bad I think the glass will fall out of the lift gate.
- David V.,
Alamogordo, N.M, US
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Like most of the other comments, it just occurred all by itself. I noticed it one morning. I wonder if it has to do with the heat of summer? I haven't yet gotten it fixed--still checking out prices and options. It sure looks terrible. I didn't realize it was such a common problem--seemed like a "fluke" as nothing had hit or damaged it....unitl just today I saw another Ford Explorer of the same year and color (red) with the EXACT same crack! It seems to me an obvious manufacture's defect. I really hope Ford takes responsibility--but won't hold my breathe on that one.
I don't understand all the complaints and Ford chooses to ignore the problem. This happened two years ago and I complaind to Ford for about 3 months and there answer was there was no recall an there probability wouldn't be.
Same as many others, woke up one day to find the beneath my rear window cracked. Since then, I have noticed NUMEROUS explorers with the same defect. I will NEVER buy a Ford again.
I bought the car secondhand only 8 months ago. The car is in really good condition and I have enjoyed driving it. It was extremely disappointing to find the crack today. Even more so after finding all these complaints. I expected more from Ford. They should take responsibility for this obvious design fault.
Daughter was driving this car, came home one weekend from college and low and behold a crack appeared 1 day after she returns. I had placed some items in the back of the car on Saturday morning. Sunday morning I go out to one of the other cars and happen to look at the back of the Explorer and there is a huge crack on the back of the car. Called dealership that I purchased the car from (brand new) and body shop manager said the dealership would take care of it at no cost to me. Daughter took car back to school and I took car back to have repair done, at no cost to me. Manager said things had changed and they would not repair without me paying approx 450.00. Originally he told me about the crack without me even having to go into deails about it. He said it had happened many, many times and it is something that Ford was aware of. Grant you, my car is no longer under warranty but I dont think that I should be responsible for something that I had no control over. Starting on Monday, I will be writing everyone and there brother; I am even taking it to the media. Ford should have recalled these cars when this first started to happen. I dont car how old the vehicle is or how many miles we have on our cars, we should not have to spend over $400 getting this crack repaired. I will never buy another Ford product unless they take care of this flaw that was known to the company. I think we should start a complaint all over the country regarding this issue. Thanks for letting me rant. As I told the service manager, I dont appreciate him saying that he would repair the car and then changed his mind.
What can I say ? Broken engine, broken a/c after just 60,000 miles. Couldn't care less about cracked body work as am having to sell what's left of the car for a pittance and will never buy Ford again. Ford should be ashamed of treating people like this -when there are multiple common complaints for the same problems and yet they managed to fix these in later versions of the car - surely this admits liability and they owe Explorer owners of 2002/2003 versions recompense?
I talked to a body shop owner who said several of these similar models have come into his shop with the same problem and no explanation for why it is happening. There should definitely be a recall and fixture on the part of FORD. This is not good for the look of the vehicle especially if one should ever wish to sell. When several of these continue to show up that is not quality on Ford's part.
The rear window panel has a crack below window in the middle FORD logo. Just came out and noticed it the other day. Oh did I mention the entire rear door assembly/tail gate fell off..... A hinge had come loose. Glad I had about 10 bungie cords in the car to hold it on. My electrical system is a mess on hot and humid days even with a new battery,cabin light stays on so I have to remove the bulb. About twice a week the system re-sets ??
Ford had a recall on the panel window. Sent it off to fix it. When my car was ready, i didn't notice the crack under the glass down the line. I took it back to ford to find out what happened to my car. The reply was, we have no way of knowing if it was caused back at the dealership. I will never buy another ford in my life. I tried to support our maker. Back to foreign cars i go
Ours has been cracked for a long time, so I'm not sure when it occurred. I think everyone who reads these posts, and has the same problem, needs to take the time to register on this site (although time consuming), and add their complaint. There is often power in numbers, and when this problem has thousands of posts on this site, maybe Ford will get the ball rolling.
Returned from a deployment from Iraq to find that my back glass was cracked under the rear window which i have already had replaced once. I think ford should recall those windows from the manufacturer and replace them with new ones. and since it has cracked my door is open light will not go out and i have to manual turn off interior lights.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Just came out to my car yesterday and it happened to me. Thought I was going to be one of the lucky ones and wouldn't have to deal with it. I called Ford customer service and the girl didn't even know what I meant by the back rear panel. So her answer was "let me look and see if I show any recalls on your vehicle". I tried to explain to her Ford won't recall it, but they should! She was very unhelpful! This sucks because you spend a lot of money to drive around in something that looks nice. And now I am driving a car that is obviously damaged. Wish Ford would step up and take responsibility for the defect!!!
- Jessicca L., Brookville, PA, US