We have owned the subject 2003 Ford Explorer XLT since it was new. The rear liftgate hinge holding the rear glass failed. I understand that this failure is the subject of NHTSA recall #04V442000. Ford informs me that they will not fix this continuing safety defect because they replaced the hinge once before in 2006. I have no record of such a repair, not do I agree that Ford's policy of only performing one replacement is valid. Even if they did replace it once, the design is clearly defective and the safety issue still remains. I would expect NHTSA to direct Ford to properly fix the problem, rather cause me to pay Ford for yet another replacement for the ineffective one they previously performed.

- Annapolis, MD, USA

Large spontaneous stress crack appeared, bisecting the upper liftgate body panel on my 2003 Ford Explorer. Ford refers to this part as liftgate glass applique.

- Fairfield, CT, USA

The back lift gate (hatch) of my 2003 Ford Explorer has a vertical crack under the window next to the center Ford logo. I noticed on the internet that 1,000S of other people to include in our city are having the exact same issue with Explorer and Mountaineer. This happened in winter. I see in car stats there are complaints there too.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

The hood on my vehicle is blistering and bubbling off in many areas.

- Granby, MA, USA

Rear tail gate has a crack in the fiberglass from the window all the way down.

- Granby, MA, USA

The back lift gate (hatch) of my 2003 Ford Explorer has a vertical crack under the window next to the center Ford logo. I noticed on the internet that 1,000S of other people are having the exact same issue with Explorer and Mountaineer.

- Pilot Point, TX, USA

The rear hatch has cracked from the back glass down on both sides of the emblem. I called Ford and they stated that they have had a lot of complaints about this same issue but it was not a recall and they would not fix it.

- Springfield, TN, USA

Plastic body panel below rear window on the lift gate has cracked.

- Churchville, PA, USA

Rear tailgate/liftgate door panel cracked in two places vertically while in garage parked.

- Newtown, PA, USA

We had cold weather the last few days (-11 below) and now there is a crack in body, just below the window on the rear hatch. It extends from the bottom of the window to the end of the hatch.

- Broadview Heights, OH, USA

Cracked rear panel below the windshield. I have seen several Ford Explorer with the same problem as mine. I have also noticed several complaints on line at carcomplaints.com for the same problem. I reported the problem to Ford customer relations, but they are not doing anything to fix the problem. This is the second one for my Explorer and will not be replaced by me.

- Sherwood Park, 00, USA

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Explorer eddie bauer edition. While attempting to close the lift gate glass, the hinge on the passenger side failed. The manufacturer stated that the vehicle was not included in a recall; therefore, they were not liable for the repairs. The dealer has not been notified. The vehicle has not been repaired. The current and failure mileages were 98,773.

- Ocala, FL, USA

Applique underneath the rear window cracked next to emblem with no impact.

- Napa, CA, USA

Cracked rear panel below the windshield. I have seen several Ford Explorer with the same problem as mine. I have also noticed several complaints on line at carcomplaints.com for the same problem. I reported the problem to Ford customer relations, but they are not doing anything to fix the problem.

- Granada Hills, CA, USA

I was driving on the highway before dawn and heard a very loud noise (it was the sound of an explosion). I thought that a tire may have blowout, which was strange since the car has a set of new tires and I did not notice any changes in the driving of the vehicle. I stopped on the side of the highway and checked the car using a flash light. I saw nothing. Later that day when I went to get gasoline, I saw a crack in the panel that contained the Ford logo, about 2 inches to the right of the logo that extended from the top of the panel to the bottom. It was just a clean crack on the panel below the rear window. This happened on a cold night (19 deg. F). from what I have seen and read it sounds like a design flaw with the fact that a plastic part is glue to a metal part with a different coefficient of expansion. The car is a Ford Explorer XLT 2003. Although the cracked panel does not seem to be a safety defect, the distraction caused by the loud bang noise while driving the car in heavy traffic and stopping in the highway at night to determine the cause of the noise clearly put me and my family at risk. Moreover, there is a good chance the rear window panel may separate from the vehicle at speed, being a safety issue for other motorists.

- Carmel, IN, USA

Ford Explorer rear hatch defect, crack in hatch, Ford has released a technical bulletin but says it is an owner responsibility to have it repaired. As a disabled veteran on a fixed income I cannot afford to have it repaired. There are hundreds of complaints on the internet regarding this issue with basically the same answer from Ford.

- Belleville, NJ, USA

2003 for Explorer eddie bauer - the rear liftgate panel under the rear glass has a crack all the way through it. No known cause. There appear to be a large number of vehicles with this problem.

- Dallas, TX, USA

The rear panel below the window on the hatch just suddenly cracked... it wasn't hit or anything, it just cracked.

- Danbury, IA, USA

Trim panel on the bottom of rear hatch window developed a large crack unexpectedly. Crack is vertical from window to bottom of liftgate glass.

- Evanston, WY, USA

Plastic body part below rear window glass cracked.

- Lafayette, IN, USA