7.1
pretty bad
body / paint problem
This has been a poor design. Ford should have come up with a replacement that works. broke again..
- rockhead123, Upper Saint Clair, PA, US
Was furious when I saw the crack and thought someone hit me. I work at a hospital and after we noticed the crack we noticed 2 Ford explorers and 1 Mercury Mountaineer at my work with the same problem. WOW!!! This needs to be recalled and fixed by Ford/Mercury!
- Kim G., ocala, FL, US
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
unbelievable....it just cracked all on its own while it was sitting in my drive way. It was the freakin weirdest thing................................
Update from Nov 13, 2014: This vehicle was eventually totaled out by a deer. But it had many other problems.
- barber.stylist, Vinton, IA, US
On one of this winters big snow storms i noticed that my mountaineer's back hatch panal was cracked on the top of the emblem and around the emblem. When i went to the body shop, he told me this is widespread on a lot of ford explorers and mountaineers. He said to try a ford dealer and see what they can do. The dealer said three years old and under a certain milage ford will fix the problem. Mine was a 2003, but i only had 35000 some miles on it. He said it would be about 450.oo to freplace it. This stinks, and i would like to find another solution.
- Charles S., Bel Air, MD, US
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The filler panel between the glass and the rear door has cracked now for a second time on the left side of the emblem. The first time it happened the truck wasn't yet a year old and Ford covered it under waranty. I've seen this issue on many Mountaineers and Explorers while on the road or passing them in parking lots. My dealer suggested calling Fords 800 number as the cost of the repair was no longer covered. Although the agent was polite he explained that the repair wouldn't be covered by Ford and that they didn't have a recall on the issue.
Ford must have been bombarded with warranty repairs on this design, why else would they have redesigned the rear doors on 2008 and newer models to eliminate this problem. The panel has the potential to break off the vehicle, become airbourne while driving and become a hazard to someone.
- alco530new york, Islip, NY, US
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Both the Mountaineer and Explorer have the same issue. I agree! Ford should fix this at no charge!!
- Greg E., La Center, WA, US
When I asked our local Ford dealer about the problem they told me that there was nothing Ford would do but I could get the panel replaced at my own expense which was quite significant.
I'm sure there are enough of us who have this same cracking around the emblem (when I saw the one pictured on this website I would have thought someone had taken a picture of my vehicle, it is that exact).
Where can we get some satisfaction? Who should I write to? This is not right!!!!
- S O., Sanford, FL, US
Have a 2003 Mercury Mountaineer Premium AWD. The plastic panel around the rear lift gate is cracked, just like everyone else. What a shame we have to bail they Big 3 out when they build crap like this and wont stand behind it.
- cobra04972tx1, Little Elm, TX, US
I just noticed this crack in the rear liftgate panel. I thought it's because of me. But then I saw the growing number of people reporting a similar problem.
One thing that I noticed: I live in Riyadh and temperature here can go from 0c (32 F) to 50c (120 F). During hot days the crack becomes almost invisible due to expansion while in cold days the crack shows up again !!! ..... I guess this liftgate was designed for fixed temperature conditions
- sadxxx, Riyadh, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
I found that the cracked plastic panel on the tailgate is also a significant issue for Ford Explorers of this same vintage. Our Mountaineer cracked about a month ago. At first I thought maybe something had hit it, but there are no marks anywhere. While most people have had no help from Ford, some have gotten results by calling the Ford Customer service line at 1-800-392-3673. I will be calling, too!!
- Greg E., La Center, WA, US
This crack in the lift gate just suddenly appeared! I've done some researching online and have seen numerous complaints regarding the same thing.
- Nina R., Valparaiso, IN, US
This is extremely frustrating to have a $38,000 vehicle with a few months left to pay on it and the exterior trim pieces are failing. I have the FORD "PREMIUM CARE" extended warranty and I'm told it's not covered. If anyone knows how to initiate and what firm would do a CLASS ACTION SUIT I think this would be a good one! This problem exists on all of the Explorers and Mountianeers from the new body style through the most recent model where Ford has changed the design back to the previous design 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 & 2007. I believe the 2008's are the ones which I've seen reverted to the previous rear hatch design.
- Mike C., Lakewood, CO, US
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Fixing it myself. when closing the glass do not push on the middle.
- rockhead123, Upper Saint Clair, PA, US