2002 Ford Explorer Sport Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors) Problems

“This is the second time this has happened. My rear tailgate window exploded. The car had been on for about ten minutes, warming up. I loaded my items into the car through the tailgate window. When I was done, I closed the window. Before it was even closed, the window exploded into thousands of pieces. There was glass all over. The window was recently replaced at the Ford dealership.”

“I was opening the rear glass on my 2002 Ford Explorer Sport when the hinge broke and the glass fell on my arm. I was lucky to catch it before it hit the ground. I now have a huge bruise on my arm. I contacted Ford the said my truck was not included in the recall because of where it was built.”

“Air conditioning/fan controls knobs & face of cd player on dash gets increasingly hotter as the vehicle runs. The panel with the control knobs is very, very hot to the touch and begins to smell very hot when vehicle is running. I am concerned of a fire as my son is a paraplegic and I have read that the Ford explorer has fires. I asked the dealer about this possible electrical problem and they don't seem concerned.”

“When I open the back glass window, one hinge broke off. I try to set the window, the other hinge broke. I have to tie a rope to keep the glass from falling off. I find on line there is a recall for 2002 - 2003 Ford explorer liftgate glass hinge and strut brackets, NHTSA campaign id number: 04v442000. When I contacted Ford dealer and Ford company, they say my vehicle VIN is not covered by the recall. If other Ford expolorers are covered, why my VIN is not covered? Is it because there are fewer Ford Explorer Sport built, and less people complain about the problem? …”

“The rear liftgate glass fell off the hinges. The falling glass damaged the rear defroster wires (can no longer be used) the hinge holding the glass broke off from the vehicle causing the glass to fall to the ground. It cost $130 at the Ford dealer. Nhtse recall 04v442 investigated this exact complaint and a recall was issued but Ford informed me that my 2002 Ford Explorer Sport was not covered under the recall because it was built in a factory not affected by the recall. …”