2004 Ford Explorer Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors) Problems

“Sun visor bracket cracked and disintegrated leaving sun visor blocking my view. Had to pull over and disconnect the wire and remove visor. 2nd incident, pressed button to open rear glass and the hinges snapped ejecting the heavy glass panel at me. Had a child been opening it, they could have been killed. As it was, I caught the glass panel.”

“While opening the smaller window in the back of the car, the window started to fall. Luckily there were two people to catch it. I noticed the passenger side hinge was broken. We usually take our infant around to the back of the car while we load things. Fortunately, we had already buckled her in. Had the glass fallen or we not paid attention , it could have seriously injured her or us.”

“The rear window hinge pin (passenger side) has corroded and broken allowing the window to fall off of the rear tail gate. I noticed the broken hinge before using the lift gate which has prevented it from falling off thus far. I have read that this is a very common problem on this vehicle and Ford will not own up to the problem.”

“I have cracks in the plastic on the outside of my lift gate . Each time I use the handle to lift the cracks become worse. There are several posts online asking about the same problem. Every one I see in a parking lot or on the road has the same problem. Ford reports that it affects 1997-2007 explorers. I don't understand why this hasn't been addressed. I called Ford and they referred me to your organization. Some of these cracks I have seen reach to the back window which I believe would be a safety hazard.”

“When opening the rear hatch of my 2004 Explorer the hinges failed. The glass door fell away from the hinges and was being held only by the hydraulic arms. When I tried to move the glass which I was holding in my hands it shattered. I was told there was a recall on the 2002 and 2003 models but not on the 2004s. Obviously the problem has not been corrected.”