Ford Motor Company: Structure › Body › Hatchback/Liftgate › Hinge and Attachments
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Sep 13, 2004 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 955,732. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE LIFTGATE GLASS STRUT MAY BECOME DISENGAGED OR THE HINGE MAY FRACTURE ALLOWING THE GLASS TO FALL AND POSSIBLY BREAK.
The risk
IF THE HINGE SHOULD FRACTURE, THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR THE GLASS TO FALL AND ULTIMATELY BREAK AND PERSONAL INJURIES COULD OCCUR.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL HAVE THE LIFTGATE GLASS STRUT BRACKETS AND GLASS HINGES REPLACED. FOR THE VEHICLES BUILT FROM AUGUST 1, 2000 THROUGH MARCH 3, 2002, THE DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE HINGES AND LIFTGATE STRUT BRACKET. ON VEHICLES BUILT FROM MARCH 3, 2002 THROUGH JUNE 23, 2003, THE DEALERS WILL ONLY REPLACE THE HINGES. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 30, 2004. A POSTCARD WAS SENT TO OWNERS ON DECEMBER 27, 2004, ADVISING THEM THAT PARTS ARE NOW AVAILABLE. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
4 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 Ford Explorer | 1,131 | 7 | 10 | 60 |
| 2003 Ford Mountaineer | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 Ford Explorer | 3,295 | 10 | 57 | 144 |
| 2002 Ford Mountaineer | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 04V442000.
Full record for the 2003 Ford Explorer → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →