Cracked Rear Panel?

[ctrucke]

Has anyone that has had the cracked rear panel issue on the 2002-2005 Explorers gotten any support from ford? My rear panel just cracked today -- its very unsightly.

Also, does anyone know if the replacement panels are better than the originals? I hate the thought of spending money on a replacement that isn't going to stand up any better than the original.

My Explorer is a 2003 with 63,000 miles.

 

[ctrucke]

Talked to the dealer I got it from.. he's gonna charge me $200 to fix it. I didn't think that was too bad since most places want $450 to fix.

 

[Limited02]

Mine cracked last winter too. I think in one day, I counted around 4-5 Explorers that had cracked panels, in fact, I saw a Mountaineer tonight that had a cracked rear panel. I am going to wait until spring to get mine fixed.

 

[gsmaclean]

http://www.fordproblems.com/Explorer/cracked-rear-panel.shtml

 

[jwright4]

had mine replaced 2 mos ago...250.00.....

 

[carcomplaints]

This is the 3rd, 6th and 7th most complained about problem on carcomplaints.com. I've had some people right in and argue that it's "just cosmetic" and "people should get over it", but in my opinion it's a frustrating issue that Ford has refused to acknowledge.

Unfortunately, because the cracked panel is not a safety defect, there is very little chance of a recall.

The average cost to fix listed from our users was $413.00, so I would recommend going to jwright4's dealership

 

[imp]

We Noticed 'em, Too!

Has anyone gotten a "handle" on why these panels crack, and under what circumstances? I kind of suspect harsh closing of the rear glass, perhaps when it is very cold outside; just a thought. Our '04 with 99K on it is still OK, and we would love to keep it that way.

Now, if only the Torque Converter Clutch problem could be resolved..............

imp

 

[Limited02]

Has anyone gotten a "handle" on why these panels crack, and under what circumstances? I kind of suspect harsh closing of the rear glass, perhaps when it is very cold outside; just a thought. Our '04 with 99K on it is still OK, and we would love to keep it that way.

Now, if only the Torque Converter Clutch problem could be resolved..............

imp

The reason these panels would crack is because they are glued on. With the heat and cold, the glue will expand and contract, putting a lot of stress on the panel, causing it to crack. New replacements use 3M double sided tape(maybe not 3M, but something similar).

 

[Squirrelmaster]

The reason these panels would crack is because they are glued on. With the heat and cold, the glue will expand and contract, putting a lot of stress on the panel, causing it to crack. New replacements use 3M double sided tape(maybe not 3M, but something similar).

And it is a very stiff glue at that, which doesn't allow the panel to expand and contract at its own rate, but rather forces it to expand and contract at the rate of the glass panel beneath, which is what creates the crack. The new double-sticky emblem adhesive is far more flexible and forgiving.

Tom

 

[thepotroast]

And it is a very stiff glue at that, which doesn't allow the panel to expand and contract at its own rate, but rather forces it to expand and contract at the rate of the glass panel beneath, which is what creates the crack. The new double-sticky emblem adhesive is far more flexible and forgiving.

Tom

Yes, yes and yes.

Luckily mine has not become cracked yet and it's been an outside vehicle since 03, however I have seen quite a few of these in parking lots and even from a couple board members in person, that are cracked. Way too common of an issue....

There are a couple of YouTube videos that explain how to correctly replace it. Being that it's just glued on it can be eased off, and the replacement goes on very easily. With the professional job costing over $400 with parts and labor, you can do it for less than 1/2 if you're willing to order the part yourself, have it painted the factory color, and then removing the bad and installing the good.

 

[NJExplorerFan]

I just find is so funny everytime I see another Explorer with the crack. I think and laugh to myself... hahahaha... you're in the club!!! lol

I don't see it as a big deal (visually) or worth $400+ when you can apply that money towards maintenance (tires, brakes or fixing something else). I just live with mine. Doesn't bother me. It's not even that noticeable to the normal eye. Only us Explorer drivers focus on it.

 

[2003vstrom]

yeah bought mine from tasca ford for like 100.00 or something like that and order matching paint in a spray can and painted it and cleared coated my self and use 3m tape and it was perfectly find through this last winter(I fixed mine last NOV.) and is still perfect

 

[Squirrelmaster]

Yeah, mine has a near half-inch wide crack in it, but I just live with it. While I would love to fix it, given the amount of damage the jerks in my office parking ramp have inflicted on the vehicle the last six months, it went from being one of two flaws on the truck to one of fifty, and thusly not worth investing the money on. I bought this Explorer as my new daily "beater", and I guess everyone around me decided they would do their part to make it look the part...

Tom

 

[02MANNY!]

mine ('02) just cracked this last winter...still cracked. i'm moving to TX in a few months so I will wait till I get there before I start checking on fixing it. I might be able to do a couple of hundred to get it done (painted/installed) but I just can't see much more than that... I will check on the site again whenever I decide to go for it