Cracked rear panel

[eldrazi4]

I'm about to pull the plug and get an '03 Explorer with 160k miles but I saw on Car Complaints that they have some issues with rear panels cracking. Is it a serious enough issue that I need to worry about it? Would I be able to just seal it with something? It's going to be my first vehicle so I'm pretty nervous! Thanks a bunch for helping a newbie

 

[Number Twelve]

I think I saw a conversation here that said, $80
My rear panel has a crack, so I put some black silicone caulk in it.
Last week I went over a nasty speed bump and it cracked in a second place.

I guess it's a factory defect, but Ford won't do anything about it.
What to do? Maybe a way to mount the next panel so it doesn't commit suicide?
An aftermarket metal piece?
Yeah, that sounds better. Anybody know if a metal piece is available for this, "better idea" by Ford?

 

[eldrazi4]

I wonder if an aftermarket metal piece is available? That'd be sick honestly.

 

[Number Twelve]

That'd be sick honestly.

I'm not, "hip" enough to know whether, "sick" means good or bad. I do believe that a black painted metal piece would look better on my car than what looks like a piece of glass, broken in two places, and likely to break again if I replace it.

 

[eldrazi4]

Definitely good!

 

[lincolnshibuya]

you don't seal it completely, just seal the upper part with a gasket sealer to prevent moisture trickling down inside and the whole panel can be secured by 3m double sided tape. Let it expand and contract, if you seal it with a strong adhesive that plastic panel will crack. I think Ford has a gummy adhesive to fix this issue. The bracket that holds the wiper blade and the glass lift gate lock will rust if the crack is not fixed.

there are more issues with 03 explorers other than the butt crack..

 

[swshawaii]

^ Kind of hard when it's a "standard" defect on most 3 G's. Body / Paint Problems

Cracked panel below the rear window
#2 complaint for 2002.
#1 complaint for 2003-05.
http://www.carcomplaints.com/Ford/Explorer/

 

[swshawaii]

Isn't Car Complaints relevant since they're mentioned in the OP's first sentence? Sorry for YOUR misunderstanding.

OP, here's the TSB in case you haven't seen it. NOT a recall. GL, I'm done.
LIFTGATE GLASS APPLIQUE DAMAGED/CRACKED - SERVICE PROCEDURE - REVISED

http://www.bbbind.com/free_tsb.html

 

[Number Twelve]

And I have to paint it, too?

Watch for me in the junk yard.

 

[imp]

Cosmetic defect. Factory used glue with temp. expansion coefficient not matching that of glass beneath the panel. About half of them cracked, I'm guessing. My '04 did, right beside the Ford oval. Seen lots of them in same location. The glass, IMO, did not need to be as big, high, as they made it.

A worse issue is the hinges for the upper panel, the glass. Screws go through glass, squeeze tightly to hold in location. Loosen and panel is forced downwards by gas shocks as soon as latch is released and hatch opened up. Hard as hell to keep from recurring. Tighten too much, yer buying a big glass panel. imp

 

[lincolnshibuya]

that glass is really sturdy, it wouldn't crack easily. when I took the bracket out I have to whack it out with my 5lb sledgehammer several times (can't open the liftgate in the junkyard without power) that's the main reason why the crack is not a safety issue and no recall (the upper hinges are because it could fall off)

 

[imp]

that glass is really sturdy, it wouldn't crack easily. when I took the bracket out I have to whack it out with my 5lb sledgehammer several times (can't open the liftgate in the junkyard without power) that's the main reason why the crack is not a safety issue and no recall (the upper hinges are because it could fall off)

@lincolnsbuya
If the hinge screws fail to maintain glass location, that is, the glass "slips" just a bit due to the clearance in the holes, the latch will not lock. Then, upon raising the hatch, the gas shocks, if they're still pretty good, "slip" the glass for sure, and it won't latch. I found the surest way was to support the hatch open with a rope from above, with both shocks disconnected, then tighten the hell out of the screws, then replace shocks. The angles and leverage they exert involves maybe a couple hundred pounds of force. imp