Class action lawsuit for cracked tailgate filed. 02-05 | Page 3 | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Class action lawsuit for cracked tailgate filed. 02-05

Crack.jpg
 



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Sweet. I'll let mama dukes know about this. She has the crack in her Aviator.

I personally never had the crack in my 03 (people were actually shocked it was an 03 because it didnt have a crack). Howver, we had one come into the dealer from auction, and the piece was literally hanging on by about the last 1/4 section of adhesive. Just the motion of latching the glass caused it to almost fall off. If we didnt fix it, it deff would've come off on the highway, no problem.
 






My Ex must be immune to "the crack" I had it sitting out all day sunday (sun hitting it) and took it for a car wash. No crack still :)
 






Mine is not cracked,but it is lifting on the left side up by the window and is working its way to the center.Any ideas on what to use to glue it back down?
 






I also had the crack on my 02 Mountaineer with 40,000 miles on it. This happened not from temperature shock but just cold temperature. It happened while at work in -10F weather.
There were plenty of discussions about it on the internet at that time that I brought to the dealer.
Ford offered to pay for 1/2 of the repair.

I worked with the dealership and asked to get the contact information for the local area manager from Ford. Never did get that info, but next day it was repaired free of charge to me. I think the dealer absorbed the other 1/2 of the cost (which really just means that they did it at cost). It was a good dealership.

On all the discussions about law suits, yes I do think we are too law suit happy here. But there is a difference between your everyday lawsuits (McDonnalds coffee too hot) and class action law suits (A large group of people having the same issue).
The system is there to make sure manufacturers doesn't make stuff that lasts just past the warranty period when it should reasonably be expected to last longer.

Although Ford has officially not admitted to any fault, they did redesign the tail gate for 2006+. And having gone from a 02 to a 08 I can assure you it was not for ergonomic reasons. The new tail gate opening is way too high even for taller people. My guess is that the law suit actually has a fair chance of being awarded to the plaintiffs.
The only sad part about that is that the lawyers take 80% and people with the problem will be compensated $ 20.00 for the repair.
 






Now that mine has cracked I've taken notice to the many other tailgates of the very popular Ex we have in this town.
I would guess that 75% are cracked. I'm headed to the Ford store next week to see what they say.
 






So my guess is that if the class action lawsuit gets approved and settled, the lawyers will get $$$$ and the owners will get a $500 coupon towards the purchase of a new ford. Since I am already a member of the INBAF club (I'll Never Buy Another Ford), won't do me much good.
 






So my guess is that if the class action lawsuit gets approved and settled, the lawyers will get $$$$ and the owners will get a $500 coupon towards the purchase of a new ford. Since I am already a member of the INBAF club (I'll Never Buy Another Ford), won't do me much good.

LOL :D Its true the lawyer make out like a bandit ... $500 towards the purchase of a NEW ford...lol


I love ford but my next vehicle is going to be a GMC Sierra Denali..will probbaly keep this one..
 






I know we live in a very letigious society. I believe that we have to many lawers.

My 05 has not cracked yet. The question that I would like to have Ford answer

Is it accptable to have so many cusomers to be unhappy with a product that you produced?

Would it be the right thing for Ford to step up and say this is a poor refelection of our product. I remember when Ford slogan use to be "quality is job one".

Toyoto is a perfect example of how a company becoming more concerned with bottom line profit and not customer satisfaction. Last time I checked they had droped from first to third in sales and lost billions of dollars.
 






Kinda funny how the cracked plastic thing went to a lawsuit but the broken rear spring thing hasn't. I would figure the spring thing is more of a safety issue than a cracked piece of plastic.

how do i join this lawsuit? not because the crack bothers me so much but if any $ comes from it it will go towards new rear springs.....
 












Ohh snapp, some1 got paid off! I kid.
 






I saw an already-removed rear window/gate/mint panel (silver) at the junkyard yesterday. I was going to grab it and toss on the for sale board, but someone got paid off.
 






Mine cracked when my ride was 2 yrs old I replaced it... I'd rather have ford pay attention to the rear springs and the bad tranny... No law suit, just simply acknowledge the garbage that was released as these are serious costly issues. No one wants to deal with this tranny issue, and a spring breaking and the a piece releasing is far more pressing then a plastic panel. No law suit, just help us with our fix... What, you spill hot coffee on your lap and you sue Mc D's. Put the lawsuits away, it's one of the reasons things cost so freakin' much...
 






Per my previous post in this thread, mine never cracked but came unglued at one end. Not having tension kept it from ever cracking I assume. Well, going through an automated car wash in 2011 ripped it off, since it was already unglued on one end. Now searching for a replacement.
 






My explorer is 10 years old and my liftgate is not cracked. Yes, I do open the hatch everyday.
 






I have noticed cracked hatches on many Explorers on the road. I was glad that my 10 year old XLT did not have one. Well, that was until 2 days ago. I was driving down the road on a pleasant 50 degree day when I heard a loud "pop". I thought a rock hit my car, but I did not see anything. The next day I walked passed the back of my vehicle and saw the dreaded crack. I could not believe it. I have had this vehicle since it was brand new. Living in northern New Jersey, it has been exposed to hot summers, cold winters and everything in between. I have taken it to the car wash in the middle of winter without a problem. For some reason, it chose this particular time to crack.

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone has found a place to get the panel that is less expensive than the dealer. If so, is it possible to get one already painted or is primer the only color that is available? Also, is it worth caulking the crack to prevent it from getting worse?

I know it is only a cosmetic issue, but I just think that it takes so much away from a vehicle that I have cared for for 10 years. Getting door dings, as much as I hate them, is part of owning a vehicle. A body panel cracking on its own is not! Any suggestions on how to deal with this would be appreciated. Thank you.
Leo
 






Ford LItigation

well... my wife's Monty (2004) has been thru 3 already & #4 is now cracked.

#1 cracked at 60 miles on the odometer, at the dealer, when the technician closed the gate after cleaning the inside glass.

#2 cracked on the highway & the glass shattered going over a bump with (3) kids in the 3rd row seat. YES safety issue if you USe your SUv as intended.

#3 cracked 2 days after getting truck back from collision repairs after getting rear ended.

#4 (on the truck now) is cracked, has been for 6 months now.

I joined both of the suits I found. I'll wait it out.

Recall = major safety/functional hazard. Class action Suits usually stem from someone who is getting jerked around enough by a dealer or manufacturer, that they are fed up and its a point of principle at that point. #4 will/would be the 1st one for us where out of pocket is a factor. But for me its principle.

I am a loyal Ford owner. I've only owned 1 non Ford product my entire life (43 in march ) & I have owned upwards of 30 vehicles.

Design flaws happen, especially 1st year of a new model/complete redesign of an existing platform.

Rob

Hello, Bremer Whyte Brown & O’Meara LLP is one of the law firms representing Ford owners and lessees in a lawsuit against Ford relating to the cracked tailgate issue you mentioned in your post. We would like to speak with you and hear what happened with your vehicle. If you would like to share your story with us, please contact Bremer Whyte Brown & O’Meara LLP through Holly Townson, Esq. by phone or email 949.221.1000, ex 235 / htownson@bremerwhyte.com
 






Ford Litigation

i know some of you are laughing and think the odds of a piece of a plastic tailgate flying off and killing a motorcyclist or causing an accident are a million to one are a million to one but its not, i know first hand. my friend owns an 03 aviator and a piece of plastic flew off his tailgate and hit my other friend who was following him in his impala both moving about 50 mph, well my buddy in his impala saw it coming at him, ducked out of instinct and rear ended my friend in the aviator who was stopping for a red light. Story short my buddy's impala is totaled, two friends and insurance companies are in a dispute over who is responsible, and the kid with the impala as of now is going to have to pay 1500 out of pocket for the aviators repairs not counting his own car he cant drive at the moment. yea, so this is no joke and if you think I'm lying ill try to get pictures of the damage. my friends are going to love it when i show them this article.

Hello, Bremer Whyte Brown & O’Meara LLP is one of the law firms representing Ford owners and lessees in a lawsuit against Ford relating to the cracked tailgate issue you mentioned in your post. We would like to speak with you and hear what happened with your vehicle. If you would like to share your story with us, please contact Bremer Whyte Brown & O’Meara LLP through Holly Townson, Esq. by phone or email 949.221.1000, ex 235 / htownson@bremerwhyte.com
 



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