Glass portion of rear liftgate loose at the latch - anyone seen this before?

[Matt M.]

My 2002 Explorer has a rattle in the rear end. I started with the obvious - something loose in the cargo area or under the 3rd seat. Nope. Then I went on to the less obvious - anyone who has done much suspension work knows there are some components that can cause a rattle that you hear but don't feel - sway bar links and strut mounts are particularly common culprits. Nope.

Finally I rode in the back while someone else drove, and the problem was obvious - the glass portion of my liftgate was moving around. Not at the hinge side (and I did indeed note how many threads there are about adjusting the hinges on the rear liftglass) but where it latches to the tailgate above the license plate.

So I popped the glass portion open and pulled the plastic trim panel off to the adjust the striker/latch relationship, and discovered that the only thing holding the glass closed is the wiper motor. It looks like there used to be a pair of studs welded onto the glass panel surround. Onto these studs went the u-shaped striker and then a thin sheet metal panel which holds the wiper motor, and the whole stackup was held together with rubber isolating washers and a pair of nuts.

On my Explorer, those studs are ripped off of the panel surround (or pulled/rotted through - can't really tell yet). The stackup is still being held together between the u-shaped striker and the nuts, so the glass will close and latch... just not very well.

Has anyone seen this before? If so, did you fix it by welding new studs to the glass surround or by removing the exterior trim panel ("applique") and putting a pair of flathead screws in from the outside?

thanks,
--Matt

 

[JCR]

There was a recall for the rear glass on the 2002 explorers. Get it to a dealership and have them fix it.

 

[Joe Dirt]

But I thought the recall was for the hinge issue IIRC...

 

[oldschool1982]

The recall was for the hinge. My 2002 EB is doing the exact same thing. The bolts holding the window latch and the motor for the rear wiper have rusted all the way through. The only thing holding it together is the wiper in the window. I am sure the reason is all the water it holds and then gets you wet when you open it after a rain or car wash.

It looks like a guy could just replace the bolts but getting to them is the tough part. I talked to a guy at the local Ford Dealership in parts and he tried to tell me the bolt come with the whole window. And that the window needs replaced. I do not think he knows what he is talking about.

Anyone else have any iideas or information. Thanks.

 

[Squirrelmaster]

The recall was for the hinge. My 2002 EB is doing the exact same thing. The bolts holding the window latch and the motor for the rear wiper have rusted all the way through. The only thing holding it together is the wiper in the window. I am sure the reason is all the water it holds and then gets you wet when you open it after a rain or car wash.

It looks like a guy could just replace the bolts but getting to them is the tough part. I talked to a guy at the local Ford Dealership in parts and he tried to tell me the bolt come with the whole window. And that the window needs replaced. I do not think he knows what he is talking about.

Anyone else have any iideas or information. Thanks.

If I'm not mistaken the rear glass is all one piece, and the hinge, latch, and outside trim panel are all mounted to the glass. If that is the case (I haven't looked intently enough at mine to be 100% certain of that) then the parts guy could very well be correct about needing to replace the whole window. Good luck.

Tom

 

[chitown1211]

Sorry to bump such an old thread, but I have this exact same issue with no idea how to fix it. As the OP stated, the two bolts that hold the latch onto the glass are rusted out and no longer attaches to the glass. The latch is only being held on by the window wiper motor.


Did anyone figure out a way to fix this?


It does seem like the two bolts came welded to the glass from the factory. There is no room to get another bolt in there as far as I can see.

One idea I had was to use a zip tie( or something) through the now vacant bolt holes to secure the latch to the glass. Obviously this wouldnt be as secure as the bolts, but it may hold the latch tight enough to the glass that the lift gate might close more tightly.

Problem with that idea is you cant thread anything between the two holes. There is a blockage in the middle between the two holes.

Does anyone know what is behind the large FORD emblem on the rear liftgate? Does this give you visibilty to the rear of the rusted out bolt holes? I know it doesnt line up perfectly, but I was hoping it would give enough room to menuver my zip tie through there.


Any help is much appreciated. And kind of fix or special bolt I am not considering would be great. It just makes me sick to think I may need to spend $1000 to fix two rusted bolts.

 

[oldschool1982]

The striker u-bolt does end up coming with the glass and is not a separate part. I was lucky and ended up finding one on eBay that someone was selling as a separate piece. I took it to a body shop and the took off the ford emblem and the whole plastic part across the bottom of the window and replaced the striker and then reglued the bolt back on. Cost me $115 including the part. I didn't think it was something I could do myself to take off the trim and reattach it. I felt lucky I was able to find the new part, if not I am not sure what I would have done.

 

[chitown1211]

The striker u-bolt does end up coming with the glass and is not a separate part. I was lucky and ended up finding one on eBay that someone was selling as a separate piece. I took it to a body shop and the took off the ford emblem and the whole plastic part across the bottom of the window and replaced the striker and then reglued the bolt back on. Cost me $115 including the part. I didn't think it was something I could do myself to take off the trim and reattach it. I felt lucky I was able to find the new part, if not I am not sure what I would have done.

Thanks for the feedback. I guess it really comes down to taking off the lower plastic piece. I dont think I am up for that on my own, but atleast I know what to do now.


What a rediculous design...... If they're going to permantaly attach the bolts they could have atleast made them non-corrosive you would think.....

Thank you

 

[oldschool1982]

If I wouldn't have found the part on the internet, my next stop was going to be a junkyard instead of trying to buy the whole window. My part was actually for a 2006 but mine is a 2002 so they are the same for that style of Explorer. I agree it is bad engineering on Fords part. My liftgate always fills with water when it rains and goes through a car wash. I always get a shower when lifting it up. No wonder it rusted through.

 

[rocco123]

Same problem here. Just looking for a way to remove the plastic trim (that often cracks) without damaging it. I believe if I can access behind the plastic trim I can weld a plate to the old studs to hold the studs in place. What the studs are mounted to is rusted out so they pulled through. Any idea how to safely remove the panel?

 

[BigRondo]

Maybe using a heat gun to soften up the adhesive?

 

[rocco123]

Successfully removed the panel & welded the studs to a 3/32in strap to secure the latch loop. Now need to get the right sealant / glue to secure the panel. Panel removed by method shown in video of this post http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=233144&highlight=rear+panel&page=5
, but with much more care to avoid cracking it. Used lots of masking tape on window & panel.

 

[bigblockgt]

02 Explorer rear hatch latch loose from glass

Anyone know what glue to use to reattach the rear hatch latch to the glass hatch? Or is there some other fix?

Thanks for any help

 

[rocco123]

Motorcraft part number ta-9. Was available in caulking tube and if u search this forum that is the part number called out in service bulletins for the cracked panel issue.

 

[rocco123]

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=339205

Link to post that had service bulletin

 

[bigblockgt]

Thanks for the information, but I am talking about the glass hatch latch, not the appliqué on the outside.

The latch has broken away from the glass.

 

[rocco123]

In order to get to the loop that breaks off u need to remove and reinstall the outer plastic trim...that often cracks.

 

[Andrew D. Fallon]

My latch has done the same thing.

 

[mich800]

My latch has done the same thing.

I had the same issue. Mine is a 2002. I got the liftgate glass assembly out of a pull your own salvage yard for $60. If you are lucky you may find the same color truck but the only one in the lot that had the glass that wasn't broken was a silver 2004. Here are the challenges I had.

I couldn't get the silver plastic piece off the donor liftgate glass so I just scrapped off the Ford logo and used 3M two sided trim tape and stuck my black piece right over the top. It actually lined up very good and tight. You can see the silver on the edges but it actually does not look bad or very noticeable. I may go around the edge with touch up paint.

Here were/are the challenges. Even though the 2002-2005 are interchangeable as far as fit, the lift strut locations and electrical plugs are different. On the one I got the struts connect on the bottom of the glass and the top of the truck. Mine is the opposite so the glass would not close fully because the window stud and the truck stud contacted each other. I removed the studs from the truck and do not have the struts on yet until I figure out a work around. But at least it doesn't rattle and I can still open the entire liftgate without opening the glass.

The electrical plugs are different. So I had to splice on the ends from my liftglass to the donor liftglass. Overall I am happy with the fix for about $80 including the two sided tape. But if you want to make it easy try and get the exact same model year than the only modification you will need to do is the color plastic piece if you cannot get the same color donor.

 

[Marcia Taylor]

Can I just clamp the window door shut at the bottom and not ever open?