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2002 Explorer rear window hinge/ panel cracking


plower
11-18-2008, 10:37 PM
I just had my rear glass fall off. I bought the truck new and the glass has been only opened a couple of times ever. I know there was a hindge recall and alot of people have had cracks occur in the panel under the glass. I think I understand why panel are cracking and it is due to the hindges replaced by the recall. I never did the recall so I had the orignal hindges. I went to Ford to get a new hindge kit. They had two numbers listed depending on the month of build. Since they had both in stock I took both kits just figuring to return the one I didn't need. To my surprice both kits had the exact same hinges. Couldn't see anything different except for part# on the box. My issue was that both were incorrect parts. My orignal hinge bolt that came through the hole in the glass, about 3/8 in diameter, had a plastic sholder on it that fit the hole in the glass. This would then position the glass perventing the bolt itself from sliding around in the hole. The bolts that came with the new kits are much smaller in diameter and do not have any sholder to fit the hole in the glass. If hindge were installed and tighten down to the sholder limits .it can move around in the glass hole in all directions. I doesn't even sandwitch tightly against the glass. I I were to use like this the glass would slide down to low. I would move around and up and down when vehicle is driven. Take off the struts and see if your glass moves where it attaches to the hinges. If it does chances are tyou have cracked panel under the glass. Ford screwed you when then did the hinge recall with a faulty designed part. Unfortunately they have no part to correct eighter problem. The sholder bolt not fitting the hole through the glass is a piss poor example of Ford engineering. I can't believe this doesn't cause the glass to crack before the panel under it.

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