2004 Ford Explorer Visibility Problems
Owners have filed 100 complaints with NHTSA about visibility problems on the 2004 Ford Explorer, 8% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 68,328 miles. The words owners use most often: “rear window” (34% of reports).
- 100visibility complaints
- 68,328median miles at failure
- 0mention a crash
- 6mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $770typical repair cost reported by owners
- 50%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Rear window: mentioned in 34 of 100 complaints (34%)
- Sun visor: mentioned in 11 of 100 complaints (11%)
- Hinge broke: mentioned in 9 of 100 complaints (9%)
- Panel below: mentioned in 7 of 100 complaints (7%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical visibility repair on the 2004 Ford Explorer at $770, and half of them between $620 and $1,500.
Based on 7 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2004–2012), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do visibility problems happen?
Based on 82 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 100 complaints, 6 an injury.
Ford Explorer visibility complaints by model year
| Model year | Visibility complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Explorer | 2 | 5% | 7,300 |
| 2025 Explorer | 3 | 3% | 7,550 |
| 2023 Explorer | 5 | 5% | 11,750 |
| 2022 Explorer | 10 | 4% | 35,500 |
| 2021 Explorer | 19 | 4% | 44,000 |
| 2020 Explorer | 13 | 1% | 45,980 |
| 2019 Explorer | 4 | 1% | 43,000 |
| 2018 Explorer | 11 | 2% | 73,500 |
| 2017 Explorer | 32 | 2% | 69,000 |
| 2016 Explorer | 36 | 1% | 83,913 |
| 2015 Explorer | 20 | 1% | 80,000 |
| 2014 Explorer | 27 | 2% | 84,000 |
| 2013 Explorer | 30 | 1% | 83,500 |
| 2012 Explorer | 16 | 2% | 38,500 |
| 2011 Explorer | 14 | 1% | 47,800 |
| 2010 Explorer | 3 | 3% | 48,000 |
| 2009 Explorer | 2 | 6% | 50,750 |
| 2008 Explorer | 4 | 3% | 77,000 |
| 2007 Explorer | 6 | 3% | 64,000 |
| 2006 Explorer | 15 | 2% | 40,051 |
| 2005 Explorer | 23 | 5% | 53,168 |
| 2004 Explorer | 100 | 8% | 68,328 |
| 2003 Explorer | 57 | 5% | 67,000 |
| 2002 Explorer | 129 | 4% | 70,500 |
| 2001 Explorer | 15 | 4% | 65,651 |
| 2000 Explorer | 45 | 5% | 60,800 |
| 1999 Explorer | 216 | 16% | 80,300 |
| 1998 Explorer | 108 | 6% | 79,500 |
| 1997 Explorer | 90 | 5% | 75,000 |
| 1996 Explorer | 47 | 3% | 78,000 |
| 1995 Explorer | 19 | 2% | 100,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists visibility for the 2004 Ford Explorer. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
While closing the rear window glass hatch the driver side hinge broke allowing the window to fall out on that side. The rear glass hatch window is heavy and could have easily broken the hinge side allowing the glass to fall off the vehicle. A previous ford recall on the very same component covered…
Sun visors have been replaced twice. Horizontal plastic panel with the ford logo has cracked and been replaced 3 times. Current one on vehicle is cracked. Sent an e-mail to ford and was told basically "too bad--out of warranty ". Formoco has known of this problem on both the ford and mercury but…
The rear lift gate window of my 2004 ford explorer exploded while the vehicle was parked. According to the ford dealer, this apparently is something that is known to happen. *tr
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2004 Ford Explorers have visibility problems?
No. NHTSA has 100 owner complaints about visibility for the 2004 Ford Explorer (8% of the 1,304 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2004 Ford Explorer visibility?
No recall currently lists visibility for this vehicle.
At what mileage do visibility problems start?
The median reported mileage is 68,328 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix visibility problems on the 2004 Ford Explorer?
Owners report a typical cost of $770 (half paid between $620 and $1,500), from 7 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about visibility problems on the 2004 Ford Explorer?
The most frequent phrase is “rear window”, in 34 of 100 complaints, followed by “sun visor” (11).
Other 2004 Ford Explorer problems
See all 2004 Ford Explorer problems or visibility problems across all Explorer years.