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Ford Expedition Liftgate and Door Problems

2007_eb_exp2007_eb_exp Member Posts: 1
in Ford
I have a 2007 EB Exp EL with the power liftgate option. Recently (and intermittantly) it has had problems opening and closing. It acts like a garage door opener with sensor problems and refuses to open or close. Just had it in to the dealer on two occasions for this problem. They could get it to replicate only once, but we have it on video and showed them. I believe it is some sort sensor problem as dashboard control cluster tells me that my liftgat/window is ajar. They (dealership) seem perplexed, but ordered a new liftgate handle..?? Any other owners out there with the same problem (or with a solution)?
Thanks for your help....
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Comments

  • kiowakidzkiowakidz Member Posts: 3
    I too have a 07 EB Expy EL, I have not had the lift gate issue. I live in the interior of Alaska and even with -55 degree days the lift gate has been fine. Only issue so far is an intermitted DVD player, but that has be fixed....This is my first Ford product, was a bit leery, love the truck, would buy again if I had to do it over....cheers.....
  • my3boys1my3boys1 Member Posts: 4
    I live in md and was interested in leasing a expedition el with dvd and possibly sunroof for 3 yr 15 miles. Any good deals?
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    You'll find this discussion to be helpful: Ford Expedition: Lease Questions.
  • buzzz1buzzz1 Member Posts: 42
    1) Rear hatch glass very hard to shut. Have to slam it.

    2) Pull to the right or left? Out of alignment?

    3) Rear hatch(metal) squeak? Won't close tightly?
  • mschmalmschmal Member Posts: 1,757
    I understand there is a TSB for that.

    Mark.
  • buzzz1buzzz1 Member Posts: 42
    For which item? Do you have a link or TSB number? Thanks.
  • 1froggirl1froggirl Member Posts: 1
    Hi! I have an '04 Ford Expidition and when I bought the truck when I would turn on the car and drive it would automatically lock and when I would turn it off the doors would unlock, now they lock on their own but they do not unlock when I turn the car off, I have to press the button on the door for them to unlock. The dealership is telling me that they never unlocked on their own and I should always have to unlock them myself. For you owners out there with this body style, do your doors unlock when you turn your vehicle off? Help please I have to go back to the dealership tomorrow and i would love to be able to get this solved.

    Thanks!
  • bronsonbbronsonb Member Posts: 170
    Hello-
    I've had a used 2004 Expedition for almost a year, and I can report that my locks DO NOT unlock automatically when I put the car in park or take the key out. However, when I go to open the driver's door, whether or not it locks, it opens when I pull up the handle.

    I'd have to pull my manual out to see if there's anything in there about automatic unlocking, but I don't think there is. I know you can program whether or not you want the doors to lock when you get over 8 MPH, but I don't think auto unlocking is an option.
  • jacalbrightjacalbright Member Posts: 1
    I have recently purchased a 2007 EB Expedition EL and am having the same liftgate problems described above. Did you find a solution to the problem? The dealership is perplexed as to the cause. Thanks
  • mrmikeymrmikey Member Posts: 6
    I have never had a Ford that automatically unlocked the doors when you turned off the engine. I have owned a Explorer, Windstar, Navigator, and an Expedition. I think the dealership is right. The car isn't supposed to unlock the doors by themselves. If I had a car that automatically unlocked the doors, I would bring it back.
  • glen_cglen_c Member Posts: 4
    Hey, I also have an '04 EB. My locks remain locked after shutting it off. Not an issue in the front seats but I have to press the unlock for the kids to get out the back.
  • claygclayg Member Posts: 1
    I can't open the drivers door from the inside on my 2003 XL T. The door latch seems to be disconnected from whatever lever is necessary to open door. Can anyone help with this?

    thanks
  • kearwoodkearwood Member Posts: 3
    I have a ford expedition that has four problems
    one being a relay relay but know nothing about relays. My expedition has the door ajar on the message center but no doors are ajar. This in turn causes the lights to not go out and the door locks to not lock automatically and when you take the key out of the ignition the radio goes off instead of staying on until you open the door.

    Secondly, we also have problems with the cruise control not working.
    Thirdly, the foot pedal that moves the pedals forward or backward.
    Last the cd player keeps the cd and will not release it I push the eject but it shows no cd but I know for a fact there is a cd in area 1 and a cd in area 2.

    any help would be appreciated.
  • rosebasketrosebasket Member Posts: 1
    "My expedition has the door ajar on the message center but no doors are ajar. This in turn causes the lights to not go out and the door locks to not lock automatically and when you take the key out of the ignition the radio goes off instead of staying on until you open the door."

    My 2003 Expedition EB does the exact same thing and the WD40 tip did not work for me. Did you ever get this problem resolved? Any other tips?
  • 08ExBHA08ExBHA Member Posts: 2
    We have a 2008 Expedition Eddie Bauer with the electronic lift gate option. In cool or cold weather the lift gate opens then immediately closes. The dealer has replaced the pistons several times but the problem continues. It seems the pistons are spec'd incorrectly or are defective. The problem does not occur in warm weather when the pistons apparently have sufficient gas pressure. Has anyone else experienced this problem? The dealer tells us they have not seen it before.
  • bobandsue230bobandsue230 Member Posts: 1
    The same thing happened on my 2008 Expedition this afternoon - liftgate not staying in the open position. Did you get your issue resolved and if so, what did they do to fix it?

    Thanks in advance
  • 08ExBHA08ExBHA Member Posts: 2
    The problem does seem to finally be fixed. We aren't sure exactly what they did, but last time we had it back to the dealer they changed some computer codes. It was not a problem with the gas pressure in the pistons as originally thought. Our problem only happened on cold days, so the piston thoery seemed to make sense.
  • forrestjerforrestjer Member Posts: 1
    "My expedition has the door ajar on the message center but no doors are ajar. This in turn causes the lights to not go out and the door locks to not lock automatically and when you take the key out of the ignition the radio goes off instead of staying on until you open the door."

    My 2003 Expedition EB does the exact same thing and the WD40 tip did not work for me. Did you ever get this problem resolved? Any other tips?

    Did you guys figure out what to do to resolve this? Our 03 Expedition door ajar light comes and goes, beeps like mad all the time and if we leave the interior lights on, it sets the alarm off
  • kearwoodkearwood Member Posts: 3
    No but it is winter and this problem only happens when the temperature outside gets above 80 degrees. So for now, we are not addressing the problem. We will see what happens when the heat rises. We are in Georgia so that could be as early as April.
  • edavis49edavis49 Member Posts: 1
    I'm trying to find instructions on how to replace my rear door and window struts. I have to hold the rear window open and I have to manually close the rear door.
  • chorizotchorizot Member Posts: 1
    Hey Man, I saw your post on a couple of sites, LOL.

    I have a 99 EB Expedition, had the same problem today.

    I sprayed WD40 really well in all door latches, and the one that seemed to finish her off, was the rear window latch.

    I had noticed recently that I had to close it kinda hard, for the door ajar light to go off, but when I tested today, it 'caught' so I didn't pay it any more mind.

    but Alas, that was it...at least I think....the lights didn't go out until I sprayed that one, and when I closed it, it 'latched' easier, and the lights went out.

    Good Luck, orale.
  • deputy6041deputy6041 Member Posts: 1
    O.K. My window on my 2006 Expedition operates, and all other doors work fine, but for whatever reason the liftgate will not work? How do I reset or get it to open? It is not a power liftgate, only has electronic locks option.
  • jack_n_flajack_n_fla Member Posts: 3
    Have an '03 Eddie Baer Expedition with electrical locks, when car is driven doors will lock automatically. Last week after engaging the unlock switch, the rear hatch door would not open. After re-engaging the lock and unlock switch again, I was able to open the hatch door. Now the hatch door will not unlock and am unable to open hatch door, however, I can open hatch window.
    Any suggestions, would be appreciated. I do home inspections and retrieving ladder thru hatch window is cumbersome!
    Thanks-Jack
  • alwaysfords2alwaysfords2 Member Posts: 339
    I think a pretty common issue is the actuator attached to the handle inside the door breaks off.
    You will need to get the trim off the panel from the inside to fix it.
  • jack_n_flajack_n_fla Member Posts: 3
    is removing door trim doable while door is in closed position? or is a way to bypass door lock?
  • alwaysfords2alwaysfords2 Member Posts: 339
    It is possible, I haven't done it, only read about it.
  • larry715larry715 Member Posts: 1
    I am having the same problem, do you recall where you read about removing the trim?
  • alwaysfords2alwaysfords2 Member Posts: 339
    It was on a different forum...not sure the moderators would appreciate me writing it here.
  • jack_n_flajack_n_fla Member Posts: 3
    was under the impression, that the purpose of this forum was to provide information, directing to a different forum shouldn't be an issue!
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Pointing to info is one thing, being a link farm is another.

    Sylvia, "Forums Discussion Finder: Get Directions Here" #1383, 17 Mar 2003 10:36 am
  • alwaysfords2alwaysfords2 Member Posts: 339
    I told him it was a bad idea :)
  • eagledadeagledad Member Posts: 3
    The door handle on the rear hatch of my 98 Expedition is half-broken. I can turn the handle to the right and the rear window opens. Turn it to the left (to open door) and I get nothing. Hoping to take off inside door trim to access mechanism, but can't do it with door closed. Catch-22 I guess. :confuse:
  • jackb355jackb355 Member Posts: 1
    You can pop the trim off if you can open the glass. First remove the upper trim by prying it away from the overhead. It is fastened with standard trim mounting fittings. Next remove the lower trim from the inside door the same way. If the '98 is the same (and it probably is) as the '97, you probably have cables connecting the door handle and the latch releasing mechanisms for both the glass and the liftgate. The cables are enclosed in a sleeve which has anchor brackets on both ends. These brackets are made of hard plastic and have a limited life span (about 10 years) and break into multiple little pieces when they fail. Ford only sells a complete latch assembly (about $150) which includes the cables. I haven't found a source for the cables by themselves. If you have let me know.
  • eagledadeagledad Member Posts: 3
    thnx jackb355,,,, Got the window open with no issue. Took off the upper trim with minor struggle. afraid of damaging the lower trim unit but if you say they pop off i will go back and try again. Thanks again........Gary :)
  • eagledadeagledad Member Posts: 3
    Ended up at Rigsby's Auto Salvage in Zephyrhills last Saturday. Got a replacement panel in case I damaged the existing one removing it. Jose from Rigsby's assisted in the removal of the panel. No damage and he replaced the short (8") cable that turned out to be defective. Very helpful guy. I love happy endings.....Gary :D
  • mikelixmikelix Member Posts: 5
    Bought a new 2010 Expedition EL LTD in August 2010; the vehicle has had more than a reasonable number of quality problems that should have been caught in normal factory quality control checks. Pretty much after I got it home, I noticed the rear passenger door was hard to close and it did not line up with the adjacent door jamb of the body. The dealer was able to adjust it so it looks a bit better and closes more easily. The dealer also noticed the electric rear liftgate was making a grinding sound when the liftgate hit its latch when closing. I thought this was normal (perhaps some servo sound), and now that it is fixed, the liftgate makes a simple click sound, like closing a regular car door. If anyone is experiencing the same grinding noise, I would suggest getting it checked out.
  • big_tim1234big_tim1234 Member Posts: 1
    I HAVE A 2004 EXPIDITION EB. EVERYTIME I START MY CAR THE LIFTGATE GLASS POP OPEN.AND SOMETIMES WHEN I UNLOCK THE CAR THE LATCH WILL JUST UNLOCK RANDOMLY. I WAS GETTIN GROCERY OUT AND I THE GLASS UNLOCKED AND WHILE THE HEADLIGHTS STAY ON THE LOCK WOULD JUST KEEP UNLATCHING. IS MY LATCH JUST BROKEN? HAS ANYONE HAD THIS PROBLEM?
  • sgomezsgomez Member Posts: 2
    When I push the button on the drivers side to unlock the other doors sometimes they will unlock and sometimes they won't, even the door lock on the passengers side will do this too what can I do about this
  • ngustinngustin Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2007 Ford Expedition EL Limited SUV. It has close to 100,000 miles. Just recently my liftgate will open automatically when the car is turned off or in park. When I try to close the gate within the car, or with the remote it will not close, or will close partially and reopen, I can only keep the door closed if I lock all doors. The handle to manually open the door also does not allow you to open the door. I am trying to find out what kind of issue I am looking at. Has ford issued a recall for any rear liftgate issues? I am dreading the visit to the ford garage however, I am worried about driving my car. I love my Ford. However, I can't afford a major car expense. Can anyone give me an idea of what is wrong?
  • marc1970marc1970 Member Posts: 1
    I just started having the opposite problem. Its a 2007 expedition and the lift gate will start to open about 6 inches and then closes from remote, inside button and outside handle. When I manually open it and try to close it automatically it seems to try to open even more or does nothing. Any info would be great, Thanks
  • sgomezsgomez Member Posts: 2
    Had my truck emission tested and it passed except the failed me because the engine light doesn't come on when the key is turned to the on position. I have checked the fuse and it is good. What else can be causing this?
  • kbean45371kbean45371 Member Posts: 1
    edited June 2013
    Typical reason for this is the cable has broken to the latch mechanism due to possible corrosion. Here is how to get to the main door unlatch cable.
    1. Remove the interior plastic handle. (attached with two security screws under handle at center of panel)
    2. Remove the two Phillips screws behind the window which holds the interior cover over the rear window wiper blade actuator motor. (plastic screws be gentle getting them out, also remove the plastic grommet they screw into).
    3. Pry with two flathead screwdrivers to remove the lower interior trim from under the upper trim.
    Caution: There is a plastic sheet between interior panel and door frame. Try not to put holes in this, it is to keep sound from the road reaching the interior cabin.
    4. There is approximately 8 clips attached to the lower trim which holds the trim in place. Gently with your hand between the trim and interior door frame pry outward and pull the clips off the door frame. Once all clips are removed the panel can be pulled out.

    cable cost: $35 approx.
  • alwaysfords2alwaysfords2 Member Posts: 339
    Hopefully since he asked this question 3 years ago it has been solved.
  • wutang09wutang09 Member Posts: 1
    Hi 1 froggirl
    I own a 04 Exedition eddie bauer and I bought it brand new. The locks auto locked when truck is in drive but never unlocked when parked and shut off.
  • alwaysfords2alwaysfords2 Member Posts: 339
    And hopefully since her issue was almost 6 years ago she has also found peace. I've had 4 Expeditions, none auto unlocked.
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