The PLASTIC casing around the rear window is cracking from the window down and I’m wondering if I have to replace it? I’ve been told to replace it you have to replace the entire rear window lift piece which is a bit under $1,000.
So what harm is there in just letting the cracks develop? Will it fall apart? I have 2 cracks so far, one on each side of the Ford Decal under the rear window.
Is the glass broken? Or is the “casing” broken? If it is the casing, there is an adhesive/caulk for that available at any auto parts store. If it is the glass, see if your insurance covers it.
Its the casing on the lift rear window, and I was told the caulk doesn’t work.
One of the defroster tabs broke off the rear window on my 2000 Blazer. If the solder repair doesn’t hold or the window cracks from the heat, I can buy a replacement window from the local salvage yard for 90 bucks and install it myself.
Ed B.
The plastic piece on these Explorers seems to crack all the time, and frankly, Ford should be fixing it, no excuses. It is clearly the most common problem (by far) with these vehicles based on complaints I see online…
I do see other posts saying that the cost their dealers are quoting starts at $250 and most are $400 or less, so you can do it for under $1000, but I believe Ford should step up and pay for it, even though it is out of warranty (good luck, though - most companies won’t do this - Toyota wouldn’t do it for us with trim falling off a Camry that was 1 month out of warranty).
That said, it shouldn’t cause any harm letting it be, if you don’t want to shell out the money… If the crack isn’t all the way through the piece, I’d drill a small hole at the end of the crack to relieve the stress and stop the crack, then fill the crack with caulk. It won’t return any structural strength to the piece, but a thin bead of caulk would make it weathertight again…