Depending on your purchase date/mileage, this may be covered under the 3/36
warranty... If you are lucky, quote TSB 05-24-02..

Good luck....

Same thing happened on my 2002.

Wasn't covered even by my extended warrantee.

Dealer said it would be $300 but would only charge me 10% - $30.

He said it was caused by a fluid used in the windshield washer!?

No problem since.

WLW

This has happened to my 2002 Explorer. It seems to be much more than a
random issue. When I took the car to the dealer,the service advisor
said that this was the second one he had seen that week, and had seen
5 or 6 recently. One of them he tried to get fixed thru the extended
warranty, but they refused to fix it. The cost for me to fix it is
about $470.
I called Ford Customer Service and after a couple of days they said
they would do nothing. Has anyone else had this problem and how was it
resolved. Is there a TSB about this? This is a factory defect and
there must be some was to get Ford to fix these. The Customer service
woman basically said that my next step was to sue Ford...

Thanks

Here are some web site that show it is happening to others.

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/t489142.html

http://www.carcomplaints.com/Ford/Explorer/2002/body_paint/cracked_panel_below_t
he_rear_window.shtml

http://www.topix.com/forum/autos/ford-explorer/TCQ0SRS3D41AIGKAT