2012 Tailgate Alignment

**FordCustSrvc** · 12-16-2011, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EKY

Mike127 - Did you ever get this repaired? My MY12 Ex with less than 200 miles on the odo. has the same issue. The pass. side is misaligned. I'm not sure if I want the dealership touching bolts which were secured at the factory. Let me know how it turned out.

I’m sorry I missed your post before, EKY. Did you end up going to the dealer for this? I can send the details to the Customer Service Manager in your area. I still have your VIN from previous messages, so drop me a line via PM with your contact info, dealer name/state, and mileage.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CDNexp

I was wondering, did somebody try fixing the tailgate alignment. I thought i checked it well before delivery but just noticed today that on the passenger side it is not flush. I am not sure if i should try to fix or just foget about it...

I suggest showing the dealer where the alignment is off. Keep us in the loop with what you decide.

Cory

*HDJulie* · 12-16-2011, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FordCustSrvc

I’m sorry I missed your post before, EKY. Did you end up going to the dealer for this? I can send the details to the Customer Service Manager in your area. I still have your VIN from previous messages, so drop me a line via PM with your contact info, dealer name/state, and mileage.

I suggest showing the dealer where the alignment is off. Keep us in the loop with what you decide.

Cory

Cory, I have the same misalignment on my 2012 EX that I got a month ago. So, it can be fixed?

CDNexp · 12-16-2011, 10:45 AM

I was hoping to hear from someone who actually got it fixed. I am little worried to let the dealer go near the bolts so i was hoping to get some feedback whether it is worth the hussle or not.

**FordCustSrvc** · 12-16-2011, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HDJulie

Cory, I have the same misalignment on my 2012 EX that I got a month ago. So, it can be fixed?

HDJulie,

I definitely recommend showing your dealer so they can look into it for you. I’m not a technician so I can’t guess if a fix is available. Let me know via PM if you’d like to be contacted by the Customer Service Manager in your area. Be sure to include your mileage, dealer name/state, VIN, and contact information.

Cory

*HDJulie* · 12-16-2011, 03:35 PM

Thanks, Cory. I'm on vacation the week after Christmas & will take it to my dealer to look at & if I am not happy with what they say, will PM you.

CDNexp · 12-16-2011, 08:18 PM

I went to the dealer today and they took pictures to send to ford. Then I took a look at all the 8 explorers they have and they all have the same problem. The liftgate below the the rear window (at the bottom of B pillar) at passenger size is not flush with body but the rest of the corners are ok. I also asked them to look at the dashbord at passenger side alignment and that's a different story. I will try to post pictures later.

**FordCustSrvc** · 12-19-2011, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HDJulie

Thanks, Cory. I'm on vacation the week after Christmas & will take it to my dealer to look at & if I am not happy with what they say, will PM you.

HDJulie,

OK, sounds good. Enjoy your vacation!

Quote:

Originally Posted by CDNexp

I went to the dealer today and they took pictures to send to ford...

Thanks for keeping us in the loop, CDNexp.

Cory

CDNexp · 12-19-2011, 10:51 AM

I just go a call from the dealer saying ford authorized them to fix the liftgate and the passenger side front pannel alignment.
Now I wish I can hear from some one who already got either of those issues fixed and whether recommends doing it or not. I am worried this will lead to futre rattles and squeaks. Thanks

*Joe Dirt* · 12-19-2011, 11:32 AM

Why would adjusting the panels lead to squeaks and rattles? They are supposed to be/are adjusted at the factory, that's why the panel fasteners are made with adjustment ways in them.

Spengracin · 12-19-2011, 11:42 AM

Hi everyone, I posted in another thread, about my tailgate issues. I agree the robots should be checked here. My lift gate was off to the left, and rubbing at the top. My dealer did not have a body shop ( with enough experience, new dealer). I called my old dealer and he recommended a very good body shop they used. The dealer sent all notices from Ford about this issue, and 3 days later it was done, no further issues. My only comment, the lift gate is not an exact panel match by no means, but you can't tell by looking. Hope this helps. Just a note, you can't tell they touched the bolts on the hatch.

CDNexp · 12-19-2011, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Dirt

Why would adjusting the panels lead to squeaks and rattles? They are supposed to be/are adjusted at the factory, that's why the panel fasteners are made with adjustment ways in them.

I am not sure how all of this works. Are you saying the inside door pannels already have some kind of mechanism allows them to be adjusted? As for the liftgate I assumed the only way to do it is by loosening the bolts and re align it.

*Joe Dirt* · 12-19-2011, 04:37 PM

Inside? I thought you were talking about the liftgate, etc.- you called them panels, so I called them panels... That is the only way to adjust them...

nyxltsol · 12-20-2011, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike127

@Car54: yes that is exactly what is wrong with my car. Only my driver side lines up perfectly like it should but my passenger side is my problem. When the door is closed you can tell it is not properly aligned from the outside as well. Just look straight down at the door seam near the handle and mine has a gap.

http://flic.kr/p/avvvWf

http://flic.kr/p/avvvTh

*how do you paste pictures w/o being an "elite member?"

What is the 3rd button next to the Tailgate, and Tow button? mine only has those two..?

It seems that we brothers in arms about this problem. My passenger side is also 1/2 inch off. Is there anything that can be done about this?

I hadn't noticed the tailgate alignment issue yet but I do remember thinking that the gap between the tailgate and the car when closed was rather wide.

mdc160 · 12-29-2011, 11:42 AM

who has pics of misalignment of the lift gate? I cant see it or maybe i am blind.

Fordacopia · 06-03-2012, 11:40 AM

CDNexp -

As over six months have passed since your last post, perhaps you've already proceeded with the re-alignment. Nonetheless, I'll share my experience. In two words: "NOT GOOD." I originally purchased in November '11 and noticed the tailgate misalignment in Feb 2012. One side appeared flush with the body, the other side was inset about 3/4 inch. My service rep commented that they've seen a few misaligned tailgates from the factory and would contact the Ford rep to take a look. Long story short, one month later I received my Explorer back with a brand new tailgate. Despite attempts to realign and adjust, ultimately the decision was made by Ford that a new tailgate was the only solution. While I was very unhappy with the delay and poor communication, it was great to have my vehicle back (despite a second trip to the dealership to fix a new rattle in the tailgate that was caused by a wiper arm that was not properly reconnected).

Wouldn't it be great if the story ended there? Approximately two months later, the tailgate issue started all over again. I first noticed a problem when I walked out of my grocery store to find my Explorer in the parking lot with the tailgate wide open. Seemed very strange as I'm quite the consciousness person and not one to just leave a tailgate open and walk away. Thankfully nothing was taken. I shrugged it off until two days later (while visiting family) I looked out the window of their home and noticed the tailgate was again open. My brother was heading outside so I asked him to close it. This is when I realized there was again a problem, as he pushed the button several times, the door would attempt to close, hit the metal catch and then re-open. The inability to close the tailgate seemed worse on unlevel surfaces. Another trip to the Ford dealership and another week in the shop resulted in replacement of the catch mechanism and another realignment. All good.

Or so I wish. Two weeks ago, just before departing on a road trip with my family and a fully packed car, I pushed the button to close the power liftgate. The gate came down, made a grinding noise and wouldn't close, returned to the fully open position (despite having set a lower opening height) obtaining a nice deep scratch in the paint upon striking the open garage door. Frustrated, I tried pushing the button a few more times, all unsuccessfully, finally resorting to manually and forcefully having to close the liftgate in order to drive away. Once closed, I noticed that the tailgate was once again misaligned.

I called my service rep and explained that I've had enough and either Ford needs to make this right and fix it once and for all, or replace the vehicle. It's now become an unpredictable nuisance and security and safety issue, as the tailgate is closed but there is a large gap between the gate and the body and I'm positive it is not closed tightly. Perhaps having it pop open on the road would get Ford's attention. My service manager called me back and wanted to get with the Ford Expert Technician to see what they could do. That was a week ago and I've heard nothing back. I'll give it another week and then perhaps I should resort to sharing my story with youtube videos and tweets of the tailgate repeatedly failing close.

Thanks for reading my story. Hope this helps a bit. In short, be wary of getting that tailgate realigned.

Adam

zed512 · 06-03-2012, 06:58 PM

Adam, don't get me started... Once I have enough energy I will officially reply to this thread. Basically ford have no clue how to fix this issue. The result is your car will be gone for weeks, new hatch fitted and it may look worse than you started with. Everyone... Check the gate, if it looks bad don't buy the car.

Now I look at every car in front of me and think how did ford mess up so bad... In terms of misaligned tailgates. To me it's shocking. In my old job I was taught ford fmea's... Total joke now

CDNexp · 06-05-2012, 10:21 AM

Hi Adam, thanks for sharing... after first attempt to re-align going bad. They had to replace the Latch mechanisim And I decided to just live with it. The dealer has no clue how to fix it so till Ford figure it out I will not let them touch it again.

uniquename · 06-05-2012, 11:07 AM

I just had a 2013 rental that had parts lined up worse than my 2011...I don't think it's going to go away.

My dash to door transition is off, but evenly off so it looks right. The 2013 had one perfect and one way off...I'll take my flaws that appear normal

foxtemple · 11-25-2012, 01:16 PM

Has anyone noticed damage to their striker plate [or whatever you call the part that the lift gate attaches to when closed] caused by the lift gate being misaligned? The left side of my striker plate is no longer black. You can see the bare metal.

*peterk9* · 11-25-2012, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by foxtemple

Has anyone noticed damage to their striker plate [or whatever you call the part that the lift gate attaches to when closed] caused by the lift gate being misaligned? The left side of my striker plate is no longer black. You can see the bare metal.

Here is what mine looked like a year ago. It looks the same today. I'm not at all concerned about it after all it is metal hitting metal. The black is just a paint as far as I know.

Peter

12-19-2011, 11:42 AM	#30
Spengracin Wannabe Elite Explorer Fairfield, Ca 2012 AWD Limited Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 799 Vehicle Specs	Hi everyone, I posted in another thread, about my tailgate issues. I agree the robots should be checked here. My lift gate was off to the left, and rubbing at the top. My dealer did not have a body shop ( with enough experience, new dealer). I called my old dealer and he recommended a very good body shop they used. The dealer sent all notices from Ford about this issue, and 3 days later it was done, no further issues. My only comment, the lift gate is not an exact panel match by no means, but you can't tell by looking. Hope this helps. Just a note, you can't tell they touched the bolts on the hatch. __________________ 2012 Limited EX. Tri-White plat. Dual panel sun roof, 302a package, bliss, pecan interior, 20" polished aluminum wheels, tow package, cross rails for roof rack, Aries Stainlees Nerf bars, upgraded LED interior lighting. Last edited by Spengracin; 12-29-2011 at 11:39 PM.

06-03-2012, 11:40 AM	#35
Fordacopia Wannabe Elite Explorer San Diego, CA 2012 Explorer Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 1 Vehicle Specs	Misaligned Tailgate Experience CDNexp - As over six months have passed since your last post, perhaps you've already proceeded with the re-alignment. Nonetheless, I'll share my experience. In two words: "NOT GOOD." I originally purchased in November '11 and noticed the tailgate misalignment in Feb 2012. One side appeared flush with the body, the other side was inset about 3/4 inch. My service rep commented that they've seen a few misaligned tailgates from the factory and would contact the Ford rep to take a look. Long story short, one month later I received my Explorer back with a brand new tailgate. Despite attempts to realign and adjust, ultimately the decision was made by Ford that a new tailgate was the only solution. While I was very unhappy with the delay and poor communication, it was great to have my vehicle back (despite a second trip to the dealership to fix a new rattle in the tailgate that was caused by a wiper arm that was not properly reconnected). Wouldn't it be great if the story ended there? Approximately two months later, the tailgate issue started all over again. I first noticed a problem when I walked out of my grocery store to find my Explorer in the parking lot with the tailgate wide open. Seemed very strange as I'm quite the consciousness person and not one to just leave a tailgate open and walk away. Thankfully nothing was taken. I shrugged it off until two days later (while visiting family) I looked out the window of their home and noticed the tailgate was again open. My brother was heading outside so I asked him to close it. This is when I realized there was again a problem, as he pushed the button several times, the door would attempt to close, hit the metal catch and then re-open. The inability to close the tailgate seemed worse on unlevel surfaces. Another trip to the Ford dealership and another week in the shop resulted in replacement of the catch mechanism and another realignment. All good. Or so I wish. Two weeks ago, just before departing on a road trip with my family and a fully packed car, I pushed the button to close the power liftgate. The gate came down, made a grinding noise and wouldn't close, returned to the fully open position (despite having set a lower opening height) obtaining a nice deep scratch in the paint upon striking the open garage door. Frustrated, I tried pushing the button a few more times, all unsuccessfully, finally resorting to manually and forcefully having to close the liftgate in order to drive away. Once closed, I noticed that the tailgate was once again misaligned. I called my service rep and explained that I've had enough and either Ford needs to make this right and fix it once and for all, or replace the vehicle. It's now become an unpredictable nuisance and security and safety issue, as the tailgate is closed but there is a large gap between the gate and the body and I'm positive it is not closed tightly. Perhaps having it pop open on the road would get Ford's attention. My service manager called me back and wanted to get with the Ford Expert Technician to see what they could do. That was a week ago and I've heard nothing back. I'll give it another week and then perhaps I should resort to sharing my story with youtube videos and tweets of the tailgate repeatedly failing close. Thanks for reading my story. Hope this helps a bit. In short, be wary of getting that tailgate realigned. Adam

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12-16-2011, 10:45 AM	#23
CDNexp Wannabe Elite Explorer Toronto, Ontario Limited 2012 Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 63 Vehicle Specs	I was hoping to hear from someone who actually got it fixed. I am little worried to let the dealer go near the bolts so i was hoping to get some feedback whether it is worth the hussle or not.

12-16-2011, 03:35 PM	#25
HDJulie Elite Explorer Little Rock, AR 2012 Explorer Limited AWD Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 76 Vehicle Specs	Thanks, Cory. I'm on vacation the week after Christmas & will take it to my dealer to look at & if I am not happy with what they say, will PM you.

12-16-2011, 08:18 PM	#26
CDNexp Wannabe Elite Explorer Toronto, Ontario Limited 2012 Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 63 Vehicle Specs	I went to the dealer today and they took pictures to send to ford. Then I took a look at all the 8 explorers they have and they all have the same problem. The liftgate below the the rear window (at the bottom of B pillar) at passenger size is not flush with body but the rest of the corners are ok. I also asked them to look at the dashbord at passenger side alignment and that's a different story. I will try to post pictures later.

12-19-2011, 10:51 AM	#28
CDNexp Wannabe Elite Explorer Toronto, Ontario Limited 2012 Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 63 Vehicle Specs	I just go a call from the dealer saying ford authorized them to fix the liftgate and the passenger side front pannel alignment. Now I wish I can hear from some one who already got either of those issues fixed and whether recommends doing it or not. I am worried this will lead to futre rattles and squeaks. Thanks

12-29-2011, 11:42 AM	#34
mdc160 Wannabe Elite Explorer 2012 Explorer Limited Join Date: Dec 2011 Posts: 33 Vehicle Specs	who has pics of misalignment of the lift gate? I cant see it or maybe i am blind.

06-03-2012, 06:58 PM	#36
zed512 Wannabe Elite Explorer Texas Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 42 Vehicle Specs	Adam, don't get me started... Once I have enough energy I will officially reply to this thread. Basically ford have no clue how to fix this issue. The result is your car will be gone for weeks, new hatch fitted and it may look worse than you started with. Everyone... Check the gate, if it looks bad don't buy the car. Now I look at every car in front of me and think how did ford mess up so bad... In terms of misaligned tailgates. To me it's shocking. In my old job I was taught ford fmea's... Total joke now

06-05-2012, 10:21 AM	#37
CDNexp Wannabe Elite Explorer Toronto, Ontario Limited 2012 Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 63 Vehicle Specs	Hi Adam, thanks for sharing... after first attempt to re-align going bad. They had to replace the Latch mechanisim And I decided to just live with it. The dealer has no clue how to fix it so till Ford figure it out I will not let them touch it again.

06-05-2012, 11:07 AM	#38
uniquename Wannabe Elite Explorer Twin Cities, MN '11 XLT Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 546 Vehicle Specs	I just had a 2013 rental that had parts lined up worse than my 2011...I don't think it's going to go away. My dash to door transition is off, but evenly off so it looks right. The 2013 had one perfect and one way off...I'll take my flaws that appear normal

11-25-2012, 01:16 PM	#39
foxtemple Wannabe Elite Explorer Philadelphia, PA 2011 Ford Explorer Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 135 Vehicle Specs	Has anyone noticed damage to their striker plate [or whatever you call the part that the lift gate attaches to when closed] caused by the lift gate being misaligned? The left side of my striker plate is no longer black. You can see the bare metal.