Door trim misalignment with the dash

[tncruiser]

i wonder if Corey reads this forum or f/u on his service requests
because if he does it appears the ball is dropped after the courteous but useless exercise is executed
brianj

[onaropus]

Took a look at mine yesterday and saw that the passenger door panel is significantly lower than the dash.

[FordCustSrvc]

Originally Posted by deewan

Thought I would share the pictures I took to use as proof to the Service Department of the dash alignment issue...

Originally Posted by peterk9

I have that height difference on both sides as well but yet everything such as the bottom of the dash and the imitation wood trim below seems to line up between the door and dash...

deewan & peterk9,

Thank you for posting those pictures. I wanted to check in to see if you still have the concern.

Originally Posted by UCFGreg

That is basically the answer they gave me. Pretty sad. Three model years now, and still a problem with no fix.

UCFGreg,

I can help by forwarding the information to the Customer Service Manager in your area. For me to do that, please send a PM with your mileage, contact info, VIN, and dealer name/state.

Originally Posted by CDNexp

I have the same issue and waiting for ford to come up with an official solution. I don't want my dealer to experiment with mine (they already messed the liftgate).

CDNexp,

I see that you live north of the border, so I recommend calling the Ford of Canada Customer Relationship Center @ 1-800-565-3673 so they can lend a hand.

Originally Posted by Rocketfan

I have the same door panel problem on one side and a noticeable gap between the pillar and the front dash on the driver's side (pillar is flush with front dash on passenger side and .5" gap on driver's side)...

Originally Posted by cmdrivan

I will probably wait for an official solution, too. It's frustrating to see the unevenness every day (unlike the rear lift gate)...

Originally Posted by Wilkinda65

Same here. Mine has the mis-alignment at the top but lines up perfect everywhere else...

Originally Posted by shoeman

...For the door alignment he took off the panel with me there , and played with it , but could not get it to align any better than before...

Originally Posted by onaropus

Took a look at mine yesterday and saw that the passenger door panel is significantly lower than the dash.

Rocketfan, cmdrivan, Wilkinda65, shoeman, & onaropus,

Please send me a PM with the details I mentioned above, and I’ll be happy to lend a hand.

Originally Posted by Ibn Najd

Me too

Ibn Najd,

Because you live in Saudi Arabia, I’m unable to escalate the concern for you. I recommend calling the Saudi Arabia Customer Relationship Center @ +971 (0) 4 3326084 for further assistance.

Originally Posted by tncruiser

i have the same problem followed thru with Corey gotta couple f/u emails from Corey then a couple phone calls from a Mike in customer service...

I sent you a PM, tncruiser; please see your inbox for the details.

Cory

[peterk9]

Hi Cory. I'm not concerned about mine at all. I don't even notice it.
Thanks.

Peter

[FordCustSrvc]

Originally Posted by peterk9

Hi Cory. I'm not concerned about mine at all. I don't even notice it.
Thanks.

Peter

You’re welcome, Peter; I wanted to check in to be sure.

Cory

[mkennedy100]

Just took delivery of my 2013 Explorer Limited on 14 July. Spent too much time in the driver seat during the delivery and inspection process I guess and I did not notice the passenger side door panel misalignment until the next day. It is *exactly* the same as jrmexplorer has posted at the start of the thread. Once I noticed the problem I immediately called my dealer. My salesperson said "bring it in and we'll take a look" (mentioning something about coverage under warranty). The service advisor has already indicated (by phone--while I was making my appointment) that this may be just the way it is. My appt is in the morning. I plan to have this thread at the ready. I hope my dealer follows through on this to my satisfaction, but I am already worried.

Has no one with this problem looked at the door alignment itself as a factor? When I look at the relationship of the problematic door panel to the door frame, I don't see anything obviously wrong. I can however see that the passenger door frame itself is aligned more "inward" (if that makes sense) at the front top corner when compared to the driver side. That would affect the door panel alignment in this manner as far as I can tell. I realize that panel alignment is a tedious job. I fear my dealer is not going to be willing to put in the time but I guess I need to give them a chance to shine!

(FWIW My bother-in-law bought a 2012 Explorer Limited a couple of months ago and his does not have this problem. He's sending me a pic or two).

[NEWPORTNJ]

99% of all explorers have that same issue and there is not really a fix for it and the fix is not really a fix i have it doesnt bother me and if you lease who cares if you purchased i can understand but its not all that !

[peterk9]

Originally Posted by mkennedy100

Just took delivery of my 2013 Explorer Limited on 14 July. Spent too much time in the driver seat during the delivery and inspection process I guess and I did not notice the passenger side door panel misalignment until the next day. It is *exactly* the same as jrmexplorer has posted at the start of the thread. Once I noticed the problem I immediately called my dealer. My salesperson said "bring it in and we'll take a look" (mentioning something about coverage under warranty). The service advisor has already indicated (by phone--while I was making my appointment) that this may be just the way it is. My appt is in the morning. I plan to have this thread at the ready. I hope my dealer follows through on this to my satisfaction, but I am already worried.

Has no one with this problem looked at the door alignment itself as a factor? When I look at the relationship of the problematic door panel to the door frame, I don't see anything obviously wrong. I can however see that the passenger door frame itself is aligned more "inward" (if that makes sense) at the front top corner when compared to the driver side. That would affect the door panel alignment in this manner as far as I can tell. I realize that panel alignment is a tedious job. I fear my dealer is not going to be willing to put in the time but I guess I need to give them a chance to shine!

(FWIW My bother-in-law bought a 2012 Explorer Limited a couple of months ago and his does not have this problem. He's sending me a pic or two).

Welcome to the Forum mkennedy100.
Unfortunately that is the way some of the vehicles are arriving from the factory. Not very many owners have had much luck in getting the problem corrected. In trying to fix it, you may end up with more issues (rattling, squeaks etc). Unless it is really bad, I think it may be best to leave it as is although I agree it should not have been a problem to start with.
Now that you have had your new Ex for over a week don't you think it is time to update your profile? It still shows 98 Sport.

Peter

[mkennedy100]

Thanks Peter (peterk9). I guess was having trouble letting go of the ol' 98! Profile updated. Lest I be thought of as a negative nancy, I should mention that except for the door panel all has been great with the new ride. 558 miles so far! I do hear you when you say the fix might be worse than the problem though.

[foxtemple]

My ex has the same problem as the one pictured above [the first picture]. My alignment is just as bad or maybe even worse on the passenger front door. I have noticed that it seems as though my whole door is misaligned. The gap between my passenger front door and the passenger front fender is not as consistent as on the drivers side. Has anyone else noticed this? I'm thinking I might have a problem with the actual doors alignment rather then just the trim.

[colintrax]

I think y'all need to chill out. ALL new plastic vehicles look like that, you can't hold the same tolerances with plastic, and it deforms easily.
If these were classic cars being put in a car show, then you have reason to want it fixed. Of course if that was the case, YOU'D be fixing it.
Wanna see some really misaligned panels, come look at my mom's civic. Non of the pillars sit flush with the headliner, rear corner sits 1/2" over the bumper, hood is aligned to the left (and I had to make t latch it right), tail lights are always going out, trans needs the fluid changed every 30,000 miles or it gets chattery (besides the fact the trans only lasts 100,000)
Only good thing I can say about it is 45mpg, and the engine still starts with 250,xxx miles (I'm shocked)

[Dr Plastic]

Here are some shots of mine....








I have not had the chance to get to the dealer yet.

[edub]

Thanks, guys now I can't do anything else but think about it! Mine looks like photo. How in the heck can this pass QC on a $40k truck? I'll be PMing Corey and following thread for resolution.

On a side note we bought my wife the truck on October 2nd (my birthday, go figure) and it has been amazing. We have been on both a 10 hour round trip and a 16 hour round trip. 2,700 miles. Rides like a dream, even on the dubs!! Lol. We love it.

[foxtemple]

Originally Posted by edub

Thanks, guys now I can't do anything else but think about it! Mine looks like photo. How in the heck can this pass QC on a $40k truck? I'll be PMing Corey and following thread for resolution.

On a side note we bought my wife the truck on October 2nd (my birthday, go figure) and it has been amazing. We have been on both a 10 hour round trip and a 16 hour round trip. 2,700 miles. Rides like a dream, even on the dubs!! Lol. We love it.

I think whoever is in charge of putting on the passenger side doors in Chicago needs a new pair of glasses! Maybe head over to Lenscrafters for one of their BOGO deals and pick up a pair for the QC guy at the end of the line.

I too am very pleased with the car overall though. This door situation is just a small gripe.

[shoeman]

I had two different 2013 EXP XLTs last week as rentals, both of the cars have the same mis alignment as my 2011 LTD , as well as huge gaps between the door and dash. This is not as much an assembly issue as much as a design issue. I am looking at getting a 2013 MKX as I will not need as big a car anymore, the gaps ,and alignment of all the parts inside are near perfect in every car I have looked at.

[FordCustSrvc]

I’m sorry I missed the updates on this thread. In case you guys missed my earlier post, I’m available to help by escalating up to your regional Customer Service Managers. Please send me your contact information (including VIN, dealer name/state, and approximate mileage) and I’ll lend a hand.

Originally Posted by edub

...I'll be PMing Corey and following thread for resolution...

I’ll keep an eye out for your PM, edub.

Cory

[daniel938]

Well welcome to my world guys but i can one up you. the top of my door panel has actually popped up completely and im not too happy about it

[daniel938]

wow nobody jump in all at once and reply to this lol

[peterk9]

Originally Posted by daniel938

wow nobody jump in all at once and reply to this lol

Unfortunately this is an old problem and I don't think there is too much that can be added that hasn't already been said. Good luck in trying to get it adjusted.

Peter

[Edgieguy]

Dan, looks like they never hung the top of the door cover over the metal sill. Dealer should be able to correct that and look at the alignment at same time.