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Condensation in headlights?

1Sharkman

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City, State
MO
Year, Model & Trim Level
2011 Limited
Has anyone experienced condensation on a new 2011 Explorer Limited. Is this common and what would viable remedies be to this. I understand this happening over time, but have concerns since it is a new vehicle. Thanks
 



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You shouldn't get condensation if it's sealed properly. Take it to the dealer.
 






Has anyone experienced condensation on a new 2011 Explorer Limited. Is this common and what would viable remedies be to this. I understand this happening over time, but have concerns since it is a new vehicle. Thanks
I’m sorry I missed this post before. I wanted to check in to see if you resolved your condensation issue. If not, please send me a private message with your VIN, dealer name, and approximate mileage.

Cory
 






Same problem....laundry list of stuff for the dealer to take care of all at one time.....
 






I might be off base on these particular lights as I do not have a Limited. I have, however, had a similar problem with other headlights in other vehicles and found something interesting.

Many headlights have a "breathing" vent on the back side. It is one, or two, small openings to the light fixture that have a fiberous piece of material over it. It will not allow water and/or debris to normally move through it, but it does allow air to move through it, reducing and usually eliminating most of not all of the condensation that typically develops.

Often the pull stick over to these vents is left on when the light fixture is installed.
 






Has anyone experienced condensation on a new 2011 Explorer Limited. Is this common and what would viable remedies be to this. I understand this happening over time, but have concerns since it is a new vehicle. Thanks

There are a couple previous threads on this.

Yes, many of us have the issue and majority are having no issues with warranty coverage.
 






Confirming Sgts response, mine has the issue and the dealer is addressing next week with a turn signal replacement, no issues getting them to do it.
 






A couple times now after washing my X with a high pressure washer I noticed that my headlight housings on both sides fogged up inside. Same thing with the mirror turn signal. Is anybody else experiencing the same thing? Anybody take it to the dealer yet for this issue? I will take mine in for an oil change etc tomorrow and have this looked into as well. Just another thing to add to the list....
 






I had this happen after having the A/C on during the summer. The top part of the headlights and foglights had condensation and it happened several times this winter as well.

Someone else had the condensation in the mirror turn signal like you do. I think I remember reading that the dealer fixed his problem.

I mentioned it to the dealer but said it was normal so I didn't bother with wasting my time trying to convince them.
 






Had this issue in my new F150, deale replaced the housings under warranty.
 






Condensation in the mirror turn signal housings has been a common issue that most people (including me) have had replaced under warranty. I haven't heard of anyone having condensation in the headlights, but that should be an easy warranty item.
 






From Page 78 of Ex Manual:
Lamp assembly condensation
Exterior lamps are vented to accommodate normal changes in pressure.
Condensation can be a natural by-product of this design. When moist air
enters the lamp assembly through the vents, there is a possibility that
condensation can occur when the temperature is cold. When normal
condensation occurs, a thin film of mist can form on the interior of the
lens. The thin mist eventually clears and exits through the vents during
normal operation. Clearing time may take as long as 48 hours under dry
weather conditions.
Examples of acceptable condensation are:
• Presence of thin mist (no streaks, drip marks or droplets)
• Fine mist covers less than 50% of the lens
Examples of unacceptable moisture (usually caused by a lamp water
leak) are:
• Water puddle inside the lamp
• Large water droplets, drip marks or streaks present on the interior of
the lens
Take your vehicle to a dealer for service if any of the above conditions of
unacceptable moisture are present.
 






From Page 78 of Ex Manual:
Lamp assembly condensation
Exterior lamps are vented to accommodate normal changes in pressure.
Condensation can be a natural by-product of this design. When moist air
enters the lamp assembly through the vents, there is a possibility that
condensation can occur when the temperature is cold. When normal
condensation occurs, a thin film of mist can form on the interior of the
lens. The thin mist eventually clears and exits through the vents during
normal operation. Clearing time may take as long as 48 hours under dry
weather conditions.
Examples of acceptable condensation are:
• Presence of thin mist (no streaks, drip marks or droplets)
• Fine mist covers less than 50% of the lens
Examples of unacceptable moisture (usually caused by a lamp water
leak) are:
• Water puddle inside the lamp
• Large water droplets, drip marks or streaks present on the interior of
the lens
Take your vehicle to a dealer for service if any of the above conditions of
unacceptable moisture are present.



NICE FIND! Guess I should start reading manuals! :)
That's definitely good to know. I noticed how the condensation never stuck around. Vented headlights eh....
 






From Page 78 of Ex Manual:
Lamp assembly condensation
Exterior lamps are vented to accommodate normal changes in pressure.
Condensation can be a natural by-product of this design. When moist air
enters the lamp assembly through the vents, there is a possibility that
condensation can occur when the temperature is cold. When normal
condensation occurs, a thin film of mist can form on the interior of the
lens. The thin mist eventually clears and exits through the vents during
normal operation. Clearing time may take as long as 48 hours under dry
weather conditions.
Examples of acceptable condensation are:
• Presence of thin mist (no streaks, drip marks or droplets)
• Fine mist covers less than 50% of the lens
Examples of unacceptable moisture (usually caused by a lamp water
leak) are:
• Water puddle inside the lamp
• Large water droplets, drip marks or streaks present on the interior of
the lens
Take your vehicle to a dealer for service if any of the above conditions of
unacceptable moisture are present.
Hi guys,

It looks like rmp301 already jumped in on this one. BTW, thanks rmp301! :D

If you don’t have your own digital copy of your Owner Guide, you can get it for free by going to the URL http://Owner.Ford.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Owner/Page/OwnerGuidePage and picking your Explorer from the drop down boxes.

Cory
 






Moisture in Mirror Markers

Mirror markers being the integrated turn signals in the mirrors.

I have a 2013 Explorer XLT with less than 9,000 miles on it. After having this issue (twice now) I decided to join this forum and see if anyone else has been having issues with the 2013.

I saw this thread (but it's old :p: ): http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=311194

They fixed it the first time (5,000 miles in) with no complaints and only one side needed to be done. This last time the Explorer needed both replaced as they had drops of water in them (8,800 miles in). After I went and picked it up today, my dealer told me that since it's the second time it's happened and it's not a "known issue" that Ford would probably not fix it a third time. He then asked me how I washed my vehicle and that somehow I had to be causing the problem because they don't have this issue.

I don't know if I was treated this way because of my age (I'm 24) or if they just don't want to deal with me anymore, but it left a bad taste in my mouth.

Anyone else having issues with their mirror marker lamps getting water/moisture in them?
 






I have moisture in one... Noticed it the day after I bought it (new 2013).
Haven't taken it in to them yet, I can't be bothered.... I'll have them replace it eventually, but I've got nearly 3 years of warranty yet... I can wait.
 






Just don't try and get it fixed too often. Apparently it's under warranty, but not forever :dunno:

Anyone else experience issues with Ford not covering something like this?
 



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