Explorer A-Pillar Rattle/Noise

[FordService]

It appears that windshield noise in the upper right area is not unique to my 2011 Explorer...Do I need to contact Ford directly to get this resolved?

walleye242,

I’m available to help by arranging a call from the Customer Service Manager in your area. For me to do that, drop a line via PM with your VIN, contact information, mileage, and dealer name/state.

...Contact Ford Customer Service if your dealer is not helping. Customer Service came through for me.
The new TSB and new mouldings solve the issue.
Now all I have to fix next is the grinding brakes/wheel bearing on hard stops...

pprice,

It’s good that you got help on your A-Pillar. Have you had the grinding taken care of yet? If not, please send a PM with the details above.

I supposedly had my a-Pillars replaced this past week...

Are you hearing a noise still, dutchman71? I have your Explorer’s VIN from previous messages, so shoot a PM if you’d like my help.

Check out my pictures of the new A-pillars that were changed per the TSB, rubber that meets the windshield was part of it...

Great set of pictures, cnsheets; thanks for posting them.

...He said they now have to do it for the A-pillars also, but my parts had been ordered before the requirement came out. The a-pillar parts had been on back order ever since the TSP concerning them came out.

Thanks for keeping us in the loop, Birdhunt1.

I just had the repair done yesterday. (Thanks Cory!)...Too soon to know if it fixed the problem. Winds are light today and my commute did not include highway speeds. Based on others' experiences with the TSB fix, I'm optimistic.

You’re welcome, sangiovese! Here’s hoping you have windy driving soon!

Just had mine done last week and got new plastic and rubber mouldings - the new mouldings have foam type material under them to keep the air from getting under the plastic. You can see it if you lift the moulding from the windshield

That’s great to hear, lmello; thanks for the update.

Cory

 

[lmello]

14 days ago....... Read this thread

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=345409


Can someone else who has had the TSB fix check for this foam? Perhaps your foam was a dealer xtra that they figured they would throw in there and try since they had it apart. I can see the edge of the windshield when I lift the rubber and I see no foam. I'll take pictures under the foam tomorrow.

No, the dealer did not add the foam. The service manager told me that the new rubber gaskets come with it attached. I think he called it silica that has been added for the new fix.

 

[LeFurg]

Yaaaay! That's two, so far.

 

[GregV8]

A-pillar rattle now permanent AFTER TSB performed

Had my '11 XLT in to have the passenger side A-pillar noise fixed. They did the TSB as prescribed by Ford.
But now I have the wind noise all the time on the highway. Before, it used to be noisy in strong headwind and high speeds. Now, it's permanent as soon as I start cruising on the freeway.
I'm losing my good faith.

 

[peterk9]

Had my '11 XLT in to have the passenger side A-pillar noise fixed. They did the TSB as prescribed by Ford.
But now I have the wind noise all the time on the highway. Before, it used to be noisy in strong headwind and high speeds. Now, it's permanent as soon as I start cruising on the freeway.
I'm losing my good faith.

Sorry to hear that but the good thing about the bad thing is that you shouldn't have any problem getting them to duplicate it now. Obviously something isn't right.

Peter

 

[chimoman]

Poor install. I had the same problem. The litmus test is after they install. If you can wiggle the plastic applique at all it will rattle. I knew mine was going to rattle the first time as when i checked it it was moving. Grasp the inside of by the glass and the outside and see if it wiggles. One of the clips broke. Just an inexperienced tech. I put up with the rattle for six months and four tries to fix it. The last one worked perfectly. The TSB fix works. It just has to be performed properly.

 

[bluelion]

I also had constant wind noise after they did the most recent tsb . I took it back in and they had one of the engineers come look at it (A pillar fixed for the 3rd time). Their fix was to put silicone sealant behind the A pillar. Since then, I've had occasional wind noise cause of high wind or cross wind....but no where near as bad as before.

 

[gpzrider]

So what you guys are recommending is that if I am currently experiencing intermittent wind noise, DO NOT ALLOW THEM TO PERFORM THE FIX, it will make an intermittent problem into a permanent problem. Or take at least 3 visits to the dealer to rectify.

 

[Mr.Vegas]

Tsb?

 

[chimoman]

gpzrider, you can do whatever you wish. If you like hearing the rattle don't do anything. If you don't like the ratttle do something. The first two times mine was fixed was with out the new a pillar TSB. Just regular A pillars. The third time was with the new TSB A pillars. As stated there was an installation fault. They took it back in and installed it properly. Fixed now and no more rattle. End result is satisfactory. I'm happy. My problem is solved. If I were you I would get it fixed. That or get rid of the Explorer. As I wouldn't be able to drive on with the rattle. But now I can drive mine as the rattle is gone. As are the tin roof noises. MyFord Touch works beautifully now as well. ALL IS GOOD. Except for this little problem with dealers on the West Coast of Canada. Brown Bros Ford and Coastal. Apparently Ford Canada can't make independent dealers give cards to customers. Hmmmmm........

 

[Sgt1411]

Just remember there were two TSB's.

Early one sometimes failed then they re-engineered new parts and added the strip of sealant behind the appliqué.

Dont trust the dealer to perform the latest TSB and get the correct parts, most are tragic.

 

[chimoman]

just remember there were two tsb's.

Early one sometimes failed then they re-engineered new parts and added the strip of sealant behind the appliqué.

Dont trust the dealer to perform the latest tsb and get the correct parts, most are tragic.

+1

 

[VinceL]

Tsb?

Technical Service Bulletin

See here.

Welcome to the forum

 

[jrmexplorer]

I also had constant wind noise after they did the most recent tsb . I took it back in and they had one of the engineers come look at it (A pillar fixed for the 3rd time). Their fix was to put silicone sealant behind the A pillar. Since then, I've had occasional wind noise cause of high wind or cross wind....but no where near as bad as before.

Silicone you say? ? ? ?

:bsnicker:

 

[chimoman]

No need for silicone. Nor is it acceptable. The fix works.

 

[cnsheets]

On the A-pillar thread, after getting the TSB completed, I had mentioned that I heard alot more wind/road noise after the TSB was completed. I think someone had said it was just associated to the fact I live in California where our roads are concrete and grooved. However, even when on fresh asphalt, it sounds the same. I never had any rattle, I just had the wind noise at certain speeds and with a cross wind, now I have the wind noise all the time.....

So Chimoman, you are simply stating that they installed the new A-pillars incorrectly, thus causing me to experience increased wind noise all the time? What is the correct way vs incorrect? How difficult could it have been to install these? I do know that it took them literally 20 minutes to install the new A-pillars. And after I picked it up, In the recess where the wiper arms at, I found a small orange plastic clip....so I think they had broken a clip, replaced it, and dropped the old clip and couldnt find it, but I did......

 

[peterk9]

Tsb?

Welcome to the Forum Mr.Vegas.:wavey:
I see that Vince has already answered your question.
There is a thread showing a list of TSB's on the main page of the Stock 2011 + Ford Explorer Discussion.

Peter

 

[Sgt1411]

On the A-pillar thread, after getting the TSB completed, I had mentioned that I heard alot more wind/road noise after the TSB was completed. I think someone had said it was just associated to the fact I live in California where our roads are concrete and grooved. However, even when on fresh asphalt, it sounds the same. I never had any rattle, I just had the wind noise at certain speeds and with a cross wind, now I have the wind noise all the time.....

So Chimoman, you are simply stating that they installed the new A-pillars incorrectly, thus causing me to experience increased wind noise all the time? What is the correct way vs incorrect? How difficult could it have been to install these? I do know that it took them literally 20 minutes to install the new A-pillars. And after I picked it up, In the recess where the wiper arms at, I found a small orange plastic clip....so I think they had broken a clip, replaced it, and dropped the old clip and couldnt find it, but I did......

After the first TSB many had the noise again, most often described as a BEE Buzzing inside the A-Pillar and most often the passenger side. Some had both sides. I was at a Ford event and spoke DIRECTLY to one of the engineers and voiced my displeasure.

He explained they had realized the first fix was not working and they had new parts with an addition step of adding a sealant under the appliqué. There were also new parts DIFFERENT from the previous fix.

As Chimoman mentioned dealership quality of repair can be tragic so if they installed the appliqué and broke the clips underneath then the fix won't hold.

 

[cnsheets]

My A-pillars were completed after this TSB was released. It was done on 2/8/2012:

12-1-11 A-PILLAR TRIM RATTLE AND/OR BUZZ - BUILT ON OR BEFORE 11/21/2011
Publication Date: January 19, 2012

FORD: 2011-2012 Explorer


ISSUE:
Some 2011-2012 Explorer vehicles built on or before 11/21/2011 may exhibit a buzzing, howling, or rattle noise at higher vehicle speeds and/or cross winds, from the windshield A-pillar appliques.

ACTION:
Follow the Service Procedure steps to correct the condition.

SERVICE PROCEDURE

Remove and discard A-pillar appliques, refer to Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 501-08.
Check old applique for any clips that may have come out of the bracket and if necessary remove and reattach to bracket as necessary. Refer to WSM, Section 501-08.
Wipe the lower rubber gasket with a damp rag (no chemicals) to clean the butyl contacting surface.
The lower rubber gasket is located on the windshield side of the bracket.
Remove protective film from the butyl tape on the new applique.
Install new applique, refer to WSM, Section 501-08.
The applique has an alignment features at the top and bottom of the applique that must be aligned before snapping the middle clips into place.

PART NUMBER PART NAME
BB5Z-7803136-AB Moulding (Right Hand)
BB5Z-7803137-AB Moulding (Left Hand)

And according to my dealer statement, the parts used were as follows:

BB5Z-7803136-AB
BB5Z-7803137-AB
BB5Z-7803136-BA
BB5Z-7803137-BA

 

[chimoman]

The applique has an alignment features at the top and bottom of the applique that must be aligned before snapping the middle clips into place.

This is where they mess up. If this is not done correctly you will get wind noise. Mine was done correctly and there is no buzzing or whistling. To be honest, it's the quietest vehicle I have ever owned. You can not hear vehicles passing you. You can hear the wind hitting the windshield somewhat. But I don't think there is a vehicle out there that doesn't do that. 0 noise in the cabin isn't possible. I am pleased with the fix. Personally, I love the vehicle and the way it drives. I will go back to the dealer a thousand times to have them fix stuff. With my 7 year 125000 mile/201168km warranty, I'll drink all the coffee I can suffer. I'm in no hurry. And I'm all about getting my moneys worth. LOL. Sad isn't it.