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Bottom Door Edge Issue??

There is a thread about paint on the bottom of the door getting rubbed/chipped off. My doors started doing it with less than a couple thousand miles. I sure Peter will move this post to the other thread when he gets a chance.
 



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Ask the dealership to also apply quality paint protection film along the bottom edges once the doors are repainted.

Other than that there is not much else to do except recognize the design of the rocker panel/ door closure area along the bottom edge of the doors is designed poorly - it allows road debris, dirt, ice, snow, and water directly into it ( with no way to drain out).

This rectangular channel the doors close into does not seal out the road when the doors are closed, its more of a lip that the door closes into and there is plenty of space after the doors are closed.

The door storage area is what seals the doors when closed (with gasket and under storage lip).

I think regular cleaning/wiping, paint protection, and quality running boards that hug the bottom of the rocker panels as close as possible, and also still allow mud flaps to be installed, are the only way to extend the life of this area exposed to the road.
 






Fishingwidow23, as Odrapnew mentioned there is a thread on this issue and now yours has been merged with it. As for posting pictures, you can do that directly from your computer if you take out a $20 Elite membership or you can go the 'New Members Introduction' thread and check out the 'sticky' section for instructions.
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=25

Peter
 






Paint Blistering / Bubbling

Anyone eles experiencing paint bubbling / blistering along the door seams of the all doors on the Explore?

Our 2013 Explore has paint blisters along the edge of the doors on the inside on all four doors, the driver's side rear door being the worst.

with only 30K on the car I'm shocked and disappointed to see the paint in such bad shape.

Of course, this isn't something Ford will cover under warranty. With two more years of payments, I can only imagine how terrible it's going to look and or how expensive it will be to repair to stop the spread.
 












worse/poor design ever on the lower door edge, can't believe the have the same crap design on Peter's Lincoln!
MY 2005 vw passat wagon has a much better execution in that area...
 






Anyone eles experiencing paint bubbling / blistering along the door seams of the all doors on the Explore?

Our 2013 Explore has paint blisters along the edge of the doors on the inside on all four doors, the driver's side rear door being the worst...

Time to get this in front of your dealership, Shomare; they'll be able to tell you whether or not this can be repaired under your warranty. Touch base with us after your appointment. If you need my assistance, I'll be here. :thumbsup:

Crystal
 






This is an alignment issue with the doors during assembly. This is why some EXs have it vs others that are fine.

If you open your rear door and keep the front one closed kneel down and look at where the front door meets the rocker - you will see it is misaligned as the furthest portion of the front door does not touch the rocker portion but the front portion does - the dealer needs to align the front door so that the bottom portion does not touch the rocker. This is why the paint is chipping. This is what my dealer did and its fine now (plus they painted the bottom portion) - another cheap out of warranty way is to get one of those clear (kitchen door things that go in the corner of the door) so that the cabinet door does not make contact with the cabinet...put a couple of them on using some strong glue so that it does not fall off over time.

Honestly - this shouldn’t happen period but I am not surprised with some of the 'defects' I noticed on my '13 EX. Its like the just they push out cars without doing some serious Quality Control. Little things like this is what drives people to other brands. Its optics...if I don’t care that the door is misaligned why would they car about other things? - perception....ive given up on mine..its fine now but I have had a tones of issues....the dealer calls my car the leaker...and it is well known amongst the staff there...that’s how many times its been there.
 






the bottom edge of my doors were repainted when I took my truck in for it's 2 year rust protection inspection , as I purchased extra rust protection when I bought the truck. The paint is rubbing off again. The clear strip sounds like the best idea, my door edges had rust proofing on them too on top of the paint, so it all rubbed off along with the paint.
 






As of a week ago, we no longer own the '13 Ex Limited. We traded it in on a
'15 Acura MDX SH-AWD. I am so in love with this new vehicle, and my husband says Ford lost a customer. We do still have an '11 F150 and '13 Fusion, but we'll most likely not buy Ford again.

I contacted our sales guy to cancel the appt we had TODAY (8/8) to get the doors repainted, and he wasn't surprised we got rid of it.

Hopefully I'll have no issues with the new vehicle and will be driving it for YEARS to come!
 






not open the back door ford explorer limited 2011

not open the tailgate with the remote control or the button inside, only offer sound that opens the door heard but one rises
 






Add me to the list for paint chip at the bottom of the doors, there's some rust starting to appear too. I have mud flaps and not sure if it's helping much. So what are people doing? touch up and 3M/weathrstriping?
 






Door panel bottom seam, Bad Design or Defect

Hi I'm new to this forum and this issue may have been discussed before. I purchased a new 2012 Base Explorer and notice after my first car washing that all of the bottom door seams were not completely rolled ( crimped ) over the inside metal panel. It wraps around the inner skin but remains open at an angle of about 30 degrees from vertical. It actually forms a trough along the bottom of each inside door panel to catch road dirt, salt and water. I have no doubt this design will be a real rust issue for vehicles in winter climates as the vehicle ages.

I went to the dealer thinking I had a manufacturing defect as I've never seen a door panel not fully crimped over and sealed. Looking at three other different 2013 models Explorers they all had the same door panel design? I talked the dealer about it and got the deer in the headlight stare and shoulder shrug.

I have sealed the trough on each door with silicone sealant, but still can't believe that Ford designed this new body style door panel to have a uncrimped bottom door seam.
Has anyone on this forum noticed this design or do I truly have a manufacturing defect. I've seen this on 2011, 2012, and 2013's, not sure about later years.
 






You will find a lot of fit and finish issues with the Ex. For the inside of the doors with the painted metal that get water/mud/dirt thrown up there, I would paint them over with a clear coat. You can brush it on thick enough as that is not a real noticeable area for a fine finish.

I'm concerned about rust in those areas like with the hood rust bubble issue, though the hood is aluminum so that is a different animal, but I'm not taking any chances after discovering the hood rust bubble issue on my Ex.
 






Don't think I'd purchased

You will find a lot of fit and finish issues with the Ex. For the inside of the doors with the painted metal that get water/mud/dirt thrown up there, I would paint them over with a clear coat. You can brush it on thick enough as that is not a real noticeable area for a fine finish.

I'm concerned about rust in those areas like with the hood rust bubble issue, though the hood is aluminum so that is a different animal, but I'm not taking any chances after discovering the hood rust bubble issue on my Ex.

I was really upset finding these poorly designed seams about a month after purchasing the Explorer. I seriously think had I known, it would have been a deal breaker. I pay cash for our cars and keep them a minimum of ten years. This vehicle's doors will be rotting away after ten years in Ohio winters where salt is used liberally. I hope Fords'sdesign team didn't think the cost savings of one less stamping operation will be worth the bad press they'll get in premature door panel failures
 






traveler100, using the Forum's 'search' program, I found this thread and merged yours with it. There aren't too many issues that haven't already been discussed.
Se my post 84 and you'll notice that on my MKT, there is a space left on purpose where the outer door skin is folded over the inner. I believe my Explorer was somewhat the same but did not have the small offsets as shown in the picture (post 84). I found a picture of the Explorer door as well although it is difficult to see. The outer skin is just folded over the inner with no apparent welding

Peter
 

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Bottom of doors rubbing moulding and rusting

My 2011 limited exp has already started to rust on the bottom of the doors inside edge. I was just at the dealer and was looking at the lower door moulding on the bottom of the body where the bottom edge of the doors seals to the body when the door is closed on a new 2016 exp. The new moulding is very soft and mine is a hard plastic. The constant rubbing of my doors bottoms edge on this hard moulding during opening and closing has now rubbed through the paint exposing the bare metal. Does anyone know if the 2016 lower door seal will fit the older 2001-2014 exp. If so I'm buying right away.
 






This is a known issue from 2011 thru 2015 since they are all designed the same in that area. The painted door edge goes to the edge of the exterior plastic cladding, so the door edge is not protected from being exposed to the bottom of the rocker panels, which are in the path of constant road debris.

If not actually rubbing something, the constant flow of grit, sand, road rocks, etc from travel goes into the rocker channel & wears away the door edge paint, and since the doors drain thru the seals and breathers by draining down the door, alot of moisture can be all along that rocker lip regardless.

In the thread about this, there are pictures, as well as the only thing to do to minimize damage. Clean the door edge and rocker drip edge constantly, and apply paint protection to the bottom of the doors.
There are also members who made a foam seal by applying foam weather seal strips to the door edge, and painting them to match.
 






Not to point out the obvious, but you basically have a 5 year old vehicle. You have to expect some wear and tear. It's not going to stay pristine if it's a vehicle you use daily.
 



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Not to point out the obvious, but you basically have a 5 year old vehicle. You have to expect some wear and tear. It's not going to stay pristine if it's a vehicle you use daily.

I have a 12 year old Saab that has none of these fit and finish/paint issues. It is mint. And, I did not get lucky. These issues do not exist on older 9-5's from all my involvement on a Saab forum. Some engine issues yes (which seems to be the Ex's strong point), but even my previous GMC Jimmy I had for 16 years held up better when it came to the paint holding up and and rust/corrosion not occurring. Yes, the engine was a disaster the first 3 years on that Jimmy - thankfully all taken care under warranty and then it was fine.

I guess I should be happy the Ex appears to have a strong powertrain. Just not used to the fit/finish/paint issues.
 






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