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Explorer A-Pillar Rattle/Noise

Ill have to look at mine a little closer in the daylight. It was getting dark when I got home....if I have issues with this A pillar fix, what ground do I stand on for lemon law. With all the issues I'm having here and there, I'd rather them buy it back so I can start fresh on a different vehicle.
 



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What did your invoice say they replaced for the a-pillar part? Rubber/ Black pastic or both.

I have a PM out to Cory asking what are supposed to replace, as my dealer claims they just changed the black plastic.

I need to wait until the next windy day to see if it was fixed.

As for the Lemon law, it could take up to 1 year.

You could call 1-800 lemonlaw and ask questions free of charge. If they take the case no fees to you. If they win ford pays the lawer fees.
 






Invoice just showed two items replaced. "Outside A pillar"..... nothing about the rubber gasket
 






Lemon law ..... for a windshield buzz? Seriously? Annoying, sure. But lemon law???!?!?!?
 






Looks like they did both plastic and rubber on mine...
Thanks for keeping us in the loop and posting pics, cnsheets.

...I have a PM out to Cory asking what are supposed to replace, as my dealer claims they just changed the black plastic...
I appreciate the heads up, Bruce. I’ll send a reply as soon as I can.

Invoice just showed two items replaced. "Outside A pillar"..... nothing about the rubber gasket
I wanted to check in to see if you’re hearing a noise, bluelion. I still have your Explorer’s details from previous messages, so send a PM if you’d like a call from the Customer Service Manager in your region.

Cory
 






Don't know yet Cory. Unfortunately I was in stop and go traffic this morning so didn't get a chance to get the speeds up there........

As far as my lemon law comment, its not just the A pillar issue I'm having.
 






Hey guys,

In case you missed my post before, I can help by setting up a call from the Customer Service Manager in your area. If you haven’t already, please send a PM with your contact info, VIN, approximate mileage, and dealer name/state.

Hey Cory,

I'm assuming they do, but would just like to make sure. Do the 2013 Ex's have these new thicker A-Pillar components?
Yes, LeFurg; the 2013’s have the updated A-Pillar covers.

Cory or whomever can assist me,

I'm currently frustrated with my beautiful Explorer EX having to go to the dealer back to back...
Johnny,

I want to see that your concerns are taken care of once and for all. Please drop me a line with the above details so I can lend a hand.

Gosh, that would just be too easy and not fair to all of us who HAVE experienced the problem...:D
I don’t think that would go over too well, cnsheets. ;)

Cory
 






Lemon law ..... for a windshield buzz? Seriously? Annoying, sure. But lemon law???!?!?!?

Well lets see. You pay for something that costs well over 40K here in Canada over 50K. You do alot of highway driving. However, there is this flaw in the design. It seems to buzz.... all the time. Now you don't think it's a bonus feature that comes with the vehicle. No, it's not. Something is broken and not working correctly. You bring it in and the bodyshop says, oh yah, all the explorers we sold are doing this. We'll fix it for you, first try doesn't work, second attempt failure.... Third time is the charm. NOPE. Let's try one more time, there is a new fix out. Oh, driving home from the dealer and tada, the buzz sound. Four tries to fix a flaw from the factory. A flaw on a 50 THOUSAND dollar vehicle. Oh it's just a buzz noise. I did not pay for a buzz noise in my windshield, outside my windshield inside the vehicle. This is not my problem. This is Ford's problem and they have had ample oppurtunity to fix it. Now here in Canada we don't have the LEMON LAW. We have an arbitrator. Independent. This arbitrator looks at your case and renders a decision. Do you seriously think it is right to have the buzz noise? I could see it if I paid 2999 for a used Hyundai POS. I can not however, justify it on a vehicle of this type. It doesn't work as it is supposed to. Fix it. Oooops try again, oooops try to fix it again, nope not this time, one more try. Sorry, try one more time. No can't fix it. Well, take it back. A pillar or transmission or MFT. If you sell something to someone it has to work. That's why we have the Better Business Bureau. So yes.... IMHO. LEMON LAW.:thumbdwn::(:(:(:(:(
And let me make this clear. I love this vehicle. I am highly disappointed. I understand it's a first year of a new design. I just don't think this is right. This is an outright bad design feature. I'm an Engineer. I can tell you plastic clips are a bad idea on a vehicle. Especially in extreme cold and heat. Whoever has the contract to make this part, well, their rich.
 






Ok, so above I showed pictures of the new a-pillars after installation and noticed that at the base, there is a gap where the a-pillar rubber overlaps the bottom portion below the windshield. Does this gap cause or allow air into the a-pillar interior chamber, thus cause noise, buzzing, etc.? Who knows. I believe that my old a-pillars had the same gap. It just seems that this should overlap flush, without a gap. So to test it, I took some dense black weatherstrip foam, cut it to size, and inserted it between the a-pillar plastic and the a-pillar rubber to "force" the rubber to sit flush, closing the gap....will it work? guess we will see over the next few days when I have a chance to get up to speed. Here are a few pictures. Drivers side and passenger side. The foam is not noticeable unless you get right up on it and at an angle looking from the center of the car outward. you can see in the pictures how the rubber is now seated together compared to the previous pictures. If this works, I may just use some type of adhesive tape that works on rubber to secure the a-pillar rubber down to the other rubber.

IMG_1518.jpg


IMG_1519.jpg
 






So after all the hassle of waiting an additional day for my new problem to get addressed, my fiancé picks up the supposedly fixed Explorer to find the AC still blows hot air. What the? Why did we wait for a part supposedly an extra 2 days to get our Explorer back the way we left it? Are these guys incompetent or liars hoping problems claimed are the figment of Ford vehicle owners imagination?

Now I need serious intervention because I don't trust my ford dealer's word.

Cory I'll be taking you up on your offer of assistance ASAP.

Frustrated!!!!!!
 






Well lets see. You pay for something that costs well over 40K here in Canada over 50K. You do alot of highway driving. However, there is this flaw in the design. It seems to buzz.... all the time. Now you don't think it's a bonus feature that comes with the vehicle. No, it's not. Something is broken and not working correctly. You bring it in and the bodyshop says, oh yah, all the explorers we sold are doing this. We'll fix it for you, first try doesn't work, second attempt failure.... Third time is the charm. NOPE. Let's try one more time, there is a new fix out. Oh, driving home from the dealer and tada, the buzz sound. Four tries to fix a flaw from the factory. A flaw on a 50 THOUSAND dollar vehicle. Oh it's just a buzz noise. I did not pay for a buzz noise in my windshield, outside my windshield inside the vehicle. This is not my problem. This is Ford's problem and they have had ample oppurtunity to fix it. Now here in Canada we don't have the LEMON LAW. We have an arbitrator. Independent. This arbitrator looks at your case and renders a decision. Do you seriously think it is right to have the buzz noise? I could see it if I paid 2999 for a used Hyundai POS. I can not however, justify it on a vehicle of this type. It doesn't work as it is supposed to. Fix it. Oooops try again, oooops try to fix it again, nope not this time, one more try. Sorry, try one more time. No can't fix it. Well, take it back. A pillar or transmission or MFT. If you sell something to someone it has to work. That's why we have the Better Business Bureau. So yes.... IMHO. LEMON LAW.:thumbdwn::(:(:(:(:(
And let me make this clear. I love this vehicle. I am highly disappointed. I understand it's a first year of a new design. I just don't think this is right. This is an outright bad design feature. I'm an Engineer. I can tell you plastic clips are a bad idea on a vehicle. Especially in extreme cold and heat. Whoever has the contract to make this part, well, their rich.

Wow... it's that bad huh? Mine only buzzes very lightly (the radio drowns it out) very rarely and I drive 50 miles/day mostly highway.

Wonder if you could position a camera somehow to monitor the A-pillars as you drive to determine what exactly is causing the problem. That way you could fix it yourself. Seems like less hassle then another visit to the dealership.
 






Although I would drown out the buzz with the radio normally, its hard to crank up the music because I have an infant in the car 90% of the time. AND I can't turned up the radio without hearing my sunglass holder rattle. AND I can't even listen to Sirius cause I need a new antenna. So to say I'm fed up is an understatement .... and I really don't think I need to be rigging up the A pillars with tape, foam, silicone, etc. On a 45k truck.
 






Anyone who does significant windshield time should steer clear of an Explorer. The constant buzz all day long causes me significant anxiety and my work has suffered because of it. I'm not joking its that bad. The radio has to be very loud to drown out the Buzz. I'm off to the Dr. to get some Xanax to help me deal with this.
 






Well, jrmexplorer. I wish I had the ablility to sit back and duck tape my limited. I can't do that though. So, I'll take my chances with going to arbitration over it. Completely unacceptable. As for fixing it myself..... Yes...... who needs a warranty. LOL. LMAOSHMSFOAIDMT. Some peoples chlildren. A trip to the dealership is no hassle for me. I have all the time in the world my friend.
 






Well, jrmexplorer. I wish I had the ablility to sit back and duck tape my limited. I can't do that though. So, I'll take my chances with going to arbitration over it. Completely unacceptable. As for fixing it myself..... Yes...... who needs a warranty. LOL. LMAOSHMSFOAIDMT. Some peoples chlildren. A trip to the dealership is no hassle for me. I have all the time in the world my friend.

Don't get all mad at me! I'm not the engineer of the A-pillars.

I was just stating that it might be easier just to fix it yourself. I for one, do not have all the time in the world and being without a car for even a day is a major inconvenience.

As far as the warranty goes, no dealer worth their salt would care if you put a little silicone under the gasket or something like that. Besides, here in the states, it's illegal for Ford to deny your warranty claim unless they prove that your modifications caused the problem. I'm sure Canada is similar.

Then again, some people would rather deal with a lot of frustration (to the point of some people needing Xanax apparantely) and complain loudly on an online forum and get mad at other posters for no reason rather than be proactive. :rolleyes:

but to each his own.
 






Well, jrmexplorer. I wish I had the ablility to sit back and duck tape my limited. I can't do that though. So, I'll take my chances with going to arbitration over it. Completely unacceptable. As for fixing it myself..... Yes...... who needs a warranty. LOL. LMAOSHMSFOAIDMT. Some peoples chlildren. A trip to the dealership is no hassle for me. I have all the time in the world my friend.

You out of your meds again? :D

The taco thing makes me laugh every time!
 






...Cory I'll be taking you up on your offer of assistance ASAP...
I’m happy to help, Johnny. Shoot a PM with your VIN, contact information, dealer name/state, and approximate mileage.

Cory
 






OK lets get off the drugs, duck tape, silicone, and Lemon law thing and get back to my queation.

I had my a pillars changed today. Seems they only replaced the black plastic.

Are they supposed to change the rubber that is next and behind the a pillars?
 






Bruce, they changed both on mine the other day. I thought that it was a single assembly and that you could not change just one or the other, it had to be all or nothing.
 



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Although I would drown out the buzz with the radio normally, its hard to crank up the music because I have an infant in the car 90% of the time...
bluelion,

I want to arrange for you to be called but I’m missing your contact information. Could you please send a PM with your best daytime phone number?

...And let me make this clear. I love this vehicle. I am highly disappointed. I understand it's a first year of a new design. I just don't think this is right...
chimoman,

Have you tried calling the Ford of Canada @ 1-800-565-3673 for help? If you already have, please send a PM with what they said.

...I took some dense black weatherstrip foam, cut it to size, and inserted it between the a-pillar plastic and the a-pillar rubber to "force" the rubber to sit flush, closing the gap....will it work? guess we will see over the next few days when I have a chance to get up to speed...
Please keep us updated, cnsheets. I still have your Explorer’s info, so drop me a line if you’d like a follow-up scheduled.

...Mine only buzzes very lightly (the radio drowns it out) very rarely and I drive 50 miles/day mostly highway...
jrmexplorer,

Let me know if you plan on going to the dealer to let them hear the buzz and I’m glad to lend a hand.

...I'm not joking its that bad. The radio has to be very loud to drown out the Buzz...
I got your last PM, Dave; I sent you a reply with more details.

...I had my a pillars changed today. Seems they only replaced the black plastic...
As a heads up, I shot you a reply, Bruce. Please check your inbox for my message.

Cory
 






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