Roof Rail Separating

[BradleyFord]

Yeah everything is fine inside, I did check. Part of me wants to say that nothing was done at all only because it's was clearly not fixed and I could tell when I was 20 feet from the car. How they thought it was ok and brought it back out... who knows. I have an email and voicemail into the service manager now, just waiting for him to get back at me.

 

[peterk9]

Yeah everything is fine inside, I did check. Part of me wants to say that nothing was done at all only because it's was clearly not fixed and I could tell when I was 20 feet from the car. How they thought it was ok and brought it back out... who knows. I have an email and voicemail into the service manager now, just waiting for him to get back at me.

If you're skeptical about the repair, just make an inconspicuous mark on the rail so that you can check if it was replaced this time.

Peter

 

[Indian]

I have 2016 and hate it, I am on my 3rd pair of roof rack overs in 6,000 miles. The covers keep popping off. I have black ones, when I see other 2016 models I always check them out too and more than 60% of the black ones are coming off, not sure if the owners are aware or not. I see way less silver ones coming undone.

I have a 2016 Base Explorer. I have just had mine fixed/repaired for the third time. I think it's the heat here in Vegas that is causing the covers to keep popping up at the rear. I enjoy driving my Explorer but hate the roof rails. I was going to buy a 2015 but decided to wait a few months for the 2016. Now every time I see a 2015, I wish I'd gone ahead and bought one instead.

The 2016 roof rails are cheap. Sorry I didn't pay more attention to detail when I bought it.

 

[nchoma0002]

Indian - this is going to sound so weird but are you parking under low energy / high efficient windows? I had the same problem 3 times, then even had windshield pillars melt too. The plastic is so cheap on these Fords that the windows are melting it. Ford fixed my roof racks twice then I had to go through insurance. Worth looking into, I ended up putting screens over my windows to diffuse the heat.

Glare from energy-efficient windows can melt siding, vehicles :: WRAL.com

 

[Indian]

nchoma0002,

No I'm not parking under low energy/high efficient windows. For the past 18 months I have been working nights so my Explorer sits in the work parking lot at night and since May, as soon as I get home, I put my Explorer in the garage, where it gets very warm during the summer, and if I go out to run errands during the day, the Explorer will be out in temperatures of over 100 degrees. Before I bought my house with the garage, my car was parked under a carport. My roof rails were repaired in March, then again two days ago. This time I hope it's the last time. Warrantee expires in September but it's frustrating to keep going back with the same problem.

 

[peterk9]

I have a 2016 Base Explorer. I have just had mine fixed/repaired for the third time. I think it's the heat here in Vegas that is causing the covers to keep popping up at the rear. I enjoy driving my Explorer but hate the roof rails. I was going to buy a 2015 but decided to wait a few months for the 2016. Now every time I see a 2015, I wish I'd gone ahead and bought one instead.

The 2016 roof rails are cheap. Sorry I didn't pay more attention to detail when I bought it.

Welcome to the Forum.
I think this post sort of runs contradictory to your thought of heat being the cause; 2016 / 17 Explorer Roof Racks - Totally Different

Peter

 

[Indian]

Welcome to the Forum.
I think this post sort of runs contradictory to your thought of heat being the cause; 2016 / 17 Explorer Roof Racks - Totally Different

Peter

Ha! Maybe it's the extreme weather either way that affects the rails...who knows for sure? Anyway, I was in the writing mood today and wrote to Ford Customer Service in Dearborn MI with my concerns. I also sent them this photo of my driver side rail before it was repaired by the dealership.

Seeing as how the rail doesn't do anything except sit there, I wonder why they don't make them solid?

 

[metroplex]

My 2018 XLT is doing the same thing on the passenger rear part of the cover. It did it since brand new. It looks like the clips they use aren't aggressive enough to keep the trim in place. It was one of the first 2018s off the production line in late October, so it hasn't seen any aggressive heat cycling. I'm going to try double sided tape on the grey clips to see if they will hold the trim better. I have not taken the Explorer to an automatic car wash, but the jet dry cycle would most likely rattle this thing loose! My 2014 SHO roof rail trim had a similar problem of warping under the heat.

 

[peterk9]

My 2018 XLT is doing the same thing on the passenger rear part of the cover. It did it since brand new. It looks like the clips they use aren't aggressive enough to keep the trim in place. It was one of the first 2018s off the production line in late October, so it hasn't seen any aggressive heat cycling. I'm going to try double sided tape on the grey clips to see if they will hold the trim better. I have not taken the Explorer to an automatic car wash, but the jet dry cycle would most likely rattle this thing loose! My 2014 SHO roof rail trim had a similar problem of warping under the heat.

Why not take it back to the dealer? That way there will at least be a record of it.

 

[metroplex]

It's a lease. But they'd just replace it with another cover that will just pop off eventually seeing how the 2018 has the same problem some of you reported with earlier models.

 

[Indian]

Whenever I see an Explorer from 2016 onwards driving down the street or sitting in a parking lot, I'm always looking at the roof rails. Many of them are having the same problem with the roof rails lifting up. peterk9 is right, take it back to the dealership and let them fix it. My Explorer is under warrantee until September and if I have to take it back to the dealership every month until then I will.

 

[Indian]

I received a letter from Ford yesterday. It read;

"Thank you contacting our Customer Relationship Center. We have received your letter providing feedback about the roof rails on your 2016 Explorer. I certainly understand how this may concern you.

From time to time new vehicle options are added, deleted or modified. Decisions to make these changes take into account factors such as market trends, customer demands, engineering advances and dealership input.

Please be assured that I have documented your correspondence. The information and feedback we gather from our customers is used in all areas within Ford Motor Company to assist us in building vehicles that will meet our customer's demands for quality and value.

Thank you for contacting Ford Motor Company".

 

[Adam Oliver]

I have had my drivers side roof rail replaced 3 times on my 2017 Sport. The last time the dealer tried to charge me for it. I have never put anything on the roof and they just come off on their own. This is a terrible design. I wish there was an aftermarket replacement for them, I would just bite the bullet and switch them out.

 

[metroplex]

I used a heat gun and softened one part of mine, and then compressed it by hand as it cooled. Now it clips in hard. What had happened was the trim wasn't molded right, so there's a tab that doesn't got locked properly on the rear/side area.

 

[metroplex]

I thought the roof rails were solid for Explorers with sun roofs.
My 2017 Sport has sun roofs (front and back) and has solid rails.

They should just clip on. The black "solid" plastic on the top surface clips onto the framed portion that is bolted into the roof. There's matte black, glossy black, painted silver, and chromed silver. I've seen the matte black on the really low end model, the glossy black on the Sport and Sport Appearance Package. And the Limited/Platinum gets the chromed silver. My XLT has the painted silver.

FYI - I'd never ever buy a Ford with glass on the roof. No OEM will cover them under warranty. Had a sunroof lift off the adhesive from the frame on my 2017 Fusion Sport that was brand new only 4 months old and had to fight with my dealership who blamed me, rock chip, etc... and the best they'd do is pay 50% for the repairs, they wanted to tear out the entire $1000 frame. I just replaced the damaged glass assembly myself with a used take-off from a 2013 Lincoln MKZ for under $200. Doing research on this, none of the OEMs will cover glass on the roof - it's not just Ford.

 

[FLCoyote]

I bought my 2017 Base Model Explorer last Dec. The roof rack caps pop up frequently. I've had them repaired at the dealer three times. The dealer has ordered new rails and caps, but they haven't come in yet. The caps also seem to fly off the vehicles regularly, not mine yet. Why no recall? The problem is common nation wide. Seems most common with the charcoal black caps. I spent the last three Fridays at my local dealer getting the caps repaired. Has anyone successfully had this problem resolved with a permanent fix?

 

[metroplex]

Yes, See above. I used a heat gun

 

[peterk9]

I bought my 2017 Base Model Explorer last Dec. The roof rack caps pop up frequently. I've had them repaired at the dealer three times. The dealer has ordered new rails and caps, but they haven't come in yet. The caps also seem to fly off the vehicles regularly, not mine yet. Why no recall? The problem is common nation wide. Seems most common with the charcoal black caps. I spent the last three Fridays at my local dealer getting the caps repaired. Has anyone successfully had this problem resolved with a permanent fix?

Welcome to the Forum.
You won't see a recall on this because recalls are only issued for safety-related problems. Many problems with the Explorer are "nationwide" but that doesn't mean it is a very common issue. There are only 5 reports in this thread about caps coming off/loose. Gorilla glue??

Peter

 

[FLCoyote]

Welcome to the Forum.
You won't see a recall on this because recalls are only issued for safety-related problems. Many problems with the Explorer are "nationwide" but that doesn't mean it is a very common issue. There are only 5 reports in this thread about caps coming off/loose. Gorilla glue??

Peter

Peter, Thank You for Reply. During my internet surfing I found a more than five caps that came off. I think a cap flying off at highway speed would be a safety issue, but that's just my opinion. During the last week I have see three other Explorers with the rear of the caps popped up on the road in my local area. How about a Technical Service Bulletin? I started to do the glue, but talked to my dealer who said that would void the warranty in that area. They tried to fix it three times in the last month and the repair lasted one to three days. I told them they could glue it if that wouldn,t affect the warranty. I do think it unsat that so many owners are having this issue. This is definitely a Ford responsibility and if the caps are defective, Ford should fix it. When you pay $35.0K Plus some for a vehicle, you shouldn't have to spend three Friday's in a row for 3 to four hours each visit on something like this!

 

[peterk9]

There seem to be 2 issues with these rails. One is with the end caps coming loose or off and the other is with the end cover of the rail actually lifting as pictured on the previous page. So far so good at my end.

Peter