Door trim misalignment with the dash

[Mike127]

Dash / Door Misalignment

you are exactly right. I noticed the same thing at my dealership on the 2012's they had in stock. I bought one and they assured me that it would be fixed later but...
After I bought it and brought it to the service dept, they told me that it was not a major saftey hazard and it was only slightly cosmetic and therefore wouldn't be fixed..!?!?!

I have a 2nd problem you guys may want to look at, my passengerside front door is also misaligned. It is plainly visible by looking at the silver trim that is on the dash and door which are supposed to be aligned but are clearly not. Once again I received the same answer...!

I'm going to speak to them about this again, b/c if it's only "cosmetic" then a big dent in my door would be okay too right?

The way they are handling the matter is very discouraging for me as this is my first Ford, first american car for that matter.

Oh and I also mentioned to them that I had an A-Pillar rattle but it wasn't heard when we did a hwy drive to check for it, so again,... nothing was done.

 

[Car 54]

you are exactly right. I noticed the same thing at my dealership on the 2012's they had in stock. I bought one and they assured me that it would be fixed later but...
After I bought it and brought it to the service dept, they told me that it was not a major saftey hazard and it was only slightly cosmetic and therefore wouldn't be fixed..!?!?!

I have a 2nd problem you guys may want to look at, my passengerside front door is also misaligned. It is plainly visible by looking at the silver trim that is on the dash and door which are supposed to be aligned but are clearly not. Once again I received the same answer...!

I'm going to speak to them about this again, b/c if it's only "cosmetic" then a big dent in my door would be okay too right?

The way they are handling the matter is very discouraging for me as this is my first Ford, first american car for that matter.

Oh and I also mentioned to them that I had an A-Pillar rattle but it wasn't heard when we did a hwy drive to check for it, so again,... nothing was done.

Are you talking about the interior trim that aligns the door with the dash? That's supposed to line up? Mine is so far (about 1/2") that I didn't even think it was possible.

Here:

 

[Mike127]

@car54: yes that is exactly what is wrong with my car. Only my driver side lines up perfectly like it should but my passenger side is my problem. When the door is closed you can tell it is not properly aligned from the outside as well. Just look straight down at the door seam near the handle and mine has a gap.

*how do you paste pictures w/o being an "elite member?"

What is the 3rd button next to the Tailgate, and Tow button? mine only has those two..?

 

[Car 54]

On mine, the dash is higher and is further back, evenly, on both doors. Seems impossible for it to be completely lined up around that arc (door to dash).

I use photobucket for my photo hosting, then just paste the tags into the text field.

3rd button is tow.

That's not my car...I found it on the interwebz.

 

[donm527]

just checked mine... the silver trim make a clean transition lining up from door panel to dash on both sides. pretty even (wide) gap on each side... just not flush... i little off. probably better than average.

On mine, the dash is higher and is further back, evenly, on both doors. Seems impossible for it to be completely lined up around that arc (door to dash).

I use photobucket for my photo hosting, then just paste the tags into the text field.

3rd button is tow.

That's not my car...I found it on the interwebz.

 

[jrmexplorer]

So my door panel doesn't align right with the dash. It's about 1/4" lower. I took it to the dealer's auto body shop who said that they really couldn't do anything about it. They could take off various panels but they'd rather not introduce any rattles, etc....

They also said that all Explorer's might be like that, and that it's "character."

I wasn't happy with that answer. But before I take my business somewhere else (another Ford dealer), I'd like to know if your doors are pretty good or not.

Attached is a picture of my issue. I have a stack of coins on the door to show the height difference. The stack measures just under 1/4"

 

[Fab]

My dash and door panels also do not align. Although I saw recently on this forum a picture where someone's vehicle did line up well. my rear hatch also is not flush which bugs the heck out of me.

 

[K1200rsport]

The answer was un acceptable, they need to try at minimum and do the best.

 

[VinceL]

"Character". Wow, that really takes the cake!

Maybe they need those fancy laser guided robots to install the interior too. Oh wait, they have those for the body and the tailgates still don't line up. Scrap that idea.

 

[bluelion]

my passenger side panel is like that also....and my hatch is misaligned a tad....

 

[jrmexplorer]

That was what I figured - that other's had the same issue. My driver's side door is almost perfect, but the passenger side is not. I believe one of the auto mags ripped Ford for the very same thing.

I may send these pictures to my salesman at the other Ford dealership and see if he can ask the body guys about it to get a second opinion. It's a ways away and I don't wanna drive that far to be told there is nothing they can do about it.

I thought the "character" thing was pretty funny too. I didn't throw a scene or even contest it because it was pretty obvious they wanted to have nothing to do with the car. Forcing them to fix it at that point seems like I'm asking for trouble - especially with other Ford body shops nearby. They fixed my slightly askew sunglesses holder anyway.

If I get it fixed I will let you all know!

 

[bluelion]

maybe i'll show it to the service tech when i go back to get my 'a' pillar fixed and see if they can do something about it. Ford robots didn't really put this explorer together very well, did they. if i continue to have issues with this vehicle, i just may start to look into lemon law in my area. i love the styling of the Ex but it's starting to be too many things adding up.

 

[jrmexplorer]

Yeah, let me know if anyone out there had this fixed and what they did to fix it.....
I'll post my results if I figure anything out.

 

[Car 54]

Mine is equally that far off, both sides.

 

[K1200rsport]

I have base model so have black trim and driver side is ok, passenger side is off.

 

[JFUSION]

mine has it as well, on both sides equally, just figured that's how they designed it.

 

[aznkidlee]

My driver side looks perfect. Passenger side looks just like the image above.

 

[peterk9]

Here are the pictures of mine that I had posted earlier for another member on another thread. These might be the ones Fab was referring to.

 

[FordService]

For those who have an alignment issue, I want to help by forwarding the details to the Customer Service Manager in your area. If you haven’t already done so, please send a PM with your contact information, VIN, mileage, and dealer name/state.

Cory

 

[willwitten]

Here are the pictures of mine that I had posted earlier for another member on another thread. These might be the ones Fab was referring to.

Both of the doors on my 2011 look very similar to PETERK9s.
They are not perfect......
But, my windows don't leak wind or rain.
They don't look bad enough for me to risk messing it up.