List of Useful Threads Hood Paint bubble issue only

[peterk9]

Thanks Halwg.

After reading several posts here, it looks like this is a well known issue with Ford. I'm certainly not letting this go, however. If it takes me to my last breath, It will be to Ford Customer Service. I've already had extreme rattling in the dash, "Shift to Park" issues, battery issues, and now this. I give it a year, and the entire paint on both leading edges of the hood will be completely gone. Sorry about your company vehicle experience. I'm sure the new fleet, when updated, will be another make.......

I have merged your thread with the existing one on the same issue. Good luck.

Peter

 

[peterk9]

It's the paint coming off the aluminum hood. That's why you see the white metal underneath. Ford has not been honoring these claims if the car is out of warranty. We had several company Expeditions that this happened on and Ford would not repair them under warranty.

I sure wouldn't buy an all aluminum F-150.

If you did, make sure it is a white one.

Peter

 

[JarHead1833]

Everyone make sure you check your hoods. I went to the dealership and they are going to fix my hood. While I was there I walked the lot and found 6 2015 explorers that are starting to bubble. If you feel any roughness along your hood you will have this problem.

 

[JarHead1833]

Oh and they will not give me a new hood. They claim Ford is aware of the issue and have detailed instructions to give to the body guys so this will not happen again. Lol I was born at night but not lastnight. I was going to buy the new F 150, not anymore. As soon as the Ex is done it's getting traded in for a Cherokee SRT 8

 

[Mishtar]

I am new to the forum..
I have a 2012 Ford Explorer with 124,000 kms.
i know i know its big, but here's the thing nothing noticable on the front/mirrors etc in the form of stone chips, no dents..
but on the tailgate right beside the beginning of the "chrome" explorer handle.
I have a paint circle about a 1/2 inch "popped" off right down to the metal, no rust, just a grey metal circle.
I called Ford/went to the dealer took some pics and got the Ford 2 step shuffle in regards to the Km's..
Here's the thing if this was in the front no questions, if there was a dent no questions, but to have the paint pop off where it is on the tailgate.. its obviously a defect and to summarily dismiss me because of the miles (the car is 2.5 years old) sucks..
I've had cars 5 times older and not have that issue
outside of that and some other issues.. ie the splitting of the seam on the armrest ( i saw that on another forum here as well.. ) the truck has been very reliable and its good on gas and we love it.. but this and the reaction of Ford not to look at the situation for what it is will definately factor into my decision to buy another Ford..

I was just re-reading this thread and saw your post. I reported the same issue a year ago when I was at 37,500 Miles so 1500 over and they said they will not do anything unless it rusts through. Did they ever do anything for you? I agree with you that it is a weird spot for the paint to just fall off, I had it happen on both sides in the exact same spot on both sides.

 

[jswright]

update

So I stopped by a local Ford dealership last week and made sure I was calm and level headed. I advised them I needed to find out the process because I have a Explorer with one of the contaminated hoods, which is starting to bubble. They took some pictures and sent it to Ford and warned me that Ford will most likely deny the claim because I am 1400 over the 36000 warranty. I questioned why then the corrosion warranty wouldn't cover it and he advised the hood would need to have a hole in it for them to cover under the corrosion policy. After a few hours he called me and advised Ford denied it due to me being 1400 over the warranty. I have reached out to Crystal on this forum the Ford Service Rep. I will keep you posted hopefully Ford does what is right.

I have a friend who works at a Chrysler/Jeep Dodge dealership and he said they are having the same problem with their hoods. The difference he said is at first they were repainting them and now Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge is just replacing the hood right as a first step because they have accepted the issue is the hood not the paint. They realize it was costing more to paint and then repaint again and replace the hood so now they replaced the hood and paint it once. So it isn't just Ford but hopefully Ford changes the way they are addressing it.

I will keep everyone updated!

 

[SHAD0W]

...and now Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge is just replacing the hood right as a first step because they have accepted the issue is the hood not the paint...

Are their hoods aluminum as well? And if so, are they replacing it with uncontaminated aluminum or steel hoods? Whatever the case, glad they are making things right.

 

[tmg19103]

I discovered the same problem. Working with Ford corporate customer service as I type when dealer denied it. Still have not hit 36k, but 1 year out of bumper-to-bumper.

Let's just say I am not pleased with where we are at and the regional customer service manager has escalated it to her supervisor.

5 years on corrosion IF it perforates. That is useless. It's almost impossible to get that type of corrosion in 5 years, yet these aluminum hoods are loaded with corrosion that will destroy the paint on the hood in several years so you Ex looks terrible and has no resale value and it will eventually perforate - and it will happen to someone like me who buys and holds for 8-10 years.

 

[SHAD0W]

I discovered the same problem. Working with Ford corporate customer service as I type when dealer denied it. Still have not hit 36k, but 1 year out of bumper-to-bumper.

Let's just say I am not pleased with where we are at and the regional customer service manager has escalated it to her supervisor.

5 years on corrosion IF it perforates. That is useless. It's almost impossible to get that type of corrosion in 5 years, yet these aluminum hoods are loaded with corrosion that will destroy the paint on the hood in several years so you Ex looks terrible and has no resale value and it will eventually perforate - and it will happen to someone like me who buys and holds for 8-10 years.

They want perforations? Let's give 'em perforations... meet me down the block and around the corner. I'll grab my center punch tool and drill bits.

 

[nick3941sd]

I discovered the same problem. Working with Ford corporate customer service as I type when dealer denied it. Still have not hit 36k, but 1 year out of bumper-to-bumper.

Let's just say I am not pleased with where we are at and the regional customer service manager has escalated it to her supervisor.

5 years on corrosion IF it perforates. That is useless. It's almost impossible to get that type of corrosion in 5 years, yet these aluminum hoods are loaded with corrosion that will destroy the paint on the hood in several years so you Ex looks terrible and has no resale value and it will eventually perforate - and it will happen to someone like me who buys and holds for 8-10 years.

Exactly, I share the same opinion... I have a 2014 ExSport leased that I haven't been putting many miles on and will have a smoking buy out price once the lease is up. My plan is/was to just buy it out and hold onto it so I can be payment free for some years. With reading this thread it has me thinking if I need to make sure its out of my possession before the 3yr/36k. I get all four seasons where I live with a ton of salt and Im sure thats not helping the potential situation.

I understand owning a vehicle over an extended period of time will eventually come with repairs, maintenance and all that but this is just unacceptable and I am disappointed in the way ford is treating some of the customers that have posted above. It should be a long time before owners are experiencing these issues.

One of the best examples that come to mind is the last generation (2014 eariler) VW TDI's with its HPFP issues. When these fuel pumps were sporadically "letting go" repairs were reaching 10k (retail) because the whole fuel system usually needed to be replaced. VW to this day is still covering repairs on these TDI's with well over 100k on them. Theres a 50+ page thread on this over at TDI forums. VW realized the pumps were an issue and decided to deal with them as they happen vs a full blown recall due to costs, which is something I can agree with. It would be nice if ford would do something like this so we could have some confidence owning the product for longer than short term.

To be clear I do love my ExSport and would like to have it long term. But the potential of having 1000's in paint repairs if Im just past the bumper to bumper and stressful/negative contacts with Ford CS will make me hold off on my decision until my warranty or lease is close to up.

I know the number of owners with this issue is a fraction but it is undeniably a production issue that Ford needs to acknowledge. I will be constantly checking my paint until decision day arrives.

 

[jswright]

Yes theirs are aluminum as well. They are replacing with aluminum one that are not contaminated. They realize the issue the hood not the paint. They are replacing with hoods that are not contaminated.

 

[LabMan1017]

I have a 2011 Explorer that had paint bubbling on the hood that had to be repainted twice so far. 1st time in summer of 2013 and the 2nd time last month. I could not believe it when I saw the bubbling the 2nd time.

 

[nick3941sd]

I have a 2011 Explorer that had paint bubbling on the hood that had to be repainted twice so far. 1st time in summer of 2013 and the 2nd time last month. I could not believe it when I saw the bubbling the 2nd time.

All out of your pocket?

 

[edino]

I had paint bubbling on the aluminium tailgate of our 2008 Expedition. The car was just a year old, when that started. Sadly, Ford would not repair it under warranty, no matter how I argued.

After a while the dealership did me a favor, and repainted it free of charge. Two years later when started bubbling at a different place on the tailgate I sold the car.

Ford and painted Aluminium do not seem to be a good combination, especially since they do not give warranty on paint bubble defects. I hope that I will have not such issues with my new 2015 Explorer Limited....

 

[tmg19103]

Exactly, I share the same opinion... I have a 2014 ExSport leased that I haven't been putting many miles on and will have a smoking buy out price once the lease is up. My plan is/was to just buy it out and hold onto it so I can be payment free for some years. With reading this thread it has me thinking if I need to make sure its out of my possession before the 3yr/36k. I get all four seasons where I live with a ton of salt and Im sure thats not helping the potential situation.

I understand owning a vehicle over an extended period of time will eventually come with repairs, maintenance and all that but this is just unacceptable and I am disappointed in the way ford is treating some of the customers that have posted above. It should be a long time before owners are experiencing these issues.

One of the best examples that come to mind is the last generation (2014 eariler) VW TDI's with its HPFP issues. When these fuel pumps were sporadically "letting go" repairs were reaching 10k (retail) because the whole fuel system usually needed to be replaced. VW to this day is still covering repairs on these TDI's with well over 100k on them. Theres a 50+ page thread on this over at TDI forums. VW realized the pumps were an issue and decided to deal with them as they happen vs a full blown recall due to costs, which is something I can agree with. It would be nice if ford would do something like this so we could have some confidence owning the product for longer than short term.

To be clear I do love my ExSport and would like to have it long term. But the potential of having 1000's in paint repairs if Im just past the bumper to bumper and stressful/negative contacts with Ford CS will make me hold off on my decision until my warranty or lease is close to up.

I know the number of owners with this issue is a fraction but it is undeniably a production issue that Ford needs to acknowledge. I will be constantly checking my paint until decision day arrives.

I don't believe the number of owners is a fraction. This is a manufacturing defect and most owners would not know to check under the hood lip for the first signs. I only did it the other week after reading this thread and where to look and there were the rust bubbles. You have, what, hundreds of thousands of Ex owners who have no idea to look and it won't be until year 6 or so of ownership in many cases that this attacks the top of the hood and eventually perforates.

One reason this is so frustrating for me as a buy and hold owner is I am coming off a GMC Jimmy I had for 16 years. Not exactly known for quality at the time. That SUV was in the shop more times than I could shake a stick at the first three years. Heck, the transmission went at 17k. Still, all that was fixed under warranty and they basically fixed the vehicle. For the next 13 years, hardly a problem.

And, in 16 years of ownership, not a single rust issue. The clear coat did go on the roof after 12-13 years, but the vehicle was parked outside the last 12 years, so that was expected.

Now I am looking at a significant out of pocket expense for a 4 year old Ex with under 36k due to what is clearly a manufacturing defect and needless to say, I am not pleased - at all. I have supported the Ex on this forum - warts and all. I'll keep posting as long as I have this vehicle, but you also will post about how you feel about what you drive.

 

[LabMan1017]

All out of your pocket?

My dealership covered the cost both times, and supplied us with a loaner car. Just quite disappointed that it happened a 2nd time.

 

[peterk9]

Welcome to the Forum LabMan1017.:wavey:
It's nice to see that some dealers will 'go the extra mile' for their customers.

Peter

 

[tmg19103]

My dealership covered the cost both times, and supplied us with a loaner car. Just quite disappointed that it happened a 2nd time.

Were you under warranty? My dealer denied it one year past warranty (though under 36k, so it is not as if the body had taken a lot abuse driving) and because the 5 year corrosion warranty is only if it perforates - which is highly unlikely in any vehicle until the 7+ year range. If your dealer went the extra mile after warranty, good for them. Problem is, unless they replaced the hood, it will come back again.

 

[new to ford]

we need more photos on this thread, post photos of your paint bubble defects

 

[JDubya]

Hello everyone. I am another unfortunate victim of the infamous Ex hood bubbling issue. I noticed it the other day after having it washed so I took it to the dealer the next day. They took pictures and sent it off for a coverage answer. In a couple of hours, the dealership called me and said it was denied. This truly pisses me off beyond belief. I am at 37,500 miles but within the 3yr window. Covering paint defects for 36,000 miles makes absolutely no sense at all. It also chaps my @$$ that this is a Ford CPO vehicle that I bought from a Ford dealer just over a year ago. So not only does the Ford factory warranty not cover this, the Ford CPO warranty doesn't cover it either. I am a Ford fanboy and have 3 Fords right now with owning another 5 Fords in the past. I was also ready to go look at the 2016 Ex Sport when they hit the lots in the next few months, but Ford can now go shove it! I will go spend my $50k (+) with another manufacturer.