Sport Trac SERIOUS water issues

[kuttnitup]

I've got a '07 St and have had to replace the 3rd brake light, are you ready, 10 TIMES!!! It started about two months after I bought it. Sometimes I'm good for several months to bout 9 months, and sometimes I have to bring it in a week after they've fixed it! I always bring it to the Ford dealership that I bought it from. I do have a Lemon Law atty. The dealership cringe when I walk in! It's a good thing I bought the extended warranty! DAMN FORD!! A month after I got the truck, someone hit me from behind. Total cost to repair with labor about $700. I brought it to the dealership, had them fix the leak, then the bumper. Now FORD is saying it was from the accident. Like I told my atty, the bumper is NOT connected to the back glass or 3rd brake light! Don't need to be an engineer for that! So FORD and the dealership keep going back and forth over who is responsible. My service gut even had the engineers on the phone and got the old gasket replaced with the redesigned gasket.

I asked them to get me another truck. That we would trade and I would continue to pay out what I owed. They said NO!!! You would think that since I've been a customer for 10 years, and the fact that I bought 3 St from them ,'01,05,07, that would count for something other than them PISSING me off!!

And now I just moved from Southwest Louisiana to west Texas. It don't rain here like it does back home. Maybe 3 times the whole 2 1/2 months I've been here, where every other week back home it rains. I told them just cause I haven't been in to get the damn thing replaced doesn't mean it's fixed!

Any info will help. I'm sending these links to atty office with all these 3rd brake light leaks that people are having. Hopefully it will help my case even more!

 

[Joe Dirt]

I had a leaking HMSL on my 2004 F150. I put some silicone under it and never had a problem since. Was it new? Yes. Was it really my responsibility? No. Was 5 minutes of my time and $3.00 in silicone worth avoiding dozens of trips to the dealer, fighting with them and having to deal with an attorney for however long it was going to take to try and convince someone that a leaky lens was worthy of replacement of an entire vehicle? Yes. To me anyway...

I'm not dismissing your claim, I just wouldn't expect Ford to replace my entire vehicle when it's a well documented fact that laying some silicone under the HMSL solves the problem anyway.

 

[GSU4x4]

I had my 3rd brake light leak on me also, they replaced it and my headliner since it was stained, but I haven't had a problem since. I hate to hear you're having so much problems, its sad that customer service doesn't exist anymore!

 

[psycareyo]

I have a 2010 Adrenalin and I had a leak through the third brake light also. It leaked from the overhead light switch like it was a kitchen faucet! It fill both my cup holders but didn't damage anything else.

It was replaced under warranty and it's been fine since.

I live in upstate NY.

 

[BigV]

What amazes me is they had this problem in 07 and you had the same problem 3 years later. That is poor customer service fix the problem once and for all.

 

[GreenMando]

So far mine has not leaked. If it does I will likely just use a tube of silicone on it.

My wife's 08 Escape had 3 inches of water in the floorboard in Jan. Ended up being the tray under the windshield was leaking as well as the drain tubes on the sunroof were not connected. When we dropped it off the service manager made her feel like crap accusing her of having a accident with shoddy repairs. She was satisfied in the end but she was hard to live with for a few days.

That dealership has closed their doors since.

 

[Joe Dirt]

I always find it interesting how some people will post a rant thread- even like this as a first post- or even a new member thread needing a solution, and then they disappear?!

 

[GreenMando]

I always find it interesting how some people will post a rant thread- even like this as a first post- or even a new member thread needing a solution, and then they disappear?!

Happens in most forums a lot. It seems we get less trolls here thou.

 

[BigRondo]

I always find it interesting how some people will post a rant thread- even like this as a first post- or even a new member thread needing a solution, and then they disappear?!

Joe, I have often wondered that myself. I figure that they read the replies, take action, and don't bother to post any updates?
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[ncranchero]

I had a leaking HMSL on my 2004 F150. I put some silicone under it and never had a problem since. Was it new? Yes. Was it really my responsibility? No. Was 5 minutes of my time and $3.00 in silicone worth avoiding dozens of trips to the dealer, fighting with them and having to deal with an attorney for however long it was going to take to try and convince someone that a leaky lens was worthy of replacement of an entire vehicle? Yes. To me anyway...

I'm not dismissing your claim, I just wouldn't expect Ford to replace my entire vehicle when it's a well documented fact that laying some silicone under the CHMSL solves the problem anyway.

Thank you Joe!

Occasionally one does have to do something for themselves. Should they have to fix the leak, yes. Is it worth all that BS to MAKE Ford fix it, NO. Lemon law claim, replace your truck????????? Oh Please!

 

[FoHGoR]

Here in California, we've just gone through a series of storms and I've just discovered that I, too, have a leaking third light. I think I'm going to take it to a dealer just to get it documented - I've heard horror stories about mold taking over an entire interior (it wasn't a sport trac). Regardless of what the dealer does, I'm going to silicone it as well.

Unfortunately, the dealer from which I bought the truck, which was about 1.5 miles from my home, has closed. Now, the closest dealer is about 8 miles away down a busy, red light filled street.

Anyway, thanks for the silicone suggestion..

Kris

 

[3rdbrake]

2009-2012 Ford F150 3rd Brake Light Gasket - The 1st picture is an old shunken gasket with the new replacement gasket !!!

If you have a leak at the back seat/window of your F150 , then odds are the original gasket has shrunk and caused an opening between the body and the plastic 3rd light assy .See the pictures of an old gasket vs. the new one. This gasket has one adhesive side to install on your light assy. Easy fix for the leak ..

Most folks will use silicone around the light assy and then remount it .. This will work but GOOD LUCK GETTING THE LIGHT ASSEMBLY OFF AGAIN WITHOUT DAMAGE !!!



Replacing the gasket is the best repair !.http://www.ebay.com/itm/321121045600?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649

 

[captainjack]

Different solution for my leak

I stopped my small leak by cleaning the gasket and mounting surface and coating the gasket with silicone grease, not silicone sealant or caulk. So far 18 months or so and not a drop inside. I got the idea from a watch repair board contributor who said that a light coat of silicone grease on a watch case gasket assisted in waterproofing.

 

[GreenMando]

I stopped my small leak by cleaning the gasket and mounting surface and coating the gasket with silicone grease, not silicone sealant or caulk.,,,

I used silicone grease as well and it has worked well.
I had a argument here in the forum last year as someone thought I meant silicone sealant. I use silicone grease in all my seals for scuba diving, I bring a small jar of it on boat trips.

I was surprised our Sport Tracs did not come running Dot 5 silicone based brake fluid.

 

[diesel_s]

My 2008 was fine from the day i bought it until some kids playing around the neighborhood threw some ball and cracked the 3rd brake light cover. After i replaced the cover (same as the one on the F150's) I hadn't had an issue. From both and engineering stand point and an investigative crash stand point, can the issue you're experiencing be a result of the accident? Yes, very much so. When you experience a crash everything is affected, it may not be visible to your eye but you will notice that the vehicle is never the same. The leak you're getting is a result of the body slighting warping enough to where the 3rd brake light is not forming the seal that it should.

You told your attorney that the bumper and 3rd brake light aren't connected. Wrong statement to make. They are, they're connected by and through the frame, so any impact at any point on the vehicle travels throughout the entire vehicle which in turn can lead to issues that seam completely unrelated. For example, my dad had a 1997 Expedition Eddie Baurer that was rear ended, it didn't do much visual damage but that impact resulted in a permanent change in braking and engine performance. My 2001 Sport was blind-sided by a Chevy Blazer, it resulted in a few wiring issues and a tranny issue so bad that I had to drop the transmission out and rebuild it. The impact actually dislodged and loosened some of the internal components

 

[AdamC]

I took mine to a local mechanic and he just put some sealing around the light and the screw holes. No problems yet.