Driver side rear tail light - inner lens assembly fell off inside

[tweakeraz]

Question: Has anyone else had any issues with their driver side led tail light assembly? My inner lens fell off and since the unit is sealed, I could not address myself. Took my Expedition in for warranty work including tail light and paperwork indicated they replaced the whole unit. Just over a month since replacement and the new unit has done the sam thing. I also just crossed over my 36k mark and will be on our extended warranty. I have already called my service advisor and will be pushing them to replace the assembly with another unit under warranty since the timeline was ridiculously short. I am also thinking they never really swapped the unit out and just fiddled with it until the tabs landed back in place.

Was just curious if others had the same issue? Maybe bad bad of drivers tail light assemblies? Attaching pic of lens loose in assembly.

 

[Yupster Dog]

I am also thinking they never really swapped the unit out and just fiddled with it until the tabs landed back in place.

Maybe another dealer needs to work on it this time.

 

[Meeker]

Took my Expedition in for warranty work including tail light and paperwork indicated they replaced the whole unit. Just over a month since replacement and the new unit has done the sam thing.

Are you sure they replaced it with a new one? I am suspicious that dealerships will just "fix" it (maybe they just pushed it back into place inside the unit) but they tell Ford it's a replacement so they can be paid for it. There must be some kind of scam around this. You are the very first person that I have seen in 5 years mention this and to think it happened twice to you IN A ROW is very improbable. Buy a lottery ticket right now kind of improbable.

I had my 2018 XLT in for regular maintenance, and without telling me anything they replaced the front differential under warranty! Claimed it was making noise (which I hadn't heard). I'm very suspicious this was warranty fraud so I haven't gone back to them since.

 

[SyndicateZ]

bring it back to the same dealer with same issue , again. Let it be know to the advisor that you think they didnt actually replace the housing last time. Maybe they wont cut corners this time because that is too much of a coincidence unless they admit that those housings are faulty...?

 

[5280tunage]

$1000 JUNK - one of mine cracked internally at around 12k miles. Ford tried to fight the replacement but the dealer worked to help drive it since it was clear there was no external damage.

 

[tweakeraz]

UPDATE: My service advisor went MIA. Eventually I got a new advisor. Tail light was replaced again in March 2024 during last oil change. So I am on my 3rd unit. Recently I noticed that the 3rd unit did the exact same thing. Since I was due for my oil change again since that last one in March, I brought it up to see what they intend to do about it. Apparently that unit is not covered under warranty and the extended is denying it as they claim cosmetic only. The dealer is currently trying to push it up to Ford to see what they can do about it due to this being an ongoing issue and I shouldn't be experiencing it. They are waiting to hear back still. Kind of crap for a $900 dollar tail light. Unfortunately, if I recall, it comes standard with the LED headlights.

Additionally, they are replacing a front lower ball joints and a rear lower ball joints. These should be under warranty as they should be unrelated to the below swaybar issue. I am at 45,000 miles.

I also have worn swaybar bushings and end links. I had to let them know they are both aftermarket and that is on me to replace. I put the Hellwigs and Moog end links on May 2023. I was experiencing bad clunking. I have new Energy Suspension bushings coming along with new Moog end links. Told them that those two items were on me and not to address them. I may have 15,000 miles on these both.

 

[2018ExpyPlatinum]

That should absolutely be a warranty item, especially if you're on your third one. Go find a police officer friend who can write a warning for a safety violation.

 

[BigOleFordFan]

Recently I noticed that the 3rd unit did the exact same thing

Time to see if they have lemon laws where you live....and document all encounters & continue to push the issue, perhaps with the assistance of your attorney, cause most of the time, it only takes a "do it or else" letter from them to get the stealerships to get with the program....

They say the "3rd time is a charm", but obviously not in this case

 

[tweakeraz]

Dealer came back with Ford/Dealer assistance proposal. This was through a case the dealer opened with Ford.

1530 installed with tax.
- 1326 for the part
- 95 labor
- 110 tax
- 1123 total to be covered by ford/dealer
- 408 to be paid by me.
- 2 year warranty

I countered with retail on part through their own dealer site is 1181. Keeping labor, tax, and assistance the same should
bring me to 263 due.

They countered with they are locked into Ford Assist Part Pricing.

I asked why previous part didn't have 2 year warranty since the new one will.

Called Ford corporate about warranty support. Not a lot of help, but they said the part, since replaced under warranty (no out of pocket from me) should have a 12 month/12,000 mile warranty. Not the 24 month unlimited since it wasn't paid for by me. I also created a case with Ford regarding my complaint, but was told to work with the dealer.

Dealer is stating that the part replaced in March does not have new warranty, but follows the warranty of the part it replaced which is October of 2023 and warranty period is then out of 12/12 timeline as of October of 2024. I am now waiting for a call back from the Service Manager at this point.

This will be my 4th light. While the 400 dollars to replace is not ideal, it is more about how many times I am having to deal with this and the numerous inconsistencies in quality, cost, and storyline. I told my wife if this happens again, I may open up the next one and fix it myself.

 

[99WhiteC5Coupe]

Dealer came back with Ford/Dealer assistance proposal. This was through a case the dealer opened with Ford.

1530 installed with tax.
- 1326 for the part
- 95 labor
- 110 tax
- 1123 total to be covered by ford/dealer
- 408 to be paid by me.
- 2 year warranty

I countered with retail on part through their own dealer site is 1181. Keeping labor, tax, and assistance the same should
bring me to 263 due.

They countered with they are locked into Ford Assist Part Pricing.

I asked why previous part didn't have 2 year warranty since the new one will.

Called Ford corporate about warranty support. Not a lot of help, but they said the part, since replaced under warranty (no out of pocket from me) should have a 12 month/12,000 mile warranty. Not the 24 month unlimited since it wasn't paid for by me. I also created a case with Ford regarding my complaint, but was told to work with the dealer.

Dealer is stating that the part replaced in March does not have new warranty, but follows the warranty of the part it replaced which is October of 2023 and warranty period is then out of 12/12 timeline as of October of 2024. I am now waiting for a call back from the Service Manager at this point.

This will be my 4th light. While the 400 dollars to replace is not ideal, it is more about how many times I am having to deal with this and the numerous inconsistencies in quality, cost, and storyline. I told my wife if this happens again, I may open up the next one and fix it myself.

Wow!

Good. Luck.

 

[BigOleFordFan]

1326 for the part

That is absolutely, 1000% out-your-friggin-mind-rageous, to put it mildly

 

[texsn95]

Hopefully you kept one of the old ones to practice the repair on. What a fiasco.

 

[Benztech]

I understand the frustration of the lens continually falling off but some of the replies I've seen have me scratching my head.

Parts replaced under warranty are subject to recall & inspection by Ford. Although there could be fraud or bad faith repairs I find it highly unlikely in this case. Lights are treated as assemblies and are serviced as such. I really doubt they took the light apart to reinstall the cover, or that they have to tools or procedure to do so. Additionally when I was a tech there were certainly times when I did warranty repairs with no corresponding customer complaint. Usually it was to prevent an inconvenience/guaranteed return trip to the dealer. Additionally, parts replaced under warranty generally don't get their own warranty period. They only have to last as long as the vehicle warranty is in play. So if you have a part replaced at 35,980 miles and it breaks again at 36,100 (just after 36k warranty) the manufacturer doesn't owe you anything. I personally don't agree with this but that's how it was with every brand I worked for. Having said that most companies will work with the customer in these situations.

As for asking for a safety violation to justify replacement- I would caution be careful what you wish for. If ford determines they won't cover it, and you have a safety equipment violation for essentially a cosmetic concern, you will be paying the full bill. In many states you are required to fix safety violations which means you may be paying a lot to fix this if you don't have the skills or time to do it yourself or attemp a repair. I think a better way to go about this would be to ask an inspector if this would fail a vehicle safety inspection.

Back to the OP- my wife had a 2018 from 50k to 87k miles and didnt have any issues like yours, and the warranty history showed no replacements. I would certainly make a complaint to the NHTSB. At worst it will do nothing. At best you'll get a recall or extended warranty which may allow some reimbursement for you.

 

[bb37]

That is absolutely, 1000% out-your-friggin-mind-rageous, to put it mildly

It could be $5600 to fix a taillight.

Repair Cost Are Out of Control: $5,600 Bill for Some Tail Lamps?!

In this video we show you one example of how repair cost are out of control on modern vehicles nowadays. It is definitely something to consider when purchasi...

youtu.be

 

[99WhiteC5Coupe]

It could be $5600 to fix a taillight.

Repair Cost Are Out of Control: $5,600 Bill for Some Tail Lamps?!

In this video we show you one example of how repair cost are out of control on modern vehicles nowadays. It is definitely something to consider when purchasi...

youtu.be

And some people wonder why auto insurance collision rates are rising rapidly........

 

[tweakeraz]

Dealer came back with Ford/Dealer assistance proposal. This was through a case the dealer opened with Ford.

1530 installed with tax.
- 1326 for the part
- 95 labor
- 110 tax
- 1123 total to be covered by ford/dealer
- 408 to be paid by me.
- 2 year warranty

I countered with retail on part through their own dealer site is 1181. Keeping labor, tax, and assistance the same should
bring me to 263 due.

They countered with they are locked into Ford Assist Part Pricing.

I asked why previous part didn't have 2 year warranty since the new one will.

Called Ford corporate about warranty support. Not a lot of help, but they said the part, since replaced under warranty (no out of pocket from me) should have a 12 month/12,000 mile warranty. Not the 24 month unlimited since it wasn't paid for by me. I also created a case with Ford regarding my complaint, but was told to work with the dealer.

Dealer is stating that the part replaced in March does not have new warranty, but follows the warranty of the part it replaced which is October of 2023 and warranty period is then out of 12/12 timeline as of October of 2024. I am now waiting for a call back from the Service Manager at this point.

This will be my 4th light. While the 400 dollars to replace is not ideal, it is more about how many times I am having to deal with this and the numerous inconsistencies in quality, cost, and storyline. I told my wife if this happens again, I may open up the next one and fix it myself.

Latest update: Ford corporate did open a case for me all though not much was done from what I could tell. However, I did note to the dealer that I opened a case on my own in parallel to their own case. My service advisor has been helpful, but I continued to push back to the point she asked if I'd like a call from the dealer's service director as she could no longer do anything more for me. I accepted.

Service director called and said he could understand both positions on this issue and asked if I'd be willing to split the difference with him. I expressed that I did offer that solution earlier, to which he was unaware, but regardless wanted to help make it right for me. In the end, my portion is to be $200 for the replacement and it will come with a 2 year warranty attached.

I will say I was very frustrated with all of this and certainly expressed it. However, I would come back to being cordial and appreciative that they were still trying to help me even when we disagreed on the terms leading up to the final solution.

I appreciate all of the feedback provided here. Thank you.

 

[BigOleFordFan]

Wow, from $1530 to $200, I'd call that a win for you, for sure....

My only question would be is the warranty good anywhere, or just at the dealer who did the work.

I saw this happen to some friends in the past, who had issues fixed where they lived, but they returned while they were traveling out of state and the dealer there said they couldn't/wouldn't honor the warranty, but instead told them to pay for the repair then submit a claim to ford for reimbursement, which they politely refused and told that dealer to go f themselves...

So when they got home, they took the vehicle back to the original dealer, told them what happened, and they said "a ford repair/parts warranty is a ford repair/parts warranty, and is good anywhere in the US OR Europe...

 

[500LiterMin]

This exact same thing happened to my 2020 the other day. Same side and same damage. Haven't contacted Ford yet. My picture is just like yours but with white exterior paint.