Bubbling Paint

Bubbling paint has been an issue for generations on the Expeditions. I had a 2006 and the liftgate paint bubbled. I now have a 2016 and the liftgate is experiencing the same problem. Seems to be a well known issue from what I've read. Why hasn't Ford fixed this yet? Expeditions aren't cheap! After 3 years the paint should not be bubbling. I was considering a new Expy but I hear the new ones are doing the same. Ugh. Very disappointing. Has anyone had any luck getting theirs fixed/repainted at no cost from dealer? Appears to be a defect.

I was told that it is a problem with the paint and the aluminum. On my 2015, that means hood and tailgate. Yes, its a known issue.

Ford's only been working on this problem for 22 years. They said they have solved it on their new aluminum F150's.

4Wolves said:

Bubbling paint has been an issue for generations on the Expeditions. I had a 2006 and the liftgate paint bubbled. I now have a 2016 and the liftgate is experiencing the same problem. Seems to be a well known issue from what I've read. Why hasn't Ford fixed this yet? Expeditions aren't cheap! After 3 years the paint should not be bubbling. I was considering a new Expy but I hear the new ones are doing the same. Ugh. Very disappointing. Has anyone had any luck getting theirs fixed/repainted at no cost from dealer? Appears to be a defect.

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Here is a thread on this forum with 462 posts regarding the bubbling paint on the Ford Expedition: https://www.expeditionforum.com/thr...a-complaint-read-fords-response.16012/page-47

Yes, it is a defect - and Ford has known about it for years. They chose not to fix the problem.

The paint on the tailgate on my 2015 Expedition Limited 4x4, purchased new, began to bubble before the base warranty expired. The dealer told me that the corrosion would have to perforate the panel to be eligible to be repaired. As such, I will never buy another Ford with an aluminum body panel.

The warranty was changed in 2016 regarding the aluminum corrosion, so read your warranty folders. One or more of the posts in the link above has information about the modified warranty beginning in 2016 models.

Thanks 99WhiteC5Coupe!!!
I was able to look up the warranty info and found this for my 2016: "3) Your vehicle’s body sheet metal panels are covered for an extended Corrosion Coverage Period, which lasts for five years, regardless of miles driven. The extended warranty coverage only applies if a body sheet metal panel becomes perforated due to corrosion during normal use due to a manufacturing defect in factory-supplied materials or factory workmanship. If aluminum body panels have corrosion or rust damage,and the damage is not the result of abnormal usage, vehicle accident,customer actions and/or extreme environmental conditions, the corrosion or rust damage repairs are covered for 5 years, unlimited miles. For damage caused by airborne material (environmental fallout) where there is no factory-related defect involved and therefore no warranty − our policy is to provide free repair of paint damage due to the airborne material for 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever occurs first.

UPDATE! The Hood and Liftgate were replaced, 100% free of charge to me. I worked through my local Ford dealership and did not have to make a big fuss about it. They looked at it and determined it was perforated enough to warrant a replacement. Also, Ford may have extended the time-frame beyond the 5 year mark as well, or so I heard from the Dealership. I guess it all depends on how bad the paint is bubbling/peeling/perforated. Make sure your dealership is advocating for you, their customer. Mine was and it worked out. There was very little effort on my end to get these replacements. I am praising Ford for doing the right thing!

4Wolves said:

UPDATE! The Hood and Liftgate were replaced, 100% free of charge to me. I worked through my local Ford dealership and did not have to make a big fuss about it. They looked at it and determined it was perforated enough to warrant a replacement. Also, Ford may have extended the time-frame beyond the 5 year mark as well, or so I heard from the Dealership. I guess it all depends on how bad the paint is bubbling/peeling/perforated. Make sure your dealership is advocating for you, their customer. Mine was and it worked out. There was very little effort on my end to get these replacements. I am praising Ford for doing the right thing!

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Glad to hear the defects were fixed under warranty.

The Ford aluminum panel corrosion issue is one reason why I’ll never buy another new Ford with aluminum panels. I wonder how many others have not purchased a Ford due to their experience with this long-running panel defect?

I bought a new 2015 Ford Expedition Limited 4x4, which began to have paint bubbling before the 3 year / 36,000 warranty expired. The dealer told me that the corrosion would have to perforate the panel for them to replace or repair it.

Perforated?
PERFORATED??