2014 Expedition Liftgate Rust?

[AccraBob]

I've just noticed today bubbling paint at the bottom edge (exterior and interior) of my 2014 Expedition liftgate. It's got just over 96k miles. I suppose I'll have to take it to a body shop to get cleaned up...anyone else have a problem like this? Water getting into the liftgate? Or just crappy finish on the truck in the first place? Any reason to bring it to a Ford dealer? I do have CSP on it. I want to deal with this before it gets worse. Here are some (non-great) pics.

 

[LRNAD90]

https://www.expeditionforum.com/thr...gister-a-complaint-read-fords-response.16012/

 

[99WhiteC5Coupe]

The areas you show are not rust, but rather aluminum panel corrosion.

This corrosion has been very common for years on the hoods and tailgates of Expedition models. It developed on the tailgate of my 2015 Expedition Limited 4x4 before the base warranty expired.

Ford has been aware of this issue for years and chose to ignore it, and not change their manufacturing process to avoid the corrosion.

 

[Jon1985]

Welcome to the club that’s been happening since the Second Generation . My buddy has it on his 06 and my 2010 Limited EL has it too I’m Curious If the 4th gens will have it also . It’s an factory Defect In the Painting process it’s the aluminum that has impurities on it causing it to bubble / corrode under the paint. Try not to mess with it you should be fine .

 

[Plati]

If you sand the paint off, it stops corroding & looks cool.
Pretty darn shiny though - blinding if the light hits just right!

 

[Kjhawkeye1]

I literally just sanded the corrosion off and used self etching primer and color matching spray paint from amazon so it would look like one color again. Doesn't look perfect but I'm happy with it.

 

[JExpedition07]

I live with it, on mine I just got rid of the super loose stuff and used a ford
black touch up stick. Looks a lot better than the raw aluminum did.

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

Well known Ford problem that has been going since 2000.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/fordpeelingpaint/

https://static.oemdtc.com/TSB/MC-10156863-9999.pdf

 

[Cyclone]

I took my Expedition to the dealer yesterday to get a wiper transmission replaced.

While it is is there, I asked that they get the Bodyshop to give me an estimate on getting the hood paint corrosion fixed, as well as some bubbling on the liftgate repaired. They called me back and said that Ford has extended the Corrosion warranty on this truck to five years and that extends it out to Nov 2020. (Note: I have a 2015 Expedition). They followed up with they are going to replace both the hood and liftgate for free.

So I can't beat that. I will follow up and let you know how it works out.

 

[Eagle 71]

Good info Cyclone. Thanks for posting.

Had the same issue with the corrosion on my rear tailgate when I first purchased my Expy. Local Ford dealership said they wouldn’t be able to do anything (outside of warranty), so I paid a friend of mine to fix it last November. He did a great job, but on my dime.

In hindsight, I should have waited until now, and had Ford fix it at their cost.

 

[cmiles97]

Would you mind asking if the Ford dealer will warranty the replacements? If 2 years from now assuming you still own it, would the same problem be fixed for free?

This is part of the reason Expedition values nose dive on the used market. Would you pay top $ for a used Expy of Navigator that has bubbling paint on it?

I'm actually surprised a successful lawsuit hasn't occurred to force Ford to fix it because it murders resale value.

 

[cmiles97]

If you sand the paint off, it stops corroding & looks cool.
Pretty darn shiny though - blinding if the light hits just right!
View attachment 31457

That would bug me too much, just like running around with giant rust holes around the wheel wells and rocker panels or mismatched paint panels. Might as well be Earl.

 

[Plati]

I'm actually surprised a successful lawsuit hasn't occurred to force Ford to fix it because it murders resale value.

I'm not a lawyer but I don't believe there is a legal basis for a lawsuit. That's the way our legal system works. Its based on law not on common sense or someones wishes or sense of fairness.

In fact, given that this is a 20 year old problem probably proves that no basis for a successful lawsuit

 

[Muddy Bean]

Funny you posted this. I have done months and months of research on this and today I’ll be emailing a friend of mine who is an engineer at ford. My 2015 liftgate is showing signs of the corrosion. I’ve read literally every single post in the corrosion thread posted above and here’s my conclusion:

Ford may fix the issue for free, but a repaint will only last a few years before it happens again, so here’s what I’ve read and heard. Someone in the know please correct me if I’m wrong:

If your hood corrodes you can replace it with a steel one. A company makes them. Get it professionally painted and problem solved.

If your liftgate corrodes, I have read that ford has made newer liftgates that don’t have this issue. Something about redoing how the seam sealer is applied and different stamping methods. Not sure about the details. Can anyone determine definitively if this is true? If the newer ford liftgates for our trucks have fixed the issue, and you can buy a steel hood, then that’s the route I’ll be going since I want to keep my truck for a while.


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[Plati]

MrMud ... Google filiform corrosion aluminum. Good reading. I think due to mechanical issues water gets in under paint at seams and bends chips and terminations.

Also ... Like I've said before ... These trucks live in a hostile environment and gets dings dents and wear out. This is just another war wound!

 

[99WhiteC5Coupe]

Funny you posted this. I have done months and months of research on this and today I’ll be emailing a friend of mine who is an engineer at ford. My 2015 liftgate is showing signs of the corrosion. I’ve read literally every single post in the corrosion thread posted above and here’s my conclusion:

Ford may fix the issue for free, but a repaint will only last a few years before it happens again, so here’s what I’ve read and heard. Someone in the know please correct me if I’m wrong:

If your hood corrodes you can replace it with a steel one. A company makes them. Get it professionally painted and problem solve.

If your liftgate corrodes, I have read that ford has made newer liftgates that don’t have this issue. Someone about redoing how the seam sealer is applied and different stamping methods. Not sure about the details. Can anyone determine definitively if this is true? If the newer ford liftgates for our trucks have fixed the issue, and you can buy a steel hood, then that’s the route I’ll be going since I want to keep my truck for a while.


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I bought a new 2015 Expedition Limited 4x4, which began showing the corrosion on the rear tailgate before the base warranty expired. I take meticulous care of all of my vehicles.

Pretty sad when you are considering buying another hood and tailgate to eliminate the corrosion, which may return.

I figured out how to never experience the aluminum panel corrosion again - never buy another Ford vehicle with aluminum panels. It is obvious that Ford did not care about eliminating the corrosion, or determining why it occurred. They just kept making the new Expeditions with the problem and ignored it.

My two cents.

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

I'm not a lawyer but I don't believe there is a legal basis for a lawsuit. That's the way our legal system works. Its based on law not on common sense or someones wishes or sense of fairness.

In fact, given that this is a 20 year old problem probably proves that no basis for a successful lawsuit

Actually, there is a basis for a lawsuit (known defect) and there have been hundreds (thousands?) of successful cases in small claims for this issue (see the Peeling paint Facebook group). There's even a legal prep kit you can rent from Zestar with all of the technical data re the issue. There have also been at least 2 small claims cases for the peeling paint, but neither of those were successful. Whether that's because of legal incompetence or a lack of evidence sufficient to support a case at the class action level, I don't know. There is a third class action in process though.

 

[Muddy Bean]

So does anyone know if the replacement liftgates from ford are fixed? If you google it, some say they are.


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[Plati]

Actually, there is a basis for a lawsuit (known defect) and there have been hundreds (thousands?) of successful cases in small claims for this issue (see the Peeling paint Facebook group). There's even a legal prep kit you can rent from Zestar with all of the technical data re the issue. There have also been at least 2 small claims cases for the peeling paint, but neither of those were successful. Whether that's because of legal incompetence or a lack of evidence sufficient to support a case at the class action level, I don't know. There is a third class action in process though.

I don't know about peeling paint. I thought this about was the bubbling problem. You can file a suit for anything. Winning is a different matter. Lawsuit for a defective product requires injury and other things doesn't it? Lots of known car defects.

It will takes years to know if Ford really fixed it won't it?

 

[Trainmaster]

The aluminum 2019 F-150s are bubbling here in New York.