I need a little direction. I just purchased a 2015 Expedition Limited with 29,000 miles. I spent the last couple days detailing the car. It's a beautiful truck, loaded with all options. While waxing the jambs etc. I found what looks like corrosion on the insdie lip of the tailgate. It runs the length of the gate. The paint is lifted but still firmly attached. Is this something that will be a problem down the road? Should I get it in and have Ford take a look at it? Will they cover this repair under the 3/36,000? Still love the truck despite this little issue. I've attached a photo to show the area.

 

I have the same thing on my 2015, but to a lesser extent.

Not only does Ford know about it, but there is a TSB about it.

Here's the kicker, the tailgate is not steel, so it's not the gate corroding, it's the sealer they used between the 2 panels.

I haven't done anything about it just yet because their fix is idiotic. Split the panels, clean and prep, repaint, etc. Only problem with that is what happens if the paint doesn't match exactly?

 

So I assume that the repair is more than just sanding down the inner lip and priming and painting? I wouldn't be concerned with a perfect match on just the inside inner lip area as I would be repairing the corrosion. If it's a known issue will Ford cover the cost while under warranty? The outside paint on the vehicle is perfect, not even a stone chip, just worried about it getting much worse in a couple years.

 

I've never heard it was the sealer, from what I have read and also had fixed, it is the surface preparation. What you see is indeed corrosion - it is oxidation of the aluminum. It is not rust however which is corrosion / oxidation of steel. There are typical spots for this - underneath as you have seen, at the bottom edge where the lift glass weather stripping meets the window frame, and around the license plate at the lift gate handle and where the chrome trim pieces are above the plate. I'm on my 4th and 5th Expeditions now. My '03 never had it move from the seam underneath in 180k miles and 11 years. The '04 had two spot repairs (window frame and chrome trim above plate) which were sanded and spot painted. Matches fine, you don't need to be too scared these days at a good shop. I paid for these repairs. My '12 had it around the chrome trim and the seam, again sanded and painted. Ford paid for that one. It now has it at the weather stripping, so they will get to see it again. My '10 has it on the seam.

 

This is disappointing. I had been looking for used Expy's or Explorers a couple times in the last 10 years and was always discouraged by the corrosion of the aluminum hoods and tailgates.

I am attracted to the Eboost '15+ Expy and was thinking that I would like one a couple years down the road...but the continued oxidation is not good news.

I hope for Ford's sake they have remedied the problem on the all-aluminum F150. And if they have, it seems that they should be using that technology on the Expy tailgates.

Good luck,
George

 

It is a warranted repair. As I said, I have seen the TSB in Fords system.

And like was already stated, it is the sealer they used chemically reacting with the aluminum.

As for repairing it, the lip still has to be split, the two halves separated, repair done, repaint, etc. At some point I will talk to my local body shop and see what his take is in repairing it.

Here's the rub on the whole issue.......... Guess what other vehicles are now using aluminum? Yup all the trucks. If they haven't gotten the issue solved yet, I would imagine it's gonna snowball pretty darn soon. I likely will have my dealer document my issue and wait it out for a while to see just how Ford is going to handle the sure to rear its ugly head issue.

 

I will try to get this into a local dealer to have them access the paint issue. How does the repair work? Do the dealerships do the repair or does Ford compensate you for the repair if made at another shop? Seems I've read where the repair was made outside the dealership.

 

Not always warranted, depends on the dealer and how willing they are to help, and while the tsb's talk about the sealer as part of the repair, it is not the issue. It is the prep. There is no sealer in the middle of the gate near the license plate.
Search this site, or just do a general search and you will see a huge numbers of instances and a wide variety of solutions offered. Search expedition bubbling paint or expedition rust (even though it's not, lots of threads start out thinking it is). Hey - extra bonus - the hood is aluminum too. Far fewer instances of corrosion there.

 

Don't put false info out there, OK?

If the OP's truck is under warranty (and it obviously is) then it's Fords problem, period.

 

Rust PERFORATION is covered for 5 years and unlimited mileage. However, paint warranties have always been kind of vague and I have seen dealers push back on paint problems that they claim were caused by acid rain or bird droppings, etc. But P 12 of the warranty booklet makes me hopeful that aluminum issues like this one will be covered (I learned something new just now). So good luck...this may be new language added to the warranty to make people feel better about the aluminum F150.

https://www.ford.com/resources/ford/...US_10_2015.pdf

 

It is not a paint issue, it is a product assembly issue. The dealer has no call on the problem. It is a known issue, addressed by corporate in the TSB. It lists exactly the steps the mothership wants the dealer to do to address the issue should a customer bring it in.

I don't have the TSB number, but I can assure you, it is in the system and my local tech found it in about 5 seconds.

Not gonna argue about it with you. The issue is in black and white, period.

 

I would get this looked at ASAP and be sure that the TSB doesn't expire when the truck is out of warranty. Ford pulled that mess on the earlier ecoboost engines that were affected by the timing chain stretch / grinding noise during cold start up.

 

All you need to do is read the threads here that go back years and see the number of members here that reported that they were flat out denied coverage, or had to fight through many levels beyond the dealership to get coverage. It isn't actually me spreading false information, it is me reading what other members here have gone through and mentioning it.

 

I'm not arguing with you and in fact the Ford warranty booklet EXPANDS on the aluminum coverage from what I can tell, largely because Ford is pre-emptively addressing potential issues with the F150. In reading the warranty booklet, my outlook on Ford's aluminum/paint coverage has changed completely.

Be well,
George

 

That's actually a good idea.

Two things.

There was no aluminum in past trucks/SUV's, so Ford could possibly try and use the "rust perforation" argument. That would have to be decided on a case by case basis.

And, if a person who was under the 3/36 got denied and ate it, shame on them for not taking it up the chain of command.


Ford has no basis to deny any tailgate claim on these new trucks, regardless of if it is over 5 yrs (obviously not affected currently). Aluminum can't rust. ANY corrosion is their fault, period. (excluding abuse, accident repair, etc.). We'll see what happens in a few years, but they would lose the argument in court regardless of what the warranty says. They put the panels together, not the customer.