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I have owned many Ford trucks ranging in models between 1998 and 2022. I have noticed when working on them all that Ford has always had a habit of getting something working well, and then swapping parts out for cheaper versions of the same part. And example being the clips that hold the lid on the airbox on a 2010 vs 2011 f150; steel clips on the 2010, plastic clips on the 2011....same lid.
One of the most annoying things I have found with the newer Ford's has been in inability to disassemble interior parts without damaging them. Older Ford trucks used steel clips and the new trucks use plastic. The orange clips specifically seem to be the worst for removal because the shape of them lends itself to becoming "hooked" on the plastic is it clipped into and when you try to pull them apart, a lot of the time the tab on the back of the panel ends up being the weak link.
I have since picked up a box of steel clips, and after using them for a while, I have noticed the panels no longer feel like you are going to break something when pulling apart.
I wish Ford could pass these cost savings down to the owners, but I guess most of their customers will never notice. Hopefully this can be of some help to the forum members here....or at least make working on interiors a little easy....no more plastic welding
The ones you are referring to will not fit. They are 15mm width. We need 9mm. Also, by the way....cool test: I popped this side panel off my center console to take this measurement and didn't break anything
Last edited by Rolncole; Feb 28, 2026 at 10:46 PM.
On another note my son built out a contractor van last spring and added a Thunderbolt lock system. When we took the trim panels off all 5 doors we used the trim removal tool. That being said some of the plastic clips were so buried in the sheet metal inners the metal (thin) actually deformed in a few spots. None of the clips broke but some of the embossed metal pads on the inner panels were not flat any more.
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalytic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Slideshow: Called the Fortress, the 850-horsepower pickup combines Raptor underpinnings with military-inspired features, survival equipment, and a starting price of $285,000.
