This is a repost that I did on another blog dealing with paint issues on Ford and Mercury vehicles. The web site is lemonlaw.com and here is a direct link to subject dealing with Ford Paint Defects on 2000-2005 vehicles.
"Ford has issued a Technical Service Bulletin that shows a major paint defect in many large 2000-05 Ford, Lincoln and Mercury cars, trucks and SUVs that used aluminum body parts (hoods and fenders) to reduce vehicle weight. Affected models are the 2000-04 Crown Victoria, Taurus, Expedition, F-150, Ranger; Mercury Grand Marquis, Sable; Lincoln LS, Town Car Navigator and the 2000-05 Explorer, Mercury Mountaineer.
According to the TSB, “Some vehicles may exhibit a bubbling or blistering under the paint on aluminum body parts. This is due to iron contamination of the aluminum panel. . . . Ford’s Scientific Research Laboratory has performed a number of tests on vehicle body parts returned for corrosion related concerns. Testing has revealed that the aluminum corrosion was caused by iron particles working their way into the aluminum body part, prior to it being painted.”
CAS Executive Director Clarence Ditlow said:
“This is a very expensive defect to remedy. The TSB requires “extreme care to be taken” including special tools and segregated work areas to remove the corrosion by blasting, repriming and repainting. This repair is so difficult that CAS recommends the best fix is to replace the corroded part with a primed steel part and paint it. Ford cannot guarantee this repair will eliminate all the iron corrosion or prevent other areas from bubbling or blistering in the future.”
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According to the TSB, “Some vehicles may exhibit a bubbling or blistering under the paint on aluminum body parts. This is due to iron contamination of the aluminum panel. . . . Ford’s Scientific Research Laboratory has performed a number of tests on vehicle body parts returned for corrosion related concerns. Testing has revealed that the aluminum corrosion was caused by iron particles working their way into the aluminum body part, prior to it being painted.”
CAS Executive Director Clarence Ditlow said:
“This is a very expensive defect to remedy. The TSB requires “extreme care to be taken” including special tools and segregated work areas to remove the corrosion by blasting, repriming and repainting. This repair is so difficult that CAS recommends the best fix is to replace the corroded part with a primed steel part and paint it. Ford cannot guarantee this repair will eliminate all the iron corrosion or prevent other areas from bubbling or blistering in the future.”
If you have a Ford or Mercury now and it is under warranty, be sure to check to see if you have any paint bubbles or other paint defects now as it will only get worse and once over their warranty you will be on your own. Although this specific bulletin only deals with models through 2005, with Ford, who can tell if it isn't an ongoing issue.
Here is my post on the other web site....
I have a 2005 Mercury Mountaineer purchased on 7/14/2005. Vehicle only gets driven about 5,500 miles each year and has 20,700 miles on it now. Of course it is over the 36 month warranty and now I have peeling paint on my roof.
You get the circle jerk from the dealer who tells you to call Ford Customer Care, who of course turns you down on any repairs. Called again today to let them know I am a journalist and wanted to get further information on their policy and they said since it is not a safety issue there was no recall on the vehicles and nothing they would do.
Called my dealer back and told him I just wanted to know if the dealer was going to help and that I wanted to write an article on this issue and once he heard that shut me down completely and told me he wouldn't say another word and I should contact Ford media relations.
Apparently these guys know all about these issues and because they are in such sorry shape will not address them or offer any support. I suppose it is just easier losing future sales from all of us then to pay to fix the problems and still most likely lose us anyway.
Generally no problem with the vehicle other then this, but from what my body shop tells me this can be a major problem as the paint can begin to peel off from other parts of the vehicle as well. To fix the roof, it would cost $800 because they must first strip all the paint off down to the metal and repaint the entire roof again. He showed me that the undercoat paint was shinny and said it looked like it was never sanded down to accept the top coat of paint. It just isn't sticking to the undercoat.
I would never buy another American made car again. I had a Jeep Cherokee before this one and one before that one. The first one was a lemon and was taken back after one year under the Lemon Law and the second one had its share of problems as well.
Never Again, these car makers should go out of business, they simply don't know how to make a decent product and their service and customer care is horrid to say the least.
I have a 2005 Mercury Mountaineer purchased on 7/14/2005. Vehicle only gets driven about 5,500 miles each year and has 20,700 miles on it now. Of course it is over the 36 month warranty and now I have peeling paint on my roof.
You get the circle jerk from the dealer who tells you to call Ford Customer Care, who of course turns you down on any repairs. Called again today to let them know I am a journalist and wanted to get further information on their policy and they said since it is not a safety issue there was no recall on the vehicles and nothing they would do.
Called my dealer back and told him I just wanted to know if the dealer was going to help and that I wanted to write an article on this issue and once he heard that shut me down completely and told me he wouldn't say another word and I should contact Ford media relations.
Apparently these guys know all about these issues and because they are in such sorry shape will not address them or offer any support. I suppose it is just easier losing future sales from all of us then to pay to fix the problems and still most likely lose us anyway.
Generally no problem with the vehicle other then this, but from what my body shop tells me this can be a major problem as the paint can begin to peel off from other parts of the vehicle as well. To fix the roof, it would cost $800 because they must first strip all the paint off down to the metal and repaint the entire roof again. He showed me that the undercoat paint was shinny and said it looked like it was never sanded down to accept the top coat of paint. It just isn't sticking to the undercoat.
I would never buy another American made car again. I had a Jeep Cherokee before this one and one before that one. The first one was a lemon and was taken back after one year under the Lemon Law and the second one had its share of problems as well.
Never Again, these car makers should go out of business, they simply don't know how to make a decent product and their service and customer care is horrid to say the least.
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I know that there may not be anything I can do about this, but intend on writing a letter to Alan Mulally (President and CEO) and possibly to our government officials letting them know not to help these companies out of the mess they got themselves into.
Keep checking back to see if I have any success. I also filed a complaint with the NHTSA and their office of Defects Investigation, but since it is not a mechanical issue and only a cosmetic one, I can only hope some class action attorney's get on this one. I will see if I can find any class actions and see if I can join them too.
Keep checking back to see if I have any success. I also filed a complaint with the NHTSA and their office of Defects Investigation, but since it is not a mechanical issue and only a cosmetic one, I can only hope some class action attorney's get on this one. I will see if I can find any class actions and see if I can join them too.
Follow the link below for some photos of my 2005 Explorer Paint. Contacting Ford in 11/08 and again 5/09 for assistance to get this resolved are frustrating at best. They refuse to take any action to satisfy even a loyal owner like myself, who owns 3 Fords.
ReplyDeletehttp://c-dyne.com/fordpaint.aspx
I have now formed a group on Facebook too so that we can all register our complaints on this heavily viewed web site. Go to:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=94328817418
Join us there. Also the Lemon Law Blog which has quite a few postings as well. Join us on Facebook and upload some of your photos of your car.
I also have a 2005 Mountaineer with paint peeling on the roof. Contaced Wayne Lincoln Mercury in NJ where I purchased the car and they can't be bothered with helping me out. Told me it was out of warranty.
ReplyDeleteWill try to call Ford directly.
Susan
Ford will do nothing for you, this is why we have formed the group on Facebook and also participate in the Lemon Law Blog. Hopefully anyone looking to purchase a Ford will see all the negative postings about Ford and how they treat their customers.
ReplyDeleteLen-
ReplyDeleteI have one of the autos mentioned in the TSB about aluminum parts getting contaminated prior to being painted. Any suggestions on where to go for information on this issue?
You can join us on Facebook, the link is further up on our blog. You can go to your dealer with the TSB in hand and ask them to put in a claim with Ford. They will come back with a denial of the claim, you will then go to your local small claims court and file your case there.
ReplyDeleteThen simply follow the steps in my blog and look at the scans I have included there under the Photos section. I think they are on page 2 or 3 now.
You are going to have to sue them and probably replace the hood or other parts with after market parts that are not made out of aluminum. They still have no idea of how to put a glossy finish on aluminum that will stick and have been trying to find a way to powder coat the cars but can't.