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Have you ever had a hood corrosion problem during the Warranty period?

Time for a Hood Corrosion poll

64K views 373 replies 107 participants last post by  Grok 
#1 ·
Seems like a lot of people have got Hood Cancer, seems like a good time to see the extent of the outbreak and the measures taken by Ford to fix this problem.

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I'll start.

Corrosion started at underside seam late last year, dealer repainted area. Looks fine except for a slightly sloppy "Information Decal" masking job.

Dealer asked if I ever used touchless car washes (I do in the winter) because he says that these washes use a very aggressive detergent and that it can contain sodium hydroxide, similar to dishwasher detergent, it can sit in the seam and cuase the corrosion a lot of people experience. Anyone who has put bare aluminum cookware in the dishwasher knows what happens! Anyway he suggested that if you rinse the underside of the hood off as soon as possible, the risk of it happening is minimal.

I'm doing that now when I have to use a touchless wash between handwashings.

The poll question is:

Have you ever had a hood corrosion problem during the Warranty period?

Please add details about your car washing methods, grounding success/failure etc. I hope this poll helps solve this issue.
 
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#2 ·
I'd like to answer the poll but there is no option for:

The corrosion was there during the warranty period, but I did not notice it until after the warranty expired, and I have not pushed it with my local dealer because it is only on the bottom, so far.

From what I understand of this problem, it has nothing to do with detergents or salt or anything else. It is 100% manufacturing defect ; caused by iron contamination in the welds of the hood ; and since it is practically impossible to remove that iron contamination, it is practically impossible to "fix" permanently. You can clean up the surface and repaint it, but the contamination is still there inside, and that is why it comes back.
 
#3 ·
Yes it's a challenge designing the perfect poll. If Ford does fix you up, the last box is for you though! I put the last box in thinking that a lot of ticks there would indicate that Ford realizes there is a legitimate issue.

Thanks for the additional comments, that helps too. The iron contamination theory I've seen mentioned, but I have yet to see the unmistakable red color of iron oxide in these problem areas. It has always been the white powdery form of aluminum oxide.

I think there is no doubt that this is an engineering/manufacturing SNAFU.
 
#4 ·
Hey Devoda20!

So Devoda20, You haven't had a problem throughout the warranty period. Can you share your secret? Perhaps you live away from the ocean or always hand wash your Stang??
 
#7 ·
3 years 42K miles, no issue.

Car has only been hand washed in the driveway except for a couple winter trips to the self serve bay
 
#12 ·
3 years 42K miles, no issue.

Car has only been hand washed in the driveway except for a couple winter trips to the self serve bay
Thanks for this, It seems hand washing really pays off. There may be a connection to touchless washes and this problem just like the service rep says. The manual mentions the dangers of car washes under the alloy rim care section.

The do it yourself fixes are very interesting and of course all are welcome to share any unique experiences in this thread.

The poll is focused on Fords treatment of this issue.
 
#9 ·
There's no option for "I have corrosion and fixed it myself".
 
#10 ·
how did you do that?
 
#11 ·
Another member of the "it was all of 200 miles past warranty and still a year under date warranty" club - dealership treated me like I was a hobo asking to borrow a $10 bill - Ford builds my favourite car but their after sales SUCKS HUGE
 
#13 · (Edited)
There was a TSB about it for my year, 2006. Something about iron contamination on aluminum hoods. On mine it reared its ugly head on the top edge near the passenger windshield wiper arm. I noticed it in 2008 when the car had 32,000 on it. The service writer at Wayne Akers Ford in Lake Worth FL said that Ford only warranties paint for 18,000 miles? I asked him to take pics and mail them to Ford. I was denied but I don't think they really sent in the pics because when I wrote Ford Corp customer service they had no idea what I was talking about. Last Ford I'll ever buy. Now in 2014 the hood looks like crap as the corrosion has spread and popped up in other places on and underneath the hood.smilie_b_016.gifA little chunk of metal on the front lip (corroded) just fell off the friggin' hood the other day. I hate Chevy badly so next time out I guess its a Challenger !
 
#14 ·
My hood is a disaster. I didn't even bother to approach the dealer because I know they can't fix it permanently. Whenever it peels off and I see aluminium, I just touch-up that spot with paint so its blue again.
 
#17 ·
It has happened to my old stangs and my wife's, it WILL keep coming back, like others have said the only fix is fiberglass/carbon fiber
 
#24 ·
I got so lucky with this. I noticed the a few small bubbles on the front lip 2 weeks before my warranty was to run out. I took it to the dealer and they sent it to a body shop for repaint. It's been two months since the repair, I hope it lasts. I did go to the automatic car wash 3 times since buying my mustang but stopped after seeing the swirls it was causing.
 
#25 ·
I check at least once a month or so and fingers crossed I don't have it and haven't ever had it. The car has only seen snow once though and I keep it really clean. I do however use the manual car power wash. I've done that at least 15 times I bet since I've owned the car. If it's waxed good, the dirt/dust just sprays off and then I use spot free rinse and wipe off any excess water once I get home. I'm not sure if I'm buying the whole detergent causing the rust thing. Sounds like a made up answer to me. It might strip your wax faster than hand washing but it shouldn't eat through clear coat and paint
 
#26 ·
Yikes, it's looking like 50% of the cars have had it.
 
#28 ·
Yes! Quite amazing. I know a lot of people with bubbled hoods on their Stangs. I will be looking with great curiosity at the aluminum paneled F150's and 2015 Mustangs over the next few years.
 
#32 ·
You are just lucky ... I've seen a few Black 2011-12 cars on this board with the corrosion, however I now see you have a 2014.

It took 2 years and about 36k miles of DD in the rust belt for it to show up on my car. If yours is a DD up in Canada, maybe you have not owned it long enough !!

Honestly, I'm hoping it never shows up in your 2014 due to Ford finally figuring out how to keep it from happening. I plan on replacing mine in spring 2016, so with 3 NEW aluminum panels to contend with on an S550 (hood, front fenders & trunk lid), I'm really hoping this is the case.

Doug
 
#37 ·
No corrosion here. 43k miles. 2012 year model. Daily driven in all weather and no garage to put it in.

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This is what makes this issue so interesting--no matter what you do or what color you have, you won't prevent the corrosion from occurring if it's going to occur. It definitely points to some issue at the factory. The poor paint prep theory isn't a bad one IMO because I have other factory paint blemishes on the inside of the trunk lid and inside portion of the fenders. They haven't spread that I've noticed, which is why I haven't done anything about it. But it doesn't seem like Ford is terribly careful or doesn't have a good enough paint setup in the mustang factory to consistently give us the quality we paid for.
 
#42 ·
My 2011 V6 had corrosion which was fixed under warranty. Unfortunately I think my 2012 is starting to bubble now too. :(
 
#44 ·
Fortunately, no problem with mine. Have about 25K miles, store it winters and hand wash only.
 
#47 ·
I had mine repainted end of 2012, corrosion came back about a year later almost right after the warranty expired. Took it back, they took the pictures and stuff, and Ford denied me. Now the corrosion is way worse.
 
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