Well after three Mustangs and three years with my current one it looks like I'm finally going to deal with the aluminum hood corrosion issue like some many others in the past. I was at the car wash today and when drying I ran my hand under the lip of the hood right above the headlight and felt the bubbles. after a closer look I found that it's starting to come over to the top of the hood and it's all along the inner weld so it must have been happening for a while and I just hadn't found it. So my question is has anyone else had to deal with this on a 2015 and up and how did they handle it? Any info would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
I'm sorry to hear you have the problem on your S550. Its the first I've heard of the problem on the newer model. I was hoping Ford fixed their process that causes this issue. I will be watching your thread with interest to see how wide spread this is on the newer models. IMO, Ford needs to give owners warranty coverage for this instead of skirting liability through existing wording in their warranty that just covers through-going corrosion.
So I finally heard back from my dealer and Ford is going to cover $1600 of the almost $2000 repair bill. This will include a new hood which by the way is made out of a better grade of Aluminum then the hoods that come from the factory. Now to be honest I feel like they should pay for the hole thing as they used bad parts on the car, But I was 1000 over my paint and body warranty when I finally noticed the problem so I'm not going to push my luck and try to get them to cover the whole repair. All I can say is go and check your hoods guys because this problem is still going around and from what I've been told it's also on the Explorer and Fusion, Ford even has a TSB out on it.
On another note I also had to change from a Matt black hood graphic to gloss because American Muscle is out of matt black and wont have it back in stock for around 12 weeks, this also means changing the spoiler to gloss but since the spoiler needs a repaint thanks to a tree that was in my front yard it's not a big deal and a small change to the car is never a bad thing IMO.
How did you reach out to Ford to deal with this? I contacted them via phone because of the same issue but they just say that there is no recall for my VIN and bla bla bla
I assume you would handle this through your dealer just like any other warranty issue.
I'm interested also to see how this turns out. My understanding is that it has nothing to do with the grade of aluminum; it has to do with iron contamination in the welds from the manufacturing process; and if that is the case then it is quite amazing that they haven't figured out how to eliminate that yet.
I went straight to the dealer and they took care of dealing with Ford over it, not the first time they've had to fix the corrosion issue. What I was told by the dealer is yes it's a contamination problem but it's caused by the grad of aluminum, basically they are using a cheaper grad on Mustangs, Explorers and Fusions but are using Military grad on the F 150 which is why they aren't having this issue with them. I was also told by one guy that the replacement hoods were made out of a better grad of aluminum but there seemed to be some debate on this after I talked to the service shop manager who didn't seem to think that and told me he's already seen Explorers come back to have the hoods replaced again, so I'm expecting to have to deal with it again in three years if I still have the car.
I had 45 years combined military and civil aerospace experience before retiring and I feel confident telling you that Ford is hyping the term "military grade".
Aluminum is classed by series, and the military just like commercial contractors use material suited to the applications they need.
Should you happen to hear the term Military Grade come from the mouth of a Ford representative ask him what the MIL grade is. The dumbfounded look on their face will say it all. But, it sounds as if the service shop manager you talked to at the dealership has his doubts too.
Aluminum like any other alloy (example nickle/cobalt) receives their ultimate grade based on chemistry composition and also the heat treatment. Aluminum used in the F-150 bed (and I think cabin compartment) is a better quality aluminum and is processed through heat treatment. But neither the composition, properties or heat treat make the Aluminum used in F-150 corrosion resistant or corrosion proof.
Even series 5000/6000 Alum used in acft is not corrosion proof. Next time you sit on the ramp in icy conditions, see if the ground crews are tossing salt on the airframe to de-ice it, or another deicing compound.
Seriously think of all the applications where Aluminum is used. Auto body, marine, aerospace, wheels, food, etc., and all can use different series. But Ford's use of the term "military grade" is BS because the military doesn't call out any unique properties or composition.
The key to reducing the instances of corrosion on aluminum bodies is to keep different materials from contacting the aluminum. Ford is learning that lesson and made some changes in the F-150 besides the series of aluminum needed for tensile strength to replace steel. Ford improved the process to keep different materials segregated in manufacturing and in the assembled product to help thwart the body cancer problems. They use non-ferrous isolators, and coated bolt and adhesives in assembly to maintain separation of dissimilar alloy materials. However, if Ford fails to maintain process controls their efforts will be for nothing and the F-150 will have more cancer than a chain smoker. .
And from what I read in your post it looks like your dealer resolved the corrosion on your car, yes??
Yes the car was repaired with a new hood plus paint. Sounds like you know a lot more then I do regarding this issue and the fact that no one else seems to be reporting this issue on they're 2015+ Mustangs makes me think that maybe Ford has the problem almost fixed, at least when it comes to the Mustang.
My 2015 had paint bubbles on the hood at 18 thousand miles. Dealer sanded it down and squirted some paint on it. This was covered under 3-36 warranty. I said to the dealer, “I don’t know much about auto body but I think if you just paint over that it will come back.” Well, they were way to important and high up to listen to me. They said don’t worry it’ll be fixed!
Now a year later, the bubbles are back.
What a shocker!
Now Ford says no! 3-36 is expired!
Now Dealer says no! We don’t guarantee corrosion repairs.
So, once again the little guy gets screwed.(que the woody woodpecker laugh).
Now that I’ve looked into it, this seems to be a huge problem across the country.
My question is if we do manage to get new hoods, will THEY do the same thing? I mean does anybody know if they fixed the contamination issue on the replacement hoods?
Did you know, and this came straight from ford today because I was on the phone with them. By the way, I was very polite and courteous with both the dealer and Ford.
If you BUY a new hood it’s covered under Ford parts warranty (24 months). However if you get a new hood under the 3-36 b to b warranty there is no warranty on that part. So, if you are 30 months into the 3-36 an the hood gets replaced then bubbles appear on that hood say 7 months later....too bad for you!
Too bad because I love my Mustang GT. 39k miles, garage kept and meticulously cared for. Bubbling paint all over the hood in multiple spots. Dealer and Ford will not help. I don't know what to do honestly but I know I'm getting screwed. BTW, IMO, the 5 year corrosion warranty isn't worth the paper it's written on. Seen a lot of 5 year old ford aluminum panels corroded to the point of perforation? Me neither. I bet there hasn't been one warranty claim satisfied under those terms. How about some more worthless warranties to make us suckers feel better. I've got one! If your motor blows up while at a traffic light on the forth Thursday of the second month when pink elephants are in the cross walk, you're covered!!
I have the same issue on my 2015 Ford Mustang Ecoboost.
My corrosion warranty expired 3 months ago. What timing! Now I have to spend ~$3000 for a manufacturing defect?!? And, of course they said they are documenting this (Wow, I am so grateful!). I plan to sell the car and never become Ford customer ever again!
I understand your frustration, but that’s a bit dramatic. I see this is your one and only post.
My original hood developed this late in life, but I repaired it, and it was fine until a tree fell on my car. I replaced the hood with a (Ford donated) Shelby hood, which so far has never developed the issue. My car is a ’14 and past the warranty.
If that option (Shelby Hood) had not been available to me, I would have just repaired the original hood again, and saved for my new carbon fiber hood.
What puzzles me is why Ford insists on Aluminum hoods. Why not a cheaper and more traditional steel hood? Why not just sell the car with carbon fiber hoods and pass the cost to the customer, or offer an upgrade option for the CF hood. It seems insane to keep fighting with this problem.
Ditto the comments from the engineer and "military grade" marketing crap as I am in defense department acquisitions and spent 24 years active duty. ALL metal will corrode under the proper conditions. Some of our military aircraft have to be returned for depot level maintenance and stripped to bare metal every couple of years just to stay ahead of it...among other things. With the just-in-time supply chain in the manufacturing process and water-based paints, its a wonder these cars don't start doing this while sitting at the dealer before the sale. I hope others find a good resolution to this issue. So, my black 2015 has 43K miles on it and this issue has just started with mine....both front corners of the hood. Am I going to report it? No....don't really care as I was intent on getting another hood anyway; preferably carbon fiber of a different style...maybe GT350 and matching fenders. Beyond having a taillight replaced (under warranty) and a backup camera replaced (also under warranty), I have had no issues with my S550. I haven't even had any of the A/C issues so many folks seemed to have (knock on wood). Sometimes I wonder if because my particular vehicle is a low production less desirable equipment combo, that is may be a a reason....but no way to know that. I intend to keep this one until the wheels come off. The clearcoat is finally starting to peel in spots on my 16-year old Volvo (manufactured when Ford owned them). Everything in it still works as new and had all regular maintenance done early. Only major repair was a new fuel pump due to long periods of not driving it. Have a 2013 F-150...no paint issues or anything else to complain to the dealer about. I guess i have just been very fortunate with my vehicles. Just my 2 cents.
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