NHTSA Complaint #10018671 — 1998 FORD F-150 STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR

Complaint Details

ODI Number	10018671
Vehicle	1998 FORD F-150
Component	STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR
Date of Incident	March 15, 2003
Date Filed	May 14, 2003
Mileage	N/A miles
Crash	No
Fire	No
Injuries	0
Deaths	0
Vehicle Towed	No
State	NY

Consumer Description

I OWN A 1998 FORD F150 PICKUP AND HAVE NOTICED A CRACK IN THE SHEET METAL OF THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR JUST BEHIND THE LOWER PART OF THE WINDOW. AN ARTICLE I WAS READING SUGGESTED CALLING A FORD DEALER FOR REPAIR, THE FORD DEALER STATED THAT FORD ONLY REPAIRS THE VEHICLE FOR THE FIRST 36,000 MILES. THE ARTICLE I READ STATED THAT FORD UNDERSTANDS THE PROBLEM TO BE CAUSED BY OPENING AND CLOSING THE DOOR AND WINDOW, WHICH CAUSES THE SHEET METAL, IN THE LOCATION OF THE CRACK, TO FLEX, WHICH OVER TIME FAILS AND CRACKS. THE PROBLEM WILL ONLY GET WORSE WITH TIME AND SHOULD BE REPAIRED REGARDLESS OF THE MILEAGE. MY CONCERN IS THE LOCATION OF THE CRACK AT A CORNER RADIUS AND COULD PROPAGATE TOWARD THE REAR OF THE DOOR. THE CRACK THAT HAS DEVELOPED, CAUSES TWO PROBLEMS, IT CREATES AN OPENING FOR WATER AND SALT TO CORRODE THE UNPROTECTED SHEET METAL ON THE INSIDE OF THE DOOR AND THE CRACK CREATES A PROBLEM, WERE THE VEHICLE TO BE IN AN ACCIDENT AND HIT ON THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR. SINCE THE CRACK HAS ALREADY DEVELOPED, IT WOULD TAKE LITTLE IMPACT FOR THE CRACK TO PROPAGATE ALLOWING THE DOOR PANEL TO BE SEVERED, REMOVING ITS STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY. THE ARTICLE I READ STATED THAT FORD HAS FOUND THAT WELDING THE DOOR DOES NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THE CORRECTION CAN ONLY BE MADE BY REPLACING THE DOOR. AS THESE CRACKS HAVE DEVELOPED AND CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ON FORD F150 TRUCKS AFTER 36,000 MILES, HOW ARE THEY BEING REPAIRED? MY GUESS WOULD BE THAT IF THEY ARE BEING REPAIRED IN ANY MANNER, THEY ARE MOST LIKELY BEING WELDED TOGETHER AND REPAINTED, WHICH FORD HAS FOUND TO BE A INSUFFICIENT REPAIR. THE ONLY "REPAIR" IS TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE DOOR, WHICH WOULD BE COSTLY FOR THE CONSUMER. THIS PROBLEM WILL MOST LIKELY ONLY GET WORSE AS TIME GOES ON. FORD IS NOT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR DEFECTS, AS THIS CLEARLY IS A MANUFACTURERS DEFECT. I ASKED THE NHTSA TO LOOK AT THIS MATTER MORE CLOSELY TO UNDERSTAND THE POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE CRACK THAT DEVELOPS OVER TIME ON THE FORD F150 TRUCK DOORS. *NLM

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