NHTSA Complaint #11632810 — 2024 FORD RANGER

I purchased a new 2024 Ford Ranger yesterday. As I was researching camper shells and truck racks I found that these common items cannot be installed without first installing a load bed reinforcement bracket kit to reinforce the truck bed to the bed side rails. Apparently, nothing can be attached to the side rail which weights more that 88 lbs or the truck bed could separate from the side rails. This is an design/engineering shortcoming from Ford as these are common after market add-ons for mid-sized trucks. Also, Ford is asking customers to pay for the reinforcement bracket and installation - which was quoted today at $1,600, and the Ford part is not currently available from the corporate US Ford website, and has not been available for several months.