Self-Clearancing Trunk Deck Lid - 2015 Ford Mustang GT Long-Term Road Test

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Self-Clearancing Trunk Deck Lid - 2015 Ford Mustang GT Long-Term Road Test

The paint is rubbing off the underside of the trunk lid of our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang. But why?

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yellowbal

Would this type of damage/flaw fall under bumper-to-bumper warranty? It's Ford's defect.

daryleason

Build quality absolutely is a warrantied repair, whether a dealership or auto manufacturer wants to admit it or not. I've heard some dealerships try to avoid it, but it really comes down to the vehicle has a warranty when it's new. Frankly, I wouldn't do anything except have it go back to the dealership and let them deal with it. Look at it from another point of view...the dealership says, "Well, we would have fixed the thingamajig, but you altered it on your own, so that part isn't warrantied anymore by us. However, your car over-all is still warrantied." Except for the normal maintenance and wear items (belts, hoses, tires, etc.), I wouldn't touch anything on a car that's under warranty. Make the dealership get it right. Be picky. Get them to adjust EVERYTHING you think is wrong, or show you why it's right. And the "well, all cars on this model do that" doesn't mean its right. It just means they have an issue with all of the cars that are that model and don't want to deal with it.

yellowbal

From the pictures, the paint wore down past the primer to the metal. Would there be risk of rust later in this car's life if left untreated?

subatomic

If this is a common issue on new Mustangs, hopefully there will be a recall notice or technical bulletin to address this....otherwise, such a lapse in build quality would be hard to forgive.

saxdogg

subatomic said:

If this is a common issue on new Mustangs, hopefully there will be a recall notice or technical bulletin to address this....otherwise, such a lapse in build quality would be hard to forgive.

Recall, no. Service bulletin, probably.

kshankar

I guess quality is no longer job #1 ?

longtimelurker

This post needs a shot of the trunk CLOSED so that the shutlines are visible before an assessment can be made of how to fix it. Maybe readjust the trunk lid; maybe look at how those plastic panels are attached and try to get them closer to the panel they're affixed to.

actualsize

Shutlines look good when closed. To me the rib on the bottom edge of the plastic trim panels has no function. There's no reason for it to be there. Decorative flair doesn't matter if no one is going to see it, especially if it's just going to rub. Exact-o knife time. And Ford should probably make a mold change and do away with that protrusion.

dgcamero

actualsize said:

Shutlines look good when closed. To me the rib on the bottom edge of the plastic trim panels has no function. There's no reason for it to be there. Decorative flair doesn't matter if no one is going to see it, especially if it's just going to rub. Exact-o knife time. And Ford should probably make a mold change and do away with that protrusion.

Yep...and some Dr. Colorchip style touch up, gratis, at the dealership. And whomever is enough of an idiot to demand a respray deserves their mismatched trunk lid.

longtimelurker

dgcamero said:

actualsize said:

Shutlines look good when closed. To me the rib on the bottom edge of the plastic trim panels has no function. There's no reason for it to be there. Decorative flair doesn't matter if no one is going to see it, especially if it's just going to rub. Exact-o knife time. And Ford should probably make a mold change and do away with that protrusion.

Yep...and some Dr. Colorchip style touch up, gratis, at the dealership. And whomever is enough of an idiot to demand a respray deserves their mismatched trunk lid.

Hard to say if after the rib is removed (probably there to stiffen the piece) there would not still be contact between that piece and the trunk lid, only more spread out. I would probably close it on a sheet of paper and then pull out to get an idea of how hard it's pressing together.

A respray of the inside alone would not be tough...you don't see the inside and outside at the same time, so a perfect match would not be necessary...and no blending required.

schen72

If it were my car, i would be pretty upset and demand some sort of repair. Unpainted metal is only going to cause problems. I expect my cars to last 15-20 years.