Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

door cracks in f150's

woody24woody24 Member Posts: 59
edited March 2014 in Ford
I checked a site "f150 online" they had a topic
about cracks in the doors. They seem to be showing
up on 97 and up models. Check drivers side door,
bottom right corner of the window. Should be a
horizontal crack, just above on the right of the
thick molding that meets the thin molding. I guess
this is showing up on quite a few trucks. Check it
out. They have some pictures at the "f150online"
site.
Tagged:

Comments

  • woody24woody24 Member Posts: 59
    I was walking through a parking lot last night. I saw a 99 f150, so I thought I'd check for the crack. Sure enough, there it was. I'm surprised more people arn't screaming about this.
  • jaijayjaijay Member Posts: 162
    My friend has this problem too. So what is causing it. Is this a structural problem caused by the stress on the door. Or is is a defect in the materials used?
  • woody24woody24 Member Posts: 59
    What people are saying is, when they stamp it, that section is the thinest part of the door frame. I looked at a 2000, and it looks like that part of the door is a bit thicker. I hope it will make a difference. As for the earlier trucks, I don't know if there is an official fix yet.
  • kit1404kit1404 Member Posts: 124
    I have read this door-frame-cracking problem early on - the same F-150 sight. Have been watching mine and will keep watching it - see no problem so far. It has 11,000 miles of rough New Mexico unpaved roads (the highways aren't much better) on the odometer. Seems like I would have noticed something by now? I look hard and usually do notice most problems.
  • f220swiftf220swift Member Posts: 103
    Seems to me that Ford ought to slow the windows down a touch. Dam, they are quick! I have never been in a vehicle with such window acceleration. Hell, when the window slams home you can see the door flex.

    Have not had the cracking problem myself but I can see why it happens. Don't get your head stuck in these in these glass paynes from hell.
  • barlitzbarlitz Member Posts: 752
    Where exactly should I be looking for these door cracks.I have an F250 light duty built 8/99 and haven't noticed anything yet.
  • jlapointe1jlapointe1 Member Posts: 7
    I had a 97 F-150 that had this problem. It happened the first time at about 15k miles. I took it to the dealer and showed them. They had it repaired on warranty. The crack returned about a year later. This time I asked for a replacement door and they complied willingly (truck was still under warranty). I have noticed this same problem on numerous F-150 trucks. My dealer told me it was caused by a misadjusted door latch (too tight), for what it is worth.

    Jeff L
  • strogstrog Member Posts: 2
    I have a new 2000 F150 with 3500 miles on it and I just noticed paint failure in the area were the "crack" will occur. I took in to the dealer to document it and will wait for the metal to fail and crack to show and then go in for a new door. They were very vague on what their fix will be and also said they have had only two other F150's in for the repair. While I was there I did a survey of all '97-'99's in their used lot and in for repairs. Of 20 trucks checked, 12 had cracks in at least one door, This has got to be a major problem for Ford and once F150 owners find out this design defect, it will cost Ford millions to repair. Needless to say, I was a happy F150 owner for 3 months until I found out about the "crack". I am wondering why, after more than 3 years in this model run, this problem is still occuring with no attempt to fix it in their new 2000 F150's.
  • pvaughan1pvaughan1 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 97 F-150 super cab. Where does the crack occur?
  • strogstrog Member Posts: 2
    The door crack is found in the lower rear portion of the window right above the curve of the sheet metal. Can occur in either door but look at the driver's first. The crack my only be a 1/4" but I've seen '97's with 1"+ cracks. Check out F150online.com for more info.
  • kit1404kit1404 Member Posts: 124
    And a little too lazy to re-check the F-150 site - looked at it before. Do these cracks occur on standard cabs or extended cabs? We have both a 1997 standard cab (used like a 4x4) and a 1999 extended cab 4X4. Have looked very hard at both and cannot see anything. Need more info.
  • jinouyejinouye Member Posts: 1
    It appears that the F-150 is suffering from cracks which appear on the drivers door.

    Since I'm in the process of buying a new truck and considering the F-150 (4X4), is it worth spending $30,000 on this truck? I can see it being a headache down the road in trying to repair this problem after the warranty has expired. This could be a costly repair which may not be permanent.

    Would it be better to buy a Silverado and deal with the possible vibration problems. At least the vibration problems appears is being fixable.

    I appreciate any input from Ford F-150 owners. Additionally, would you present Ford owners buy another F-150 knowing that the crack door issue could be a major nightmare down the road?
  • smcpherrsmcpherr Member Posts: 114
    Its really up to you and how lucky you feel. My F-150 is 7 months old with 13,000 miles and has no door cracks, just checked a few nights ago. But the door crack thing does seem to affect many vehicles. Silverado's vibration problem does not affect all vehicles, but it certainly does make driving kind of unpleasant if you do have it. If you are indifferent to the difference between the two trucks, find which dealer has a better service department and go with them. Personally, I'd go with the door cracks before the vibration, the door cracks do not affect the drivability of the vehicle at any speed, while the vibration will.

    And yes, My Ford F-150 has been well worth the money.
  • jaijayjaijay Member Posts: 162
    I believe the Silverado Vibration is seen on the two wheel drive vehicles. Of all the posts I have read I have not heard of any 4x4 having this problem. As for the door crack, this is certainly a bummer. I can imagine that when they do crack, water and bad weather can enter the door and cause all sorts of havoc. This itself can be a real pain in the neck. My friends Ford has this problem. Once they get the door fixed he will have to get some one to get the mold smell out of the interior.
  • nahn75nahn75 Member Posts: 3
    There are some 4X4's with the vibration, however not near as many as the 2wd ex cab short beds do.
  • dj116adj116a Member Posts: 5
    Does anybody know if the crack also occurs on manual windows?? ...it may be worth getting an XL instead of the XLT if it avoids this annoying problem! has anyone heard of a fix yet??

    Thanks,

    -Dj
  • topictopic Member Posts: 3
    I have been looking for this site for a while. I too own a F150 extendacab 4 dr. Manual windows. Crack just formed in same location on Drivers door. Victoria Ford (where I purchased)is replacing complete door under warr. Year of F-150 is 1999.
  • meredithmeredith Member Posts: 575
    The PICKUPS Conference has gotten WAY too big....

    it is unwieldy to manage, and difficult to use for "newbies". There is entirely TOO much topic duplication, so I will be doing some SERIOUS topic consolidation in the next few weeks, getting us down to not more than 2-3 topics per vehicle type, and ultimately down to 200 topics or less.

    THIS weeks consolidation candidates are: F-150's, Silverado's, Dakota's, and Dakota Crew/Quad cabs.

    In that vein, please consolidate this F-150 topic to Ford 150 Lightining and continue these discussions there.

    Thanks!

    Front Porch Philosopher
    SUV, Pickups, & Aftermarket and Accessories Host
This discussion has been closed.

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles