[ethanallen5877]

Found about 6 small areas on front edge of my 2017 explorer with bubbling paint. Took it to the dealership and I guess it’s a known issue. Dealership called back and said Ford was going to replace the hood. No idea how long the replacement hood is going to take to come in though....

Here’s the kicker. Dealership said Ford is sending a black unpainted hood and the dealership will have to paint it....this doesn’t seem right to me. No way can a dealership get the same factory paint quality right? To me ford should be sending a factory painted hood. Am I wrong?

 

[nsponbe]

I would be pissed if I had a car that new with this issue. Especially since it happened to mustangs years ago and they should know how to prevent it from happening.

Having said that, I think you should be happy they are planning on replacing the whole hood. The dealer my sister went to said they would just repaint her current hood. She pointed out that there have been lawsuits about this because the hoods just get bubbles again. Something to do with the minerals in the hood material. So She is having to fight with her dealership to replace the hood at all.

Hopefully the new hood they send you doesn't have the same problem.

 

[Jsmith4782]

Found about 6 small areas on front edge of my 2017 explorer with bubbling paint. Took it to the dealership and I guess it’s a known issue. Dealership called back and said Ford was going to replace the hood. No idea how long the replacement hood is going to take to come in though....

Here’s the kicker. Dealership said Ford is sending a black unpainted hood and the dealership will have to paint it....this doesn’t seem right to me. No way can a dealership get the same factory paint quality right? To me ford should be sending a factory painted hood. Am I wrong?

Do you have pictures of what this looks like? I am starting to see something like this on the edges of my hood.

 

[ethanallen5877]

Here’s one spot. All on the leading edge of the hood. They said there’s been common problems it’s rear bumper as well.

 

[Ohio Snake]

That looks awful. I have the same paint color on my 2018, but no signs of that. Id be ok with having the dealership paint it for two reasons and assuming they have a skilled painter.
The person will most likely prep the hood properly and apply the proper coats evenly.
Also, it is possible the hood can be off a bit when compared to the fenders. To solve that, the painter may blend the fenders a bit. Of course the fenders will need to be prepped.


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[dejen3303]

First of all "the dealership" is not going to paint it. They will send it to a local paint/body shop with whom they have many years of a partnership. You can trust that the paint will match and be baked on.
Second you will be getting genuine Ford parts, not aftermarket.
Third they only paint parts in assembly. It's cost prohibitive to send your hood to be painted and repackaged and shipped. And when received at your dealership it's scratched or dinged in some way.
Fourth your car is so new the paint will absolutely match even if you have left in the desert for the last 2 years.
Fifth I have a 2018 in the same color, Magnetic. I would be interested in an update when you have one.

 

[Ohio Snake]

First of all "the dealership" is not going to paint it. They will send it to a local paint/body shop with whom they have many years of a partnership. You can trust that the paint will match and be baked on.
Second you will be getting genuine Ford parts, not aftermarket.
Third they only paint parts in assembly. It's cost prohibitive to send your hood to be painted and repackaged and shipped. And when received at your dealership it's scratched or dinged in some way.
Fourth your car is so new the paint will absolutely match even if you have left in the desert for the last 2 years.
Fifth I have a 2018 in the same color, Magnetic. I would be interested in an update when you have one.

I have a 2018 Magnetic. Unfortunately, I crunched the mailbox on the right rear quarter of the vehicle when backing up in rain. Looked like a cat with claws scratched and dented the metal.

The Ford dealership I had the work done at actually has their own paint-shop and did all the work on the premises as most of the Ford dealerships in my area. Some dealers have the entire facilities, others may not.

The paint for the Magnetic on the repair was blended onto the entire rear quarter and part of the trunk hatch to blend. The repair looks undetectable. Metallic can be a bit trickier than non metallics when painting.

interestingly, my wife had a 2015 GM car whereas the fenders and bumper paint did not match from the factory because GM painted the bumpers separate from the fenders and hood. The metallic paint in the bumper actually looked darker than the fenders. Metallic can be tricker to match.


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[RoushCharger]

Have the same issues on our 2013 around the hood edges
but long out of warranty. Oxford White.
Best case is I can fine sand it back, spot putty - primer and feather sand.
PTM with Duplicolor, wet sand and feather in clear and wet sand again.

 

[ethanallen5877]

Ok. Got the explorer back yesterday and I have to say I can’t tell the hood was painted. Looks like a factory paint job. First time I’ve ever had a shop paint anything this good. I can usually always tell where areas were painted and blended from collision shops from insurance claim. Hats off to Automation In Houston and they warranty their paint and bodywork for life of vehicle.

 

[the mini machinist]

Just wanted to throw my experience on here. I bought a used 2016 Sport with 30k miles on it. Didn't notice the bubbling when I bought it, but the first time I went to wax it, it was there. Around 35k I finally had time to take it to one of the Ford's in Louisville, KY (I live in southern Indiana, and all I got was attitude over the phone). He took pictures and called me back about 2 hours later stating that Ford was going to cover the cost of a brand new hood with paint. I got it back two days later, paint looked great. They did screw up the emblem on the hood (it was placed too far over to the left) and after several minutes of arguing and measuring they finally admitted their mistake and will replace it in a month. All in all a good experience, just wanted to thank everyone on here for the info they've given to help me get this done.

 

[19Sport]

I have been down this road with a 13' Explorer XLT. Its aluminum corrosion that starts under the front edge of the hood, creeps forward then up over the front edge. All replacement body panels are black primer. Ford (and any other manufacturer) do not factory paint replacement panels. A Ford authorized body shop replaced my hood and precisely matched the paint. Almost any large body shop has computer scan paint match technology and can do this. I traded our Kodiak Brown 13' this past August for a new 19'Sport. the paint on the hood was 4 years old when traded and had not dulled, faded, or color shifted.

 

[suprasupra]

Hi all, I have a 2017 Explorer Sport with 53k kms and just noticed paint bubbles on the front edge of my hood. Went to the dealer and they will replace the hood under warranty.

 

[sandyjk01]

I had my hood replaced too. This cannot be repaired. One the corrosion has begun, a full new hood is required.

 

[2017Explorer]

Hi guys, just saw the same issue on my 2017 Explorer as well. 4 large bubbling areas.

Did Ford cover and replace the hoods (+painting)? I'm at 40,000 and beyond the warranty now. Looks like a big issue for Ford as this will continue to happen on all of these model years.

 

[19Sport]

Bubbling Fury

Found about 6 small areas on front edge of my 2017 explorer with bubbling paint. Took it to the dealership and I guess it’s a known issue. Dealership called back and said Ford was going to replace the hood. No idea how long the replacement hood is going to take to come in though....

Here’s the kicker. Dealership said Ford is sending a black unpainted hood and the dealership will have to paint it....this doesn’t seem right to me. No way can a dealership get the same factory paint quality right? To me ford should be sending a factory painted hood. Am I wrong?

Ford has an issue with the alloy of aluminum used in addition to it being applied over a steel substructure. I too had this issue with my'13 XLT. 3 months out of warranty BUT under 30K miles, the best Ford would do is meet me "half way", splitting the bill for a replacement hood with paint. It cost me $994.67 for a replacement hood.
All hoods, and replacement body parts are provided in black primer. No vehicle manufacturer can stock body panels prepainted in all the variety of colors they offer. Quality body shops match the paint tint they use to the specific shade and metalic scatter of adjacent panels on your specific vehicle, which could not be done with pre-painted panels.
I traded our '13 for a '19 sport last July and are keeping an eye on the area under the front lip of the hood where the corrosion first appears.

 

[sandyjk01]

I had the same concern with my 2017 and no one would know now that the hood has been replaced. My body shop did a great job. However, the first hood they received from Ford was defective. My vehicle was still under warranty so I didn’t pay anything.

 

[jblizza]

I took my 17 sport in to the collision department of the ford dealership to inspect the bubbling paint on the hood. I’ve got 44,500 miles on it & they got the ball rolling on a replacement hood. It was covered !

 

[2017Explorer]

Hi guys, just saw the same issue on my 2017 Explorer as well. 4 large bubbling areas.

Did Ford cover and replace the hoods (+painting)? I'm at 40,000 and beyond the warranty now. Looks like a big issue for Ford as this will continue to happen on all of these model years.

Hi guys, took my 2017 Explorer in for the bubbling paint on the hood. It was reviewed by Ford Body Shop and they covered it under warranty. Had 46,000 miles on it. They replaced the hood and matched the paint. Couldn't be happier with the service and warranty acceptance. Hope the replacement hood last a bit longer. ;o)

 

[19Sport]

Here we go again! Had this issue with my 2013 XLT. and had to pay $1000.00 of the hood replacement cost. It has just showed up on the hood of my 7000 mile, 14 month old Sport. WTF???? Ford has been using aluminum body panels for 20 years now, has been, and is involved in multiple class action law suits over this, AND STILL CANT SOLVE THE PROBLEM?????

 

[16Platinum]

I had not owned an Explorer until recently and was unaware of this issue. However, I purchased a 2016 Platinum in Shadow Black on a rainy day and did not notice anything until a couple of days later when the weather improved. I have the same issue, but as it is used and 47,000 miles, will Ford still work with me on it, or am I expected to eat the cost of hood or paint repair? Guess I will contact my local dealer and see what I can find out.