Hood corrosion - am I on my own?

[Mach VII]

I went to my local dealer when mine got the dreaded bubbles on the hood. They never even looked at it, just scheduled a time to have it replaced at a local body shop and gave me a loaner. I hadn't even bought the car there and did not have to bring up the TSB.

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[Postal Bob]

I'll have to review the corrosion warranty again. I'm pretty sure I was w/in the warranty period when I had the dealer examine the car. If this "TSB" means that my surface corrosion is (was) subject to repair at Ford's expense I'll give it another try.

But ... The TSB is dated 2020. Which was at least a year before I tried to get the local dealer to replace my hood. So it was in effect when my corrosion "claim" was denied. Not so sure the dealer will be any more receptive at this point but its worth a try.

Thanks for suggesting it.

Print out the TSB and bring it with you. Remember, it's Ford who is paying for this repair, not the dealer. And if they still fight you on it, and you have written proof you brought this to their attention years ago, call Ford customer service.

 

[Ecto1]

I'm thinking about writing a letter to Ford customer service (or whatever it's called) and seeing if they'd be any help. I still have the estimate from the dealer right after I bought the car. Might be the best way to approach it now.

Thanks again.

 

[Tang]

I've had it for years it doesn't bother me waiting for someone to hit me to get it fixed it's only a matter of time

 

[geep81]

I went to my local dealer when mine got the dreaded bubbles on the hood. They never even looked at it, just scheduled a time to have it replaced at a local body shop and gave me a loaner. I hadn't even bought the car there and did not have to bring up the TSB.

Were you out of warranty or still in it?

 

[Mach VII]

Were you out of warranty or still in it?

Within but that should not matter as per the TSB it covers aluminum panels back to MY 2000. I had printed out TSB in hand for my initial visit (ready for push back) and I would recommend you do the same with yours. If they refuse contact Ford directly.

 

[SHOdaddy68]

Years back I had my car into a number of dealers for a transmission issue and I asked about the hood corrosion. I was told I was outside of the warranty when in actuality it was still under the corrosion warranty. Unfortunately I took their word for it and there was nothing in writing. Dealers are either oblivious or simply don't want to deal with it. In my case, they blew me off.

In the end, I got a cool aftermarket hood and was able to sell my original hood for $500.

 

[Cobra Jet]

@Cobra Jet has a lot of info on this and I believe has all the TSB’s stashed somewhere here. Talk to a dealer too, see if they’re willing to push for you. Ford may say no because you’re beyond the paint & corrosion warranty, but worth a shot

I do plan on stopping by the dealer and asking, I have a good relationship with them having ordered two Mustangs with them. I have a previous history with Ford due to bad paint on a previous Mustang, I have a slight glimmer of hope they might help me out here due to previous circumstances Ford put me thru.

After the buy back, several years later my steering rack went just out of warranty. Ford was nice enough to cover about 70% of the costs, and in that paperwork I saw they had an allotment of total money they would spend to keep me happy. It was something like $5,000. Maybe that would still apply here.

@MAGS1
Sorry just seeing this now…. Here is a thread the OP will want to read and reference. Also within that post is the original and much larger thread we had on here regarding the Ford aluminum panel corrosion issues. That thread also had multiple TSB updates that were attached as PDF’s.
https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/th...paint-warrantable-vs-not.202747/#post-4095159

So if the OP was not aware, this “Ford aluminum corrosion” issue goes back to when Ford started using aluminum hoods and some body panels instead of steel. The issue is, the hood skin being aluminum and the “skeleton” to which the skin is welded to is steel. The reason the hood corrodes at the seams is due to contamination between the aluminum and the steel for the seal and how the metal is prepped for primer/paint. Any slight contamination that was on the metal before the primer process eventually corrodes and pops, thus the start of the problem most experience.

This has been an ongoing issue and Ford was forced due to legal issues and class action lawsuits to change how they deal with the issue, paint/corrosion warranty provisions were revised, and the TSB was expanded to include not only more models but to state perforation is not a prerequisite AND they are not to fix the deteriorated panel as they did in the last, they are required to dispose of and replace the panel in its entirety.

Please do read the linked post and the other linked thread within that one, there is A LOT of detail, facts, and discussion regarding the issue. It’s not just a “2015-2023 Mustang” issue, it’s been an issue for many years now, long before the S550 was even a thought…

Sorry to say, but even despite a TSB existing, if the vehicle has exceeded the Ford Paint/Corrosion Warranty provision of 5 years/60k miles (whichever came first) the corrosion issue is moot and Ford will not do any panel replacement or paint repairs. Sure you can try and reach out to Ford Corp., the worse they can say is what I’ve already stated (and what is in the other threads).

A TSB is only a Technical Service Bulletin that gives guidance to Ford Dealers, Service Tech Writers, and Techs for how to deal with certain repairs that are either known common occurrences/issues or new findings. A TSB is NOT a mandatory “Ford must do” and most of the public doesn’t even know they exist or what they are…. It’s not a NHTSA Recall. It’s merely an “info” doc and does not mean Ford is obligated to repair any vehicle.

 

[Cobra Jet]

If you read the TSB posted in post#4, there no longer has to be perforated through for it to be repaired under warranty. If you have it on record they inspected it earlier, you should now be covered as they didn't repair it when they should've.
And as for the price, when I had my hood replaced under the TSB, the bill for the new hood , painting, and installation was right around $3K. At least I didn't have to pay fo it.

Unfortunately, 2015 Ford products were excluded from the Paint and Corrosion Warranty revisions in 2016. 2015’s were still required to have perforation before it was approved for any panel repair/paint work. This has been discussed at length in the above linked thread in my last post. 2016+ Ford products that exhibit corrosion and IF still within the Ford Paint and Corrosion Warranty of 5 years / 60k miles (whichever came first), it was required that the aluminum panel is replaced, they are NOT to try and repair the panel…. Why Ford did not include 2015 Mustang model year in the global 2016 Warranty updates and the TSB is beyond me…

 

[PVAMT]

Yeah. Bring the tech order up with a dealer and they run for cover. No one I brought it up with would own it. I have tried a few. In the end I went with a Cervini hood. I had them paint it and they did a fantastic job. The only issue was that due to the way the hood was made I could no longer use my MMD radiator side covers. Bummer, as they took about a year to arrive. I do love the new hood though.

 

[geep81]

Thanks for all the info people. I'll mention it to the dealer when I go in for alignment but I'll expect I am going to get an aftermarket hood in the future.

 

[Mach VII]

Thanks for all the info people. I'll mention it to the dealer when I go in for alignment but I'll expect I am going to get an aftermarket hood in the future.

Bring a print out of the TSB with you!

 

[dguzzi]

Man that sucks. I thought that was resolved in the 18 and up models.
My 16 has it, I’m letting it get a little uglier before I spring for the new hood.

Let us know how well you do on the new hood. I have the same issue with the same year car.

 

[NGOT8R]

Sounds like most will be on their own. Even a repaint may not cure the issue permanently if caught during the warranty period. Quality is Job #1 huh?

AI Overview

Ford denies corrosion coverage on aluminum Mustang hoods because the warranties generally only cover rust-through (perforation) that creates actual holes in the body panel. Because aluminum naturally corrodes by bubbling rather than rusting through, owners face denials. The issue stems from iron contamination trapped during manufacturing. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Why Coverage is Denied

• Perforation Clause: Ford's aluminum and corrosion warranties dictate that the panel must corrode "through" the metal (perforation) to qualify for a full replacement. Aluminum does not rust through like steel, so it rarely meets this strict standard.
• Expired Timeframes: Many Mustang owners only notice the bubbling paint after their 5-year/unlimited-mile Corrosion Protection Warranty has already expired.
• Warranty Type: Surface paint bubbling is typically covered only under the standard 3-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty, leaving owners out of pocket if the vehicle is past this milestone
  

 

[MAGS1]

This is why I hate AI. Ford issued a TSB stating the corrosion does NOT have to perforate in order to be covered. The big question is if someone has documented proof that they went to a dealer within the warranty period, was denied because it didn’t perforate and now tries to go back outside the warranty period, will Ford still honor the warranty since the TSB stated perforation isn’t required. If it happened to my car, I’d sure as hell try.

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