Mustang headliner sag FIX

[Elk23]

Hello everyone, I was having an issue with the headliner on my 2020 Mustang—it was coming loose on the driver-side door. I brought it to a Ford dealership, and they performed the TSB repair by replacing the weatherstrip. Unfortunately, the issue came back within 48 hours.

When I returned to the dealer, they told me there was basically nothing else they could do and that I’d need an entirely new headliner, quoting me $1,500 to replace it. I wasn’t willing to spend that much to fix it, so I tried the other methods I found on the forums, like using credit cards and a rubber mallet, but none of them worked. Eventually, I grabbed some thin double-sided 3M tape and applied it to all the exposed edges of the headliner. I let it sit for ten minutes with the backing still on, then tucked it into the weatherstrip, peeled the backing off while it was in place, and pressed the edge of the headliner onto the pinch weld in the roof and held it for a few minutes. This is the only method that has worked for me.

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[GTP]

Lesson here is:
DIY first
Dealer second

 

[ORRadtech]

Lesson here is:
DIY first
Dealer second

I understand the sentiment.
It feels an awful lot like letting the manufacturer get away with no consequences though.

 

[robvas]

So the way these are usually put together is a heat press and the fabric has a glue on the back. So it gets basically stamped heated and glued all in one go. I used to put those together all day long (not for Mustangs though)

They used to use a spray and then put the fabric over them but that was much more prone to mistakes

So you really can't just glue those back like people try. Ends up soaking through the fabric etc.

The 3M tape is an interesting solution, would like to see how it lasts.

 

[Snakebyte]

One potential problem with attempting a repair first (if under warranty) is that once I fiddle with the problem, I own the problem. For that reason, when the car is under warranty for a defect, I will generally go to the dealer first and give them an opportunity to fix.

 

[GTP]

One potential problem with attempting a repair first (if under warranty) is that once I fiddle with the problem, I own the problem. For that reason, when the car is under warranty for a defect, I will generally go to the dealer first and give them an opportunity to fix.

True. Me too.

 

[John S]

Images? I didn't realize replacing a headliner could be that expensive.

 

[ORRadtech]

So the way these are usually put together is a heat press and the fabric has a glue on the back. So it gets basically stamped heated and glued all in one go. I used to put those together all day long (not for Mustangs though)

They used to use a spray and then put the fabric over them but that was much more prone to mistakes

So you really can't just glue those back like people try. Ends up soaking through the fabric etc.

The 3M tape is an interesting solution, would like to see how it lasts.

I don't believe that the fabric separating from the foam backing is the problem.
I think the issue is that Ford cut the headliner 1/8th to 1/4' too "short" and it keeps coming out from under the edge of the weather stripping.
My wife's Fusion suffers the same problem. The edge of the headliner is just not quite wide enough to stay under the weather stripping.
It's frustrating.

 

[Elk23]

Images? I didn't realize replacing a headliner could be that expensive.

This is the issue I didnt have a pic of mine on hand so i used one on the fourms or are you asking for a picture of the qoute

 

[Elk23]

So for me it

I don't believe that the fabric separating from the foam backing is the problem.
I think the issue is that Ford cut the headliner 1/8th to 1/4' too "short" and it keeps coming out from under the edge of the weather stripping.
My wife's Fusion suffers the same problem. The edge of the headliner is just not quite wide enough to stay under the weather stripping.
It's frustrating.

for me it seemed to be the weather strip moves like a 1/16 on an inch whenever the door is opened or window is rolled up and thats what kept popping it out so i just bypassed the weather strip and stuck it right to the metal

 

[Elk23]

So the way these are usually put together is a heat press and the fabric has a glue on the back. So it gets basically stamped heated and glued all in one go. I used to put those together all day long (not for Mustangs though)

They used to use a spray and then put the fabric over them but that was much more prone to mistakes

So you really can't just glue those back like people try. Ends up soaking through the fabric etc.

The 3M tape is an interesting solution, would like to see how it lasts.

So i actually tried this before and failed using a weaker 3m tape the strongest double sided molding tape is needed

 

[Elk23]

So the way these are usually put together is a heat press and the fabric has a glue on the back. So it gets basically stamped heated and glued all in one go. I used to put those together all day long (not for Mustangs though)

They used to use a spray and then put the fabric over them but that was much more prone to mistakes

So you really can't just glue those back like people try. Ends up soaking through the fabric etc.

The 3M tape is an interesting solution, would like to see how it lasts.

Actually modern mustang have no spray or glue its all tucked and magnets according to the dealer and its why these issues are so common

 

[RocketGuy3]

One potential problem with attempting a repair first (if under warranty) is that once I fiddle with the problem, I own the problem. For that reason, when the car is under warranty for a defect, I will generally go to the dealer first and give them an opportunity to fix.

Under warranty, yeah, dealer is a no brainer... Out of warranty, even if you don't want to do it yourself, find a reputable independent mechanic that ideally specializes in Mustangs. But of course, depending where you live, this may not be easy.

 

[robvas]

This is the issue I didnt have a pic of mine on hand so i used one on the fourms or are you asking for a picture of the qoute

That would have been useful in the original post

When people say 'headliner sag' they usually mean this:

 

[John S]

When people say 'headliner sag' they usually mean this

That's what confused me from my original question, hopefully modern Mustang headliners won't "sag" over time.

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