Tear in Frame

[Lorne34]

So sorry that you are going through all of this. These are great cars, but not hand made on a Ferrari assembly line, so we have to live with some concessions.
Not that my statement above excuses any of this, it's just that I and everyone else needs to remember that from the a pillar back these are rolling off the same lot as every other Mustang Eco, GT, etc.
In this case it's hard to determine exactly what happened based upon Carfax, etc.
At this point your best option is to take it to the body shop you trust and possibly Ford to get professional opinions on where you are at with this, ....how bad, and possible repair options.
Will be praying for a good outcome.

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[RocketGuy3]

So sorry that you are going through all of this. These are great cars, but not hand made on a Ferrari assembly line, so we have to live with some concessions.

Most humans make more mistakes than most machines, heh. "Hand-made" is just marketing bullshit, doesn't actually make the car better. And low volume pretty much necessitates it for some cars, too. There are some corners cut to build these cars at a comparatively low price point for what we get, but being machine built is not an example of one of those cut corners.

Anyway, I digress. Just hadda get that in there.

 

[eddiejay]

Now I wonder what the proper repair here is

I say take it to a certified and good reputable body shop for an appraisal

 

[Cobra Jet]

Ok…. Let’s all calm down….

I bought a prior 2016 brand new (and unfortunately it went through a Ford Buy Back for other issues unrelated to thread topic) and my replacement was also a brand new 2018.

So with that said, what everyone is seeing here is the overlap of the body seam sealer. It’s very obnoxious and not “clean” as to how Ford employees (or if a BOT) applies the seam sealer. It’s brushed on over the entire seam and is supposed to be then wiped/leveled down.

In fact if everyone took a pic of that same L and R area of the trunk channel, every single picture would look different with the curvature of the edge of the rear 1/4 overlap to the trunk shell - and it’s due to excess seam sealer laying in that top “L-bend” of the rear 1/4 overlap. Not one S550 will look the same in that area and not one S550 will have a sharp clean overlap in that area either - and it’s because of the overlap of the seam sealer. Mine included has excess sealer in those areas (not cracked) and the L and R side differ as far as the straight edge of the overlap. When that sheet metal is clean, of course there should be a sharp bend, but with the added seam sealer under paint it gives the illusion of that being all metal when it’s definitely not. I mean if you look close enough along the entire channel you can see the brush strokes or wipe strokes when they flattened out the sealer onto the metal surface prior to paint.

They don’t just apply the seam sealer to the openings or gaps between the sheet metal mating areas - and they don’t apply it to the surfaces before the spot welding happens on the assembly line. After all the components of the body shell are assembled, then the seam sealer is applied to many areas of the shell (outside, inside and under it), such as those very rear corners everyone is looking at in this thread. When it’s applied, it’s literally just slopped on and wiped. As long as the sealer closes the gaps and looks ok, the car shell continues its journey to the final prep/paint section of the assembly line. Here the paint is BOT sprayed over the entire shell and the car moves on. At that stage, the seam sealer still is “good” in the meaning that there are no cracks, gaps, pinholes, etc. and it passes quality visual inspection after paint.

That seam sealer continues to cure even after paint. Weather conditions and its elasticity will (over time) and how much coverage (thin/thick) create divots, cracks, pinholes, and gaps.

This doesn’t only happen in that area of the concern, but we have threads on here showing how the roof seam from the front windshield all the way back to the rear windshield (the top roof channel that runs from A-pillar roof line to C-pillar) also has cracked. Then there is the same issue seen in the rear window channels too where the seam sealer has opened (cracked). There’s a ton of pics in those threads showing the same type of concern as the inner trunk channel area here in this thread.

The problem with those type of breaches that is a real concern is the fact that rain water and car washing water gets into the cracks. If it’s during the cold months, that crack will expand (just like cracks in asphalt and concrete) and the crack eventually becomes more of a problem. In those other threads, many have taken their car to the Dealership to get water leaks repaired at the front corners of the windshield, the roofline and the rear window channel.

This type of repair should be covered under the Ford 5/60 Paint and Corrosion Warranty due to “manufacturing defect”.

If the vehicle is past the 5/60 by years or miles they won’t do anything…. You can try calling the Ford 800# and pleading the case if it’s a little past the Warranty expiration deadlines, but it’s up to Ford in the end if they will budge on such a repair at that stage.

So if the car is still within the 5/60 take it in for a review and repair. If it’s beyond and Ford won’t cover it - then you have options to take it to a reputable body shop for them to diagnose and repair OR you can get 3M body sealer compounds or other brands and do a DIY repair to just fill the exposed area and wipe down so ONLY the exposed crack has been filled.

I do not see sheet metal cracking, it’s definitely seam sealer overlap failing just as the other areas of the body. Visit the other threads and compare.

 

[JOKER M1]

Not disagreeing with @Cobra Jet nor trying to make your situation more tense. Only showing pictures on my 22’ for reference, looks exceptionally clean & smooth however if you look close you can see some brush marks as Cobra Jet mentioned. Maybe quality improved

 

[Cobra Jet]

Not disagreeing with @Cobra Jet nor trying to make your situation more tense. Only showing pictures on my 22’ for reference, looks exceptionally clean & smooth however if you look close you can see some brush marks as Cobra Jet mentioned. Maybe quality improved

Correct.

in fact here’s your same images below with the area of concern highlighted to show that both the L and R images of the RED circled area is NOT the same at all when comparing L to R. This is due to the excess seam sealer laying above the “L-bend” of the sheet metal after it was leveled out.

That sheet metal prior to seam sealer application would have the same exact sharper and equal L-bends above the spot welds (the red circled section) and below the spot welds would be excess seam sealer to seal the mating gap of the 1/4 to trunk channel (blue circle).

When that area is seam sealed on the line, that entire length is slopped with sealer, then leveled. They don’t care if it went above the spot welds or not. They also do not go back and trim or clean up the area ABOVE the spot welds (in my red circled areas) so that the bend is sharp and crisp.

In the OP’s images and concern, it’s the seam sealer that has opened. In fact, and I am not recommending this at all to anyone - BUT if he were to get a metal pick and pull from the edge of the crack, little pieces of that sealer would chip off from the metal depending on its thickness. Again I do not recommend doing this because it could flake off bigger than expected and create a larger defect and more of a concern visually as well as allowing more water behind it.

It is NOT a structural concern at all.

 

[Cobra Jet]

In fact, for many who have never seen a car (or Mustang) built from a flat roll of steel to final roll off the line car, watch this vid (How a Car is Built: Featuring The Ford Mustang 1995). It’s an educational video for anyone who’s never seen the process. It shows the entire build process from start to finish with no stop gaps. The same assembly process still applies today of course with more automation, better processes, and more efficient assembly.

in this vid you will see when/how the seam sealer is applied.(FF to 15:23 in the vid and watch):


Enjoy!

 

[BenjiSayRuh]

I had a "not so similar" issue arise with my car when i purchased it and I even had a "pre-purchase" inspection with the car. The driver side rear quarter panel was filled with some sort of "bondo" to cover up a crash from the previous owner. The Previous owner did not go through insurance and therefore it was not on the car fax. The resolution was to replace the whole rear quarter panel.

Below are some pictures.

 

[HKusp]

Just for adding data and comparison purposes, I took pictures of my car, the same areas.

 

[1MeanZ]

2016 for reference here

 

[#1ford]

There is a tool that measures paint thickness !!! Find someone that can check and compare the thickness to the rest of your vehicle this will help you determine if it’s the factory paint thickness on your quarter panel? Hope this helps you ,Joe.

 

[rolfe.oliver]

Ok…. Let’s all calm down….

I bought a prior 2016 brand new (and unfortunately it went through a Ford Buy Back for other issues unrelated to thread topic) and my replacement was also a brand new 2018.

So with that said, what everyone is seeing here is the overlap of the body seam sealer. It’s very obnoxious and not “clean” as to how Ford employees (or if a BOT) applies the seam sealer. It’s brushed on over the entire seam and is supposed to be then wiped/leveled down.

In fact if everyone took a pic of that same L and R area of the trunk channel, every single picture would look different with the curvature of the edge of the rear 1/4 overlap to the trunk shell - and it’s due to excess seam sealer laying in that top “L-bend” of the rear 1/4 overlap. Not one S550 will look the same in that area and not one S550 will have a sharp clean overlap in that area either - and it’s because of the overlap of the seam sealer. Mine included has excess sealer in those areas (not cracked) and the L and R side differ as far as the straight edge of the overlap. When that sheet metal is clean, of course there should be a sharp bend, but with the added seam sealer under paint it gives the illusion of that being all metal when it’s definitely not. I mean if you look close enough along the entire channel you can see the brush strokes or wipe strokes when they flattened out the sealer onto the metal surface prior to paint.

They don’t just apply the seam sealer to the openings or gaps between the sheet metal mating areas - and they don’t apply it to the surfaces before the spot welding happens on the assembly line. After all the components of the body shell are assembled, then the seam sealer is applied to many areas of the shell (outside, inside and under it), such as those very rear corners everyone is looking at in this thread. When it’s applied, it’s literally just slopped on and wiped. As long as the sealer closes the gaps and looks ok, the car shell continues its journey to the final prep/paint section of the assembly line. Here the paint is BOT sprayed over the entire shell and the car moves on. At that stage, the seam sealer still is “good” in the meaning that there are no cracks, gaps, pinholes, etc. and it passes quality visual inspection after paint.

That seam sealer continues to cure even after paint. Weather conditions and its elasticity will (over time) and how much coverage (thin/thick) create divots, cracks, pinholes, and gaps.

This doesn’t only happen in that area of the concern, but we have threads on here showing how the roof seam from the front windshield all the way back to the rear windshield (the top roof channel that runs from A-pillar roof line to C-pillar) also has cracked. Then there is the same issue seen in the rear window channels too where the seam sealer has opened (cracked). There’s a ton of pics in those threads showing the same type of concern as the inner trunk channel area here in this thread.

The problem with those type of breaches that is a real concern is the fact that rain water and car washing water gets into the cracks. If it’s during the cold months, that crack will expand (just like cracks in asphalt and concrete) and the crack eventually becomes more of a problem. In those other threads, many have taken their car to the Dealership to get water leaks repaired at the front corners of the windshield, the roofline and the rear window channel.

This type of repair should be covered under the Ford 5/60 Paint and Corrosion Warranty due to “manufacturing defect”.

If the vehicle is past the 5/60 by years or miles they won’t do anything…. You can try calling the Ford 800# and pleading the case if it’s a little past the Warranty expiration deadlines, but it’s up to Ford in the end if they will budge on such a repair at that stage.

So if the car is still within the 5/60 take it in for a review and repair. If it’s beyond and Ford won’t cover it - then you have options to take it to a reputable body shop for them to diagnose and repair OR you can get 3M body sealer compounds or other brands and do a DIY repair to just fill the exposed area and wipe down so ONLY the exposed crack has been filled.

I do not see sheet metal cracking, it’s definitely seam sealer overlap failing just as the other areas of the body. Visit the other threads and compare.

Thanks for the reply. I will take another look later today, but I think we are starting to conflate two issues.
1) the crack - this does not look to be seam sealer and is not located on any seam. It certainly felt like a metal tear.
2) the shitty looking seam job - yeah, I got a Monday morning car apparently and my seams on both sides look bad. Not worried about that part.

 

[Cobra Jet]

Thanks for the reply. I will take another look later today, but I think we are starting to conflate two issues.
1) the crack - this does not look to be seam sealer and is not located on any seam. It certainly felt like a metal tear.
2) the shitty looking seam job - yeah, I got a Monday morning car apparently and my seams on both sides look bad. Not worried about that part.

I’m sticking to my response unless proven wrong…. It’s seam sealer - it is not fatigued metal.

As I stated in my other longer reply and as seen in other M6G members posted pics, the sealer when applied is slopped on over that entire L-bend and the sealer then gets brushed down to level it. They don’t go back and clean up excess sealer, so the excess is laying in that top channel above the spot welds and was painted over. It’s also why the L and R side do not look equal - even with my own S550 and all of the M6G member’s pics posted so far, not one side looks the same as the other.

They (Ford assembly line workers) do not just apply the sealer to the “seam” where the 2 pieces of metal meet; they don’t have time to be that precise, detailed or critical with the seam sealer application process as the body shell is moving down the line.

In the first pic you posted (below), enlarge it as large as you can on a hi res monitor with brightness turned up and you can literally see the brush strokes under the paint in the sealer and the excess laying in that channel above the spot weld line. The “crack” is not a seam, it’s not the sheet metal cracking either - it’s a crack occurring within the excess sealer laying in that area.

In this other pic you have posted of that area, I’ve circled all areas where the seam sealer has cracked or where defects are present as well. Again, enlarge the pic as large as you can and view on a hi res monitor or with brightness turned up on your mobile device or tablet to see the brush strokes in all areas and the fact that it is sealer degrading, not metal.

What I will agree with is if the car is still under its 5/60 Paint and Corrosion Warranty, take it to a Ford Dealer for review. If the car is beyond the 5/60, it does need to be addressed because the defects and cracks will get worse with time - as well as possible corrosion issues behind the crack from water or moisture intrusion.

I will also say to not only look in that area, but look at both the L and R rear window channel from the base of the trunk up to the roof for any degradation in the seam sealer - it’s well known those areas also crack. Then follow the roof channels to the front windshield and again look at the top channel of the windshield as well as the L and R channels going to the cowling….

With a vehicle the color of yours (or white, orange, silver, or yellow), it is far easier to see and find seam sealer defects and/or cracking of the sealer through the paint layer. With darker S550’s like black, dark grays, burgundy, and dark blues, it’s harder to see or find those defects. So all S550 owners should be checking those areas if there is a concern.

 

[s2ms]

I agree with @Cobra Jet, it's cracked seam sealer. Personally I would take a small pick and poke around a little, should be fairly easy to determine if it is sealer, or not. I'd be very surprised if it isn't...

 

[526 HRSE]

Well, this is a strange one. Took the car for its first wash of the season and discovered this 2-inch gash on the inside portion of the body. Car was sold clean title with no accidents. Has anything like this happened to anyone else? Do we think maybe there was an unofficial, unreported accident and repair? Had the car since August 2022 and never noticed this.

It might be your camera, but that Grabber Blue looks off to me. Car looks like it could have been repainted.

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