Explorer Owners Are Suing Ford yet Again Over Corroding Hoods

Ford Explorer owners are suing the automaker once more over another problem said to date back years.

Previously, the Explorer has been the object of scrutiny after class-action lawsuits were filed by owners against Ford over alleged carbon monoxide leakage in the cabin of the SUV’s previous generation .

Ford, however, claimed the vehicles were safe after undergoing testing and evaluations conducted by the company, adding that its “complementary service to address exhaust odor effectively resolves the issue.”

But according to Ford Authority, as  reported by CarComplaints.com, there is a new class-action suit demanding for the automaker to issue a recall of several Explorer models for corroding hoods. The corroding hoods are said to result from the contamination in the aluminum body panel, which causes the paint to bubble and flake.

Complainants are saying Ford was aware of the problem for almost 20 years but did not do anything to address the issue. The lawsuit also alleges that the hood corrosion problem goes as far back as the early 2000s when Ford first introduced the use of lighter aluminum panels on the Explorer as part of a bigger goal to improve fuel economy. Apparently, there was iron contamination of the aluminum hood prior to the paint application during production.

It appears that Ford is indeed aware of the problem as it has previously issued technical service bulletins as early as 2004. It was then followed by a second bulletin in 2006 and a third 10 years later. The most recent bulletin was issued in February of this year, recommending outright replacement of the parts in question.

In the lawsuit, owners claim that Ford’s two-year extended coverage for the body panel corrosion is limited and only applies to “perforated” part and not the entire panel. They also claim the aluminum body can’t perforate, rendering Ford’s warranty pointless.