Tailgate paint rubbing off where it meets the glass.

[level3looper]

Anyone else seeing this?

It looks like the points where it is rubbing the paint off is soft rubber. You can see the clean spot where it rubs.

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[Hudman316]

Definitely get that addressed under warranty ASAP.

 

[mountainbronco]

I have the same issue, and brought it to the dealer under warranty. The response from Ford was that the corrective action was to adjust the entire tailgate, meaning they would have to loosen the tailgate bolts and then would have to re-paint.

My response was to forget it. I will take the paint rub and put a black trim over it or something else. Because if I let them mess around with the tailgate adjustment, who knows what comes after that, it could be worse than the original problem!!

My frustration is that the glass does not have any adjustment/leeway in it's design. I can't believe that they would design a MIC hard top (knowing it has more expansion than steel) and attach a glass without any adjustment possibility.

If your rub is your biggest problem, you should be happy!!

 

[OtisFE]

Not normal IMO

 

[mountainbronco]

Not normal IMO

I agree entirely!

 

[edernest]

Anyone else seeing this?

It looks like the points where it is rubbing the paint off is soft rubber. You can see the clean spot where it rubs.

I've seen the same on mine @level3looper and have already taken it to the dealer a few times to see if they can correct it to no avail. They have already handled paint correction and realignment of the tailgate, but since the root cause wasn't resolved it is still wearing paint away on that top edge.

The other symptom I have on mine is that the tailgate rubs loudly against the window gasket. I notice this especially at low temps while driving on dirt roads with potholes. Can you hear the same on yours? Did you ever get any kind of satisfactory resolution?

 

[Roger123]

I'm starting to see blue paint on my rubber strip as well. I initially thought it was WW fluid but now I believe it paint. Can't see any damage to the tailgate itself.

I think I'm going to get a strip of PPF and put it on the tailgate.

 

[level3looper]

I've seen the same on mine @level3looper and have already taken it to the dealer a few times to see if they can correct it to no avail. They have already handled paint correction and realignment of the tailgate, but since the root cause wasn't resolved it is still wearing paint away on that top edge.

The other symptom I have on mine is that the tailgate rubs loudly against the window gasket. I notice this especially at low temps while driving on dirt roads with potholes. Can you hear the same on yours? Did you ever get any kind of satisfactory resolution?

I didn't have it looked at... I brought my Bronco in for the window rattle issue and they really didn't accomplish anything - so I didn't have much confidence. I'll post a new pic when I'm able. For noise, mine sounds like theirs a window open back there.

 

[FootPain]

I've got the same thing from both hard and soft tops. Both OEM. I'm going to put some paint protection there after the dealership fixes the paint.

 

[swooshdave]

Be sure to clean that area frequently as any dirt will exacerbate the paint wear.

 

[mikec426]

Doing this on my soft top as well. The rest of the inside of my tailgate is scratched to hell because I didn't secure some cargo while off-roading last year. Wonder if the dealer would repaint the whole thing or tell me to pack sand.

 

[edernest]

Doing this on my soft top as well. The rest of the inside of my tailgate is scratched to hell because I didn't secure some cargo while off-roading last year. Wonder if the dealer would repaint the whole thing or tell me to pack sand.

Interesting to hear that the OEM softtops also have this problem. In the summer I put my hardtop in storage and run the Bestop, and it didn't seem to have any of this trouble.

I've heard others with this issue reporting that they installed weather strip along the top edge of the tailgate to eliminate the paint wear though I like the idea of using a small strip of PPF like others here suggested. I'd consider that a last resort because this really does feel like a design flaw to me, but with my dealer running out of ideas I feel like I'm quickly reaching that point.

My best guess in all of this is that the sasquatch spare tire is just too heavy for the non-reinforced factory tailgate. While I don't see evidence of any buckling or wear on the hinges like others have reported when they use heavier aftermarket wheels, I suspect that the extra weight causes the whole tailgate to shift while driving over bumps, which then rubs against the gasket on the rear window. Perhaps tailgate reinforcement would help if my theory is correct?

 

[Scott R Nelson]

Anyone else seeing this?

Yeah, mine shows wear like that. I figure that it's the price of doing a lot of off road driving.

The other symptom I have on mine is that the tailgate rubs loudly against the window gasket. I notice this especially at low temps while driving on dirt roads with potholes. Can you hear the same on yours? Did you ever get any kind of satisfactory resolution?

When I'm driving off road, I put a small towel in where the rear window meets the tailgate. I hold it in place when I shut the tailgate so that about half an inch of towel sticks out. Totally eliminates the squeeks. Haven't found any other solution.

Since I always air down when I get to the dirt, that's part of the procedure after I toss the air hoses into the back. Then when I'm done and go to air back up the towel comes back out as a side effect of opening the back to get to my air pump and stuff.

 

[edernest]

When I'm driving off road, I put a small towel in where the rear window meets the tailgate.

What if you are always driving off road? I share my gravel with many tractors and only accasionally get assistance on that from county road commission on that. So your fix might be good for those with occasional troubles but I would say mine is pretty constant (at least, during the winter months when it seems to be more noticable)

 

[the poacher]

As others have suggested, go into your dealership and get them to fix the paint/issue, then apply a protective film over the paint in the spot you are having the issue with. That should stop any further paint issues.

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