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Paint chipping/flaking off pillar

100K views 241 replies 120 participants last post by  jwaugh098 
#1 ·
So I got gas tonight and noticed what I thought was a leaf, but as you can see, the paint is chipping/flaking off the car. There is no visible trauma, just flaking off. Driver side windshield pillar. As you can see, a piece has come off and there is a larger section ready to come off as well, also area above it feels lumpy. The material underneath looks like paint was never on it. BTW, 2017 model, and I just hit 14k miles this week. Will be calling dealership tomorrow...SMH.

Anybody else have an issue like this? Know how they handle it?

I had a 2014 previously and had no issues with it at all. I like how they rearranged everything and the tech is better, but have had quality control issues since day one(fasteners not fastened, something rolling around in dashboard, sync issues, don't get me started on auto stop/fart system). I'm hoping just cause it was a first build, unlike my 2014.

Sorry for being dirty, they over salted roads for a storm that never happened here.
 

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#3 ·
I have not heard of Escapes having any sort of "orange peel" paint issues. I have a 14' like you used to, and have no issues.
Hopefully the dealership makes things right for you.
From what I have read for people with various cars over the years that did have "orange peel" paint, is that there usually some sort of primer & paint adhesion thing...kid of like painting flat paint over high gloss without sanding or treating first.
If it happens in one spot, there's a good change it will happen all over the vehicle in time.
You have the nice metallic blue as well, and that is harder to match up.
I would ask the dealership to do a full vehicle repaint, as that is the only way to know for sure that the paint is properly bonded to the vehicle and that all body panels will appear the same when they are done (partial vehicle paint jobs are never exact despite a paint shop's best efforts).
And be sure they pull the windshield, as that is the only way to get paint down into that exposes/recessed pinch weld area along the windshield.
Good luck and hopefully the dealership takes care of you well and promptly.
 
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#50 ·
I have a 2017. I had older escape and loved it, so I bought this. I have 17k miles and now am just outside of 3yr and my pillar has completely pealed off. I do not live in a state with salt. I baby my car and seems noone wants to pay. Without sealer and paint it will start leaking. Im still paying on this car and Im furious.
 
#4 ·
I kind of hate to bring this up, but it happens that cars sometimes get damaged in transit from the factory to the dealer, or transport between dealers.
https://www.autoblog.com/2015/12/06/new-car-damage-repair/
"New cars can get damaged in transit or on the dealer lot, and in many cases the dealer is not required to tell you if any repairs have been completed."

It's possible that this cracking and bubbling paint was due to a post-factory repair, even on a "new" car.
Food for thought.
 
#6 ·
That is entirely possible.

I had a friend when I was in my early 20's that bought a brand new S-10 pickup (yes it was the 90's :D ) that had a similar issue. It was "fresh off the delivery trailer" and had just been put on the lot when he bought it. About a month later he started noticing similar paint issues and some strange ripples along the top of the bed rail. After about a month of complaining to the dealer and having a third party body shop confirm it had been previously repaired, he had to threaten to hire an attorney if they didn't fix it or give him a new truck.

They broke down and told him it had been damaged in transit and had fixed it prior to sale. Since the truck had never been registered and Chevy still owned it when they received it, Chevy reimbursed the dealer to fix it and that was that. They went ahead and fixed it the right way this time and he didn't have any further issues for the six or so years he owned it for. This was in CA.
 
#5 ·



@RushMan has a point. It doesn't happen very often but when it does, obvious repairs need to be made. That being said, if the repainting process is not done correctly or cheaped out, then there would be the paint adhesion problem you have as well...but new cars from various manufacturers have had the problem too. You'll never really know. Again, hopefully the dealer takes good care of you. Ask for a full vehicle repaint to avoid possible future problems.
 
#9 ·
#11 ·
Hi Everyone. This is the most similar thread I could find to my issue so here it goes. I have a 2017 Escape Titanium 2.0 AWD in Black. 35,300 miles, which is going to become important in a second. It was a warm sunny day today and when I walked to my Escape I noticed that the paint looked different on the front bumper right below the headlight. When I got closer I noticed the patches (see picture) where the clear coat appears to be peeling away... Does anyone know if this is covered under warranty? If it is, I have only 700 miles to get this taken care of and I'll be on the road a lot this week. I would appreciate any feedback!!
 

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#12 ·
I'm not sure that I can see what you're referring to in that picture, I see a bunch of swirl marks in the paint and a couple of rock chips. You have a lot of clear coat damage for such low miles, make sure you aren't washing by hand or using a carwash with brushes. Either way, I'm not sure that it would be covered under warranty since it's obvious the paint has not been well taken care of.
 
#13 ·
Thanks for your reply. I'm the second owner, so I can't speak for the first 17k miles, but since I've had it I used mostly touchless carwashes, however I was taking it to Mister Carwash for awhile until a friend that used to work for Mercedes informed me about micro swirls. I attached another photo for reference. Thanks again.
 

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#14 ·
We are having the same problem with our 2017 Ford Escape. We have been to the dealership and they said they had never seen or heard of this problem before, they took pictures and said they would send them to Ford. That was June 4, 2019 we went back two times to see if they had responded, but were told Ford had not got back to them yet. I am wondering if you had any satisfaction from Ford.
We are having the same problem with our 2017 Escape. We have been to the dealership and they said they have never seen this before and would get in touch with Ford. That was June 4th, we followed up the next two weeks and was told Ford had not got back to them.
 
#154 ·
We are having the same problem with our 2017 Ford Escape. We have been to the dealership and they said they had never seen or heard of this problem before, they took pictures and said they would send them to Ford. That was June 4, 2019 we went back two times to see if they had responded, but were told Ford had not got back to them yet. I am wondering if you had any satisfaction from Ford.

We are having the same problem with our 2017 Escape. We have been to the dealership and they said they have never seen this before and would get in touch with Ford. That was June 4th, we followed up the next two weeks and was told Ford had not got back to them.
I am having the same issue with my 2017 Ford Escape. Same exact problem in the same places. I have been to the dealership and dealing with Ford on multiple occasions and getting the same exact run-around and non-response from them all. This is obviously a factory defect and not a "wear and tear" issue as I've been told by both the dealership and Ford. I think a class-action suit is in order if they fail to respond and take care of this issue. Would anyone care to join?
 
#15 · (Edited)
Hi Everyone,

I have a 2017 Ford Escape, about 40,000 miles and I just noticed the same thing on my Escape this past weekend. The paint is chipping to the driver side of my windshield. I took it in this morning to Ford and they said they have never seen anything like it before and as of right now Ford said it is not under warranty but I'm hoping it will be under the factory defect which is covered for the 5 years. It looks like more and more people are having this problem.
75018
 
#16 ·
Hi Everyone,

I have a 2017 Ford Escape, about 40,000 miles and I just noticed the same thing on my Escape this past weekend. The paint is chipping to the driver side of my windshield. I took it in this morning to Ford and they said they have never seen anything like it before and as of right now Ford said it is not under warranty but I'm hoping it will be under the factory defect which is covered for the 5 years. It looks like more and more people are having this problem. View attachment 75018
 
#18 ·
Hi Robsaudiorepair, Ford had my car for 2 days and they came back to me saying they would not do anything... I even called Ford Corporate and they wouldn't cover it either.. I let them know other people are having this same exact issue and it didn't seem like it mattered. They said Paint is only covered for the 3 year warranty.. And warranty had only expired 2 months ago. It it just very disappointing. Paint should not be chipping like this on a car.
 
#19 ·
So I got gas tonight and noticed what I thought was a leaf, but as you can see, the paint is chipping/flaking off the car. There is no visible trauma, just flaking off. Driver side windshield pillar. As you can see, a piece has come off and there is a larger section ready to come off as well, also area above it feels lumpy. The material underneath looks like paint was never on it. BTW, 2017 model, and I just hit 14k miles this week. Will be calling dealership tomorrow...SMH.

I found this thread after my 2017 Escape started doing the exact same thing. Has anyone had any luck getting Ford to do anything about it?

Anybody else have an issue like this? Know how they handle it?

I had a 2014 previously and had no issues with it at all. I like how they rearranged everything and the tech is better, but have had quality control issues since day one(fasteners not fastened, something rolling around in dashboard, sync issues, don't get me started on auto stop/fart system). I'm hoping just cause it was a first build, unlike my 2014.

Sorry for being dirty, they over salted roads for a storm that never happened here.
 

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#20 ·
Wildcat, looks like your peeling exactly in the same spots mine was. Funnily enough, I’m about to go pick the car up now. They sent it to an auto body shop, Was there for a week. Ford covered the repair and the dealer gave me a loner. I am still under warranty. If you’re still under warranty, take car in ASAP. Only reason I took a bit to get it done, is procrastination. Lol. Good luck!
 
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#22 ·
Definitely sucks! Mine started peeling just after 16k. Took longer for them to repair because the windshield need to be removed.
 
#23 ·
I've been going around and around with Ford for the last few months on this issue. The primer is delaminating. This has been happening to many of the 2017 Escapes. First it was the pillars on both side of my windshield, and I got that repainted by Ford. Then, three months later, it was the roof. They had it for 3 weeks this last time, repainting the roof. It is a known problem by Ford, but I guess enough people aren't complaining about it for them to issue a "ticket" on the problem and to repaint the affected Escapes. I'm a 100% disabled veteran, and my 2017 Escape only has 17k miles, and was primarily parked in the garage for the first 2.5 years I owned it. The paint peeling started in January 2019 when I had to start parking it outside. My Escape is going out of warranty next week, and despite the problem being known, the Ford dealership is trying to say that I will be responsible for the paint delimitation and subsequent repainting once my Escape goes out of warranty. This is a manufacturer's defect, caused by a bad formula in their primer. I started a "Case" with Ford, but so far they are trying to lead me around in circles on the issue.
 
#24 ·
I noticed that many people have dealt with this issue, speculating about what caused the paint to start peeling. It is a manufacturer's defect, the primer, and paint, are delaminating. My 2017 Escape has now been repainted twice, both pillars at first, and now the roof. I kept it garaged the first 2.5 years I've owned it, and only in January 2019 did I start parking it outside. I'm a 100% disable veteran, and I only have 17k miles on the vehicle. The repaint was covered by Ford, but because it goes out of the 3 year warranty next week, they said they will not cover any more of the delimitation issue, despite me being initially told it would be covered because it was a manufacturer's defect. I've started a "Case" with Ford to get the issue addressed, but so far, I'm just getting the run-around. They know they have an issue/defect with the paint, but I guess not enough people have come forward to complain for Ford to issue a "Ticket" for the problem, because I assume they don't want to shell out the money to fix their defect just yet. I'm not sure what the final answer will be, but I will not accept financial responsibility for such a bad manufacturer's defect.
 
#28 ·
Same here just noticed paint peeling on Sunday. Took it to dealership Auto Shop. They told me it was a defect in paint and primer, and possibly error in primer not be sanded down because paint won’t stick to the surface. I’ve had my 2018 Ford Escape Titanium for 2 years but unfortunately my warranty is expired due to long distance travel to work so I’m at 60,000 miles. The dealership denied my claim and Auto Shop referred me to Ford Motor Company. A case was opened and they told me I should hear back in one business day ?. The Auto Shop even found debris in under the paint...not fair to us to have to pay up when we are not the cause...it would be different if something hit my car and cause the paint to chip...but it’s peeling on it’s own!!!
75650
75651
 
#55 ·
Same here just noticed paint peeling on Sunday. Took it to dealership Auto Shop. They told me it was a defect in paint and primer, and possibly error in primer not be sanded down because paint won’t stick to the surface. I’ve had my 2018 Ford Escape Titanium for 2 years but unfortunately my warranty is expired due to long distance travel to work so I’m at 60,000 miles. The dealership denied my claim and Auto Shop referred me to Ford Motor Company. A case was opened and they told me I should hear back in one business day ?. The Auto Shop even found debris in under the paint...not fair to us to have to pay up when we are not the cause...it would be different if something hit my car and cause the paint to chip...but it’s peeling on it’s own!!! View attachment 75650 View attachment 75651
I've been going around and around with Ford for the last few months on this issue. The primer is delaminating. This has been happening to many of the 2017 Escapes. First it was the pillars on both side of my windshield, and I got that repainted by Ford. Then, three months later, it was the roof. They had it for 3 weeks this last time, repainting the roof. It is a known problem by Ford, but I guess enough people aren't complaining about it for them to issue a "ticket" on the problem and to repaint the affected Escapes. I'm a 100% disabled veteran, and my 2017 Escape only has 17k miles, and was primarily parked in the garage for the first 2.5 years I owned it. The paint peeling started in January 2019 when I had to start parking it outside. My Escape is going out of warranty next week, and despite the problem being known, the Ford dealership is trying to say that I will be responsible for the paint delimitation and subsequent repainting once my Escape goes out of warranty. This is a manufacturer's defect, caused by a bad formula in their primer. I started a "Case" with Ford, but so far they are trying to lead me around in circles on the issue.
What do you need to do to start a case with Ford? What is the resolution?
 
#30 ·
Very reminiscent of the mid 90's ford truck delamination issues, they were most prevalent at first on the blue's and silver's (weaker pigments??). as time went on we saw it on all colors. Back then they came out with a program to strip to bare metal and repaint. I believe their claim back then was a primer problem??? Back then the test was to apply 2 inch 3M masking tape to the surface for a few minutes and then pull the tape, If color stuck to the tape we had to retain the tape samples and get approval for repair. This was mainly on roof and hood areas I believe sun damage may have also had some bearing on the issue. That's too bad that Ford is again having an issue. Back then GM also had some delamination issues which they also I believe had some programs for repair. I believe this was the time the auto companies were starting to experiment with water base base coats.
 
#34 ·
For what it's worth, I had the same problem on my 2017 escape. I found the problem right after I hit the mileage warranty, but was within the time limit.

After going round and round with 3 different dealers, the original selling dealer finally was able to get Ford to pay for all but $100 of the repairs. (The quote I received was almost $3k)

I had the chipping on the drivers side pillar, as well as across the top of the windshield frame. The body shop guy said that they usually see this when the windshield is replaced by someone who doesn't know what they are doing, however I had the factory windshield and that wasn't it.

They also mentioned that there is absolutely zero documentation on any issues with the car until the time that the dealer receives it. If it is damaged (and repaired) for example when going from the factory to the local depot, they do NOT document it anywhere.

Best of luck! File a complaint with ford customer service, and stick with it. There is definitely a problem here.

Jeff
76003
 
#35 ·
So I got gas tonight and noticed what I thought was a leaf, but as you can see, the paint is chipping/flaking off the car. There is no visible trauma, just flaking off. Driver side windshield pillar. As you can see, a piece has come off and there is a larger section ready to come off as well, also area above it feels lumpy. The material underneath looks like paint was never on it. BTW, 2017 model, and I just hit 14k miles this week. Will be calling dealership tomorrow...SMH.
Anybody else have an issue like this? Know how they handle it?
I had a 2014 previously and had no issues with it at all. I like how they rearranged everything and the tech is better, but have had quality control issues since day one(fasteners not fastened, something rolling around in dashboard, sync issues, don't get me started on auto stop/fart system). I'm hoping just cause it was a first build, unlike my 2014.
Sorry for being dirty, they over salted roads for a storm that never happened here.
 
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