[Norcar]

I called the dealer again to see if they could fix the window problem (while I continue to wait for a new door) and the Service Advisor said he would look into it but never called back. So, with warmer weather and the travel season approaching, I decided to make repairs myself. There are several good videos on You Tube that show how to remove the inner door panel and the speaker in order to gain access and also how to remove the check arm and then repair and reinstall the door bracket. All the spot welds were already broken so it wasn't too hard to drill out both the door and bracket and replace the welds with machine screws, washers, and lock nuts but rivets would also work. The only somewhat specialized too I used was a 90 degree drill bit adapter. Both the door and the window now operate properly.

I see this as a temporary fix and still hope a new door will be delivered and installed someday but, after already waiting several months, the dealer can't even provide an estimate of when that might be. I would look elsewhere for help with this but I live in an area where the next closest Ford dealer is over 100 miles away. From my experience so far it seems that neither Ford nor the dealer is very interested in fixing this problem despite the SSB and CSP. Do all car companies operate like this these days or is this just a problem with Ford?

I had the same results when I took my car to dealer #1. Door needed to be replaced. We will call you. Never called me back. Took the car to dealer #2. Door will be replaced. Granted it took 7 weeks to get the door replaced but, dealer #2 provided a loaner for the 7 weeks. Door was replaced, passenger door was inspected and repaired. I'm satisfied with the quality of work done on my car but, I don't believe I will be buying another Ford in the future.

 

[Wilyspike]

I think some dealers just do not want to do this! And they should be reported some how.

 

[Cam-WA]

I had the same results when I took my car to dealer #1. Door needed to be replaced. We will call you. Never called me back. Took the car to dealer #2. Door will be replaced. Granted it took 7 weeks to get the door replaced but, dealer #2 provided a loaner for the 7 weeks. Door was replaced, passenger door was inspected and repaired. I'm satisfied with the quality of work done on my car but, I don't believe I will be buying another Ford in the future.

According to the dealer who inspected my 2020 HEV welds (the doors did not need to be replaced…just needed the reinforcement kit), this recall is a real PITA for dealers. Most dealers don’t have attached body shops, so they have to find another shop to do the work. In our area, most body shops were too busy to take on the volume, and it took the dealer 6 months to find a body shop that (a) would commit to doing the work on a timely basis, and (b) had a reputation for doing high quality work. He said there were plenty of (a) not (b) shops as well as (b) not (a) shops, but precious (a) AND (b) shops.

 

[jpohlman]

The experience with the dealer that I use for warranty work was a bit different.
Both MY2020 Escapes went in for the fire recall remediation PCM update and came back with the check arm reinforcement kits installed.
It wasn't requested work, their approach to CSPs is that if the car comes in and the CSP doesn't impact the time the car was promised to be completed they perform the CSP.

 

[NeilP]

The experience with the dealer that I use for warranty work was a bit different.
Both MY2020 Escapes went in for the fire recall remediation PCM update and came back with the check arm reinforcement kits installed.
It wasn't requested work, their approach to CSPs is that if the car comes in and the CSP doesn't impact the time the car was promised to be completed they perform the CSP.

Similar experience here with the dealer I used before I sold my Escape. My local dealer is a PITA to work with so I began using the next nearest dealer 20 miles away. What a breath of fresh air! I took it in for the recall for the drain tube (in case of a fuel leak) and they took care of that and replaced the window switches (another CSP). I was surprised at the awesome level of service!

 

[jpohlman]

All comes down to the service department remembering one thing: Service Sells
Its all great if the dealer's price is a bit less than the Ford dealer a little further out, or they're closer when you buy, but sooner or later word gets around that the service dept is a pain to work with and it will affect sales.

 

[hurricanefran1967]

Incorrect. I am a master Ford service writer. This IS a recall based on VIN. The door check spot welds absolutely fail. The door and window become inoperable. Based on extent of damage the front door/s are replaced. One time repair only. The new doors, while NOT redesigned are reinforced before installation. Doors presenting little or no damage are reinforced at a roughly 3 hour local dealer fix. The dealer will require the vehicle for the day. This is NOT scheduled as a waiting appointment and as it is a one day repair to reinforce ONLY BOTH FRONT DOORS no loaner or rental is approved by Ford, although your individual dealer may elect to provide a complimentary loaner or rental but is NOT required to. This IS a recall but is NOT classified as a safety recall. It is a B recall as in 23B56. Not an S recall, denoting safety.

 

[leonhoganpenske]

Incorrect. I am a master Ford service writer. This IS a recall based on VIN. The door check spot welds absolutely fail. The door and window become inoperable. Based on extent of damage the front door/s are replaced. One time repair only. The new doors, while NOT redesigned are reinforced before installation. Doors presenting little or no damage are reinforced at a roughly 3 hour local dealer fix. The dealer will require the vehicle for the day. This is NOT scheduled as a waiting appointment and as it is a one day repair to reinforce ONLY BOTH FRONT DOORS no loaner or rental is approved by Ford, although your individual dealer may elect to provide a complimentary loaner or rental but is NOT required to. This IS a recall but is NOT classified as a safety recall. It is a B recall as in 23B56. Not an S recall, denoting safety.

the paper work I received showed a loaner/ rental provided when replacement of door or doors required. and I had a shiney new F150 provided to me for the two weeks it took to straighten out that mess.

 

[jpohlman]

So, first this isn't a recall even if a dealer service dept wants to think of it as one, its a CSP and will never show on something like CarFax as a completed/open recall. Ford doesn't require it to be done just because a car comes in for service, its treated no differently that the chrome tips on the window switches.
For a dealer, its a good way to make a few more bucks off the car coming in for service that the owner isn't likely to complain about.
Second, the actual bulletin allows a loaner if the door structure has failed beyond repair as it is a multi-day repair, also with this, if someone has a Ford ESP Premium Care they automatically qualify for a loaner if the dealer needs more than 1 calendar day for the repair.
I've yet to see a body shop yet that could pull the doors, swap the hardware and then blend the paint against the fender/rear door and cure it in a day even if the shell was pre-painted.

 

[Wilyspike]

So, first this isn't a recall even if a dealer service dept wants to think of it as one, its a CSP and will never show on something like CarFax as a completed/open recall. Ford doesn't require it to be done just because a car comes in for service, its treated no differently that the chrome tips on the window switches.
For a dealer, its a good way to make a few more bucks off the car coming in for service that the owner isn't likely to complain about.
Second, the actual bulletin allows a loaner if the door structure has failed beyond repair as it is a multi-day repair, also with this, if someone has a Ford ESP Premium Care they automatically qualify for a loaner if the dealer needs more than 1 calendar day for the repair.
I've yet to see a body shop yet that could pull the doors, swap the hardware and then blend the paint against the fender/rear door and cure it in a day even if the shell was pre-painted.

My car smelled like paint when I got it back after 4 days. Cleared up in a few days.