Poor Factory Quality Control

[JoshS]

This isn't an issue just for American manufacturers. I have seen some wild panel gap and alignment issues on Nissans, Toyotas too. It's a bummer, but I am more concerned about reliability and mechanical issues....hopefully these babies will hold up there!

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[Porpoise Hork]

I actually LOOKED at my truck when it was delivered, counted all its "fenders and tows", checked for function, fit and finish. Initial quality was satisfactory before I accepted delivery.
The truck came with a warranty to assure that everything would remain good for a period of time in case of unforeseen difficulties.

I'm left with with questions for those who took delivery of a truck with unacceptable flaws....
Why??
If the fit and finish is so bad, why take delivery?
Were you blinded by infatuation?

If I wanted a vehicle that was perfect from the factory I'd buy a Rolls Royce or Bentley. Seeing as one of those costs as much as my house did when I bought it 15 years ago, I won't be doing that any time soon.

I see it like this. It's a mass produced truck. Like all mass produced things there will inevitably be little things that are not absolutely perfect, or may need a tweak to get them there. These little things are not unacceptable flaws for me, just annoyances. Unless it's a major issue most of these minor flaws fall under the radar and I am blissfully ignorant to them until someone brings it up and curiosity gets the better of me. Of course without fail I'll go take a look on mine and if it's there then my nagging OCD kicks in and then I have to go fix it. Like the hood/fender alignment for example. Never considered it to be an issue until I read the posts abut it and 10 minutes later there I am, hood open loosening fender bolts...

 

[paval3]

I just checked mine and same door does not sit flush as well. I measured it comparing it to the passenger rear door and there's a 2.5 mm difference between them. This may be where the wind noise when on the freeway is coming from. I'm going to see if I can adjust the door striker to pull the door in some.

Please post back and let us know if that adjustment makes a positive difference. Hoping that's all mine needs.

 

[Leftcoast]

If I wanted a vehicle that was perfect from the factory I'd buy a Rolls Royce or Bentley. Seeing as one of those costs as much as my house did when I bought it 15 years ago, I won't be doing that any time soon.

I see it like this. It's a mass produced truck. Like all mass produced things there will inevitably be little things that are not absolutely perfect, or may need a tweak to get them there. These little things are not unacceptable flaws for me, just annoyances. Unless it's a major issue most of these minor flaws fall under the radar and I am blissfully ignorant to them until someone brings it up and curiosity gets the better of me. Of course without fail I'll go take a look on mine and if it's there then my nagging OCD kicks in and then I have to go fix it. Like the hood/fender alignment for example. Never considered it to be an issue until I read the posts abut it and 10 minutes later there I am, hood open loosening fender bolts...

I guess I'm lucky. I don't have the burden of OCD. I haven't checked my panel gaps. I haven't had my oil tested. I haven't installed a damper. I haven't installed additional gauges. I haven't installed a tune. I haven't added a catch can. I haven't checked my tire pressure for a week. I have no idea how much boost it's producing or if it's getting enough air. I haven't changed to "E" rated tires for the 0.01% chance of a torn sidewall. My weakness has been that I've upgraded to 3 peak tires for the snow and I now run premium. And for that I'm truly ashamed.
The truck isn't perfect but for a 2019 it'll do. I'm planning on keeping it for 10 years and 120k to 150k miles. We'll see how long all of this technology lasts and how expensive it will be to repair/ replace.

 

[Chuck Lau]

I guess I'm lucky. I don't have the burden of OCD. I haven't checked my panel gaps. I haven't had my oil tested. I haven't installed a damper. I haven't installed additional gauges. I haven't installed a tune. I haven't added a catch can. I haven't checked my tire pressure for a week. I have no idea how much boost it's producing or if it's getting enough air. I haven't changed to "E" rated tires for the 0.01% chance of a torn sidewall. My weakness has been that I've upgraded to 3 peak tires for the snow and I now run premium. And for that I'm truly ashamed.
The truck isn't perfect but for a 2019 it'll do. I'm planning on keeping it for 10 years and 120k to 150k miles. We'll see how long all of this technology lasts and how expensive it will be to repair/ replace.

I guess I'am lucky also....My Ranger is awesome....I checked it quite Well at delivery....And Like most have said...These are Production vehicles & will remain mostly in the tolerance of Factory Specs....Good Luck to all the Complainers!

 

[dr3w_mac]

Mine looks exactly the same. 2019 FX4. I mentioned it to the dealer and they said they'd have the body shop fix it at no charge if I made an appointment. Then I noticed the dents in the bed from loading the truck and I figured I'd just live with it.

 

[TremorOwner]

I actually LOOKED at my truck when it was delivered, counted all its "fenders and tows", checked for function, fit and finish. Initial quality was satisfactory before I accepted delivery.
The truck came with a warranty to assure that everything would remain good for a period of time in case of unforeseen difficulties.

I'm left with with questions for those who took delivery of a truck with unacceptable flaws....
Why??
If the fit and finish is so bad, why take delivery?
Were you blinded by infatuation?

Or is it just that some folks would complain if you hanged them with a new rope!

Because I can't notice everything... sorry. Some things you notice later... after time with it. Like how terrible the center console armrest is... and I know that padding won't last. Mine is already hard.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

Please post back and let us know if that adjustment makes a positive difference. Hoping that's all mine needs.

Well unfortunately the striker plates are countersunk and center align when tightening the bolts back down so there is no way to adjust it. The only other option may be to support the door with a floor jack and loosen the hinge bolts and adjust the door gap that way.

 

[Rocketeer61]

When the tailgate had two chains it was a reinforced single layer of sheet metal.
When open, it didn't stop at horizontal without reattaching the chains either.
Of course you didn't need to be eight feet tall to set something in the box without opening the tailgate.

Very true-although the Ford pics show the truck quite a bit lower to the ground than it actually is. Still haven't figured that one out...

 

[OFC Ranger]

back where i worked almost 10yrs ago. we had a quality assurance/control department.
they only reacted to problems.
they were never proactive during the process to find, fix and alleviate issues that would or could pop up.
they just simply did audits and post checks and found problems and would write them up.
totally pointless in my opinion
they have to be there, right from the beginning expecting the worst.

If they were pro-active it would eventually phase their own job out every time a new product was tooled up.

They knew exactly what they were doing. Just saying.

 

[HeavyDuty]

WTH.. I noticed my front isn’t evenly gapped from a photo of my putco grille I posted on here. This scares me about what I can’t see. Come on man, it’s American made in Detroit. Manufactured 04/2021 (last month).

My 2021 XLT has the same alignment issue on the bumper. Although not as noticeable.
It is quite a bit of work to get to the correct bolts to do the adjustment...

 

[woodbyrd]

I honestly thought the hood overhang was how it was meant to be... I'd pointed it out at the dealer but with both rangers on either side having the same overhang so figured it was normal, just a little odd. At least it's even on both sides but guess I'll try to pull the fenders out and then double check all the other gaps.

 

[JeffWoodall]

My 2021 XLT has the same alignment issue on the bumper. Although not as noticeable.
It is quite a bit of work to get to the correct bolts to do the adjustment...

So, I have the diagram where there are 3 mounting bolts more toward the center for each side of the front bumper. Does anyone know if I loosen the 3 bolts on the passenger's side, can the bumper be adjusted (in my case, need to go down just a bit to get that gap even). I know how to expose the bolts, but I would think there is no way to adjust necessarily. Thanks

 

[Trigganometry]

So, I have the diagram where there are 3 mounting bolts more toward the center for each side of the front bumper. Does anyone know if I loosen the 3 bolts on the passenger's side, can the bumper be adjusted (in my case, need to go down just a bit to get that gap even). I know how to expose the bolts, but I would think there is no way to adjust necessarily. Thanks

I did a skid plate swap with another member here. Long story short is we had to remove the bumper valance cover in the center to get at all the hardware on the XLT air dam version. It takes some tugging and some plastic trim removal tools but when you get it off all the mounting hardware is exposed and makes for bumper adjustment a breeze.

If you take that route the tip to putting the valance cover back on is to remove all the steel clips that are left behind in the bumper and put them on the plastic tabs on the valance. Then push it back onto the bumper. Real easy that way!

 

[BlueBoost]

Guys, are you really doing DIY panel adjustments on your new trucks? Where do you find the time?

I've got misalligned doors on the driver's side, weather stripping that looks every day more like spaghetti thrown against a wall, and the hood/fender gap is uneven side to side. The recline handle broke off last week (and I've never used the recline). But I tell myself it's a lease so no big deal.

I realize I've owned, now, 10 Fords, from my 1964 F100 to my recent 09 E150. My family have owned another 20 over the years. This Ranger is pretty bad against the others. Ford really improved quality in the 80s/90s and my '90 Lincoln and '03 Mercury (in particular) showed it. My Econoline had good panel fits. Nothing shook loose in 150k. Even my 1972 F100 had better build quality.

Must be COVID? I love this crooked door truck otherwise. I will probably lease another one. I don't care what that Scotty guy says, I probably won't get a Toyota. I like that little turbo engine too much. But Ford, get your act together, you should own this category. Lots of other guys will buy that Taco.

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