2018-19 Poor Quality Control

[Muustangsal]

I ordered my 2018 in 2017 exactly the way I wanted and waited about 5 months for it but when I went to pick it up it was flawless I think if you are going to buy one of these trucks for sticker or over you should get exactly what you want and it should be as close to flawless as possible.

 

[Fastback89]

I went over mine with a fine tooth comb. 2018 Agate crew with orange accent interior. They put it in their body shop for me to go over before delivery. It had a scratch on the tail gate and that was all, recon got it out enough for me to not have an issue with it. After all, I intend to use the hell out of this thing. Sorry you are having a hard time, keep looking - the truck is worth it.

When I picked up my 18 Leadfoot back in Oct me and my wife went over this truck and it was perfect and all shiny underneath. There is only one dirt spec in the paint and the lines and interior are very good, I'm gonna use this truck for 10 plus years so it had to be right

 

[SD1290]

My 2018 Leadfoot raptor had a warped dash at delivery. I initially did not notice it but it has gotten worse. Dealer gave me the same story: not worth fixing. Not sure how I feel when i'm spending 70K.

Why do they say not worth fixing? Because the dealer doesn’t want to because it’s a big job?

 

[texrun38]

I ordered mine exactly like I want it. I really love it. That said, one major annoyance is that my tailgate doesn't close evenly (like both standard F-150 4x4s I've had prior to it and both kept for 10 & 11 years each). My passenger front door also has about a 1/4"+ gap at the bottom when closed. I don't get any air/road noise, but again, the door just doesn't line up. And yes, it's a truck, but no, that's not 'within tolerance' and has nothing to do with it being an offroad truck. It has to do with the body panels not being attached evenly (same with tailgate). I'll leave it with the dealer when I do the next service at 15k miles. While 'Ford Performance" is really about the engine, suspension, frame, etc., for $70K (or $20K) I expect tailgates and doors to line up and close evenly. I'd be happy to attach pics if I could figure out how to load to my media library, but for some reason it won't work for me (like it does on two other forums I use).

 

[FastEddie]

Many of you seem totally oblivious to the fact this is a $25k work truck with extensive performance upgrades. It is made by the same employees and on the same production line that builds those orange DOT trucks you see on the side of the highway picking up garbage.

If you demand impeccable quality for your $70k, check out bottom of the line Mercedes, BMW, or Lexus. Buy a pickup truck, you should expect pickup quality.

As others have already pointed out, if you are buying the Raptor for performance, it is a wonderful vehicle. If you are buying a Raptor as a showpiece to impress your neighbors, then you will be disappointed.

I had trail-striping down the side of my Raptor within 48-hours of purchase and have been tickled pink with the build quality of my truck. But I'm only interested in how it performs, not superficial things like interior trim pieces.

Bingo. I ordered my 2019 and got exactly what I wanted in several months and in general couldn’t be happier with the truck including the quality. But I’m not expecting bimmer fit and finish or something. OP needs to adjust expectations or get a different vehicle.

 

[Raptorguy1]

Mine wasn't too bad. One corner of the hood was sitting a bit low, but easy adjustment and a couple of dirt specks under the paint. I noticed I managed to get a small ding behind the passenger rear wheel well. I couldn't figure where that could come from, then recalled I heard a sharp bang one day I was out recently and realized a rock must have kicked up. It's tiny, smaller than a dime, but now that I know it's there, it's like it has a flashing light on it.

 

[rtmozingo]

It almost sounds to me that dealer prep is at fault here. I've been in several Gen 2s now, most 2018s, and they have none of the issues your describe, minus orange peel and rust, both a given and mostly a non issue (I hate peel and rust, but it factory standard).

I'm not saying interior quality is great by any means....took three times to get an interior door panel that was acceptable (still not as good as my original one was), but at the same time the issue is more parts than factory care during install.

Now, fitment is a bit different, but if you read the specs you'd be surprised at the allowed tolerance. The gap on the right side of my tailgate is double the width on the left - I measured according to Ford tolerances and it was within spec. Checked 6 other F150s in the lot, including two other G2 Raptors, and about the half were the same as mine including a late year 2018 Raptor with dealer tags.

All that to say, while it is frustrating, these are Performance-Luxury vehicles, in contrast to, say, imports, which are luxury-performance vehicles. When I was younger, I never understood why corvettes were so much better performing at the price point, but it is because the interior quality is higher on a Merc.

I would like to see pictures of these issues, tho.

 

[SD1290]

If people start speaking up about it and not accepting it, the quality will most likely get better. Now if people just say “it’s just a truck” then there is no need or motivation to improve it. Go look at at a Toyota Tundra no option “work truck”, I bet the interior quality is notably better, as far as panels, alignment, interior etc

Keep demanding quality and soon it will start to get better as manufacturers realize they can’t sell trucks without it

Just my opinion

 

[rtmozingo]

If people start speaking up about it and not accepting it, the quality will most likely get better. Now if people just say “it’s just a truck” then there is no need or motivation to improve it. Go look at at a Toyota Tundra no option “work truck”, I bet the interior quality is notably better, as far as panels, alignment, interior etc

Keep demanding quality and soon it will start to get better as manufacturers realize they can’t sell trucks without it

Just my opinion

Ford sells, what, over a million F150s in a year? It doesn't look like Toyota managed more than half that, with all of their trucks combined. Not to mention they haven't updated in a decade, so if they didn't have their shit together by now it would be pretty embarrassing. I'm not saying I'm not annoyed with it either, it bothers me quite a lot some days, but the fact of the matter is saving $1 per truck equates to about a million in savings for Ford, so little things, like removing multi colored ambient lighting, makes a big difference as far as the company is concerned. Hence the lower quality on fit and finish. Gotta take a step back and remember the bigger picture - there's nothing that costs even twice as much that performs as well as this truck does off the showroom floor.*

*Obviously UTVs might do better offroad, but they don't have A/C, let alone ACC or lane keeping. So apples to oranges here

 

[SD1290]

How many units they make does not excuse a lack of quality control. If anything it should be better due to extreme repetitive processes.

All I’m saying is if people start demanding better quality on customer surveys and as a factor in their purchase decisions it will most likely improve.

No need to make excuses for a manufacturer as to why they can’t or don’t do it. It’s definitely possible while remaining very profitable, if anything more so. I bet most people would pay an extra $150 msrp to have better QC


Again, just my opinion