Ford Tailgate Cracks and Thefts Hound Truck Owners

On Oct. 21, Florida police in Palm Beach County reported an increased trend in Ford F-250 truck tailgate thefts. While not related, the thefts come at a time when owners of Ford Explorers and other Ford vehicles are reporting cracked tailgates caused by an alleged defect.

WPTV in West Palm Beach recently reported that Ford car owner Brandon Greer was out of town in Tallahassee when his Ford tailgate was stolen in mid-October. He received a call from a concerned neighbor who alerted Greer to the fact his tailgate had been stolen right in front of his house. Greer is not the only person in this Florida neighborhood to allegedly lose a Ford tailgate to thieves, as another neighbor reported their F-250 tailgate stolen a few weeks prior to Greer’s report.

A local Ford Lincoln dealer said it will soon include locks on all new trucks to prevent thieves from stealing the tailgates.

Ford Tailgate Crack Problem

As of October of last year, there have been three class action lawsuits filed against Ford alleging the company knowingly sold cars containing a defect that makes the tailgate prone to cracking, causing the backlite to shatter or the Ford applique to come off. Earlier this year, these three Ford tailgate class action lawsuits were consolidated into one national class action lawsuit.

Based on the allegations brought forth in the consolidated Ford tailgate crack class action lawsuit, a design defect present in the lower window panel of certain Ford vehicles allows moisture to build up behind the tailgate and, on occasion, the Ford applique. Over time, varying hot and cold weather conditions cause this trapped moisture to condense and expand, which builds internal stress and may eventually lead to large and noticeable tailgate cracks. There have been claims of this initial Ford tailgate crack problem spreading and eventually shattering the backlite (rear window).

Vehicle models that have been reported to contain the defect  include:

• 2002-2005 Ford Explorers
• 2002-2005 Mercury Mountaineers
• 2003-2005 Lincoln Aviators

The consolidated Ford tailgate class action lawsuit represents more than 30 plaintiffs from 25 different states and potentially represents millions of Class Members.  The Class will potentially include all current and former owners or lessees of the above named affected Ford vehicles.

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