Active Air Dam Issue

[Crawfunkle]

Yes....common.

https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/threads/active-air-dam-issues-no-recall-yet.8571/

Thanks jmargo...

While at the dealer I asked them to put it up on a hoist for me.

The service tech and service rep that took care of the work weren't in but they obliged and we had a look.

No signs of impact or damage whatsover, other than damage to the valance. Service rep will get back to me tomorrow.

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[Razorbacker]

I took my lower air damn off today, but I don't like things just not fixed. I'm looking at the "plate" the active air dam is attached to, there is an arm that extends to the front of the truck that limits the travel of the actuators. I also noticed if you remove the screw that attaches to this arm, let the mounting plate drop, you can screw the actuator arm in and out. Soooo, my first fix will be to attach a rubber bump to the actuator arm so it stops higher up, maybe 1/2", and hope that this will limit the downward travel enough that it can't get caught behind the rubber lip. I'll post pics and a write-up later if it works. Wish me luck!

 

[Mtnman1]

I've been waiting about 6 months for parts so far - and I don't think it's a chip issue.

Sure about that? Unless all those parts are handmade......

 

[Crawfunkle]

Just got my truck back from the dealer - fixed under warranty. Took just a little over a month for them to get the parts and was fixed in under a day.

If it happens again, i'll be looking closely at what you've done there @Razorbacker

 

[Razorbacker]

Just got my truck back from the dealer - fixed under warranty. Took just a little over a month for them to get the parts and was fixed in under a day.

If it happens again, i'll be looking closely at what you've done there @Razorbacker

Any idea how they fixed it? My bumpers didn't work and it seems to be more a problem with the air dam being too flexible and the rubber on the stationary piece. Mine is scheduled for service next month, I was just trying to get it to work for now.

 

[jesdamian]

Had mine replaced a few months ago for that exact issue

 

[powerboatr]

I removed the active air dam and motors. No need for that garbage. It’s just more stuff to go wrong with the truck that’s not needed.

did it set a code or anything?

and if we select 4A or 4 H does it stay up?
i typically drive in 4A as our roads are slick as owl snot with a dab a rain.

and yes it would be great to be able to actuate it manually to see if works correctly or you know

 

[Jordon Gies]

did it set a code or anything?

and if we select 4A or 4 H does it stay up?
i typically drive in 4A as our roads are slick as owl snot with a dab a rain.

and yes it would be great to be able to actuate it manually to see if works correctly or you know

Didn’t send a code or anything. So far no issues. Dealer hasn’t mentioned anything either. I wouldn’t hesitate to remove it. Just seal the connections from the motors well. If you have any more questions feel free to ask. I don’t have 4A, so I can’t speak for that.

 

[sdarcy13]

So, I hooked up FORScan tonight because I was going to disable the double horn honk, and when looking through the info, it had a DTC code that said my air dam was stuck. I grabbed the flashlight and had a look, and sure enough, mine looked just like others in the picture. I took and grabbed the upper "rubber lip" and was able to pull it out so it now appears to be back in position like it was meant to be. Crazy. I would have snapped a picture, but it was really no different than what is already here, and it's too dark to get a good one now.

Hey, where you able to disable the double horn honk, if so would you be willing to let me know how to? Super annoying, right?

 

[CBGray]

Hey, where you able to disable the double horn honk, if so would you be willing to let me know how to? Super annoying, right?

I was able to disable it and it is so much nicer without the noise. Only vehicle I've ever had that came that way.

Here is where I started, right here on this site: FORScan

I bought the one year license of FORScan, and I ordered the suggested adapter from the FORScan software site. I recall at the time it was around $50 or so on Amazon.

 

[Happy1286]

Just got my truck back from the dealer - fixed under warranty. Took just a little over a month for them to get the parts and was fixed in under a day.

If it happens again, i'll be looking closely at what you've done there @Razorbacker

How did you get them to cover it under warranty? Mine told me it was not covered.

 

[Crawfunkle]

How did you get them to cover it under warranty? Mine told me it was not covered.

They'll say it's not covered due to damage caused by the driver. "You must've hit something, a curb, wheelstop or a pile of ice". I assume this is one of the standard preloaded responses that Ford tells service managers to tell customers to avoid warranty claims.

In my case, I knew this was utter lies as I hadn't hit anything. So I asked them to put it on up on the hoist to show me where the "damage" is.

Went back looked underneath with the lead mechanic - he agreed there are no signs of collision or hitting anything, so they warrantied it.

In the obligatory "please rate your service" email form Ford sends, I complained about the service manager blaming the customer and trying to dodge a legit warranty claim. They've been kissing my butt ever since.

 

[F150Dean]

I have a 2021 F-150 with the same exact issue. Valance is warping due to a design flaw in the active air dam. I have attached photo of the valance. I took it to my local dealer (Theodore Robbins Ford in Costa Mesa, California) and the technician tried to suggest that I must have hit something. I told him that is ridiculous as there is no other damage and even if I hit someone it wouldn't just deform six inches of plastic.

He then said he called Ford and was told that they would not cover this as a warranty item. I told him that there are numerous forums on the interet where complaining about this exact issue with very similar photos posted. I also told him that it is a known issue and that Ford has modified the replacement part so that the issue gets resolved.

Nevertheless, even after advancing the issue to the service manager, the technician said they could repair it if I paid a little over $1000. He said their dealer won't repair the item under the warranty until such time as Ford issues a recall for the air dam.

As you can imagine, I'm pretty furious at this point. I spent over $80k to buy a top of the line truck and Ford won't warrant an obvious (and known) defect!

I called Ford's customer support and they basically said they don't have any power to do anything to help me. They were completely worthless.

Has anyone had any success getting this covered as a warranty item? How did you do it? At this point, I am wondering if I need to sue Ford in small claims court to get them to honor the warranty. Super aggravating!

 

[Stealth88]

After my whole lower valance and active air dam assembly was taken out by a diesel retread at 70mph, it all got replaced. It hung up exactly like others have shown here after the repairs were made. I took it back to the dealer and they adjusted both motor’s mounting position by loosening the bolts and repositioning them so the AAD would no longer hang up. Problem solved.

 

[MrT]

At the dealer today with same issue, but I never hit anything. Service rep said "what did you hit?" Absolutely nothing. I told rep this issue on the 21's is all over the forum. "I don't read the forums." Seems to me like a great place to start. This forum offers instant customer service feedback. Svc rep told me it'd probably be replaced under warranty. Also fuel filler door retention post, but that's another story. Truck is great, but these measures to shave a few ounces here and there for the sake of fuel economy are ridiculous.

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