my dash is peeling

[Mattsmerc]

i need help with this.
the dash just below the headlight switch the lighter gray area is peeling off with just a light vacuum dusting. WTF? and my center console is peeling also. i love the car but some of the craftsmanship really blows! is there going to be a recall on these matters? i've heard there is others with the same problem.
------JUST BLOWIN' STEAM-------

[MassMarauder]

I absolutely love this car!
I've ONLY owned domestic cars...and 95% have been FoMoCo products.
I've seen the Jap products.....and I'm sorry to say that the build quality seems to be better. I hope Ford is listening.

I still wouldn't buy a Jap car though.....well maybe for the wife.

[WolfeBros]

I have a bit of peeling in that same area. I noticed it the day after I took delivery. It looks to be a paint adhesion problem to the plastic surface underneath. Others have reported the same thing in the gauge cluster and cigarette lighter area. I hate to take it to the dealer. Then you get tales of the dash, console and seats all scratched up. If it does not get any worse I will fix it myself with an airbrush. I passed on the first free oil change because I don't trust the dealer here. I also decided to fix the leather on the steering wheel spoke myself instead of taking it in.
I had a new wheel on order until I heard they were not the same color as the original. A little contact cement was better than having a wheel that didn't match. I still love the car. But this is the worst build quality I have ever had with a LM product. And this is my 7th one. Gee I hope its true that someone from FoMoCo lurks here on occasion.

[NYSP618]

and then we wonder why nobody is buying them????????

[Fourth Horseman]

Seriously. I love the car, but Ford really needs to figure it out. Overpriced and underquality... not a good mix.

[Mattsmerc]

the dealer called today and said to bring it in thursday night so they can work on it friday morning. the more i take it in the worse it gets. why is it dealerships have the worst mechanics?

[Matt Johnson]

I agree. I love this car, too, but the "love/hate" thing seems to grow with every mile. And I've had absolutely no problems at all with the car, it's just the "little things" that you would expect a car company to be able to get right in 2003, especially for $30-plus K. Things like the paint job, the fit and finish of some of the interior console, the realtively "cheap" and "soft" feel to the "leather" seats, etc.

As far as the "Japs" go...my wife's Lexus is an amazing vehicle and the quality of fit and finish go way beyond the MM. It even has a "dead pedal" moulded into the floorboard, and came with McGard wheel locks standard (they aren't even listed as an item, they're just included as a matter of fact) and this is a 2003 SUV that listed for less than the MM.

I'd buy another Lexus, BMW, or Toyota for that matter in a second. I can't say the same about FoMoCo...the MM is the first "American car" I've ever purchased and, although I love it and won't be parting with it unless something catastrophic happens to it, I can't say I love the brand.