Spontaneously cracked taillight

[Skinsgreg]

I recently brought my 2023 Lariat (8,000 miles) to the dealer to evaluate "cross traffic and blind spot system faults". It took them two days to discover a vertical crack in my right rear taillight. Moisture had ruined it, with an estimated replacement cost of $3500 (!). Not under warranty because they assumed it was due to an impact.

I did not back into anything and rarely park around other cars. There is no other sign of impact to the plastic or the adjacent tailgate metal (<1cm from crack). There have been lots of posts about the tailgate lightbar recall due to cracks in the plastic. This seems to be made of the same light weight plastic. Has anyone else had a sponteous crack in their taillight?

The cost of replacement is outrageous. The taillight design, which extends beyond the contour of the vehicle, and the lightweight plastic it is made of is inexcusable for any vehicle, especially an F150 truck! I bought this truck to be used as a truck, but now I am scared to even drive it. I have loved my Lightening up until this point but now wish I had never bought it.

 

[Heliian]

Looks like someone hit it, I would go through insurance.

The rear lightbar problems were miniscule cracks that weren't even visible that would allow moisture in.

If you don't want to involve insurance there are cheaper options out there, search the forum for taillight.

 

[vagabond7846]

I had the same issue. Mine was caused by a rock that was in the tail gate. I had a load of dirt w/ gravel and when I closed the tailgate, a rock cause a crack in the same spot where yours is.

Time went by, moisture accumulated and the BLIS sensor eventually fried, then the blicker/taillight itself only intermittently worked.

Ford dealer quoted me $3400 and an independent body shop quoted me $3200. the entire assembly plus BLIS sensor is very expensive, and theyre gonna charge you a few hundred to program the new sensor (even though it takes 5 minutes).

i went through insurance, paid my deductible ($250) and it was fully covered even though I admitted it was my fault for how i loaded the dirt/rocks.

Before I went through insurance I did try to DIY this. I caulked the crack to get rid of the moisture leak, and bought a new blis sensor on ebay for $100. You can then use Forscan to reprogram the new sensor w/ your trucks vin. in my case, the caulking job i did didn't hold and water kept getting in, meaning i needed an entire new assembly. so i just went thru insurance.

The design here is really poor. We should not have nearly $4,000 repairs when closing a tail gate that has dirt/rocks in it.

 

[jimfigler]

I have loved my Lightening up until this point but now wish I had never bought it.

I do feel bad about the taillight. But I do feel it wouldn't just spontaneously crack. Also, you are spelling the name of the truck you love wrong in your signature and in your post. Its Lightning not Lightening.

 

[The Weatherman]

I have to agree. That crack appears to have some rash around it. That makes me think it was a contact break of some kind.

 

[Skinsgreg]

I have only closed the tailgate automatically and haven’t been loading any loose material that could have been caught between the tailgate and the light. The problem started after a really cold spell. Maybe a hairline crack propagated into a bigger one due to extreme cold? The tailgate light bar was recalled due to micro fractures in the plastic that get larger over time. Time will tell if the tailight plastic has the same problem.
Whatever the cause, the taillight is not sufficiently durable and is WAY too expensive. Not happy.

 

[Henry Ford]

I have only closed the tailgate automatically and haven’t been loading any loose material that could have been caught between the tailgate and the light. The problem started after a really cold spell. Maybe a hairline crack propagated into a bigger one due to extreme cold? The tailgate light bar was recalled due to micro fractures in the plastic that get larger over time. Time will tell if the tailight plastic has the same problem.
Whatever the cause, the taillight is not sufficiently durable and is WAY too expensive. Not happy.

There are a lot of F150s on the road and there are a lot of people who talk to each other on the internet about what breaks on F150s. If something breaks on an F150 it's not a one-off and someone on the internet has already documented it and figured out how to fix it. All that is to say, do a Google search and see if other F150 owners are experiencing spontaneous tail light cracks.

Sponsored