I do not know who Ford's designers of their vehicles are but they need to go back to the drawing board and really think things through before they create a vehicle design. On my 2005 Ford Explorer the roof has several ridges which hold water when it rains and this has created a disaster. The water has caused the paint to peel off and now the ridges are rusting because they are down to the metal. I can't even wash the roof at this point because of the paint peeling off so easily. It will eventually continue to the sides of the vehicle which will cause even more damage. I have not had the roof fixed such as painting it because I would think that Ford would potentially address this issue.

First noticed paint bubbling on the very front of the hood. Thought it was due to rust underneath. Then paint started flaking off in pieces, revealing the white metal underneath. I mean bright white when it should be brown paint. It stood out like a sore thumb.

I took it to an auto body shop to see how much it would cost to paint the one small area at that point. They said it would be around $900 because they would have to paint the entire hood. They gave me a small bottle of touch up paint for free, so I touched up the spot and was hoping that would be the end of it. The peeling has gotten much worse over time. I'm to the point where I want to trade in the vehicle but I know these large blemishes will greatly reduce the resale value.

My next step is to go to the dealer where I purchased the vehicle new, but I have a feeling they will just say it's out of warranty, good luck. Evidently, Ford knows about this problem because there was a technical service bulletin (TSB) issued regarding it and there is a lawsuit pending. Hope to get some help from the dealer or eventually from the lawsuit. Would love to hear from others with this problem, as I know there are many.

On the very top of my Explorer in the ridges the paint bubbled and cracked off leaving a rusted mess. I always kept my Ford clean and followed ford recommendations when cleaning. Since it was under warranty I contacted Ford about the paint/ body problem. I was told it wasn't covered. I brought my car up to Ford and was turned away from a fix under warranty. The spot got worse trailing along the ridges. I have sanded and painted the area several times. Last year my headliner began to fall. Of course the culprit was the rusty roof. I will NOT be purchasing a Ford as my next brand new vehicle. My transmission also blew at 78,000 miles, my hatch door cracked, the paint on the roof came off and three of my Windows stopped working all in the first 5 years...none of which was covered by my 3 year warranty

Not sure how but noticed the paint peeling off the roof. Contacted Ford and they refused to take any responsibility. Although I don't park in a garage, I take care of my car and there is no reason other than defective paint/ workmanship on Ford's part for the paint to be peeling so severely. The paint is now almost completely gone in all the channels on the roof, there is rust and the paint beginning to peel on the top of the rear door. I'm going to look pretty funny when I'm driving an Explorer CONVERTIBLE because the roof rusted off! Thank you Ford. I will NEVER buy another of your vehicles.

This issue was just discovered. I happened to park the vehicle where the porch was higher than the car and could not believe my eyes. The roof ribs are rusted so the paint and clear coat are gone. This car is well maintained by the dealer and detailed on a regular basis. The dealer claims no responsibility since the car is out of warranty. I do not live at the beach and there's no acid rain here either. I previously drove a 1990 F250 extended cab that had a paint issue on the hood. Ford wouldn't do anything about that one either. Does anyone have a solution since there are many complaints about this same issue.

Update from Nov 27, 2011: Problem was severe enough to warrant repair/repaint immediately. Dealer gave a quote of $695. I backed up my claim with a paint chip that clearly had rust on the roof under the primer at time of original factory paint job. Dealer would not accept responsibility, but in a written letter, said I could send my concerns directly to Ford and I could find the address in the paperwork that came with the vehicle. Car roof was repainted by a local collision repair company and cost $600.