Gary Moore Posted September 26, 2019 Report Share Posted September 26, 2019 3 weeks after my Ford Dealer changed the oil and filter on my 2016 Ford Edge LES 3.5L AWD, the bolts fell out of the front edge of the passenger side engine splash cover while I was driving down the highway. The wind under the vehicle at highway speeds caused the front edge of the cover to blow down, contacting the road surface, and then folding back, dragging on the roadway, creating a noise in the vehicle. I pulled over immediately and after finding the splash cover bent backwards under my vehicle, I was able to push that part of the splash guard forward and tied it up with a piece of string to keep it off the ground. I took my vehicle to the Ford Dealer where I purchased my Edge, that also had performed the oil and filter change 3 weeks prior, told the Service Manager what happened and he confirmed that "his" Service Department removes the front bolts on this splash guard and bends it down to change the oil and oil filter; and then he stated, "that happens all the time, we see that a lot, it's a Ford Defect". He went on to say that the original bolts installed were too small so they just installed larger diameter bolts to fix the problem. I requested that the engine splash guard be replaced because I had observed the corner of the cover had been ground off into the bolt hole, he quickly responded that "Ford" wouldn't pay for it because it was a "Ford" problem. I reminded him that "Ford" didn't change the oil and filter, his Service Department did; and that I hadn't been able to find any TSB's concerning this "Ford" problem so I was concerned that the repair they performed, (installing larger bolts), might not be authorized. Once again, he stated that they see this a lot and this is how they fix the problem. I have seen some comments on a few other Ford vehicles about this but nothing on the Ford Edge. I will be contacting Ford Motor Company directly to inquire about this issue and the local Ford Dealers Service Department repair(?). If this does happen as much as this Service Manager has stated and the installation of the larger bolts is an authorized repair, why hasn't Ford issued a TSB advising Service Centers to install the larger bolts when they perform oil and filter changes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeVic Posted January 18, 2020 Report Share Posted January 18, 2020 It seems the problem is the Service Department's shortcut. I have changed the oil on my 2015 3.5 SEL and have dropped the entire splash shield. I believe it is about 6 bolts and a plastic clip or two. It does add a few more minutes to remove and replace the shield, but I do it properly. I did notice that at least one of the bolts no longer has a tight fit inside the plastic grommet (probably why your guy just used a larger bolt), but since I didn't bend mine down it stays in place. Did you ever get a reply from Ford? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarnano Posted June 4, 2020 Report Share Posted June 4, 2020 Can this front splash guard be left off all together? Mine is cracked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Moore Posted June 5, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2020 I never got a response from Ford but after much more, very loud, discussion with the Service Manager on a very busy day at that dealership the guy finally admitted that they didn't have authorization to only remove the front two bolts and bend the cover down to change the oil filter and install larger fasteners. He finally decided to replace the entire cover, including new fasteners and receptacles, at no cost to me. That dealership is under new management now, seems that they had a lot of complaints about the Service Department. As for leaving the cracked cover off, I wouldn't do it. I would just repair the crack in the cover and reinstall it. Whatever hit your cover hard enough to crack it might have done some damage to your engine components if the cover hadn't been there. Also, the cover helps keep your engine compartment cleaner than it will be with the cover removed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarnano Posted June 5, 2020 Report Share Posted June 5, 2020 Thanks Gary...… as to what cracked the splash cover, I'm guilty here. Tried to bend it to access the oil drain plug. Too lazy to remove all the fasteners. I thought about trying to repair it with some foil tape, but I was afraid it wouldn't hold, and come loose on the highway. I found a new replacement on Amazon, reasonably priced at $27. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gonesail Posted June 17 Report Share Posted June 17 On 6/4/2020 at 9:55 AM, Sarnano said: Can this front splash guard be left off all together? Mine is cracked. my 2011 doesn't have a splash cover and it is doing fine. i always do my own oil changes and this seems like a lot of extra work. i am considering leaving it off as well on my 2016. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1004ron Posted June 17 Report Share Posted June 17 I have a 104,000 mile on my 2017 Sport, do all my own oil changes at 5K mile interval, and I keep the splash shields in place - it serves a purpose protecting the aux belt, pulleys, tensioner etc. from getting fouled by mud and water ....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gonesail Posted June 17 Report Share Posted June 17 2 hours ago, 1004ron said: I have a 104,000 mile on my 2017 Sport, do all my own oil changes at 5K mile interval, and I keep the splash shields in place. so you are removing the shield at every oil change? the oil filter is accessible but on the V6 you can't drain with shield in place. i see others have bent it with not so good results. guess i'll figure it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gonesail Posted June 17 Report Share Posted June 17 ok i took a closer look. i see a much smaller panel under the engine that won't be too hard to remove. i'll go with that for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garycrist Posted June 17 Report Share Posted June 17 Those "Splash Shields" serve another purpose too. You already know about all of the wind tunnel test that are run on the shiny side but, did you ever concider they do the bottoms also! If it weren't for the exhaust piping the bottoms would be smooth with air deflectors and a rear air diffuser. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enigma-2 Posted July 15 Report Share Posted July 15 On 6/17/2024 at 12:40 PM, garycrist said: Those "Splash Shields" serve another purpose too. You already know about all of the wind tunnel test that are run on the shiny Actually, their not really "splash" shields at all, they were implemented to drop the drag factor to improve average gas milage. It doesn't matter if water splashes up into the engine compartment. Just look at the millions of Fords on the road which never came with these "splash shields". My MKX didn't come with one, glad it doesn't, damn things fall off far too easily. If they fail, just yank it off and keep driving. Probably won't even notice any difference in milage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enigma-2 Posted July 19 Report Share Posted July 19 Follow up. Just happened to my daughter's 2013 Escape. She ran it over to local Ford dealer, insisted they fix it (she's bullheaded as he'll, have no idea where she gets it from). Mechanic came out, his wife is a teacher at same school where she works, so she trusts him, and he told her to just to rip it off as it's unneeded. Said its really for looks. He said that he had removed his, on both their cars. So she had them rip it off, didn't charge her and now she's happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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