2020 Aviator Hood Flex, Front Door Wind Noise

[Spencer Chesman]

We LOVE our 2020 Aviator! Only a couple of issues we're wondering if anyone else has experienced:

1. The hood flexes a disturbing amount when meeting a semi on a 2-lane road, especially on a windy day. The flex is greatest at the left and right sides, but even in the center front (directly above the latch), it still moves up and down substantially. Dealer has checked and confirmed the latch adjustment twice.

2. When driving at highway speeds in a strong side wind, the top of whichever front door is downwind flexes outwardly enough that the top seal loses contact with the body/roof edge just ahead of the B pillar and allows noise in and air out. We assume it's due to lower external pressure in that zone, but can see no way to adjust the strike latch. We've attempted to video it because you can actually see the door flex which allows the seal to move rapidly away from and back to the body. Pulling in a bit on just the top back corner of the door completely eliminates the "flutter" and the noise.

Again, we really love this vehicle, but would welcome input on these issues.

Same exact issue with my driver’s door as you described. Took it in to the dealer and they said that was normal for this vehicle

 

[rjabend]

We LOVE our 2020 Aviator! Only a couple of issues we're wondering if anyone else has experienced:

1. The hood flexes a disturbing amount when meeting a semi on a 2-lane road, especially on a windy day. The flex is greatest at the left and right sides, but even in the center front (directly above the latch), it still moves up and down substantially. Dealer has checked and confirmed the latch adjustment twice.

2. When driving at highway speeds in a strong side wind, the top of whichever front door is downwind flexes outwardly enough that the top seal loses contact with the body/roof edge just ahead of the B pillar and allows noise in and air out. We assume it's due to lower external pressure in that zone, but can see no way to adjust the strike latch. We've attempted to video it because you can actually see the door flex which allows the seal to move rapidly away from and back to the body. Pulling in a bit on just the top back corner of the door completely eliminates the "flutter" and the noise.

Again, we really love this vehicle, but would welcome input on these issues.

Did you have any luck with the video? It would be helpful to see it.

 

[G-78622]

We also have the hood flex issue
Sometime when I’m driving I feel it is going to lift up

I have the same issue. It is so bad I am not comfortable driving at high speeds on open stretches of road on windy days. It can only move so much before it rips off. Never had a vehicle do this before. It is nerve wrecking to drive in wind! I don't think I will keep long. Bad design.

 

[rjabend]

I have the same issue. It is so bad I am not comfortable driving at high speeds on open stretches of road on windy days. It can only move so much before it rips off. Never had a vehicle do this before. It is nerve wrecking to drive in wind! I don't think I will keep long. Bad design.

______________________________

Help support this site so it can continue supporting you!

 

[rjabend]

That is a scary problem! Have you tried adjusting the rubber hood stops upward to keep pressure on the hood? I hope you are able to get the problem resolved. What does Lincoln support say?

 

[Joe C]

I have the same issue. It is so bad I am not comfortable driving at high speeds on open stretches of road on windy days. It can only move so much before it rips off. Never had a vehicle do this before. It is nerve wrecking to drive in wind! I don't think I will keep long. Bad design.

I have had the same issue with our 2020 Aviator GT Black Label. The dealer said it was bad welds on the hood and replaced the entire hood! Had it in the shop for about three weeks but on a long road trip this week-end the left side of the hood is still flexing enough to make you think its going to fly open.

 

[masterdrago]

We experienced the severe hood flexure/rattle/warping on May 16 while traveling west on Texas 105 between Navasota and Brenham Texas. It's a straight stretch of two lane where our oncoming passing speeds are from 120-140mph. Whenever we passed an approaching 18 wheeler, the hood would warp, rattle and flex in an alarming manner. Very loud and scary. I pulled off to check hood closure and it appeared fine. It happened 3 times b4 I thought to video it but by then, no more big rigs passed us. Later coming back on this stretch of road on May 22, it did not happen as I was recording the hood action on video. Next time I'm running down a similar two lane where we encounter 18 wheelers, I will have the GoPro in use.

 

[rjabend]

We experienced the severe hood flexure/rattle/warping on May 16 while traveling west on Texas 105 between Navasota and Brenham Texas. It's a straight stretch of two lane where our oncoming passing speeds are from 120-140mph. Whenever we passed an approaching 18 wheeler, the hood would warp, rattle and flex in an alarming manner. Very loud and scary. I pulled off to check hood closure and it appeared fine. It happened 3 times b4 I thought to video it but by then, no more big rigs passed us. Later coming back on this stretch of road on May 22, it did not happen as I was recording the hood action on video. Next time I'm running down a similar two lane where we encounter 18 wheelers, I will have the GoPro in use.

A video would be great if you have the opportunity. What year is your Aviator? Try passing faster to make it happen

______________________________

Help support this site so it can continue supporting you!

 

[masterdrago]

2021. I'll be ready with the GoPro suctioned to the windshield to get something to show the dealer. It was very scary 1st time we saw it happen. The hood shape is different on the 2021 Explorer and I've not seen any post on their forums. It may be a combination of passing speed, big box car wind suck, and current wind direction as I could not recreate on the trip back a different day. Never happened when passing a 5th wheel trailer at similar speeds. I seriously doubt that the engineers try every conceivable wind tunnel scenario.

 

[Suzisonge]

We LOVE our 2020 Aviator! Only a couple of issues we're wondering if anyone else has experienced:

1. The hood flexes a disturbing amount when meeting a semi on a 2-lane road, especially on a windy day. The flex is greatest at the left and right sides, but even in the center front (directly above the latch), it still moves up and down substantially. Dealer has checked and confirmed the latch adjustment twice.

2. When driving at highway speeds in a strong side wind, the top of whichever front door is downwind flexes outwardly enough that the top seal loses contact with the body/roof edge just ahead of the B pillar and allows noise in and air out. We assume it's due to lower external pressure in that zone, but can see no way to adjust the strike latch. We've attempted to video it because you can actually see the door flex which allows the seal to move rapidly away from and back to the body. Pulling in a bit on just the top back corner of the door completely eliminates the "flutter" and the noise.

Again, we really love this vehicle, but would welcome input on these issues.

Yes!! I I noticed the hood flex today in my 2021 while traveling 70 mph on hwy. I checked hood and it was completely latched. I think it is disconcerting to be sure. I have had many other cars and never had this happen before.

 

[Townend617]

We LOVE our 2020 Aviator! Only a couple of issues we're wondering if anyone else has experienced:

1. The hood flexes a disturbing amount when meeting a semi on a 2-lane road, especially on a windy day. The flex is greatest at the left and right sides, but even in the center front (directly above the latch), it still moves up and down substantially. Dealer has checked and confirmed the latch adjustment twice.

2. When driving at highway speeds in a strong side wind, the top of whichever front door is downwind flexes outwardly enough that the top seal loses contact with the body/roof edge just ahead of the B pillar and allows noise in and air out. We assume it's due to lower external pressure in that zone, but can see no way to adjust the strike latch. We've attempted to video it because you can actually see the door flex which allows the seal to move rapidly away from and back to the body. Pulling in a bit on just the top back corner of the door completely eliminates the "flutter" and the noise.

Again, we really love this vehicle, but would welcome input on these issues.

Yes I have the same issues and I find it really distributing as well. I love my car, but this needs to be addressed. I’ve taken it back to the dealership a few times with my concerns but nothing has been done.

 

[Emidgley]

Yes I have the same issues and I find it really distributing as well. I love my car, but this needs to be addressed. I’ve taken it back to the dealership a few times with my concerns but nothing has been done.

I had the same issue. It was the rubber adjustments under the hood they weren't touching the hood to give any pressure under the hood. Few checks and road tests it better, still does it a but but doesn't flap in the wind as much. Also helped with this droning sound at highway speeds I was experiencing.

______________________________

Help support this site so it can continue supporting you!

 

[GrumpyOleMan]

Open the hood and look for the circular rubber pads at the front. Try to unscrew them a few times to raise them so they contact the hood when closed a bit tighter. But be aware that the more you raise them, the more of a slam you might need to engage the latch.

This ^^ We had the same issue with excess hood movement in our '18 Expy. Unscrewed the rubber stoppers just a bit and it helped tremendously. Still flexed some, but not like it was. Interestingly, our '19 Navi never did have this issue.

 

[rjabend]

This ^^ We had the same issue with excess hood movement in our '18 Expy. Unscrewed the rubber stoppers just a bit and it helped tremendously. Still flexed some, but not like it was. Interestingly, our '19 Navi never did have this issue.

I raised the rubber stoppers slightly on my 2021 Aviator and have not experienced the problem. I am also wondering if somewhat flexible foam on top of the rubber stoppers might have a damping effect. Thoughts?

 

[x96535]

Here’s another vote for the hood flex issue.

2020 Aviator BLGT. I typically do all my own work on vehicles, but seeing as it’s under warranty, I figured I’d let the dealership handle this in case there were any defective parts in need of replacement. They said they verified the latch was tightened and the height adjustment knobs were correctly positioned (both of which I verified before taking it in). Obviously no change to the amount of flex I see on the daily. I typically drive between 85-100 mph so I likely see more flex than others, but I’ve driven cars over 200 mph with less flex than this. Glad to see I can direct my dealership to this thread as proof that I’m not just anal about the amount of movement in my hood.

 

[LEAKPRO]

Even it is aluminum, it should not flex or vibrate in anyway. That is the basic design requirement. There must be something wrong when it did this.

You can have low expanding foam injected into the hood supports, remove the hood insulation and you will see the "frame" of the hood, the dealer's body shop can inject the foam...no more issues!

______________________________

Help support this site so it can continue supporting you!

 

[masterdrago]

I'm still keeping the GoPro handy for the next travel down a two-lane when passing big rigs.

 

[Thetokenrizz]

I have both these issues of hood flex and drivers side door wind noise. The wind noise in particular drives me nuts. I found I can stick my finger easily between the seal in the top left corner and the door when shut (I can not do this on the passenger side). The wind noise is most definitely coming from this location as I can manually “squeeze” the door shut while driving and it changes the way the wind sounds. I have not taken it into the dealership as I assume from everyone experience here that they will do nothing. Thinking about bulking up the insulation in the spot to better seal against the closed door. Has anyone here found any type of fix or hack?

 

[peterk9]

I have both these issues of hood flex and drivers side door wind noise. The wind noise in particular drives me nuts. I found I can stick my finger easily between the seal in the top left corner and the door when shut (I can not do this on the passenger side). The wind noise is most definitely coming from this location as I can manually “squeeze” the door shut while driving and it changes the way the wind sounds. I have not taken it into the dealership as I assume from everyone experience here that they will do nothing. Thinking about bulking up the insulation in the spot to better seal against the closed door. Has anyone here found any type of fix or hack?

Welcome to the Forum.
I have not noticed any flexing of the hood. My 2017 Explorer Platinum did have that issue at times. As far as the issue with the doors, I can't believe that it is normal otherwise there would be many more complaints about that. With some of the Explorers, the flexing was due to a broken bond between the hood cross members and the hood itself. Perhaps that is what the issue is here as well. You'd have to remove the insulating pad to check that out. Pictures from the Explorer forum; https://www.explorerforum.com/forums/threads/explorer-hood-vibrates.385592/post-3417894

Peter

 

[boxsterbenz]

We LOVE our 2020 Aviator! Only a couple of issues we're wondering if anyone else has experienced:

1. The hood flexes a disturbing amount when meeting a semi on a 2-lane road, especially on a windy day. The flex is greatest at the left and right sides, but even in the center front (directly above the latch), it still moves up and down substantially. Dealer has checked and confirmed the latch adjustment twice.

2. When driving at highway speeds in a strong side wind, the top of whichever front door is downwind flexes outwardly enough that the top seal loses contact with the body/roof edge just ahead of the B pillar and allows noise in and air out. We assume it's due to lower external pressure in that zone, but can see no way to adjust the strike latch. We've attempted to video it because you can actually see the door flex which allows the seal to move rapidly away from and back to the body. Pulling in a bit on just the top back corner of the door completely eliminates the "flutter" and the noise.

Again, we really love this vehicle, but would welcome input on these issues.

i have a 2021 and the same problem. the hood material must be too thin. a bit disconcerting given the price of the vehicle. i have never experienced this before on BMW, Mercedes or even Ford.