Pics of cracked fog lights?
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 528
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From: Lemont, IL
I don't think any hole you could drill would make any difference in air circulation without seriously compromising the weather resistance.
OTOH, I think keeping the lenses very clean should keep the housing cooler, reducing heat stress. Assuming the lenses are polycarbonate or acrylic, and not hard-coated for scratch resistance, regular use of a high quality plastic polish might also reduce the number of surface imperfections on the lens which could turn into crack origination points.
Six months on my 02 and no cracks, but then again I don't use my lights much (not much fog here). Next year I'll probably mock up some sort of adapter brackets and replace them with PIAA spotlamps. When I trade the truck in some day I'll have new fogs to swap in.
OTOH, I think keeping the lenses very clean should keep the housing cooler, reducing heat stress. Assuming the lenses are polycarbonate or acrylic, and not hard-coated for scratch resistance, regular use of a high quality plastic polish might also reduce the number of surface imperfections on the lens which could turn into crack origination points.
Six months on my 02 and no cracks, but then again I don't use my lights much (not much fog here). Next year I'll probably mock up some sort of adapter brackets and replace them with PIAA spotlamps. When I trade the truck in some day I'll have new fogs to swap in.
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 56
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From: Florida
Member
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 35
Likes: 0
From: Vancouver,BC
I don't really think these lenses crack from the heat.
Mine have not been turned on more than 10 times since I got it.
One of my lenses has got a crack the size of dime.
I think I'll just wait until either I get more, or towards the end of the warranty to have them replaced.
Mine have not been turned on more than 10 times since I got it.
One of my lenses has got a crack the size of dime.
I think I'll just wait until either I get more, or towards the end of the warranty to have them replaced.
Member
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 64
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From: In the Dark
Just took a look at mine. The driver side fog light has two .5" cracks. My truck is only 6 months old with 3,900 miles on it. This has to be a quality issue vs. road damage. To confirm this, I took a close look at the light cover and noticed that there were no impact marks on it. I went one step farther and rubbed my finger over the crack and it was as smooth as a babies a$$. What gives with these things????? Looks like I'll have to try the dealer to get this thing fixed. 
Member
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 64
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From: In the Dark
I finally took the L to the dealer to get my cracked fog lights replaced. They took a couple of digital photos of the lights and one photo of my odometer??? (4,500 Miles)
. The service manager said that he had to send the pics to Ford to see if they would replace the lights under warranty. After about a fifteen minute wait, Ford said they will replace them under the warranty. The strange thing is the dealership said that the fog lamps are on a nation-wide back order, due to a redesign of the fog lamp assembly. The service manager said that he would give me a call as soon as the new lamps get in. Has anyone else experienced a similiar situation concerning their fog lamps or heard anything about a redesign of the fog lamps???
. The service manager said that he had to send the pics to Ford to see if they would replace the lights under warranty. After about a fifteen minute wait, Ford said they will replace them under the warranty. The strange thing is the dealership said that the fog lamps are on a nation-wide back order, due to a redesign of the fog lamp assembly. The service manager said that he would give me a call as soon as the new lamps get in. Has anyone else experienced a similiar situation concerning their fog lamps or heard anything about a redesign of the fog lamps???
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 4,922
Likes: 1
From: Lexington, KY
Hurrah!!! Maybe they will issue a recall for them!!!
There is NO doubt in my mind that these are cracking
from exposure to temperature variations. If you don't
believe it, try this:
Turn them on for a few hours and drive around. Pull up
to the house and throw a bucket of water at them.
Voila! Cracks!
PS... I found this out the HARD way by washing the truck
before I had let them cool off enough.
Cliff
There is NO doubt in my mind that these are cracking
from exposure to temperature variations. If you don't
believe it, try this:
Turn them on for a few hours and drive around. Pull up
to the house and throw a bucket of water at them.
Voila! Cracks!
PS... I found this out the HARD way by washing the truck
before I had let them cool off enough.
Cliff
Senior Member
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 103
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The best thing i can say to do is if your on a major highway keep the fog lights off, cause they get so hot if anything hits them there going to crack even the rain will do it. But if your rideing around town u can have them on. I went thru 2 sets on my 01, so i'm alittle more carefull on my 02 L.
Later
Ryan
Later
Ryan
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 165
Likes: 0
From: Allen, Texas
Just want to say that heat isn't the only problem. I've went through 2 fog lights over a couple of years and I've turned on the fog lights exactly once when the truck was 4 days old. There is definitely a problem with the material Hella is using on those lenses.
Member
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 13
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From: charleston, south carolina
'01 cracked fog lights
took '01 in for cracked fog lights this afternoon. service mang. looked at them, said they would be replaced under warranty. he said he would have the new lights by friday. no problem at all. i don't think i'll turn them on again. jim, charleston, sc.
Senior Member
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 419
Likes: 0
From: Pax,WV
Add my truck to the list both of mine are cracked all to hell!!They are smooth on the outside so they are cracked from the inside.I am getting my oil changed in the morning and I better be getting new ones. What gets me is I hardly ever use the things, heck I have only had the truck 4 months. These fog lights are about as crappy as the tranny in my 97 Cobra!
Member
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
From: Tucson, AZ
No Current TSBs for cracked foglamps...
I am also dealing with cracked foglamps on my '01 Lightning, with only 6k miles on the odometer. I pulled a technical service bulletin for my truck, hoping to see if Ford listed the cracked foglamps as a published problem-- end result: nothing published
I copied a listing of some of the current TSBs for Lightning owners, as a courtesy (sorry for the increased bandwidth)
OASIS RESULT:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2FTZF07XXXXXXXXXX
.*412 505 626* TECH HOTLINE CONTACT ID EXPIRES IN 5 DAYS FOR 2FTZF07XXXXXXXXXX
09/26/2002
12:50:55
© Copyright 2002 Ford Motor Company. All rights reserved.
VEHICLE INFORMATION
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION
2001 F-SERIES LD BODY STYLE
REG CAB FLARESDE 4X2 ENGINE
5.4L SOHC EFI S/C ENGINE CALIBRATION
1F514Y0A
TRANSMISSION
4R100 HD 4-SP O/D AXLE CODE
B6
GENERAL WARRANTY INFORMATION
WARRANTY START DATE
04/30/2001 BUILD DATE
04/09/2001 SALE MILEAGE
00003
WARNING MESSAGES
LESS THAN TWO DEALER APPROVED AWA REPAIR VISITS PAID TO DATE
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INCLUDES SVT PREMIUM SERVICE: LOANER-WASH-VACUUM
FIELD SERVICE ACTIONS
01S21 SEAT BELT BUCKLE
EXTENDED COVERAGES
NO ESP INFORMATION AVAILABLE
REPAIR HISTORY
NO REPAIR HISTORY ON VEHICLE
SYMPTOM CODE INFORMATION
201200 - ELECTRICAL EXTERIOR LIGHTING
SPECIAL SERVICE MESSAGES
15557 USE OF AFTERMARKET LAMPS - DO NOT USE HIGH WATTAGE BULBS
SEVERAL AFTERMARKET COMPANIES OFFER REPLACEMENT HEADLAMP BULBS OF A HIGHER WATTAGE RATING THAN OEM STOCK BULBS. THESE BULBS ARE NOT DOT APPROVED AND ARE TYPICALLY SOLD WITH THE DISCLAIMER OF 'FOR OFF-ROAD USE ONLY'. IN ADDITION TO POSSIBLY BEING ILLEGAL FOR STREET USE, THE BULBS ALSO DRAW MUCH MORE CURRENT THAN OEM BULBS. THIS INCREASED CURRENT CAN RESULT IN ACTUATION OF THE SHORT-CIRCUIT PROTECTION FEATURE (LOOKING LIKE BULB BURNOUT), OR DAMAGE TO THE HEADLAMP SWITCH, MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH, WIRING, WIRING CONNECTORS, OR EVEN THE HEADLAMP ASSEMBLIES THEMSELVES. THESE HIGH-WATTAGE AFTERMARKET BULBS SHOULD BE REPLACED WITH OEM BULBS, AND CUSTOMERS ADVISED NOT TO USE THEM.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS
01-21-06 ELECTRICAL - REVISED MECHANICAL HOOD LAMP SWITCH TO REPLACE OLD STYLE MERCURY HOOD LAMP SWITCH: FOR VEHICLES REQUIRING HOOD LAMP SWITCH REPLACEMENT, REPLACE THE 27 DEGREE MERCURY SWITCH WITH NEW 27 DEGREE MECHANICAL SWITCH. REPLACE HOOD LAMP SWITCH PER THE APPROPRIATE MODEL YEAR WORKSHOP MANUAL AS NEEDED.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
01-19-04 ELECTRIC - REVISED MECHANICAL HOOD LAMP SWITCH TO REPLACE OLD STYLE MERCURY HOOD LAMP SWITCH: REPLACE THE 14 DEGREE MERCURY SWITCH WITH NEW 14 DEGREE MECHANICAL SWITCH. REPLACE HOOD LAMP SWITCH PER THE APPROPRIATE MODEL YEAR WORKSHOP MANUAL AS NEEDED.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
.
.
.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
15009 DEALER SHIPPING INSTRUCTIONS FOR CD6 RADIO CHASSIS
2000-2001 VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH IN-DASH CD PLAYER/RADIO CHASSIS REQUIRE SPECIFIC HANDLING METHODS WHEN REMOVING AND RETURNING THE CD/RADIO CHASSIS TO THE AUDIO SERVICE CENTER TO PREVENT DAMAGE TO THE CD CHANGER PORTION OF THE CHASSIS. BE SURE TO PERFORM THE FOLLOWING: THE CD CHANGER MUST BE PLACED IN THE ELECTRONIC 'PARK' MODE PRIOR TO REMOVAL BY PRESSING THE 'SCAN' AND PRE-SET '1' BUTTONS AT THE SAME TIME. THE RADIO WILL DISPLAY 'IN SHIP MODE'. THE EXCHANGE SERVICE CD/RADIO CHASSIS WILL BE EQUIPPED WITH A SHIPPING BRACKET ON THE TOP OF THE CHASSIS. THIS BRACKET MUST BE REMOVED FROM THE NEW CHASSIS AND INSTALLED ON THE CHASSIS BEING RETURNED TO THE AUDIO SERVICE CENTER. FAILURE TO SET THE RADIO TO 'SHIP MODE' AND INSTALLING THE SHIPPING BRACKET MAY RESULT IN DAMAGE TO THE CD/RADIO CHASSIS DURING SHIPMENT.
.
.
.
END OF OASIS REPORT FOR 2FTZF07XXXXXXXXXX
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As a result, my suggestion at this point would be to make this thread sticky so that every GenII Lightning owner with heat-caused cracking of foglamps will notify their Ford dealer. I would hope that if there is sufficient number of claims, Ford would offer a better replacement part!
I copied a listing of some of the current TSBs for Lightning owners, as a courtesy (sorry for the increased bandwidth)
OASIS RESULT:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2FTZF07XXXXXXXXXX
.*412 505 626* TECH HOTLINE CONTACT ID EXPIRES IN 5 DAYS FOR 2FTZF07XXXXXXXXXX
09/26/2002
12:50:55
© Copyright 2002 Ford Motor Company. All rights reserved.
VEHICLE INFORMATION
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION
2001 F-SERIES LD BODY STYLE
REG CAB FLARESDE 4X2 ENGINE
5.4L SOHC EFI S/C ENGINE CALIBRATION
1F514Y0A
TRANSMISSION
4R100 HD 4-SP O/D AXLE CODE
B6
GENERAL WARRANTY INFORMATION
WARRANTY START DATE
04/30/2001 BUILD DATE
04/09/2001 SALE MILEAGE
00003
WARNING MESSAGES
LESS THAN TWO DEALER APPROVED AWA REPAIR VISITS PAID TO DATE
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INCLUDES SVT PREMIUM SERVICE: LOANER-WASH-VACUUM
FIELD SERVICE ACTIONS
01S21 SEAT BELT BUCKLE
EXTENDED COVERAGES
NO ESP INFORMATION AVAILABLE
REPAIR HISTORY
NO REPAIR HISTORY ON VEHICLE
SYMPTOM CODE INFORMATION
201200 - ELECTRICAL EXTERIOR LIGHTING
SPECIAL SERVICE MESSAGES
15557 USE OF AFTERMARKET LAMPS - DO NOT USE HIGH WATTAGE BULBS
SEVERAL AFTERMARKET COMPANIES OFFER REPLACEMENT HEADLAMP BULBS OF A HIGHER WATTAGE RATING THAN OEM STOCK BULBS. THESE BULBS ARE NOT DOT APPROVED AND ARE TYPICALLY SOLD WITH THE DISCLAIMER OF 'FOR OFF-ROAD USE ONLY'. IN ADDITION TO POSSIBLY BEING ILLEGAL FOR STREET USE, THE BULBS ALSO DRAW MUCH MORE CURRENT THAN OEM BULBS. THIS INCREASED CURRENT CAN RESULT IN ACTUATION OF THE SHORT-CIRCUIT PROTECTION FEATURE (LOOKING LIKE BULB BURNOUT), OR DAMAGE TO THE HEADLAMP SWITCH, MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH, WIRING, WIRING CONNECTORS, OR EVEN THE HEADLAMP ASSEMBLIES THEMSELVES. THESE HIGH-WATTAGE AFTERMARKET BULBS SHOULD BE REPLACED WITH OEM BULBS, AND CUSTOMERS ADVISED NOT TO USE THEM.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS
01-21-06 ELECTRICAL - REVISED MECHANICAL HOOD LAMP SWITCH TO REPLACE OLD STYLE MERCURY HOOD LAMP SWITCH: FOR VEHICLES REQUIRING HOOD LAMP SWITCH REPLACEMENT, REPLACE THE 27 DEGREE MERCURY SWITCH WITH NEW 27 DEGREE MECHANICAL SWITCH. REPLACE HOOD LAMP SWITCH PER THE APPROPRIATE MODEL YEAR WORKSHOP MANUAL AS NEEDED.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
01-19-04 ELECTRIC - REVISED MECHANICAL HOOD LAMP SWITCH TO REPLACE OLD STYLE MERCURY HOOD LAMP SWITCH: REPLACE THE 14 DEGREE MERCURY SWITCH WITH NEW 14 DEGREE MECHANICAL SWITCH. REPLACE HOOD LAMP SWITCH PER THE APPROPRIATE MODEL YEAR WORKSHOP MANUAL AS NEEDED.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
.
.
.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
15009 DEALER SHIPPING INSTRUCTIONS FOR CD6 RADIO CHASSIS
2000-2001 VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH IN-DASH CD PLAYER/RADIO CHASSIS REQUIRE SPECIFIC HANDLING METHODS WHEN REMOVING AND RETURNING THE CD/RADIO CHASSIS TO THE AUDIO SERVICE CENTER TO PREVENT DAMAGE TO THE CD CHANGER PORTION OF THE CHASSIS. BE SURE TO PERFORM THE FOLLOWING: THE CD CHANGER MUST BE PLACED IN THE ELECTRONIC 'PARK' MODE PRIOR TO REMOVAL BY PRESSING THE 'SCAN' AND PRE-SET '1' BUTTONS AT THE SAME TIME. THE RADIO WILL DISPLAY 'IN SHIP MODE'. THE EXCHANGE SERVICE CD/RADIO CHASSIS WILL BE EQUIPPED WITH A SHIPPING BRACKET ON THE TOP OF THE CHASSIS. THIS BRACKET MUST BE REMOVED FROM THE NEW CHASSIS AND INSTALLED ON THE CHASSIS BEING RETURNED TO THE AUDIO SERVICE CENTER. FAILURE TO SET THE RADIO TO 'SHIP MODE' AND INSTALLING THE SHIPPING BRACKET MAY RESULT IN DAMAGE TO THE CD/RADIO CHASSIS DURING SHIPMENT.
.
.
.
END OF OASIS REPORT FOR 2FTZF07XXXXXXXXXX
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As a result, my suggestion at this point would be to make this thread sticky so that every GenII Lightning owner with heat-caused cracking of foglamps will notify their Ford dealer. I would hope that if there is sufficient number of claims, Ford would offer a better replacement part!