25SB6/25V731 Rear Lightbar Inspection Post #46

[Mike G]

Nope. They'll all get redone...all of them, even if "recall #1 (23S30)" was done.

Wanna know why?

Because when I pulled the inner panel off my tailgate this morning to have a look...guess what....the tech who did my lightbar replacement (23S30) didn't follow the original instructions (attached) and throw away the screws and grommets and insert the pushpins that were called for. Instead, the tech who did mine did what I bet a lot of them did...just put the screws back into the grommets to hold the lightbar on. And then some of the lightbars cracked....again.
These are pics from my tailgate showing two of the grommets that are visible (others are hidden by internal step supports etc.):

And that's why they want a pic uploaded to confirm the tech actually read and followed the instructions....this time.

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[Mike G]

Those tailgate panel screws come off with a T30 Torx bit BTW.... takes like 30 seconds to take them off.

 

[RocketGhost]

All I can say is the document I referred to was posted by @Mike G from OASIS in this post. It is dated November 2025 and is described as a supplement to the original tech notes.

The original Ford Tech Notes on Recall #1 are here. They are different in that the Tech must be certified Competency 10, photo proof is now required,and they emphasize that the screws must be discarded.

The NHSTA doc you posted certainly has more info - but differs from what Ford is publishing to the techs in the Ford system. Maybe they will update their instructions to match the NHSTA document at some point.

Keep in mind there are two separate recalls. The document Mike G posted are instructions for Recall #1 (note the recall number at the top). Ford went ahead and updated the instructions for the first recall so that it can be performed correctly for any trucks that haven't had it done yet. The document I posted is for Recall #2 (note its recall number). It is issued only to trucks that had the first recall performed, presumably before Ford updated the instructions.

If you've had the first recall done they won't perform it again. It is marked as complete for your truck. They can't "undo" completion and perform it again. The remedy is to issue a new, separate recall. Indeed, the final instructions for the second recall will likely look similar to the updated first recall instructions, with the exception that you won't automatically get a lightbar replacement. If they see the plastic push pins, they know that the bar was replaced correctly and shouldn't be subject to cracking.

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