im just wondering if anyone else has the same problem as me and what to do. on the right rear of my zx3 tailgate this spot appeared over time. i bought the car new in apr. 02 and it was NOT there, at least nowheres near as obvious as it is now. it almost looks like rust :( im sure its a paint defect and was there right from the factory but i never noticed it until a few weeks ago. im pretty meticulous and would not have missed it this long. im very disappointed in this and dont know what to do if anything. i dont want the thing painted cause then it will smell like the car was a wreck and they will probably make it even worse. who knows. i just wanted to let you guys know this and please report any similiar defects? rob

in re to my orig. post, the pic of this problem is shown in the pictures..under defect2. sorry

if it rust it covered under warranty...how many miles are on it??

I was told the bumpers are plastic so there's no chance of rust. Others have written in to Focaljet about bumper paint chips that are so extensive they consider it a paint defect. You can report defects at: http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/problems/ivoq/default.htm. The site says it's for safety defects, but in fact they follow complaints of all kinds. I also had a big chip on my front bumper, but never got around to reporting it as I scraped the bumper myself on a post and had to pay to have the whole thing redone anyway so they did that part as well. But you need to report it to Ford Customer Service at their 800# so they log it and it eventually will get picked up for a recall if there are enough complaints. If one dealer has told you they won't fix it, take it to another, but usually the one you bought it from is the best place to start, especially in the first year of ownership when they're supposed to fix things like that even if it *is* your fault - at least that's what my salesguy told me. You may have to talk to the Manager to get it fixed. Christine

it is not the bumpers it is the very bottom right section of the rear liftgate, as seen in the pic titled defect under photos right over there <<<. the car has 5k miles. i havent brought it in yet just cause of what i said i dont want the thing reshot only to be done worse, but im wondering if anyone has this defect in the same area?