Fit and Finish - Loose Taillight

[SteveG]

23 Lariat Eco-boost, 2,000 miles: I recently found that my passenger side taillight was very loose. When I tightened the mounting bolts they did tighten up but also caused the light fixture to pull away from the body. On closer inspection, I found that there are two plastic mounting/alignment studs on the back side of the light. These two studs pressure fit into corresponding mounting holes on the trucks body. When hand fitting the light with the mounting studs in the correct holes everything lines up perfectly and I can easily get the mounting bolts started. But when I tighten down the mounting bolts the light fixture pulls away from the body and the two plastic studs come out of the mounting holes. Something appears to be warped. Either the light or the body panel or both is out of alignment. Has anyone run into this?

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[robert117]

I noticed a similar issue with mine when I installed the Lasfit Backup Lights. I performed the same procedure you describe above. But it seemed to fit better.

 

[SteveG]

I figured out and fixed the problem. All I needed to do, once everything was correctly aligned, was give the light fixture housing a good whack with the palm of my hand over the spots where the mounting studs were located. This effectively seated the mounting studs into the vehicle frame. Then everything stayed where it was supposed to stay when I tightened the mounting bolts.

I still don't know how the light fixture got loose in the first place.

 

[fossil]

false alarm, glad you figured it out. a couple members had to replace the sockets to get a tight fit.

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