2006 Lincoln LS Headliner Question

[Uberck]

Hello Lincoln LS community. I am going to take a shot in the dark here and please forgive me if this is a question that has already been asked & answered.
By the 3rd brake light in my 06' LS the headliner has come undone and now just flops up and down when the windows are down.
Is there any special hardware (screws, clips, etc.) that holds that portion up or would it just be glue? If hardware do you know the part numbers? If glue, any suggestions on what type of glue/tape I should use? Please see below for pictures of what I am referring to. Thank you very much for your help in advance.

 

[amorgan2017]

Mine has the same issue I just assumed it was because someone tinted the back glass and pulled it down. If I smack mind pretty hard it sticks for a couple hours then falls. I think it has a clip not for sure though.

 

[Uberck]

Resolved, maybe this can help you amorgan2017. If you're on the bigger side like me (5 10", 225 lbs) its a major PIA to get under the headliner back there since there's so little room. Putting the seats down doesn't help much either. Sweating, cursing, and focusing on the end goal does though . Basically, there are 3 attachment points back there. Facing towards front of car, one towards the back left, one in center near 3rd break light, and one towards back right. They use Velcro to hold it in place. The hook side is clipped into the roof & the loop part is glued onto the headliner from the factory. In my case, the glue had failed. So I simply removed the 3 loop pieces, applied some gorilla glue on each, and got them back into place, let them cure and pushed the headliner back into place. I took it on the highway and hit 70 with all windows down + sunroof, no more flapping headliner! The biggest pain is getting under the damn thing but other than that, looks like I'm all set. Hope this helps.

 

[LS4me]

It's held on my Velcro. Most of us have acquired extra-strength Velcro and fixed the problem. It takes a little dexterity, buy it is doable. There is a thread here somewhere on this. It was a well known "failure".

 

[Uberck]

It's held on my Velcro. Most of us have acquired extra-strength Velcro and fixed the problem. It takes a little dexterity, buy it is doable. There is a thread here somewhere on this. It was a well known "failure".

Thanks for the reply LS4me. Yup, I found that out. What a PIA it is to get in there lol. The "loop" part of the Velcro had come undone from the headliner. My remedy was to simply gorilla glue those loop pieces back to the headliner. The hardest part about this whole thing was maneuvering back there. I'm a pretty big dude and was constantly having to wiggle around and adjust just to get my hands in there! What kind of extra strong Velcro are you talking about. Do you have a link to that post? I'm kind of curious now.

 

[FDR]

Really? You have hook and loop velcro (fuzzy and prickly)? My Gen 1 liner and Gen 2 brake light both have dual lock (EZ Pass) type velcro. It's the same little plastic mushrooms on both sides. Maybe someone did a hack repair? Falling headliners are common issues due to velcro glue failure

 

[LS4me]

Thanks for the reply LS4me. Yup, I found that out. What a PIA it is to get in there lol. The "loop" part of the Velcro had come undone from the headliner. My remedy was to simply gorilla glue those loop pieces back to the headliner. The hardest part about this whole thing was maneuvering back there. I'm a pretty big dude and was constantly having to wiggle around and adjust just to get my hands in there! What kind of extra strong Velcro are you talking about. Do you have a link to that post? I'm kind of curious now.

Similar to this but white...

Here's one page of many... I just put "velcro" in the upper search box. Pages 3,4 & 5 have relevant threads.

 

[amorgan2017]

Thanks Uberck, I tried getting my head up in there to take a look but yeah I'm a little to big to fit to see. I'll just glue it I don't see any harm unless I use too much.

 

[1LoudLS]

first mod I did to my 03 back when I got it around 08 was the epoxy + velcro, still holding perfect today...

 

[Uberck]

Really? You have hook and loop velcro (fuzzy and prickly)? My Gen 1 liner and Gen 2 brake light both have dual lock (EZ Pass) type velcro. It's the same little plastic mushrooms on both sides. Maybe someone did a hack repair? Falling headliners are common issues due to velcro glue failure

Yeah, sorry, it's that extra durable Velcro (EZ Pass type) you mentioned. It's definitely factory because the headliner piece has a durable plastic back and the roof piece clips into the holes in the roof for it. I just couldn't think of any other terminology.

Thanks Uberck, I tried getting my head up in there to take a look but yeah I'm a little to big to fit to see. I'll just glue it I don't see any harm unless I use too much.

Yeah man, its a total PIA. Its amazing how big this car looks from the outside but how cramped it feels on the inside. Try putting the little seat down (one closest to rear passenger door). That will give you a little extra room to maneuver. I'm willing to bet the original hardware is still in there for you, just the headliner glue has come undone. If you can avoid gluing it back up I would due to the fact that access to the 3rd brake light is through the headliner. God forbid that bulb goes out and you have to replace it, good luck if its glued to the roof :Bang. Gently pry the liner down while you're back there (not too hard or the cardboard might bend/break) and try to glue the headliner pieces back onto the headliner where they were originally so they line up with the top "hook" piece. Let cure, then push into place.

 

[1LoudLS]

thats the way i did it, I put the glue/epoxy on the bottom piece (since the top was still held on fine) and then got in the car, sat in the middle and reached above my head and stuck it down to the headliner itself. the key was that I did not try to push the head liner back up yet, just glued the velcro piece to the headliner, then the next morning after the epoxy had time to cure, I pressed the two back together.

 

[FDR]

Yeah, sorry, it's that extra durable Velcro (EZ Pass type) you mentioned. It's definitely factory because the headliner piece has a durable plastic back and the roof piece clips into the holes in the roof for it. I just couldn't think of any other terminology.

No problem, I was just curious since you did specifically mention a loop side. No big deal

If you can avoid gluing it back up I would due to the fact that access to the 3rd brake light is through the headliner. God forbid that bulb goes out and you have to replace it, good luck if its glued to the roof :Bang.

They're LEDs

Given their OEM quality, low duty cycle, and low power (20mA compared to the 50mA+ true superfluxes are rated for), I wouldn't worry about them burning out. But I do absolutely hate sealed systems/parts because I always assume parts are going to fail anyway

 

[Uberck]

They're LEDs

Given their OEM quality, low duty cycle, and low power (20mA compared to the 50mA+ true superfluxes are rated for), I wouldn't worry about them burning out. But I do absolutely hate sealed systems/parts because I always assume parts are going to fail anyway

Really? I would have never known that. So basically you have to replace the whole unit if it goes out (crossing my fingers it never does). So far the liner has been holding in place. I think the trick was letting the gorilla glue cure for 24 hours.

6 days later...



And just for the heck of it while I'm here, after the mounting and balancing 4 new Michelins and a car wash:

 

[FDR]

So basically you have to replace the whole unit if it goes out

Yes.

However, while I've seen some dead LEDs in dual tail/brake lights (such as the 2006 Honda Accord), I've never noticed high brake lights failing. Gen 2 highs can be found used on eBay for $30-60.

With the right skills and tools (reflow oven, heat gun, or soldering skills) you could replace the individual LEDs. They're not too difficult since they are through-hole LEDs, but they have 4 pins. They're the "Superflux" type. You can find 25pcs Agilent orange-red superfluxes on eBay for about $15. The light takes 18 LEDs

Interestingly, it appears the 06 Accord uses the same type of LED. I wonder if it's a bad manufacturer, bad batch, if they're overdriven, or if it's just my own confirmation bias

 

[Kumba]

It was actually a recall issued by Ford due to how common it was. I got mine fixed under the recall when I bought it, but it's fallen down again. It did last for 7 years though.

 

[joegr]

It was actually a recall issued by Ford due to how common it was. I got mine fixed under the recall when I bought it, but it's fallen down again. It did last for 7 years though.

No recall, just a TSB.

 

[Kumba]

No recall, just a TSB.

Recall without the mandate to fix it.

I made them do it as part of me buying the car.

 

[joegr]

Call it what you want then, but when you call it a "recall" put recall in quotes, as you are using some new meaning of the word...

 

[FDR]

Recalls typically only apply to safety problems or major mechanical failure (usually with the possibility of causing a safety issue). Airbag modules, suspension failure, engine oil contamination from casting flashing...

TSBs are just "hey, there's this super-common problem that we figured out how to fix so if you see these symptoms, here's the Instructables for it with no diagnosis needed. To be done at the customer's expense because there's no threat of accident liability"

 

[joegr]

For the curious:

2000: One recall - front lower ball joints not correctly tightened
2001: One recall - front lower ball joints not correctly tightened
2002: No recalls
2003: One recall - 17" wheels may be bad
2004: No recalls
2005: One recall - possible bad fuel tank
2006: No recalls