What he said...all of it. Couldn't agree more. It's not "where" it's made, it's more the union vs. non-union aspect, in my humble but experienced opinion. I also worked in manufacturing quality and have seen it first hand, and I currently work in a union shop and know exactly what goes on with 75% of these guys/gals. Nothing personal...I'm just saying what I see every day.As for Ford, I also think they are the leader of the pack as far as quality in the domestics. Most objective, independent measurements have them there, too. That's not to say there aren't problems, and there will always be anecdotal evidence and business issues. But I think they definitely stand above GM and DMC in terms of quality, in general.As for the op, I've never seen or heard of your problem, but i wouldn't worry about it. It's plastic, as others have said, and subject to chemical/batch variations. You probably just got one from a bad batch. Easy enough fix, and move on, and be thankful you don't have a VW, Nissan, MB, Pontiac, Dodge, et al.
