I've had the headliner creaking/rattling problem since I bought the car back in late 2011. The long story below might be interesting to anyone thinking of getting it fixed by a dealer.
After initially getting the dealer to even acknowledge that there was a problem, the solution after several visits seems to be: 'apply glue, hope for the best'. It's not fixing the problem. Even after a customer service escalation, the solution was to go back to the dealer, more glue. Given the headliner has to come down for them to fix it, each time there's more minor wear and tear on the inside of the car, and at least another wasted half day for me. I really like this car, but I'm beginning to wish I hadn't bought it. I feel like a nuisance customer at this point (because I take the car into the dealer for the 'normal' stuff too).
Does Ford seriously not acknowledge there's an issue with this? The headliner around the moon roof is flimsy, and this glue obsession might be fun for the mechanics, but it's clearly not a permanent fix.
details:
February '12, I bring it in for the 11E04 emissions recall, and ask them to fix the headliner. After some insistence there really is a rattle, I wait a few hours and I'm told that it's fixed. If I remember correctly, the reason given was 'misaligned magnets', and I didn't have any reason to doubt him (The notes say 'RESECURED MOLDING'). Seemed okay for a while, but there's a bit of a rattle in the colder mornings. A warm summer followed, so it wasn't a huge problem.
November '12, the rattle is back almost full time, so I have it investigated when I'm in for the next service. I get 'NO PROBLEM FOUND, UNABLE TO DUPLICATE RATTLE'. I insist on a proper investigation. The next week I get a loaner car for two days, during which the dealer calls me saying they can't find a rattle - I insist that there is one, especially in the mornings when it's colder. Eventually, I get the car back with the note 'CK FOR RATTLE DID NOT CONFIRM BUT HEARD CREEK NOISE INSPECT HEADLINER AND REGLUE RD TEST OK'. The car reeks of glue for a day, but the rattle (sorry, 'creaking') is gone. I notice part of the headliner in the rear is a bit crushed, but I don't care because it's not that prominent and mostly I'm just happy it's fixed.
Feb '13, the creaking is back - not as bad as before, so I decide I'll just live with it. Ford happen to email me, asking me for a review of the car. They say that good or bad it'll go up. My review generally praises the car (I do like it a lot), but mentions that some of the parts and build quality aren't great. Instead of posting the review, I get an escalated customer care issue. The rep who calls me is friendly, but insists I bring the car back to the dealer, despite my reluctance. I have to explain the situation to the dealer from scratch, even though the rep says he spoke to the dealer about this issue. I'm feeling like a real nuisance customer at this point. After a couple of hours I get the car back with the note "RECHECK HEADLINER FOUND RIGHT FRONT LOOSE REGLUE HEADLINER OK LAST TIME WAS THE REAR OFF HEADLINER CAME LOOSE". I'm assured that it should be fixed, and I head off. The service rep rings me 2 days later and I confirm that the problem is fixed, which I regret doing now. A couple of days later I notice more marks on the dashboard trim, and of course, the creaking is back.