Bought new a 2015 F150 when I noticed the issue of the 3rd break light meltdown took it back the the dealership the light was replaced with the same housing so today I have the same issue the dealership says the truck is out of warranty and is my issue not theirs.
If they would of not lied to me and fix the issue the first time I would still be buying a Ford but now I’m looking at other dealership not another Ford.
You had a warranty repair last for 6 years and your warranty has expired . What is so hard to understand about that ? Maybe they fixed your break light instead of your Brake light.
And no matter what brand you choose you will still have to pay for repair that is out of warranty. 
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I’ve heard of (and had) water leaks into the cab from 3rd brake lights, but I haven’t heard of them melting. I’d get an aftermarket 3rd brake light lens and install it. The aftermarket might make something sturdier. It’ll almost definitely be cheaper than OEM.
Silly problems like that lens melting are aggravating, I know, but if the truck has been relatively problem free otherwise over these last 6 years, that ain’t too bad.
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also you can change to a LED bulb.
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Every make of cars go through issues and warranties do not last forever. A 3rd brake light problem seems pretty insignificant to me to write off a car brand.
I might suggest replacement of the light assembly and change the bulbs to a lower wattage rating or LED bulbs. Bulb heat would cause plastic to melt. The dealer would not do this because of slim liability issues and corporate policy but you or an independent could possibly do it. My Lincolns use 3157k bulbs so maybe that is an option.
The 3rd brake lights have never been an issue on any Ford I’ve owned and my cars routinely see 300 to even 400k miles. Never even had a bulb burn out actually so maybe I got the good ones…
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I was thinking if the brake light got hot enough to melt the lens, It’s because Puck08 uses his left foot to brake and constantly has his foot on the brake keeping the light on.
I see it all the time, people doing 60 mph uphill with no traffic, and their brake lights and center brake light are on.
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Hi Puck08:
I agree with the others that this is a pretty small and quick repair. I wouldn’t write Ford off for this one. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
RockAuto lists replacement rear taillight lens for your vehicle in the $55 range. Autozone has them in the $75 range.
It’s not difficult to replace the lens. There are lots of youtube videos to show you how. In fact, 99% of the work to do it is the same as replacing a burned out bulb.
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The Aftermarket offers a LED replacement for the 3rd brake light, smoked or non, unless this is a raptor then the 3rd light is apparently different.
I’m going to chime in . . .
We have tons of F-150s of this vintage in our fleet
The chmsl doesn’t melt
What happens is that where the bulbs plug in gets brittle and toasty
Not worth abandoning a brand over that . . .
I think they’re okay trucks
A 2015 Chevy Silverado isn’t going to be any better, for example
Just buy another chmsl and install it yourself . . . super easy
And when it needs to be replaced again in several years, maybe you’ll have a different truck by then?
Every brand has its quirks
Maybe if you were to buy another truck, you’d swear off that brand, as well?
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Thanks db4690:
I mistakenly read Puck08’s opening post and thought he was referring to one of this tail lights. Thanks for clarifying it for me.
The good news for him is that the chmsl (or High Mount Brake Light) is available at rockauto for less than $100, and it is super easy to replace.
Someone on this forum a long time ago asked why GM products always seemed to have a headlight, park light, driving lamp, out. That got me to paying attention and they were dead on correct. Everytime I see a vehicle off in the distance with any lamp out it turns out to be something produced by GM.
My daughter even has trouble with the headlamps on here 2015 RT Challenger; as so a lot of others who own Challengers and Chargers.
its because they just dont make things like they use too.
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Thankfully they don’t. Vehicles are far more reliable, pollute less, get better gas mileage. safer then they use to.
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possibly. This could be as simple as plug and play. OR, it may take a bit more ingenuity. There isn’t as much resistance with an LED bulb, so the computer may not see the proper signal and think that bulb is blown. On a brake light, this could affect Cruise Control operation.
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The one i’ve found is plug and play but there’s a note that the bulb is slightly bigger than standard so check the fit, also newer Euro and USA models may signal a error message even if the bulb works fine.
My '95 Suburban had an LED CHMSL, this 2015 F150 doesn’t?
Does this also have 2 bed illuminator lights? Those might be getting left turned on, causing the melting.
Rockauto is out of stock on the LED version, only has one of the regular ones left, must be a pretty common problem.