Just purchased a 12 Screw and after washing it I noticed that the bottom door skins on the inside of the door do not look like they are sealed very well. I am thinking that over time sand, salt and water will eventually cause rusting. Looking at the 2010's they are the same way. Has anyone noticed this to be a problem? Would like to solve a potential problem before it gets away on me.

 

never had an issue on my 09 when i had it.

 

An application of Fluid Film every 6mo. Dont forget about the inside lower lip of the tailgate. Very prone to rusting.

 

Better get the inside of your front bumper with fluid film too....mine shows surface rust starting....a 12' with 4k

 

Had a 2005 with the wide gap on the bottom of the door and after 5 years of N.E. winters, not one spot of rust to be seen. My 2010 is the same design on the lower door and 2 years still looks good. The door skins are bonded to the door shells with an adhesive material, so it seals out rust much better than in previous model years. The doors are rust proofed as well, it can be seen in the lower drain holes as a waxy like substance. It's my opinion that Ford may have learned their lesson from the rust issues of the 1997-2003 model years.

 

Having a 97 F150 previous to my 2012 I know first hand the problems with rust on the doors. I managed to sell the truck this summer with the original paint after owning it for 15 years. It was no easy task keeping the rust at bay, that is why I had questioned the design on this new truck. Reassuring to hear some positive as well as preventative responses.
Thanks for the replies.

 

simply a Ford issue, the SD truck's have the same problem with rust forming inside the doors and the tailgate drains. I painted my under body supports on the cab with Eastwood's rust converter paint and ive had no problems. I use Fluid Film on the door bottom and tailgate bottom, doors look brand new but the tailgate drains are popping and rusty......

 

My 97 F150XLT, which I bought new, had no rust when I traded it in 05, on an 03 F250 Lariat. 2 years later, the 03 started rusting along the bottom of the doors, and the rear wheelwells. Was not happy!

 

I had a '97 and an '01 and both had rust on the bottom of the doors by the time they hit four years old. My '05 is currently rust free in the door areas and I attribute it to the wider gap that ford put along the bottom. On the previous models I just don't think the water would ever drain out. I also got in the habit of taking an airgun and blowing the water out of the bottom of the doors at the end of the day if the truck gets wet. You won't believe how much water stays in the bottom of the doors, and from my experience it takes about 50-60 miles of driving to get it to all run out on its own, which isn't good if you only drive the truck on the weekends and it sits all week with water in the bottom of the doors.

The doors on the newer 150's don't look like they're set up as nice as the late 03-08 models, but it looks like it should do the job. My biggest worry on the new trucks is the area above the rear wheelwells where the wheel well liner mates to the box side. Ford uses an expandable foam to fill the gap and the foam on the newer trucks feels more soft and absorvent than the foam on the 04-08 models, which feels harder and less likely to hold moisture. If I had a new truck I'd really consider keeping that foam soaked with either oil or fluid film, so the metal behind it will be more likely to stay rust free.

My biggest complaint on any of the 04+ 150's is the lip underneath the rocker panels holds debris and eventually it will start to rust. I thought I was doing a pretty good job of keeping that area clean on my '05, but after 4yrs on the road I was already getting surface rust on top of the lip and along the edge. The metal in that area is pretty thick so it will take quite a few years to rust through, but I spend alot of time in the spring every year sanding on the rusty metal and repainting it to try to keep the rust at bay.