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My truck is less than a week old and has 350 miles and 200 came from driving it from NC to VA where I live. I crawled under it to look at connections to add running boards and noticed the frame has several rust spots and rear axle is complete rust covered. I'm not concerned about axle much but the frame has me worried. Anyone else have this issue? Any ideas or recommendations?
The sticker says final assembly location was Dearborn and the dealership it came from was just south of Charlotte NC. I purchased in VA without seeing it but it had all the options I wanted.
Frame. At least 10 other spots like this on bottom & side of frame.
That's not unusual, and this is not the first thread on the subject. Ford (and/or their vendors) are doing a crappy job of painting the frames and rear axles on these trucks. All it takes is one trip down a wet, salty road, and they look like yours. Ford needs to improve their coatings, and our government needs to ban the road salts.
And it's common for dealers to swap vehicles, so just because you buy one in an area without road salt, doesn't mean it was never driven in it.
My truck is less than a week old and has 350 miles and 200 came from driving it from NC to VA where I live. I crawled under it to look at connections to add running boards and noticed the frame has several rust spots and rear axle is complete rust covered. I'm not concerned about axle much but the frame has me worried. Anyone else have this issue? Any ideas or recommendations?
Very common on new trucks regardless of assembly location or what dealer it was purchased from.
Yes, it`s very ugly to look at but it`s nothing to be concerned about because it`s only surface rust.
I've gotten under my 2011 a couple times and wire wheels the axle and some areas on the frame, primed and repainted the small rust areas that were forming.
I gave up on my 1988 F-150 after about 10 years of underside maintenance. I had the truck for 22 years and there were no issues even though the underside was coated with rust.
Ouch - you need to find out where it was built and when. Was the dealer location close to the ocean ?
I've lived next to the Gulf of Mexico for over 40 years and have never seen rust caused by it unless they were constantly driven on the Beach.... And I mean ON the Beach...... Below the high tide mark
Old Wives Tale. But I have seen windshields that were ruined by the wind/sand combination.
The salt on the roads up North? Now THAT causes instant rust.
Take it back to the dealer and see if they will repaint the frame, it never hurts to ask. The rust is normal for the drive train and suspension components.
I'm taking it to the dealer to look at & see if they offer any fixes. If they don't do anything I will probably try what T diesel recommended. Thanks for the feedback!
I've lived next to the Gulf of Mexico for over 40 years and have never seen rust caused by it unless they were constantly driven on the Beach.... And I mean ON the Beach...... Below the high tide mark
Old Wives Tale. But I have seen windshields that were ruined by the wind/sand combination.
The salt on the roads up North? Now THAT causes instant rust.
It really depends on how much salt is in the air. I've seen some really nasty rusted frames on west coast vehicles after being exposed to years of salt air. But yes you are 100% correct on the use of salt on roads in northern climates. You could buy a new car and just drive it 1 winter and you will have lots of rust. Born and raised in Northern Ohio.
Very common on new trucks regardless of assembly location or what dealer it was purchased from.
Yes, it`s very ugly to look at but it`s nothing to be concerned about because it`s only surface rust.
Actually, it's something to be very concerned about, if you live in the road salt region. If it's not sealed up, it won't be "surface rust" for long; it will eat right through the frame. And with the thin frame steel that they are using now, it probably won't take as long. For someone in an area that doesn't use road salts, it will probably never be an issue.
For a long term run its worth getting the annual spray on oil treatments. Commercially applied its around $200 a year. You can buy it yourself too and apply it.
Follow up on my rust issue. I took it into the dealer & they submitted pics to Ford. They scrapped the rust & applied a protective coating, not exactly sure what the coating actually is but it matches the existing paint. They applied it to spots of rust only which included several spots on the frame and most of the rear axle. They told me I can bring it in anytime to have it inspected and the protective coating applied to rust spots while those parts are under warranty (5 year/ 60K I think). Oh you better believe I will keep an eye on it & take advantage of that. I'm mostly satisfied
Follow up on my rust issue. I took it into the dealer & they submitted pics to Ford. They scrapped the rust & applied a protective coating, not exactly sure what the coating actually is but it matches the existing paint. They applied it to spots of rust only which included several spots on the frame and most of the rear axle. They told me I can bring it in anytime to have it inspected and the protective coating applied to rust spots while those parts are under warranty (5 year/ 60K I think). Oh you better believe I will keep an eye on it & take advantage of that. I'm mostly satisfied
