So I noticed this the other day. I don't typically go to my passenger side that often but when I did I was not happy. attached are photos of my 2010 F150. it currently has 97000 miles on it. i have never done anything other than recreational use with it. no commercial work or plowing. absolutely no reason for it to be so rotted than i could put my finger through it. all i have owned is fords, currently i have this f150 and a 1972 f250.

 

wow that's nuts , id be pissed too

 

That sucks, and it isn't the first 2010 that I've heard about rusting.

 

My '13 has almost 106,000 miles on it. The first 95,000 were driving through the salty roads of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. I have none of the rust you're showing in those pics. My frame is even mostly rust free.

Do you wash your truck thoroughly? Or were the 2010 models just prone to this?

 

I'd say there's a better than fair chance that the OP's pickup has a sun roof.


am I right?


my 2010 has never been inside a day in it's life, is parked down wind of the salt domes, and gets washed a few times a year at best ... and is completely rust free.

 

This does really suck. But keep in mind that this is a 7 year old truck with just shy of 100k miles on the clock. And if you have never done anything to prevent the rust from setting in and you live in a rust belt area, then it's only a matter of time for the rust to show is cancerous face. I don't mean to sound rude or harsh. But it is a fact of life. Or in this case a fact of time.

 

there is no sun roof on it. the truck spent a couple years in michigan and the last two in tropical weather with no winters. no vehicle regardless of the miles should be completely rusted through in that amount of time. this is not surface rust. I take great care of my truck. . . here is the issue. this rust is forming from the inside out. it is not from a lack of maintenance. these trucks are notorious for a leak in the third break light. that is why when my truck was only a few years old i had to take it in to get the leak fixed after i noticed water dripping from my headliner. this water also leaked down in to the lower part of the cab where it sat because i didn't think/know there was trapped water in the skin of the cab. so there was no sign of this happening until the paint started to bubble. the paint began to bubble when everything else behind it slowly disintegrated. that is how i think it got this way, so how is one supposed to prevent that??

 

I'd have lost the bet...

I will say that this is the first time I've seen rust like this in a truck without a sunroof.

Honesty there's not much you can do. Like you said, it happens from the inside out.

 

ALL new trucks regardless of the brands need to have the "Corrosion Free" or "Krown" rust proofing processes applied minutes after purchase. Preferably before you drive it off the lot. Same goes for used unless its already rotted. I have experience with the Krown process. 3 years and running so far so good. It was two years old when I got it and it was starting to crust in very small spots like at the spot welds. These trucks are rust n rot magnets. You can not rely on the factory "corrosion paint" on the underside. Its junk and will show rust with in months. Sad. For 150/year I think the Krown will pay for its self in 10 years as I wont need another truck due to this one rotting away. Wonder if the 17s still have the sponge like material in the rear inner wheel wells. Brilliant strategy to accelerate the rust and sell new trucks.

 

If you get under the truck, take look at the rocker panels. There are oval holes from front to back. After assembly, they taped them up at the factory. Many fall off or people take them off. The inside is unfinished and collects dirt/salt/moisture. This is how they rust out. Many have that area undercoated inside those voids

 

Did you read any of this thread?

That is not what is causing them to rust out. The problem is much deeper than what you are describing.

 

Yes, yes I did. Rocker and cab corner rust through from the inside out is very common. We have seen this even on 13-14 trucks. The root cause was definitely the open areas (oval openings) where debris and moisture have sat. That is an untreated area and will be quick to rust out. Many take the truck to an under coater, or spray in bedliner place and they have spray wands to get in there and seal it up. This has done well to prevent this type of damage.

 

Slight apology, as I had my threads confused.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...50-lariat.html


the rust you see starts much deeper than you think. the holes you are talking about it may contribute to the problem, but even if you fix and coat where you are talking, you aren't going to fix the problem.


in order to fix the source of the rust, you need to have holes drilled through about 3 layers to coat the inside that cannot be reached through the holes you are referring to.


go through the thread above and you'll see what I'm talking about.
the real goodness starts here:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post15700165

 

Right on - thanks.

 

Those areas are not left as raw steel. The factory dips the cabs and boxes in a primer sealer, (08 and up is what Im familiar with). But its just a thin barrier and does not adhere to the high spots in the spot welds nor does it have 100% coverage down deep in the seams. Once the high spots and seams start to oxidize its all down hill in a short amount of time partly due to the welding process which creates impurities inherent to spot welding, (No gas shield). This is just one example of the fly in the ointment. Your truck begins to rot they day it rolls off the line. You desert guys dont have anything to worry about as it takes 50 years to see any rust. Everyone else does and its not confined to the rust belt. It just happens quicker there.
You dont want to undercoat per-say as in the old school tar like substance common for years available through the factory or the one well known aftermarket company prevalent in the North East. The Krown process covers the chassis and underside body crevices (and everywhere else) with a product similar to LP3. This has a consistency of thinned out Vaseline. The product has rust inhibitors, lubricants and has a creeping action. It flat out gets everywhere and repels salt, dirt and water. So it wicks in everywhere yet is allowed to breathe unlike the tar like substance. Im not a salesman so google the two processes I mentioned in my previous post.
Bottom line is you have to do something if you care at all about keeping your investment in decent shape past the 5 year mark. My 08 was blistering/popping in the rear fender wells after 4.5 years. Partly due to the lovely ??engineered?? sponge like crap some rocket scientist thought would be good in a rear wheel well of a 4X4. Ford did this up to 16. Wonder if it was deleted in 17. Likely not as it plays a part in us buying a new truck. Wonder if the new 2017 F150 Super Duty (a-hem I mean F250-350 Super Duty with a 150 cab yuk! Thanks bean counters for ruining that) also got upgraded bed support rails? Doubt it.