Newest cars with rust problems

2000-2006 elantras always seem to have bubbles in the quarter panel down by the bumper.

I remember seeing rust on an Isuzu Amigo while it was on the showroom floor. (and yet my neighbor still drives one that is rust-free. Weird)

Mazda3s, Protege5s, and Dodge Rams.

My Dad's 200k mile '02 Silverado is starting to bubble above ONE of the rear wheels, which I don't understand. I blame Indiana.

Theres a bunch of 3yo dodge rams floating around here with rusty beds already......

Florida has it's share of problems, but not this. Wow.

I have a feeling any daily driven car, in the north, that is taken care of by the average driver will rust quite quickly.

My '95 F150 has less rust than my 2002 Protege5. And the Dodge Rams are soooo bad up here in Ma.

I'll see a newer Ram and think hmmmmm, I'd sell my Ford for that... Then I see the bed around the wheel arch with a 10"x3" rust hole and think, "I'll just keep the Ford thanks!".

Yeah, I'd really be interested in learning why the rams rust so much faster.

The old international scout/travelall guys tell me that those old trucks rusted faster than the big three trucks because international was a smaller operation and couldn't afford the same quality of steel that they could. I wonder if it's the same thing? Chrysler certainly has been at death's door for a long time.

Chrysler stuff, especially their trucks, rot out with a force up here in MA. My '97 Dakota has some rust issues, and by the time I got it, the brake lines and bumpers were gonzo. I have seen 2-3 year old full size Rams with significant bed rust.

I see early 2000's Mazdas and Subarus with pretty bad rust too.

I've been keeping my 2012 Mazda in check so far. It gets the undercarriage rinsed periodically over the winter.

A quick craigslist search for "honda rust" turns up more results than "honda civic" in these parts. So I say honda civic. Mazda 3s are pretty bad too.

Javelin wrote: What kind of road salt hell do you people live in?!?

Vermont. Specifically, in the middle of about five ski resorts... so they salt particularly heavily for the sake of keeping all the all-season tire clad tourist-mobiles on the road. We got our first real snow this weekend, maybe 2", and all the roads are already white with salt.

In reply to ShadowSix:

They don't believe in painting anything properly is my guess......it also explains the basecoat/clear coat flaking issue that leaves grey primer spots all over them further down the road.

At the risk of jumping on the bandwagon - Mazda. For a number of years Protege5s have the most catastrophic rust I've seen, more in line with the pre-galvanized days. Other modern cars simply don't rust like that. The number of Mazda3s with rust is rather astounding. A few years ago my RX-8 developed rust in some odd places (subsequently removed). I was told Mazda corrosion warranty wouldn't cover it as it wasn't a "perforation." I asked, how could any car of that age possibly have rusted through. The service manager told me that it's pretty common for newish Mazda3s rust holes . :)

I hate all the salt we use in Illinois. Wisconsin may be on to something for once. Using cheese brine to melt the ice/snow on the roads.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-09-14/news/ct-talk-milwaukee-street-cheese-20130914_1_brine-wisconsin-cheese-makers-association-mozzarella

my '03 mazda6 is starting to blow out the rear wheel arches, but it's been a Michigan four-seasons car since day 1. the wheelhouse liner is made of some sort of fibrous material, probably for NVH, and it has an overlap seam that rests against the inside of the wheel arch lip, holding salt and other road skank while simultaneously abrading the corrosion protection on the sheetmetal. charlie sheen would not approve of this design.

this is freaking me out about my 2012 mazda3. how can i be proactive on this. i plan to keep the car awhile.

In reply to belteshazzar:

Maybe use Fluid Film? I've heard good things about it and plan to try it on my winter car.

Rust was not a problem with my 2007 Mazdaspeed3 but not because it was built any differently than the regular Mazda3, but because I took it to a touchless car wash with undercarriage wash regularly. Good thing I have a discount membership card!

My sister's 2004 Elantra already has significant bubbling on the rear wheel arches.

In reply to belteshazzar:

All is not lost! 2012 and newer Mazda3s got a bead of seam sealer on the rear wheelwell pinch weld. This is where most of the severe rust was on those cars, so your car should be better...

Define new...Does the Toyota truck frame rust through issue count?

Yeah, Mazda and Kia both have some issues.

Seems like the rust monster can strike anyone, anywhere,anytime. It's odd how newer cars tend to rot subframes and rear quarters while older models rotted rockerpanels and doors faster. I'm from Michigan and battle the monster on a regular basis. Thanks Goddess for my Saturn's plastic skin. At least it won't LOOK rusty.

In reply to Gearheadotaku:

I've seen several cars with stamped sheet metal crossmembers these days.......makes me glad the sho's all use what appears to be a 1/8" thick welded steel.

Javelin wrote: What kind of road salt hell do you people live in?!?

That was two years ago. i got the car in 2009. It was a Utah car with only visible rust around the right side wheel well.

As it is now, the tailgate has to be ratchet strapped shut, the left rear door doesn't open because the latch is rusted solid, both wheelwells are open to the elements, the spare tire bolt rusted solid so I had to bend/break it to access the left taillight to fix some wiring that somehow got corroded.

Oh and the fuel door fell off and it's all cancer all the way down to what's left of the wheelhouse.

My answer: Almost anything Japanese. I saw a lot of Mazdas and Nissans with bad rust in Virginia. My former roommate's 06 RSX is bubbling on the rear fender lips. WTF. Lots of Subarus with rear fender rust also. Subarus of course, just have paint issues in general. The only 2 vehicles I've ever owned from Japan that didn't make me rust-paranoid were my Z32 and my S2000, only because both of them never saw salt in their lives. I guess my 94 Miata isn't so bad... but that's more because I don't care.

Gearheadotaku wrote: Thanks Goddess for my Saturn's plastic skin. At least it won't LOOK rusty.

And the paint will be fine. As crappy as some things about Saturns are, you REALLY have to neglect them (park them under a pine tree for 10+ years maybe?) to damage the paint/body.

And the parts that do rust can be unbolted/swapped if necessary. Its quite easy when compared to repairing a rusted out quarter panel.

ProDarwin wrote: And the parts that do rust can be unbolted/swapped if necessary. Its quite easy when compared to repairing a rusted out quarter panel.

The part that usually seems to rust on those is the rear doorsills and the whole area between the trunk floor and the sides. It all just sort of disappears and is held together by plastic and luck. But it looks just fine from the outside.

Road salt is the devil.

Bryce