Rust is a sad reality for most vehicle owners, especially those that live in areas with harsh winters or near the salty ocean. But we expect our vehicles to last quite some time before rust starts to rear its ugly head. That hasn’t been the case for a few 2021 Ford F-150 owners, however, as many of them are already facing various rust and corrosion issues mere months after taking delivery of their shiny new trucks.
That includes Adam Daily of Spring, Texas, who recently told the Detroit Free Press that his 2021 Ford F-150 began showing surface rust on its axles and other underbody components within days of bringing it home. In addition to that, rusty water dripped off those parts and left brown stains on his garage floor. So far, he says neither the dealer nor the automaker has an answer for him.
“I’ve been getting ghosted,” Daily said. “Ever since I got this truck, nobody knows anything. My 2016 F-150 had 65,000 miles when I turned it in, and it didn’t look like this. This thing looks like it’s a few years old and driven in heavy snow-like conditions with salt on the roads. I didn’t know what to expect but I didn’t expect people to get ignored.”
“These parts look they were possibly sitting in water or somewhere where it’s wet,” Daily said. “People have images that are around the shock mounts, too. There shouldn’t be so much corrosion on a truck just built. I’m in quality control and I’m embarrassed I missed this. But I was so excited to get my truck.”
Daily isn’t the only person that’s expressed frustration with rusty parts, either. The Free Press spoke with 2021 Ford F-150 owners in seven different states around the U.S. who have also noticed corrosion occurring within days of taking delivery of their trucks. There doesn’t appear to be any discernable pattern to what trucks are affected, however, though Ford is currently looking into it.
“We’re looking, with our suppliers, into questions raised,” Ford spokesman Said Deep told the Free Press. “While some F-150 underbody steel components may show signs of surface rust, this will have no impact on part performance or life.”
We’ll have more on this as soon as it’s available, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford F-Series news, Ford F-150 news, and continuous Ford news coverage.
Comments
I don’t think there has been a vehicle built in the last oh, 100 years that had some degree of rust on the underside that started showing up when it was new in some form.
& you would be wrong. I owed many and zero rust when new.
Truer words have not been written. In fact, I would recommend those not believing this go to a Toyota dealership-bring your own creeper and do some inspections! Ford has bragged about how great their aluminum beds are “they don’t rust”, one may think they are anti rust-I guess not. What good does it do to make your bed out of aluminum, but pay zero attention to rust found all over the rest of the truck????
This is comment is pure hyperbole, Toyota fanboy. Also inaccurate: Many parts on post 2013 models are made from aluminum, not just the bed. Further, according to THIS article and others: There is SOME rust on SOME trucks. Not “all over the rest of the truck”.
There could be a supplier issue as all OEMs face these from time to time (airbags, for instance). Ford will sort it out.
Ford has quietly incorporated aluminum parts for quite some time. Take the aluminum driveshaft shown in the picture, for example. I had a 2002 Ranger and was surprised to find it had an aluminum drive shaft. That 2002 Ranger was also flex fuel, able to burn E85 and E100 even though Ford barely mentioned it. It was several years later that GM engaged in chest thumping when they had flex fuel capability in some vehicles.
As far as Toyota goes, I have a 2005 Tacoma that rusted so severely on the grease-for-undercoating Dana frame that Toyota issued a customer satisfaction action on my truck in 2016, replacing the entire frame, fuel lines and brake lines. Unfortunately Toyota reinstalled some of badly rusted parts, such as the gas tank straps which broke and I replaced on my own. Toyota now uses better frame coating – it looks like POR-15 or powder coat – whatever it is, it no longer rusts off in a few months. I’m gun-shy about buying Toyota again. I had two Rangers that did not have rust issues.
It looks like Ford probably should have used more chromate plated fasteners. I’m not a mechanical engineer – there could be a reason the spring shackle bolts pictured aren’t plated.
Well Ford fanboy, they wont sort it out. Like the explorer I bought and the cam tensioner went destroying the engine under warranty that they wouldn’t cover. They boned me and they will screw the people who buy this rust bucket. Never buy a ford.
royl It took me half an hour to stop laughing enough so that I could type. If you’re going to throw a brand name out for reference, at least do a cursory google search first. Try Toyota frame rust, then view a series of recalls approaching 10 billion dollars and extending for a decade on Tundra, Tacoma, Sequoia. From the looks of it, if you go under one with a creeper, use blocks and wear a helmet. Thanks for the laugh though, needed a chuckle.
I like the most dependable truck I can find and my old ford is a 2003, no problems at all and no rust none because I take care of it, I even drove a tundra but I couldn’t stand looking at the stupid thing, all tundra’s now only have a twin turbo v6 and there’s reports of turbo failures at 400 miles, guess what, the cab must be removed to repair them, I wouldn’t have a toy for free. g m has afm lifters, ram is junk so ill paint my differential with rust oleum and drive on. the Toyota was nice however and very fast.
stop with the fake content! first the trucks body is made out of aluminum so its scientifically proven to not corrode or rust. second I have owned one for a week now and no rust on the under carriage.
Give it another week. Fix Or Repair Daily. I own a 2013 F150 with 48000 miles and has trans problems. F.O.R.D
I have had a ford f 150 since 1991, now have a 2019 and 2021 and have had zero issues. For those who do not understand how this works here is my 10 cents. The supplier is responsible for the parts paint, most likely PPG and you can be sure ford will deal with it. Its been an issue with Honda Canada also. So blame where it counts
I have a 2002 Ford F150 354,000 miles on it with practically no problems at all throughout its entire history. Should be good for another couple of hundred thousand miles. As far as the acronym for Ford, just about every make and model has a choice acronym associated with it. Ford F series trucks have been not only the best selling Truck in the world, but the best selling “vehicle” in the US. There is a reason for that…..There just that good!!
I was a loyal Ford customer for 35 years. I purchased a New 2008 Expedition King Ranch and buy the end of the first years my hood and rear tail gate paint started to bubble due to oxidation. Ford refused to cover it and by the 2nd year it looked like I had a 10 yr old vehicle. I went back to Ford dealer to trade it in and they wanted to take $5000 off my trade in because of bubbling.
I decided to keep it and put a sign in my back window advertising what a new ford will look like after 1st year of purchase not covered by ford.
I was flagged down by a couple Lincoln navigator owners having same issue on their new 2016 models. Fords failure to correct paint failure they know was a problem after 8 years tells me they don’t care and why I won’t buy another ford again.
Uhh.. Aluminum does corrode, it is called aluminum oxide and looks like a white powdery coating on untreated aluminum. Iron rust is reddish in color, aluminum rust is white in color.
Google Explorer Hood corrosion. It’s been a very common issue.
No where are they talking about body. Its all undercarriage parts.
A week wtf does that tell you can we get a straight answer from you folks .I just purchased the new f-150 now i’m worried or does anybody have an answer? Did you or anyone hear back from ford on this issue and will the fix any rust that will occurs?
a $5 can of rustoleum will stop the light surface rustI got my 2023 f150 6 days ago and it had the rust on about 1/2 the rear differential I knew that because I inspected it before buying, with 11 miles on the clock I painted it and it took about 10 minutes no problems the truck will last me 20 years.
Aluminum can corrode, but won’t corrode if handled and maintained correctly. It is very important to use proper fasteners with aluminum. Untreated steel bolts may cause aluminum to rot out around the bolt heads. I have an aluminum body Honda Insight and the shop manual is very emphatic about using the correct fasteners. Corrosion resistant bolts have a dark gray tri-metal coating. I’ve seen the unfortunate results on cars where the owners carelessly reinstalled plain steel bolts after doing work on their cars. The good news is that light scratches on an aluminum body panels are usually self-limiting.
Pete You must have gotten a good one my 2021 f150 with 500 miles on it has surface rust on about 20 spot on the steel frame , the front muffler has many pits in it and the dealer is going to replace the ds rear brake fitting next to wheel because it is rusting, aluminum body and steel frame , Fords E coat system sucks.
What was shown in the photo’s is not at all an issue as these parts a thick casting and extrusions or fasteners almost never removed.
I agree, it would be nice of Ford and their suppliers would powder coast these pards but that is expensive and of little value.
Well said.
I”m not so sure the that the leaf spring seats welded to the axle tube pictured are that invulnerable to rust. I agree the cast iron differential case is probably no big deal, though it would be prettier if painted. I still have the original rear axle assembly in my 2005 Tacoma after the Frame recall and the differential cover is a giant piece of rust. I can’t get the drain plug loose, and I’ve been soaking it with Deep Creep about once a week for a few weeks. I’m a little nervous about trying to crack the threads loose by hitting it with a torch. If I get the drain bolt loose, I plan to replace it with a bolt with a hex socket bolt instead of a protruding bolt head. Or maybe just get a whole new diff cover.
The pictured shackle bolts may be plain steel for an engineering reason.
It’s just whining. A little surface rust on a few bolts and diff housing is nothing. I guess the guy could just hit it with a Rustoleum rattle can if he cares that much. No one else does. This is hardly what you’d call “newsworthy” I’m charitable to the writer here.
Spot on
Disagree. I don’t think it’s whining to ask for a corrosion free product that costs 50 to 80 thousand dollars.
Agreed.
That’s like buying a brand new house, and then walking in to find all the faucets rusted. “It doesn’t affect the water running, it’s just cosmetic.” “Just hit it with a little Rustoleum.” Would you accept that? That’s not whining, that’s expecting a new product to look…NEW.
I first thought Ford might be using core-ten steel (purposely rusts down1-3mm for a protective layer then stops) on some of those parts, but, it wouldn’t drip rust, and would be a more expensive alloy than just painting steel or cast iron parts. The rear axle looks like it bypassed the paint booth…
Those parts should have been coated. My outside driveway parked F250 didn’t look that rusty anywhere underneath until year 5 or so. Live in Tennessee so weather pretty good here. If I were this person I would take a few photos around their car lit as well as at Car Max just to prove my point before raising He_l
I was planning on heading over to the local Ford dealer to buy a new F150 tomorrow morning.
I guess I wait it out and see if Ford steps up to the plate to resolve the issue.
As to those individuals numerous comments regarding the rust being a minor issue, well they must be either naïve, have way too much money or both.
I would definitely be upset having acquire a new vehicle with the beginnings of a corrosion issue not to mention rust stains appearing on my new $18000 concrete driveway.
There’s surface rust (Normal) and real corrosion. Have you ever looked under any vehicle driven in snowy condition? Any vehicle driven in winter / salty environment will quickly show some level of surface rust on the fastners and such on the under carriage. It’s normal.
My 2017 F150 displayed similar rust. I sanded the surfaces and repainted. The front bumper support also rusted, as the rear leaf spring hangers. Buy a wire brush and more paint.
Yeah, we should all just buy wire brushes and paint it out. Maybe Ford can put that in their sales brochure. No big deal…everyone likes purchasing a brand new vehicle, taking it home, and then crawling underneath for a few hours to fix what should have been corrected at the factory. Whaaaat?
I have a 2015 Ford F150 and it have a rather sound when I am driving it and I would like to know what caused it .Please send me a email to let me know what it is
So axle manufacturers are not making enough money to properly coat their parts? Whether it affects performance or not, you shouldn’t pay $25k-$80k on something and it look like the axle was swapped from a 77′.
I absolutely disagree with most of the comments. I’d be p*ssed! I ran out and crawled under my 2018 truck (the “C” brand) and it has over 19,000 miles on it. Barely a speck of rust, and I was able to actually just wipe it off with a Terry cloth towel (4 or 5 swipes). I live in Florida, but I’ve driven it to N. Georgia twice since I’ve had it. We don’t buy these things because we have an extra $62,000 laying around. We love our trucks and work hard for ‘em. I, personally wouldn’t want a NEW TRUCK that’s already lookin’ like the makings of a “barn find”.
I absolutely disagree with most of the comments. I’d be p*ssed! I ran out and crawled under my 2018 truck (the “C” brand) and it has over 19,000 miles on it. Barely a speck of rust, and I was able to actually just wipe it off with a Terry cloth towel (4 or 5 swipes). I live in Florida, but I’ve driven it to N. Georgia twice since I’ve had it. We don’t buy these things because we have an extra $62,000 laying around. We love our trucks and work hard for ‘em. I, personally wouldn’t want a NEW TRUCK that’s already lookin’ like the makings of a “barn find”.
This is definitely not anything new, the diff on my 2015 was rusted when I picked it up from the dealer and it was a factory order so wasn’t like it was sitting on a dealer lot for any amount of time. Sure ford could powder coat the underbody parts, but that would just add costs to already heavily priced trucks. Really though at the end of the day it’s not that big of a deal it’s not like I lay on the ground and look at the underbody all the time.
Whether you can see it or not, give me one example of ANY other product you’d buy, let alone for $50K+, where you’d accept rust all over it.
So what is your job at GM
Spray flat black on it. Will help to protect in future and looks better. I noticed some on my 2016 when I bought with 13k miles. The high heat flat black is pretty good. Prob not a big deal but you should def spray it a few times.
I saw a ’21 F150 sitting on the lot…brand new in January with rust similar to this on the rear diff. I was honestly suprised.
My 18 Silverado has survived 2 salty PA winters now, and I can honestly say there is absolutely no rust on the truck…..the paint on the rear part of the frame faded, but it has not rusted yet.
I’m waiting for the. I thought is was made out of aluminum. Comment.
the pickup trucks are the absolute most profitable vehicle made period… two dollars worth of paint is trivial compared to the massive profit they make on a truck… I spent 33 years at fomoco many in quality control. I have seen many stupid decisions….A new truck that cost from $40,000 to almost $100,000 should be done right period. no excuse….
If you actually worked at Ford, then you’d know the penny pinching that goes on
With today’s winter chemicals like calcium chloride, salt brine, etc, it doesn’t take long to get rust eating away at anything. I’ve never seen my 2003 E350 with 830,000 miles rust at such an accelerated rate since they started using those chemicals on the roads up here in the northern great lakes region. It is a shame that such an expensive vehicle is already showing signs of rust. I’d be buying a gallon of Rust Bullet sold at Summit racing, and spray the whole underneath, wait a couple of days, and spray the whole underneath twice with their final coat underbody paint, and it will look like new years later. Its great stuff that actually eats the rust before the 2 paint coats. Nothing compares to thus stuff. I’ve tried them all. I don’t work for them, just a trucker..
This rust is showing up on trucks AT DELIVERY. Nothing to do with chemicals on the roads.
It’s what happens when you have too many dissimilar metals touching each other.
Guessing he doesn’t want rust stains on the floor of his garage, hate to see this truck in 5 years.totally unacceptable.
Anybody who says “I’ve been getting ghosted” has the maturity of a 6 year old.
I own a 2017 Chevy Silverado dual cab 4 wheel drive Z71 and just for giggles I went outside and crawled underneath it to see what it looked like compared to these photographs and not a single and I repeat not a single instance of Rust or corrosion as depicted in those pictures so that’s Chevy versus Ford I guess
You’re either lying, or Chevy makes some stupid decisions to coat underbody parts for appearance purposes
We went to Conroe, Tx and bought a new 2008 Silverado Crew Cab. Never thought to look underneath…..total rust coated. If I had looked, and I changed to Ford F150’s since, I wouldn’t have bought it. Once bitten twice shy.
Ummmm. Its a truck. Probably should of stuck with the minivan.
“It’s a truck”…why should that matter? My truck cost more than a new 5-series BMW. Do you think this is acceptable? Maybe on an old farm truck, but not a modern luxury truck.
It’s embarrassing to have a new $50k+ vehicle with this much surface rust! Anyone who thinks this is acceptable is obviously not prideful on USA made product’s.
Typical Ford quality. All Ford guys say it’s ok cuz they are used to such poor quality.
Poor quality control. My 2004 E350 van had rust around roof gutter when bought new. Now that rust is creeping toward the roof. Shame on you Ford.
so you saw it and just watch it rust away till it leaks inside?
Ford says rust won’t affect the overall live of the part. Given the relatively short lifespans of some Ford parts, that’s probably fair in this case.
No way should this be happening on a new truck. I just had to replace the rear end on my ’05 Chevy due to rust thru, causing it to leak fluid, but this after 15 years and 100K miles on the road in Ohio winters. The reman unit was well painted. Ford can’t coat their units better than a rebuilding outfit? The owners should continue to pursue a resolution.
Probably Chinese steel like back in the old days of the 70’s and 80’s!!! Ford doesn’t want them lasting forever! Lol!!!
I have 2008 f150 I live close to Mountains salt on roads all the time mine still looks new with 218,000 miles on it
Damn….I’d cut my losses and sell that F150 immediately and buy some other brand.
My 2015 F-150 XLT looks no where near the pictures shown, and I live in FL. also. At 68,000+ miles I’m constantly under the truck doing maintenance, checks and cleaning. I’d be having words with my Service Rep. if that was my new one. Somebody sleeping at the switch .. Coating booth .. Best I say .. Couple cans of underbody coating spray should cover that OR couple gallons of WD-40 and sprayer each wash time ..
I would get under the truck and paint all the rusted and bare metal parts with rust conversion coating. Then, after the coating has dried, I would spray everything with bike-chain lube, which sprays on wet to penetrate, then evaporates and leaves a non drip petroleum film coating.
My 19 does not look like that live North Carolina but it’s been to West Virginia in the snow, it’s normal for left spring springs to get rust and some on axle housing after a couple of years but on a new 60k truck kinda unacceptable. The 1 concerning spot I saw in photos is the backing plate, if it is that rusted on the backside sure the front is the same it’s thin so it rust thru in no time
Range Rover is all alum body with high alloy bolts and powder coated assemblies they maybe finniky but great vehicles had many a Ford pick up love the Range Rover HSE
land rover the original ones alum body but the frames rust out so good body but no frame not too great. the Grumman mail trucks based on s 10s are rotting frames too po spends 10 k on every one they fix because the mismanages bought all the fleet over only several years and then ran them over the 25 yr design time
Chill out, F made a boatload of cash ignoring any rust preventive requirements with weight savings. Iron oxide may weigh more than the original materials but It flakes off and eventually will result in further weight savings and better gas mileage. Simple solution to your angst.
This concerns me, I’ve been waiting to buy a new Ford F-150 and it seems that all F-150’s I see have rust issues on the outside. I’m looking at buying the 2021 Ford Raptor but maybe I’ll wait to see what issues arise from customer reviews before I purchase.
I had owned several Ford vehicles for the last 30 years. If you are looking for fit and finish, Ford is not the brand for you.
Some people buy the Ford truck merely because of the aluminum, corrosion resistant, parts. Is disappointing to see that Ford wouldn’t quality control something simple like paint on a differential.
My 2018 xlt show zero rust in Wisconsin. I had a Silverado and the frame did not rust but the entire body did.
Just take it to Zeibart.
I have a 2020 F-150 Lariat. It’s dark here now, but I’m damn sure gonna check underneath mine tomorrow! Thanks for the info!
This is why people just stick with Euros now.
Like you
I have a 2019 Ford Expedition Max on this past Sunday I was cleaning my vehicle I was cleaning the rims I noticed the undercarriage had a lot of rust under it the muffler what’s rusted-out the tailpipe rusted out the final muffler or resonator had a lot of rust I went to forward on the following Monday which was March 1st explain to the service writer showed him pictures the rust damage I was told to return the vehicle the following day which is on a Tuesday so I will be returning it to the dealer on Tuesday March 2nd 2021 I will wait for the results
I have a 2019 Ford Expedition Max on this past Sunday I was cleaning my vehicle I was cleaning the rims I noticed the undercarriage had a lot of rust under it the muffler what’s rusted-out the tailpipe rusted out the final muffler or resonator had a lot of rust I went to ford on the following Monday which was March 1st explain to the service writer showed him pictures the rust damage I was told to return the vehicle the following day which is on a Tuesday so I will be returning it to the dealer on Tuesday March 2nd 2021 I will wait for the results
And this why I don’t and will not buy Ford’s!!
Sorry Ford but just another reason to avoid your vehicles.
I have a 2010 and what I don’t like after just a few years its rusting bad between where the side fenders and doors meet! Its shameful, for you pay all this money for these overpriced vehicles you should get better quality. Also the rear main has a small leak that started at 17,000 miles, could a been sooner but that’s when I noticed it, this should never happen , come on you can’t use a high quality rearseal? Its a joke.Plus had to change the power steering pump, and windshield washer pump when it only had 7,500 miles, feel like your building cheap junk instead of FordTough! And after warranty is out don’t want to do nothing, highmountlight leaked had to buy new one in 14 ‘&cleanheadlinerwithShout, Had a 01&10 never rusted here And paint in from the bedwall peeled and on tailgate, something bass going on with the paintjobs!
If I were to buy a new vehicle of any make model or price no matter what it costs I will not for any reason work on any type of rust or defects myself . Why would I buy a vehicle knowing that it may rust a couple of weeks down the line . I’ve got better things to do than work on that said vehicle and especially something that expensive .
Hundreds if not thousands of these trucks were parked in Michigan for weeks awaiting software updates before delivery. Maybe that’s the culprit.
It’s man-made folks, under Carrage rust is inevitable, when it starts it starts. Mine (2019)showed signs of it after I purchased it off the showroom floor in a short time! And it listed for 49K. It’s not something I care about since it doesn’t have anything to do with performance I don’t know how many people actually crawl under a vehicle and concern themselves with this crap. If you wanted it to be shiny underneath park it next to your bed. I wouldn’t care if I paid 100k rust is inevitable especially My undercarriage since it’s subject to weather and road conditions and I live in Florida
I have a 2017 Lariat and real happy with it but have never checked underneath. Won’t now!
One way to surely make a difference, is to rustproof and undercoat your truck right away. Bare metal does not like salt, water, and moisture. You need a barrier between metal and the elements.
It would cost us about $15-20 worth of Rust-oleum to cover most components of the undercarriage of a truck…
Yeah I gotta agree on this one, bad move from Ford to not even bother coating those parts. I feel like the new F150’s were a bit rushed to market… I foresee major recalls for first-run of these amazing trucks…
I have owned them all. If you think that is bad go look at a Dodge, even GM. My Dodge/RAM was delivered in worse condition than that. It’s like raising kids, pick your battles, don’t sweat the small stuff.
I bought a $75K 2021 King Ranch a month ago and knew about the rust issue, so caught it before I took possession of the vehicle. My dealer wire brushed it off. The salesperson was shocked to find the rust.
This is unacceptable on a vehicle this expensive. I’ve owned German sports cars and other expensive vehicles – never seen anything like this. This might be okay on an old farm truck, but not something priced liked this. Ford should be ashamed.
Well what amazes me is the number of people that can’t spell, use proper grammar, use correct context, and otherwise just fail to put out a coherent response. So much for my pontificating today. My teechers don’t learn me good.
Ford…. Built T(To Rust)🤫🤭
Ford worries so much about generators and making seats into beds. Are you building mobile homes or trucks? Need to get your part suppliers inline to make quality a priority. And while you’re at it, put some effort in the outside design. Can’t tell if it’s a 21 or 20 model. Boring body style. GM caught hell for their interior.They responded with a refresh. If you get tired on the job site go home. I don’t want to work around tired workers with power tools. Plus in have my own tape measure, don’t need one stamped on the tailgate.
It really just comes down to budgeting and weighing risks. There are coatings that are available and easy to apply that can prevent this, but if these extra steps were added it would more than likely increase the end cost even more.
They put their risk in the lower category by keeping the body parts fairly resistant to rust with primer baths, etc., figuring this could have the largest impact on resale, versus a future buyer using undercarriage parts with some corrosion, which most purchasing preowned, probably won’t care much about.
What they get for buying a crappy ass Ford, should have bought a Chevy!
Typical Ford, they don’t paint/coat rear axles and lot of other items under the vehicle. Mostly all of your imports have no bare metal underneath. This has to be the bean counters at work. Save a dime on each truck, that’s a lot of money. Never mind that the customer got screwed. Never again Ford!
Might cancel my order for a $70k truck if it looks like this!!
Dang ol’ ain’t right man. Talking’ bout my 2020 f150 lookin just like that mane. Brand new truck gonn’ look like that ain’t right mane. $42k mane ain’t right mane. Dang ol’ ford service just as rusty mane . Terrible service mane. Talk bout “front camera malfunction” 100 miles off the lot mane. Took it in twice for the same thing mane. 6 days later before I got my $42k truck back mayne no loaner either mayne. Next time I’ll get a yota tundra mane. Talk bout ford should take lessons from a Subaru dealership mayne.
I’ve been involved as a supplier for drive line components to Mercedes Benz in Alabama for a number of years. MB requirements include a 240 hour salt spray and rock impact test for all drive line components. This includes driveshafts, input jokes etc. E-coat application done properly can solve this. It takes $ to do this. Much of this is cosmetic. Ford of course knows this today. Do you want to pay more for underbody cosmetics? Do you want to pay for stainless fasteners in some applications? Ford knows through most owners (not this blog) you don’t.
Yes, I’ll pay extra. What’s another few hundred dollars after spending a fortune on this vehicle? I’d much rather have a rust free truck than some of the other options Ford sells and marks up heavily. And many of those Mercedes customers are also buying these trucks…the bar should continue to be raised across all vehicles.
Appears that the vehicle was not under coated. Easy fix , but should be done at factory and included in price of truck.
Made FORD Cheap and Sold Expensive. This company has become disgusting in their Profiteering vs quality. $75k for a moderately loaded POS from FoMoCo. No thanks !!
**Class Action lawsuit time**
FORD has done this nonsense repeatedly over the years… Anyone remember the Navistar 6.0 & 6.4 diesels??? Prime Example of their cheaply built, extremely overpriced junk.
If it’s important to some, but not others, offer it as a legit package. “Underbody Anti-Corrosion Package”, make it $250 or whatever it costs and let me decide if i want it or not. I would. When i bought an $80k BMW i got it with no rust – I expect no rust when i spend $80k on a truck as well.
Lot’s of people posting here that know nothing of rust and have never even seen it on a 10 year old vehicle apparently. Yes, this truck is new. No, it should not have that much rust. But come on people, look at any new Chevy and tell me this isn’t normal rust. At least Ford and Dodge powder coat the frames, unlike GM who thinks that wax is enough to stop everything on the FRAME of the truck. Back in 2018, I turned in a 2016 lease Silverado and thankfully it was just a lease. There was more rust underneath a 2 year old vehicle than my fathers 2003 Ford F-250. Calm down a little bit and think about what could have caused this. Maybe the owner decided to drive through a gravel pit and chipped some paint. You don’t know the whole story so stop throwing blame at anything and everything.
Whatever the performance of the parts are not affected, when you pay a truck around 65000.00 here in Canada you want it to last quite a time. Imagine in the salty and snowy road in Quebec! I’m in the market for a new truck. I have a rendez-vous at my Ford dealer on thursday. Really not sure that i’ll go for a Ford.
I have a 2014 F-150 and I have complained to my dealer that I have rust on my cab corners. I live in an area that uses alot of salt in the winter. When I purchased the truck I purchased the paint and body shield which in my ideas were to prevent rust. I recently went in to complain and they agreed that it was a Ford Paint problem but refused to do anything about it.
Back in 1985 I purchased new from the dealer F350 in a month I noticed rust forming under the paint on the hood and roof.
After a couple months of area reprentitives looking into this it was determined that Industrial fall out at the plant had gotten on the truck before the final paint at the Kansas city plant.
Just saying this is not a new problem.
I agree there should not be rust on your new vehicle but what to be done?
Coat the bare metal parts like weapons going to war across the ocean? How much more can they add to the many thousand dollar price and still be a best sellar?
These are the parts you can easily see, the lack of attention to detail and quality is evident, to the naked eye, makes one wonder what else is second rate. For those that make stupid comments such as, “it’s a truck, expect rust where there doesn’t have to be any..”, I guess they would purchase a new F150 with paint chips, a few door dents (parking lot type), and scrapes on the bed, why? Because it is a truck, just because it is new (and expensive) doesn’t mean it should look that way!!!
After reading the article, I believe far more emphasis should be given to Ford and the Dealership both having a bad case of “can’t hear/don’t care”.
Mine came with some rust where it had been painted and places where the paint didn’t get all of it. The truck was an early build and was transported to holding yard during winter weather. 5 weeks later it arrived with lots of rust in area’s where they are had painted to keep it from rusting. The salt roads I assume are the main reason.
I live in the South and we never have salt put on the roads the two days a year we might get snow. A painted undercarriage pretty much stays that way for many many years.
The rust on the truck the day it arrived equals about 15 years of driving in my area of the country. No this should not be happening! I took care of it myself, on a vehicle that had a $75,000 MRSP brand new off the truck.
I agree with Mr. Curry. I also live in the South – North Carolina. Over the years my family & I had Lexus’s SUVs, Toyota’s SUVs, Chevy Trucks, Ford Truck (F150), etc… None of them arrived with the amount of rust that is being posted on the new 2021 F150s.
Since this is a new model (97%) parts change – per Ford then they seem to be pushing out the door at all cost.
Perception with customers paying $65-80K goes along way and will influence their next purchase – and it may be a competitor who delivers with no rust – like were seeing now!
Bad year…I have a 2007F150 supercab and NO rust. Yes I drive it everyday in Maryland and it sets outside…some folks think it’s a new truck. Sime years trucks are better,than others . Plan on keeping it til it rusts out.
This is not just a little rust on some bolts. The rust on the crankshaft is terrible. Back in the 70’s Chevy had a similar problem. My dad bought 3 Chevy pickups. Within a month the exterior looked like it was a 30 yr old truck. You could put your fingers through the rust holes. Come to find out, 5 years later the bought a inferior steel. I’m sure they knew it was the cause from the beginning but never spoke a word of it. And the customers were stuck. And switched to Ford!
The initial string of responses it tied to the article. It’s about undercarriage rust especially at the rear axles and NOT the body!
Looks like they might have had the Rear assembly in another truck and might have broke it for parts. I saw it happen when some Escorts weren’t painted properly and they said the paint would peel off. They scraped almost the entire car except the drive train and seats.
I own a 7 year old 2014 F150 4×4 with 120,000 miles. Just for kicks I took a look underneath. There was some traces of rust in various spots but nothing I’m concerned with. Especially hardly anything on the rear end diff.
It’s just possible that this rust bucket will lose the title as the top selling vehicle in the United States in 2021. It would also be very interesting to see how owners react if this poorly managed company ignores their complaints.
Am I glad the PO did not award this company the contract to build the next generation Postal Vehicles.
I own a 2020 with the same complaints. Differential, driveshaft, many underside parts beyond simple surface rust. I paid way too much for this truck to deal with this BS! I call it “Covid Quality.” Never again!
My 2020 chevy silverado made of steel dont have this problem. I never took the bait on that aluminum pitch. Just saying..
Back in the late 70’s I discovered the joy of having zinc-dichromate fasteners on my rusty =72 Datsun pickup. Every North American vehicle of similar age was still using black fasteners and you either cut them off or broke them. Things got better for a long time as they all stepped up their game but here we go, back to the old corner-cutting cheapo stuff that rusts before your first payment is even made.
I was feeling the Ford Brand lately. But to buy a brand new (near zero miles / $45K+ ) Ford truck that is prone to rusting this soon, I think not. The new Ram is looking even better, now!
I live in Arizona, bought a 2017 F150 new. No issues with rust, tranny, turbos or anything…263,000 miles on my 2.7 Ecoboost
I have a 1989 Chevy Scottsdale 2500 that is still pretty much rust free underneath. My 2020 GMC when I look getting the oil changed looks very clean on the underside.I well add that the 1989 chevy saw pretty hard use on the farm it 1st 15 years.
So first this truck I produced and distributed from Detroit MI it’s very possible it was driven in snow and salt moving it around the facility to it’s holding area I’ve been to that plant several times it’s not what you would think unfortunately that aside I find this nit picky I get it’s expensive but it’s a truck not a benz and this looks to surface rust where there would be surface rust idk I wouldn’t be making a big deal over it
Yes, living in the southwest would have that effect. Low humidity = low rust. Lived in Phoenix and had t two 70’s era vehicles (in the 80’s) with zero rust. In the Midwest, we see a lot more precipitation in various forms. Snow is also a contributor via salt on the roads. That said, Ford needs to incorporate better rust-resistance in its components. Especially for what one pays for their trucks.
That’s exactly what it is – cheap. I’m in the process of undercoating all affected components. May take awhile. For those considering other brands – they do it too. Have friends with newer models of trucks with same gripe. Cutting corners is the corporate way. Gotta make the CEO and shareholders happy.
HUH (REALLY )I GUESS IM A OLD SCHOOL MAN, I CAN BET EVERYONE OF THESE TRUCKS SEEN SNOW OR LOT OF RAIN WOW I DIDN’T COMPLAIN WHEN IT POWERED MY HOME,TO COMPLAIN BOUT THE BOTTOM OF TRUCK IS LIKE SAYING BRAND NEW SHOES WORN GOT DIRT ON BOTTOM,POINTLESS NOW IF IT FELL OFF DIFF STORY ,THEY BE IN SNOW AT DEALERSHIP’S NO RUST THIS GUY WANTS A FREE RIDE…….it’s a TRUCK MAN
I bought a 2000 Ford Explorer in 2002, drove it for 100k miles in 11 years. Found out it came from Canada. I never drove it on salted roads. The undercarriage was flaking of rust 3 years after purchase. Ford mechanic said he had never seen anything like it. It continued to rust, the exhaust manifold bolts rusted until the manifold cracked. No warranty just owner financing.
Hey, old man it’s not 1920 anymore. You pay $65-80K for a truck it should be cleaned up @ handoff.
Kinda like their trucks, or at least that’s how I feel at this point.
YEAH IT LOOKS LIKE THEY GOT SOME BAD BATCH OF METAL BUT WHAT YOU EXPECT FROM BUYING YOUR SUPPLIES FROM MEXICO 🇲🇽🤔😅🤣😐
The photos clearly show drive shaft and suspension bolts that are rusting. They need to retreat the metal drive shafts ( they’re not aluminum) then they will have fix the problem. In Area’s that have slat and Heavy humidity are always going to have issues. The dealer and manufacturer can get it cleaned up before delivery. But the owners no matter what model or make need to clean an maintain the bottom of the chassis.
This has been common on F150s and Raptors since at least 2015 that I know of. Most of them are rusted solid when they leave the dealership, so we paint them when they come through our shop.
Where was it shipped from. I live in upstate ny maybe it was transfered from a dealer up here. If you look under our cars and trucks you would be afraid to drive it after 5 years. Sorry to see the rust hope you get it sorted out. I can teach you how to take nuts and bolts apart my style. 🙂
My macaroni and cheese is cold! Waaah!
THAT GETTING A BAD BATCH OF STEEL FROM THE SUPPLIER
Just bought my Ford F150STX two weeks ago and there is rust. This pissed me off. Went back to the dealership and sure enough even the trucks that have not been sold have rust already. The dealer said that until Ford issued a fix they would not do anything. Although right now it is just surface rust until it becomes worst why should I have to rub it off and paint it? Selling trucks in Florida with rust to people is just plain bad business.
That is an unacceptable amount of rust for a new truck. That looks as bad as my 40 year old bow tie truck. Yes those are parts that don’t really get changed out and the surface rust. Can act as a protective barrier. But even with an aluminum bed that much rust is a problem. Rust on any machine acts like cancer. It can spread from a a more solid part to a less solid part, from something cosmetic to something critical. The worst part about undercarriage problems is that unlike surface or performance problems, you don’t notice them untill the problem is systemic.
Underbody rust is warrantble before the vehicle is sold but isn’t afterwards. Ford warranty policy.
My 2021’ F150 Platinum has some of the same rust issues. My 18’ F150 had none. Needless to say this will be my last Ford purchase. I also plan to sing like a canary to make sure no one I know makes the same mistake.
There is the problem (FORD) problem solved
I have a 2000 Expy EB. Driven in Illinois. My truck has about the same rust as those pics of the 2021 and I’ve got 222,xxx miles and a 21 year head start on rust.
That 2021 won’t make it 5 years up north before stuff starts falling off and water seeps into that diff.
There are components under the truck body that are important to be protected with coatings or material selections to prevent corrosion.
That said, the rear axle tubes and pinion/ring gear housing castings and extrusions are not one of those components needing to be rust free.
The most important components are the frame and suspension attachments and control arms. Both Toyota Tacoma and Subaru forester had problems related to salt build up and these components needing to be replaced in very expensive recalls. Ford will not and should not issue any recall for what was shown in the photo’s as the parts will last beyond the life of any vehicle.
If you want a “trailer queen” so if you put a mirror under your truck for everybody to look at then pay the money to have it done but not for me.
Also, I noticed that the block of my 6.2L super duty was not painted at all and I’m fine with that because it is cast iron and I do not want any paint contamination getting on the machined surfaces during assembly.
Well, that’s your opinion and you know what they say about opinions. Most of us 150 owners here are mad as hell over rust issues. If you can live with yours, that’s fine but for what we paid for our respective trucks, we expected much more.
It’s just surface rust .will never rust thru or go any further than the surface.ever look under the engine cover of a new in board boat.engine couplers motor mounts and fresh water manifolds rust the same way.manifolds last for years in fresh or even brackish water.even in salt water they last for ten 15 years.and these boats are worth 3 times as much as my f150.find something else to do than sit under your truck and watching rust jeez
Grow some balls and sue them for the repai and grief. I bet you any money they will settle out of court as they Don’t Want The Bad PR plus anyone else will have the right to sue them for the same problem? Why is everyone afraid of the Big Companies?
Seems these newer f150’s do t like the moisture very much. Although not a rust issue my 2019 blew out it’s rear diff just because the breather tube was facing forward and we had a decently wet summer last year in our area. Didn’t realize that when they say “built Ford tough” it doesn’t really apply to wet pavement driving. Reached out to Ford about this issue and they wanted nothing to do with helping me with it so had to rebuild the whole rear diff at my expense, even though it only had around 50,000km and I had bought the extended warranty to 150,000 km
Ya I hv same problem new truck diff rusty any look ugly and my friends lough this is new truck or used one.
It only took me a month of being a garage queen , < 200 miles, for my rust to show. Now in dealer's hands.
Hilarious seeing the ford boot lickers bending over to defend this. After the DPS6 issue why would ANYONE expect quality or a responsible action from Ford?
Duh…Galvanic corrosion. to many dissimilar metals.
The major problem I’m having with my brand new 2021 Ford Explorer ST, is that I’m observing rust around the areas of the CV axle, covers, and other parts and the inner will base area of another vehicle. the rush is not something that you can rub off it appears to be penetrated the material. Why should this vehicle have this type of rust that appears to already have started eating until the material?
It’s only been three weeks and I’m experiencing slow leakage as well of air on both the driver’s front and rear tires. There are no visible signs of screws, nails, or punctures. Tomorrow I will be taking it to the dealership to have them look at it.
Used to have a few Crown Victorias 25 years ago and stopped buying US Cars. We switched to Lexus or Mercedes S 55AMG S-class. A friend convinced me that the quality has improved, so just Bought a 2021 F-150 Limited Hybrid with all option. The truck is already rusty, transmission issues from 1-5th gear weird noises from the frame. I do regret buying it after 1200 miles.
I’m sure Jim Hackett will put himself in for a least another $17.4M this year while new F 150 owners are under their new truck with a wire brush and a can of rustoleum.
Just bought a 2021 XLT 4×4 and realized the diff and connectors to the drive shaft were completely covered in rust. There was so much it sprayed all over the under carriage. I took it back to the dealer (the day after I bought it) and a rude service manager told me they won’t do anything about it. According to them, “it’s just surface rust and won’t have any long term effects so we won’t touch it”. Well at least offer to clean it off then! The truck is one day old! I shouldn’t have to do it. Really disappointed to say the least.
Anyone got as Email address for Ford customer complaints or a phone number