Rust Database

[Ingallspw]

Yeah... LOL! I had a nearly 20 year old car with rust on the pinch weld and everywhere else around it. I didn't care until I got a flat tire. I thought the jack was sinking into the ground but I was on black top... then I realized it was the car that was sinking in to the jack lol! Man that sucked trying to use the factory jack on some other part of the car.  

 

But I have the ultimate solution to all rust on all cars. I am going to place a sign on my car that outlaws rust!

 

(NO RUST ALLOWED ON THIS VEHICLE)

 

Ban Rust! 

[FFHinVA]

I don't have a sunroof (and thus no drains), so I can rule that out as a water entry point for my rocker panel rust issue.

[RustNeverSleeps]

My 2010 has this same issue, both sides, but seems worse than any pictured here.  The corrosion is so bad that the jacking points on both sides are gone.  My concern is that this is not just a cosmetic issue.  Parts of the rear suspension bolt to the floor pan very near to this area of the car.  I just went to my local Ford dealer ask them if there was someone there that could inspect the car to determine if the car is road-worthy, given the proximity of the rust to the rear suspension.  The service department pointed me to the body shop who told me they wouldn't even look at it, as they want no part in ruling a vehicle safe or un-safe.  When I mentioned that I would try Ford corporate, they said that would lead nowhere, which is what I suspected.  Sad that an otherwise well-running and driving 12-year old car might have to be scrapped due to safety concerns.

[herring]

On 1/2/2022 at 11:54 AM, FFHinVA said:

WD-40 is a good temporary fix. But it isn't a thick coating that will cling to vertical surfaces, and it eventually dries off.

 

The Fluid Film with the long extension tube, seems to be the best (based on cost, application ease, and effectiveness) by my research.

I bought this on Amazon: Fluid Film 11.75 oz. Spray 3-Pak, Spray can Extension Wand.

It's enough to do both sides. Just push the tube in as far as it can go in all directions and then spray, and pull the tube slowly out (mark the hose with a marker so that you know when you are getting close to pulling out completely).

 

This is what I did.  I found a can of Fluid Film at Home Depot and gave both sides a good amount.  I had already squirted some oil in but this may spray better and so provide more coverage.  Probably an easier solution for most people.  Time will tell how well it works.

[FFHinVA]

I think using the extension wand/tube is pretty critical to covering all surfaces. The fluid is sprayed 360 degrees out from the tip, perpendicular to the tube. You push the tube back in as far as able and slowly withdrawal, going forward and aft. I think that pretty much gives you full coverage. But something is definitely better than nothing.

[CanFusion10]

I have a 2010 Fusion with significant rust and jacking points compromised. Under the rocker panels there is an actual frame and it seems to be very sturdy and without rust.

At the dealer they don't want to take actions since it's a costly repair and they call it "normal".

This is a very common problem based on the number of similar year Fusions with identical rust. This should have resulted in a recall since this seems to be a design fault and does not allow the customer to safely use the vehicle for a reasonable amount of time.

 

I think that the RUST could be a tribune to express concerns about product design/quality and Ford's lack of concern for client safety.

Maybe a nice sticker just above the rusted rocker panel ?

[Waldo]

Seriously, a recall for rocker panel rust?  EVERY car from EVERY manufacturer is vulnerable to rocker panel rust and none of them have ever been recalled.  It's not a safety issue, it's well beyond the warranty and it really has nothing to do with Ford's concern for client safety. 

[WKelley]

This is more of a local government issue since they now believe it is cheaper to brine/salt the roads and not dropping their blades to actually plow.  If you're in the rust belt you can find 2-3yr old cars with rust holes, it heavily depends on what the previous owners did for rustproofing/maintenance.  My 2010 has a light surface haze of rust and no paint issues so I am hoping that when I sandblast these areas (rear wheel wells) and get it sprayed or spray it myself will be enough.  I'm pretty lucky, my car's last owner left it in the garage and cleaned it often so it is still solid, now it's my turn to put in the work and abate what rust I do have.

[herring]

I wanted to address the rust on my passenger side before winter came.  When I started getting into it, it was worse than I thought.  I had to go back and buy a larger piece of steel to make the patch.

The pictures are:

-when I used a flap disc to grind away the rusted areas

-after cutting out the rusted areas

-after patching.  I used 22 gauge steel, held in place with Kwik-Weld (JB Weld's fast-stetting version).  Unfortunately it was too fast-setting and I couldn't fill in the gaps properly, which is why the result looks a little rough.  But my car is a 2010 and at this point has some other small cosmetic imperfections so I'm not going to worry about fill issues below the doors.

 

I then filled in (using the holes I drilled) with lots of Fluid Film.

[herring]

After starting to grind away...

[herring]

I realized grinding wasn't going to get away all the rusted metal, and went to cutting it out.

 

 

 

 

 

Kwik--Welded (JB Weld) some 22-gauge steel over the cut.  2 coats of primer, 2 coats of paint.  Would have used regular JB weld for filling in the seams, because Kwik-Weld sets in a few minutes, so the fill at the edges is rough.

Edited November 12, 2022 by herring

[WKelley]

My rocker panel on the driver's side is softer than I thought, needs repairing but winter is coming too fast for me.  I used RustCheck and undercoated (wax/oil film) my car until it was saturated, gonna need to do metal work in the spring.

[Animalsplaystation]

On 5/26/2022 at 8:57 AM, Waldo said:

Seriously, a recall for rocker panel rust?  EVERY car from EVERY manufacturer is vulnerable to rocker panel rust and none of them have ever been recalled.  It's not a safety issue, it's well beyond the warranty and it really has nothing to do with Ford's concern for client safety. 

I think Fords must have something wrong with them, because where I live, I notice that Fords especially the ones only 10 years old have rust, but other brands don't. Though it would be better to have some statistics, I would not expect a 3 year old car to have rust holes or even a 10 year old car. Maybe a 20 year old car.

 

But there's definitely some cars out there that rust worse than others. Ford trucks or RAM trucks get really bad wheel well rust and they aren't even that old. Then you have 15 year old cars that don't have rust. I'm curious if this is down to owners not washing the vehicles or poor quality/defects. I would think that the wheel well isn't an especially hidden area so it should even get washed out by the rain occasionally. So it's more of a defect to me.

 

I've never seen a 2010 BMW or Volvo with rust, or rusted rockers. I think that you're defending Ford a little too much. Ford Escapes are also known to rust on the right control arm, where the AC drains onto it, but they never recalled that even though they should've. I hope I'm not in the way of a Ford Escape like that!

Edited January 31, 2023 by Animalsplaystation

[herring]

Chrysler products (including Jeeps) seem to rust most easily.  Fords may be second-worst.  It's true that the European and Japanese brands seem to be better about rustproofing their cars.

But I think there's also an "owner bias"--my theory is that people who buy European and Japanese brands are on average more attentive owners (notice the rust early) and have more money to have it professionally repaired.  European cars, especially in the US, tend to be owned by people who care about appearances.  So rusty European cars get fixed or sent to the junkyard, while rusty Chrysler products keep chugging along until something major dies (or they can't pass a safety inspection).

 

I realize there's some stereotyping here but I think there's truth to it.

[Peyton I.]

just purchased a nice 2011 ford fusion s, and i was on here to find the common rust spots so i can rust-proof the entire car, and i think i found the solution to the rocker's rusting near the rear wheels. in between the body, and the edge of the begining of the wheel well from the body, there is a 1/8 inch gap which water will get thrown into by the tires, sealing that gap with anything you see fit will solve the issue im pretty sure. (gap shown in picture below)

[herring]

I believe what you're looking at there is a gap between the steel body panel and the plastic wheel well liner.  You're right that dirt, moisture and especially salt can get behind it and start rust.  Before you seal up that gap, I'd remove the plastic liner and clean out what's behind it already.  You'll need to remove the wheel, and then pop out the plastic fasteners (one is seen in your picture, I forget how many there are).  There's a specialized tool, or you can use a flat screwdriver.  I'd argue it's probably better to do a remove-and-cleanout after each winter than to try to seal it.

Also, that's not the only source of rust.  Some people have it start there, but as you'll see from my photos in this thread, I had rust underneath but none behind this liner.

[WKelley]

I would not be sealing gaps.  That is a guaranteed way to trap water.  It's a bad design for sure, my car looks great until you look at the bottoms of the rocker panels.  I'm hoping to have my rockers done this summer because they are pretty much at the point of no return.  They use so much salt here in Ontario, it should be a crime.

[Ron Butler]

Our 2012 Fusion SEL has all the rust issues mentioned in all these posts. Like others we didn't realize how bad it was until we went for tires and the jack points wouldn't take lift pressure. The BIGGER problem is the rear cradle holding the suspension rots out and the car is unroadworthy. Our SEL was cracked on the head by our dealer today.

We love this car, had it since new. There is no doubt the crap used on the roads here in PA and Ohio in the winter really take a toll on cars. 

Seems like manufacturers could use corrosion resistant material for critical parts under the car; brake lines, fuel lines,stuff that hold the wheels on? This Fusion has been the best family car we have ever owned and we like it just as much today as the day we bought it. We are looking for another.

[Ponce]

On 3/8/2022 at 9:48 PM, robinsone said:

Man this is not coming from the sunroof drains. This comes from the broken body seam/sealant in the rear wheel well. You need to tackle this as soon as possible. I'm still dealing with it but you need to get a hold of it ASAP. Mine got worse to the point that I lost the pinch weld in the pic you reposted. It's not fun and hard to tackle until you lose the whole pinch weld area. 

 

We just purchased a used 2010 Fusion for my daughter who just turned 16. Test drove, it was great. For the pricepoint we got it at, we decided to pull the trigger.   It has the rust problems that everyone indicated here and I didnt think it would be bad until I wound up down this rabbit hole.  I took it in to Maaco to see what it would cost to fix and they quoted 1700 dollars.  This may be dumb, but I sprayed some Rocker Guard over the spots to hopefully protect it a little... 

 

How long did it take for yours to go from bad to worse?  I'm hoping I didnt just buy a crap vehicle.  I need this car to last 2 years 

[herring]

43 minutes ago, Ponce said:

 

We just purchased a used 2010 Fusion for my daughter who just turned 16. Test drove, it was great. For the pricepoint we got it at, we decided to pull the trigger.   It has the rust problems that everyone indicated here and I didnt think it would be bad until I wound up down this rabbit hole.  I took it in to Maaco to see what it would cost to fix and they quoted 1700 dollars.  This may be dumb, but I sprayed some Rocker Guard over the spots to hopefully protect it a little... 

 

How long did it take for yours to go from bad to worse?  I'm hoping I didnt just buy a crap vehicle.  I need this car to last 2 years 

Get down on the ground, take some pictures, and post them.  If you can, remove the rear wheel and pull out the plastic liner from the front part of the wheel well so you can look in there.  Might be able to clean things out a bit at least.  Fluid Film seems to be a good product for slowing rust.  The real problem is when the rust spreads from the rocker panel to the structural metal behind it.

[Donny1940]

My wife's 2011 Fusion was victim to the same rocker rust that I imagine just about all first gen Fusion's in the North East have. The paint started bubbling in the normal spot and recently started to rust through in the bottom. With winter coming I decided to go the nuclear option and cut out the rusted portion and weld in a replacement panel. 

 

Just as a disclaimer I'm not an autobody pro, and this was my first actual welding project. I spent a good amount of time researching the process, and  A LOT of time practicing welding sheet metal, which can be tricky. I spent two whole weekends on this project and wouldn't recommend trying it on a whim and if this sort of work doesn't interest you.

 

I did like that I had the chance to work on learning a new skill, but it was more work than I expected (I totally should have expected it to be a lot of work). If I were to do it again now, I probably could do it a bit faster, but if you look at the welding part are intimidated by that, realize that it's only a small portion of the job. Also, whatever rust you're seeing is probably the tip of the ice burg, and you'll need to find good metal to rust to. I did wind up patching a portion of  Still, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. The car also only has about 90k miles and runs well otherwise. 

[Donny1940]

In a nutshell the process was: 

Jack up car, remove rear wheel and wheel well liner, remove rear door, remove door weather stripping out of the way, cut away rocker panel near the rust and determine how much you'll need to cut away to get to good metal. Strip away paint, cut replacement panel down to size needed (they're sold from front to rear wheel arch), cut existing panel so it's a bit smaller of a hole than needed. Test fit new panel and mark where cuts will be, carefully cut away existing panel (don't make to big of a cut), test fit again and grind away existing / replacement panel where needed to ensure good fit (this took a lot of time). Apply weld through primer to bare metal that you won't be able to paint later. Patch body where needed (don't worry my weld was much better on the other side). Weld on replacement panel, grind welds smooth, apply bondo (I used the fiberglass kind because I think its better with water), paint (I used 2k primer, paint and clear spray cans), spray cavity wax (I used 3M cavity wax, a whole can, and their applicator wand) in the space between the rocker and body, apply seem sealer. I sealed up where that wheel arch thing screwed...reinstall wheel / liner, door, etc. 

[Donny1940]

[Donny1940]

[Donny1940]

I was going to try and blend the paint, but ultimately didn't. The new paint is darker, and I don't know if that's due to it being aftermarket paint (which was ordered specifying the original Ford paint code, black primer, that the original paint is 13 years old, or some combination of the three. But whatever, it looks good enough and hopefully will slow down the spread of rust in that area.