Rust on rear end of 2021 F-150 -- any others?

[Dan]

Picked up my vehicle a week ago today. I was unaware of this rust issue and was mortified when I looked under my new truck this morning. Definitely would not have closed the deal had I known. See the dealer on Monday, along with other issues.......dome lights not working, bed cleats not fitting (2017 date on package??), security alarm going off in the middle of the night, home-link not functioning. Not a good start to this purchase. Dealer was very attentive when contacted, so will wait and see. If Ford refuses to step up on this rust issue, may advertise my new 2021 F-150 as "2021 F-150-Rust Bucket". Bold letters on the back window. After all, that's what they stuck me with. So disappointed.

Step up, they should class it as lemon and replace it with a new truck. Week, month, that's just sad. They ask a good penny for these trucks, and we expect a good product for our money. Ford has to fix their vehicles before they lose a ton of sales. It's only few months in their new luxury trucks. They wouldn't want their sales to tank because of poor products.

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[Dan]

For the guys with as much of that rust issue as seen in the photos above, would you have taken the truck if you noticed it at the dealership? What would you do it about and what would you want?

Easy reply to that would be, yea I'll wait for a truck that isn't rusty!!! If they gave me hard time I would go buy a ram.

 

[Dan]

Easy reply to that would be, yea I'll wait for a truck that isn't rusty!!! If they gave me hard time I would go buy a ram.

Another thing, GM, Ram, Chevy will love the bad press Ford will receive if we all go to the press at same time same week. And do a follow up on the rust with what Ford will or will not do about the rust.

 

[syne7]

Had the truck two weeks in Tx. Powerboost platinum. I thought this was a bit too much rust for a 75k sticker priced truck.

That's through paint LOL. Mine is on the way there. Had it for 2 weeks or so, garage kept, but I did drive it in the storm. This is what it looked like this morning:

Knocked the surface rust off, rustoleumed it, and Fluid Filmed the heck out of it.

 

[syne7]

Crazy that it's rusting through the black paint so quickly.

 

[Chris McN]

Took delivery of my Lariat on 3/4. Build date was 2/8 in KC. Dealer called me when it arrived to see if I wanted to look at it pre-prep. Here's how it looked:

I pointed out the rust and without any pushback he said they would take a brush to it and hit it with some rust-proof paint. Here's how it looked when I picked it up:

Not perfect but I sure appreciated his effort to make me feel good about driving it off the lot. Shout-out to Van Bortel Ford, East Rochester, NY.

 

[Smitdog]

Although the backside of my differential at delivery was nearly pristine, the frontside is showing very minimal amounts of surface rust (11 miles on it). I fully expect the surface rust to continue, and will in short order look similar to many others on this thread.

At the end of the day it doesn't bother me, as it will for all practical purposes be cosmetic, and I won't see it.

Overall I am extremely impressed with the fit, finish, and quality of my Limited. The interior, technical features, ride, and handling have far exceed my expectations. Absolutely loving this truck!

 

[Boston]

I checked under my truck and it hasn’t left the dealer yet, however I’m planning on spraying underneath with a rust protection spray and will just take care of this small amount myself instead of it spending more time at the dealer.

 

[zdjelar]

Went by dealer to drop off the aftermarket wheels and tires they’re putting on my Limited arriving in a few days.

Took the opportunity to look under the dealer plates 21’ Agate Black King Ranch.

This is in north Houston.

 

[Eric]

I was passing the dealership that I ordered from today and I’ve been meaning to check out the rust shituation on the trucks they had on the lot.

These pics are from a 2021 XLT 301 SuperCrew that has been through the pdi and is waiting to be picked up. It was parked by the sales office and had plates on it.

The first two pics are taken from the rear. The one with the visible rust is aimed at the front of the axle.

I took more photos of a few other trucks on the lot that didn’t have plates and all five or six of them had no rust, from the rear angle. unfortunately they all had varying amounts of rust when seen from the front side.

All the F150’s were from KC

I’m not an expert but it seems that maybe Ford sent a message to the dealers about the rust and told them to clean up the visible side(rear) but never mentioned the front side of the axle. That’s the only reason I can think of why only one side would have rust and not the other.

Below is an XLT with the chrome package that seems to have just arrived. This one is gonna need a more extensive pdi. There were a lot of scuffs and really rough looking spots. This one had the most visible rust when viewed from behind.

 

[TruckGuy2020]

Update:

I still have an open case with Ford but Ford keeps telling me they cannot get in touch with the dealership (complete BS) and keeps trying to get me to close the case. Either way it’s clear to me they do not care so I went ahead and fixed it myself:
1. Spent 3 hours with a brass brush and knocked off as much rust as possible
2. Cleaned off the axle with a rag
3. Rigged a painters mat to cover the bottom of the truck above the axle to prevent overspray.
4. Sprayed Eastwood Rust Encapsulator

here’s some before/after photos. It isn’t perfect but looks good to me. I live in NC and I plan to fluid film it next week so I don’t expect to have any more issues going forward, but I’m still not happy with Ford, the least they could hve done is offered to do what I just spent my Sunday in my driveway doing.

 

[N1TJ]

Update:

I still have an open case with Ford but Ford keeps telling me they cannot get in touch with the dealership (complete BS) and keeps trying to get me to close the case. Either way it’s clear to me they do not care so I went ahead and fixed it myself:
1. Spent 3 hours with a brass brush and knocked off as much rust as possible
2. Cleaned off the axle with a rag
3. Rigged a painters mat to cover the bottom of the truck above the axle to prevent overspray.
4. Sprayed Eastwood Rust Encapsulator

here’s some before/after photos. It isn’t perfect but looks good to me. I live in NC and I plan to fluid film it next week so I don’t expect to have any more issues going forward, but I’m still not happy with Ford, the least they could hve done is offered to do what I just spent my Sunday in my driveway doing.

THAT is how it should've been delivered to you. Nice work but it certainly shouldn't have been done by the customer. Sad all around..

 

[NY Cowboy]

Ok after reading about the "RUST" issue I took a look today after having the truck for about a month and 1,000 miles. Truck was purchased in Miami, Florida and has been driven in Miami. The photos show rust on the rear end and worse some serious corrosion on the exhaust and other metal elements as well. Although it looks fine under the engine area.

So what to do now, go to a dealer for replacement of the exhaust parts? The rust on the rear end & axial will be difficult to address. What should Ford do, what do I need to do. Appreciate your feedback, as my 2009 did not have rust after 170k on it. Photos attached

 

[Dan M.]

Update:

I still have an open case with Ford but Ford keeps telling me they cannot get in touch with the dealership (complete BS) and keeps trying to get me to close the case. Either way it’s clear to me they do not care so I went ahead and fixed it myself:
1. Spent 3 hours with a brass brush and knocked off as much rust as possible
2. Cleaned off the axle with a rag
3. Rigged a painters mat to cover the bottom of the truck above the axle to prevent overspray.
4. Sprayed Eastwood Rust Encapsulator

here’s some before/after photos. It isn’t perfect but looks good to me. I live in NC and I plan to fluid film it next week so I don’t expect to have any more issues going forward, but I’m still not happy with Ford, the least they could hve done is offered to do what I just spent my Sunday in my driveway doing.

You did a really good job. What dealer did you have in NC?

 

[NY Cowboy]

Nice work, but I be dammed if after paying around 60k for truck and it comes this way...Ford needs to fix or replace the truck. I will check with dealer, not the dealer closest to me as I did not buy from them but another 30 miles North of me. Ford Warranty is good at at any dealer so will see what happens. Boy after seeing this rust and worse corrosion on the exhaust system I am not a happy Cowboy.

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