Ford truck owners...

[troidus]

Originally Posted by RVDan

It's only the consumable parts that are unpainted. They will wear out way before the rust will ever be a problem.

Steering knuckles are a consumable? Brake lines?

[GearHeadGrrrl]

From the 70s to the 90s I worked for what is now Hostess Brands. They bought a couple hundred Econolines and they became instant rust buckets. Seemed like Ford really cut back on the paint on that fleet sale. In '97 I bought a new pickup, thought it was an individual order it was pretty much a fleet spec- plane Jane Ranger XL with steel wheels, hubcaps, and painted bumpers. Cab and box are doing OK, but underneath it's turning into a real horror story- the brake mechanisms are rusting out and I'm having to replace them every 5 years or so.

[troidus]

Originally Posted by GearHeadGrrrl

Cab and box are doing OK, but underneath it's turning into a real horror story- the brake mechanisms are rusting out and I'm having to replace them every 5 years or so.

Seems like after the first time they wouldn't be fleet parts any more and would hold up better. Unless you're going to the dealership and ordering parts based on your VIN, then I suppose you could be getting the same crap over and over again.

[Dave in Wi]

Originally Posted by PMC

Just for reference, my 2012 F150 is painted where yours has rusted from not being painted. Hard to believe a fleet truck would have this done (or not done) to save a couple of bucks.

You (or at least I) would think that it would cost Ford more to keep track of two different grades of parts and installing them on the correct trucks on the assembly line.

[GearHeadGrrrl]

Just lack of decent paint and total lack of undercoating,

[troidus]

Originally Posted by Dave in Wi

You (or at least I) would think that it would cost Ford more to keep track of two different grades of parts and installing them on the correct trucks on the assembly line.

The logistics bean counters and the engineering bean counters aren't the same bean counters. Saving $2 on a part, but costing $3 to keep track of it doesn't enter into the total corporate cost equation. As for which parts on which trucks, it's all barcoded and no different than tracking different axle capacities, gear ratios, brake options, etc. Just another bin full of parts to pull from.

[PMC]

Is it possible they put a little something extra on trucks headed for the North Country?
Absolutely none of the rusted spot in the pictures are bare metal on my truck. Everything is panted or coated black and I didn't have any extra undercoating done that I am aware of.

Side note - I absolutely love my truck. I came off a loaded Land Cruiser and prefer my Eco Boost XLT even if it's not nearly as pimpy.

[SourKraut]

I've related elsewhere on ADV the story of my '06 F150 that I traded in recently due to numerous components rotting away and failures but here goes again. My 2006 F150 with 65K miles had the following go wrong with it (all fixed at the dealer);

• Airflow sensor - $500 plus towing, dead on the side of the road
• Throttle body replaced - $500 (just a CEL that time)
• Stuck caliper ate the drivers front rotor twice, I paid for it both times "wear item"
• Rotors all four corners rotted out from rust, requiring replacement
• Rear axle and diff cover rotted out dumping all gear oil, rebuild rear axle, seals, etc.
• 4wd actuators on the front rebuilt twice, dead again when traded in
• A/C died right before I traded it in
• Torque converter was making death rattle per dealer and transmission shop second opinion, traded in that way
• I'm sure I forgot a few things

The truck looked practically new and they gave me $14K for it at the chevy dealer on trade-in. Hopefully the '12 Silverado is capable of going five years without major work. I had four F150s and all of them had unreasonable problems, the newer ones had bigger and more major issues. To be fair the F150 felt far more substantial than the '12 Silverado which feels cheezy and everything is super light-duty. I just want the stupid thing to run without major repairs for 100K miles, is that too much to ask?

[Wlfman]

WOW, my 15 year old truck looks 100% better than that

[GearHeadGrrrl]

My 1998 Ranger did fine for the first 6 years and 80k, but since then it's had a bunch of the same problems- dragging brakes due to rust, 4 WD actuator had to be slathered with contact cleaner to restore function, etc..

QUOTE=SourKraut;20184313]I've related elsewhere on ADV the story of my '06 F150 that I traded in recently due to numerous components rotting away and failures but here goes again. My 2006 F150 with 65K miles had the following go wrong with it (all fixed at the dealer);

• Airflow sensor - $500 plus towing, dead on the side of the road
• Throttle body replaced - $500 (just a CEL that time)
• Stuck caliper ate the drivers front rotor twice, I paid for it both times "wear item"
• Rotors all four corners rotted out from rust, requiring replacement
• Rear axle and diff cover rotted out dumping all gear oil, rebuild rear axle, seals, etc.
• 4wd actuators on the front rebuilt twice, dead again when traded in
• A/C died right before I traded it in
• Torque converter was making death rattle per dealer and transmission shop second opinion, traded in that way
• I'm sure I forgot a few things

The truck looked practically new and they gave me $14K for it at the chevy dealer on trade-in. Hopefully the '12 Silverado is capable of going five years without major work. I had four F150s and all of them had unreasonable problems, the newer ones had bigger and more major issues. To be fair the F150 felt far more substantial than the '12 Silverado which feels cheezy and everything is super light-duty. I just want the stupid thing to run without major repairs for 100K miles, is that too much to ask?[/QUOTE]

[Tripped1]

Originally Posted by squish

Ya gotta admit while they can't paint frames worth a shoot at least the stepped up an are dealing with the issue. Unlike the airbag wiring in the steering column.

I got a recall for the steering column a couple years ago.

[simmersonwheels]

my 2 year old f150 just got four new alloys, as corrosion was bleeding under the clearcoat. Ford was good about it, replaced no hassles. 60k and it's been a great truck all in all. Easy to slag a manufacturer like Ford, but every time I go in my buddies dodges or gms I'm happy with my purchase. The other vehicles seem cheap and nasty as for as interior trim goes....

[Worroll]

Ford's horrible. I own 2 fords and love them, a 99 Ranger and a 94 Mustang GT, but would never by a new one. If I had actually paid a lot for this truck I would have been super pissed -


That's a 99 ranger... just over 10 years old and the frame was rotted in the back, and all the cross pieces behind the cab were shot. First thought would be, well it's from new england, must not have been washed enough in the winter.... but the front half of the two piece frame is perfect, along with the rest of the truck that is 100% rust free. If I didn't know how to weld this would have sent the truck to the junk yard. Seems to be some of these just rot out, and some are perfect, regardless of whether they were taken care of or not.
Supposedly around 2005 ford was making a turn around on quality issues... but looking at your truck, I'm guessing not.

[GearHeadGrrrl]

The spare wheel on my Ranger looks like that, and the other 4 don't look much better. Ford did give me new tires 11 years ago during the Firestone debacle, but at their current age I don't trust them, and with the wheels so rusty I should probably buy new wheels too, which pushes the cost up to around $1000... A questionable investment in a rusting away 15 year old truck.

[Worroll]

That's not even the original spare tire, I got that from a junkyard out of a explorer. What happened to my original spare tire? It was there when I bought the truck. About a month later I do the rear brakes and notice it missing! The bell shaped piece of metal on the end of the winch cable that holes the tire up had collapsed. So my spare tire had fallen out at some point, maybe even causing an accident for all I know. A few month back my brother was driving behind a ford ranger on the highway and the tire dropped out, it went to the left of his car, but bounced past his side window... if it had been a foot to the right it would have went right thru his windshield...