Ford recalls cars to fix rust

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101561424

So, Ford is recalling a bunch of Excapes, MK-Zs, Fusions, and such because of rust in the salt states. Am I going to rip on Ford for producing these cars that are rusting? No. First off, kudos to Ford for fessing up. I with Chrysler would do the same. Our Grand Caravan was rusting a fair bit at the 5-year mark!! Now, at 9 years the rockers are rotting out quite bad. Currently we are shopping for the replacement for The Swiss Cheese Van. I not purchase a Chrysler minivan when we replace this one. I find it inexcusable that this, top of the range vehicle was rusting in less than 5 years. And the rust warranty didn't cover it.
I know it sounds like I'm ripping on Chrysler for producing cars that rust when I just said I'm not going to rip on Ford for the same thing. At least they are stepping up to the plate. I'm sure the gub'ment is making them, but I'm just using it as an excuse to vent about our rotting vehicle. It's been very reliable and incredibly useful. But when the van breaks in half, our Sto -N Go compartments won't help us.

They're probably recalling them because the damage is structural and potentially dangerous.

Yeah, I know. It just ticks me off that, after building cars for 100+ years they can't figure out how to keep them from rusting. This is the way I see it. In 2010 our 2005 minivan had significant rust. In 2010 my 1992 Mercedes was rust free (same salt environment). Currently our 2005 minivan has rust holes along the rockers and doors. My 1999 golf is rust-free.
Shame on anyone for offering a car that still has rust traps. I mean, are Chevy trucks STILL rotting in the cab corners?

I guess the title of the thread should have been something different since its not really about Ford so much. Maybe it should have been "Open Here to Read A Whiney Post By DrBoost"

I hear ya! I have a car that is 25 years old and was made in Germany. There they spray a wax like substance into the boxed in sections of the body. It runs into all the seams sealing them up and keeping salt water out! If this were done to all cars there would be a lot less rusty cars. But guess what that would mean that the manufacturers would sell less cars since the ones they make would last longer.

In reply to DrBoost:

I can't speak for Chevy trucks, but my '98 1-ton van - which was not driven at all this winter - has new rust spots that weren't there last fall when I went over the rockers with POR-15.

In reply to DrBoost:

Yes the GM trucks can't keep a cab corner on them but now it's crept into the rockers, especially crew cabs.

I parked beside a Mazda 3 today that had see through wheel wells, and a hatch that was rapidly disappearing. It was newer than the rust free Cobalt I was driving.

Zomby Woof wrote: They're probably recalling them because the damage is structural and potentially dangerous.

I fabricated a wheelwell for a 6 year old Escape after the right side rear shock had nothing left to attach to anymore.

It still looks pretty good from the outside. So does the repair. It was kinda Frankenstein looking with multiple chunks of 16-gauge but it is amazing what a thick layer of undercoating will hide, and it was faster than trying to perfectly panelbeat an entire wheelhouse.

I thoroughly examine every Escape I see for rust in the rear wheelwell area. So far, that was the only one.

Heh. I just realized something. I was working on an Escape today and my co-worker moseys over and starts looking at the subframe. "Ford's been having problems with this," he says. "(name withheld) from (shop we trade work with) just bought one of these really cheap from a customer that didn't want to fix it."

If the recall is on subframes, there's someone who is going to be pissed that they didn't keep their trucklet for another month.

They don't care about cars rusting out. If they looked great and lasted forever, think of the impact on sales.

Ranger50 wrote: In reply to DrBoost: Yes the GM trucks can't keep a cab corner on them but now it's crept into the rockers, especially crew cabs.

That salt belt must be hell. It's rare to see any rust on any GM pickups here that are '99 or newer (GMT800). I know my own is totally rust free. It's almost 14 years old. Very clean underneath too as far as rust is concerned. I think I only washed it once or twice this winter. Lots of snow, but not really much salt here.

doc_speeder wrote: That salt belt must be hell.

There are upsides. I can't remember the last time I worked on something more than ten years old that wasn't an enthusiast vehicle. As the one trainer we have here put it, "Remember the 80s? Remember the miles of vacuum hoses and switches that would crack or leak or bypass and nothing was very well documented? Remember engine computers that gave no useful data? Remember computer controlled carburetors? Some people still have to work with that stuff every day!"

I don't miss working on 80s cars, that's for sure. Heck, I think the last time I saw a distributor was when I had my hood open to reattach the grille.

Funny, every car I've ever owned except my Fiero has rusted.

Perhaps I should see about bringing mt 24 year old F-250 in. It's got a bit of rust.

Typical Dodge pickup bed rust: Not that the other two manufacturers are much better, but Dodge trucks get bed rot before the other two by a wide margin, and usually only on one side. Nissan has NEVER been able to figure out rustproofing. Back when they were Datsuns, they were one of the worst offenders where I lived. It hasn't improved by much. There are hundreds of Pathfinders at the local auto auction they have bought back because of rust issues:

Seriously, it's not that hard. Even Subaru, which at one time perfected self-destructive car bodies, have managed to make bodies that last at least ten years (though the same cannot be said of the hardware that bolts to it).

For the people of the salt belt,

93EXCivic wrote: For the people of the salt belt,

Don't laugh, we come to your neighborhood to buy cars. Now there's less for everyone.

Anyone else think they're playing off the recall madness? Taking advantage of Chevy's bad situation to make themselves look good?

My '04 Silverado has rusted through its second set up door sills already. I'm still trying to decide on fixing to sell or just taking the hit.