Hello, new member and this is my first post. I have lurked this forum for 3 years and have received many great tips for using on my 03 Expy. I made an account just to talk about this problem with rotten chassis. I have the 03 version that has the bubbled rear tailgate and the radiator tray is completely rotted out. The exhaust mounts are all gone and the frame is rusting through in numerous spots. I can no longer honestly pass a PA state inspection. I am very upset at this. It makes me even more angry that it was announced that Toyota is settling a class action lawsuit for $15k per vehicle for the exact same thing. Can anyone tell me why this hasn't happened to the 1/3 of the 03 Expy fleet that has this exact same problem? I don't want $15K, I could use $3K to buy a non rusted version though. This has been, by far, my favorite truck.... well maybe my 90 Bronco rivaled a little, and the body and interior are great, 200K on the motor and she still runs like a champ. But it can only go to salvage because the frame rotted???? Come on Ford!!!! Rant over.
03 Chassis Rant
- Thread starter John B
- Start date
Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.
Bedrck47
Full Access Members
Welcome to the forum and thanks for the rant.
Best advice I can offer is for you to sell it or junk it and then move to a non snow belt state and buy another expy with no rust. Or get a Toyota and the 15k they offer
Best advice I can offer is for you to sell it or junk it and then move to a non snow belt state and buy another expy with no rust. Or get a Toyota and the 15k they offer
I do get the humor in your reply, but there is a problem with the metallurgy or corrosion prevention from this year. "snow belt" as you stated, was a problem in the 70s and 80s. Auto manufacturers have figured out how to prevent that. Snow has nothing to do with rust as the same as rain. Salt does affect steel products, but why would there not be a whole lot of completely trashed 02 and earlier vehicles if that is the case. It isn't. That also does not explain the corrosion on an aluminum tailgate around glass. It is a class problem, not a "snow belt" problem. You have an 04 and live 15 minutes from me, that would mean yours will be junk by this time next year, right?
Bedrck47
Full Access Members
Maybe junk this time next year Maybe not Would all depend on what kind of rust prevention was used. What I referred to as SNOW BELT is the salt used on the road NOT SNOW in general. As far as earlier years they also have problems such as the Radiator support rusting and the rocker panels rusting along with frames. Its a typical problem.
But ask yourself this Why is this problem more pronounced in the snow belt states and not in the non snow belt states after all the vehicles came off the same assembly lines using the same metal
But ask yourself this Why is this problem more pronounced in the snow belt states and not in the non snow belt states after all the vehicles came off the same assembly lines using the same metal
John, First I never (first time) pile on to a conversation - BUT I CAN'T HELP MYSELF!! In my opinion, you are 100% correct. I have an 06 Expy - live in Northern KY, near Cincinnati - with 98K miles and is rusting everywhere you can imagine. Including, brake lines - rusted thru, transmission lines - rusted thru, frame, body panels, etc. And everybody - the dealer, FMC, and apparently Bedrcl47 all say it's just a rust belt issue. First, we don't have all that much snow but more importantly I also have an 05 Taurus with 230K miles. Same roads (as you can see 2X the miles), Same weather conditions, Same everything, and not a speck of rust. The brake lines look brand new, as do the transmission lines, the core support, frame, body - Everything. Something is wrong with these vehicles and Ford doesn't want to pony up.
jeff kushner
Full Access Members
my '99 had 228K and ran fine & strong but the rear supports had rusted so badly that you could poke your finger through them, making the truck very unsafe to drive. I bought a non-rusted '03 with 140K 2 years ago and it never seemed to have the power of the '99 and I pronounced it dead last week with a bad transmission and got a new truck....it does have substantial rust under the radiator I saw when draining the tranny fluid but I don't think it's completely rusted. The odd thing is that the trans lines are also rusted/corroded....I never had that on my old one.
Now if you have a good powertrain on your '03, you are welcome to a GREAT price on my old truck since I'll likely junk it and heck, I'm just down the road near Annapolis!
BYOTT (bring your own tow truck) LOL
jeff
Now if you have a good powertrain on your '03, you are welcome to a GREAT price on my old truck since I'll likely junk it and heck, I'm just down the road near Annapolis!
BYOTT (bring your own tow truck) LOL
jeff
Jb14
Full Access Members
I have an 05 with 256k I have zero rust on frame, but do have the paint bubbles on the rear hatch plus the top of the rear door the paint is flaking off. Apparently this is a known issue with the poor aluminum process where contaminants got in. Problem is and why ford does not address it is that not all vehicles have the issue. I originally bought mine used in 09 with only 38k miles. The original owner was from Florida and Im in CA where I bought the vehicle. I suspect that because FL was so humid it may be part of the reason for the paint issues. I have looked at other Expys in CA and have only seen maybe two with my issue.
