2022 Underbody Corrosion

[Tall Tail]

Background:

2022 F150 SCREW 5.0L 4x4 with less than 20,000 miles on it.
I am the original owner of the truck.
I believe the truck is still covered by the corrosion warranty but i cant find any details on the warranty conditions beyond a short less than 1 page document from the original purchase.
I hope to keep my truck for 30+ years and 300,000+ miles
I live in So. Cal, so the truck lives in hot dry conditions. I am not particularly close to the Ocean or any saltwater and the truck has never been in or around saltwater (i.e., launching a deep sea fishing boat, etc.)
My truck has never been on a salted road; however, i drive on dirt roads several times per year.
I have installed the Ford rear wheel well liners and mud flaps on all four tires.
I wash my truck weekly or monthly including spraying down the underbody with water from a hose nozzle.
None of my other cars have had or do have underbody corrosion including the infamous Tacoma.
I have searched, followed, and read other threads about other having surface corrosion issues; however, these seem to be under different conditions.
Please see the attached pictures.
I had my dealer look at it early on and they gave me the typical line that everyone gets.
The corrosion has gotten worse since i had it evaluated by the dealer.

To me, it appears that some of the rust is deeper than light surface rust and will lead to damage over time.
The rust on the control arm joints seems concerning for the smooth function and long term wear.
The exhaust piping also looks like it will eventually rust through causing a dangerous exhaust leak below the cab.

Questions:

1. What are your thoughts on the corrosion? Is it worth pushing harder on the dealer to provide a solution? if so, what would be acceptable remedies?
2. What are some solutions to prevent further deterioration?
3. What are some of the unintended consequences of using Corrosion Inhibitor products like Woolwax, Fluidfilm, CRC, etc. when driving on dirt roads in hot dry conditions?
   1. Will it make the bottom of the truck greasy and dirt will stick to it which may exacerbate the issue?
   2. Will it make the truck less pleasant to perform maintenance and repairs?
   3. Is it worth the hassle for the conditions this truck live in?

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[FaaWrenchBndr]

So a lot of parts simply aren’t painted from the factory. Dealership isn’t gonna do anything about any of this. Be proactive, spend a couple hours under there with a couple spray cans.

 

[Tall Tail]

So a lot of parts simply aren’t painted from the factory. Dealership isn’t gonna do anything about any of this. Be proactive, spend a couple hours under there with a couple spray cans.

Any recommendations for the type of paint?

 

[Je1279]

Nothing to worry about as it is only surface rust in a very early stage. As suggested, if you are looking to keep it pristine, hit the areas of the frame and control arms with some rattle can primer and paint. Since I live in the rust belt, I did undercoat my frame (exterior and interior) with Blaster Surface Shield and I plan to recoat it every two years. These products will definitely attract dirt and grime on the sprayed areas and they will eventually turn mostly back over time. I'd much rather have that than holes in the frame in ~10 years though. Since you live in So. Cal., you should definitely be fine with doing an inspection and minor spray paint touch ups every couple years.

 

[Ford Motor Company]

Background:

2022 F150 SCREW 5.0L 4x4 with less than 20,000 miles on it.
I am the original owner of the truck.
I believe the truck is still covered by the corrosion warranty but i cant find any details on the warranty conditions beyond a short less than 1 page document from the original purchase.
I hope to keep my truck for 30+ years and 300,000+ miles
I live in So. Cal, so the truck lives in hot dry conditions. I am not particularly close to the Ocean or any saltwater and the truck has never been in or around saltwater (i.e., launching a deep sea fishing boat, etc.)
My truck has never been on a salted road; however, i drive on dirt roads several times per year.
I have installed the Ford rear wheel well liners and mud flaps on all four tires.
I wash my truck weekly or monthly including spraying down the underbody with water from a hose nozzle.
None of my other cars have had or do have underbody corrosion including the infamous Tacoma.
I have searched, followed, and read other threads about other having surface corrosion issues; however, these seem to be under different conditions.
Please see the attached pictures.
I had my dealer look at it early on and they gave me the typical line that everyone gets.
The corrosion has gotten worse since i had it evaluated by the dealer.

To me, it appears that some of the rust is deeper than light surface rust and will lead to damage over time.
The rust on the control arm joints seems concerning for the smooth function and long term wear.
The exhaust piping also looks like it will eventually rust through causing a dangerous exhaust leak below the cab.

Questions:

1. What are your thoughts on the corrosion? Is it worth pushing harder on the dealer to provide a solution? if so, what would be acceptable remedies?
2. What are some solutions to prevent further deterioration?
3. What are some of the unintended consequences of using Corrosion Inhibitor products like Woolwax, Fluidfilm, CRC, etc. when driving on dirt roads in hot dry conditions?
   1. Will it make the bottom of the truck greasy and dirt will stick to it which may exacerbate the issue?
   2. Will it make the truck less pleasant to perform maintenance and repairs?
   3. Is it worth the hassle for the conditions this truck live in?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000AXYA0/ref=ox_sc_act_title_38?smid=A1T1R9Q3ML5YGI&th=1

Hi there - I can look into your rust concerns on my end. To get things started, can you please send over a message with your VIN?

 

[Babbage]

I use this - it works well. No orange on my truck at all.
I apply this once a year.

 

[missileboy]

I'm lazy, I took my truck a week after I bought it and had it undercoated with noxudol. The place i use warranties it for 8 years and will do a yearly inspection/touch up if needed. As others have said, you can buy the product and do it yourself, it is a dirty job and make sure you have the right cleaner to get it off of places you don't want it! It takes ~2weeks to FULLY dry!

I also had them do the "wax" stuff in the doors so they don't rust out. Doors rust from inside out pretty easy-Granted most panels are now aluminum.

I did my 2019 Transit Van and after 5 years, it still looked awesome and was doing it's job without ANY touch ups! Zero rust underneath.

Rust Proofing Car | Car Rust Protection | Rust Proofing Spray (noxudolusa.com)

 

[Azstroke]

It does seem odd that this would be an issue living in SoCal. Before picking up my new truck in June, I drove a '97 PowerStroke that I also bought new. In 27 years of ownership there was never a speck of rust under the truck, or anywhere else. Granted living in the AZ desert helped, but how times have changed. A rattle can touch-up may be the solution, but it shouldn't have to be.

 

[Marcsrx]

Exhaust is going to rust, period. The other major rusted piece appears to be the bushing sleeve. Not a big deal. I'm sure its not rusted where its press fit into the arm. None of this is a big deal.

 

[Suns_PSD]

My buddy bought a new Ford truck here in TX and it was heavily rusted underneath (according to him as I never saw it). I presume it happened in Detroit when the vehicle was built, and then transported.

I do find people in non-rust zones maybe a little hypersensitive to a bit of surface rust.

When I bought my '21 used (9K miles) out of MN, it had a shocking (to me) amount of rust underneath.

Here is what I did:
1) powerwashed underneath very well.
2) got under there (with eye protection!) and using a cheap foam brush, spent about 1 hour painting all of the rusty bits (the exhaust was especially bad) with 'Rust Convertor Ultra' that I purchased on Amazon. It's a chemical that converts rust to this black oxide and it stops further rusting.
3) I then just sprayed it underneath with matte black paint.

Everything looks 98% better now (2 years later) but the exhaust will always have suface rust I suppose, because paint doesn't stick and its raw steel.

GL

 

[CR500]

I have a relative the swears by Woolwax. Does it himself. Only downside he has mentioned is that you get filthy if you have to work on anything thats been coated.

I just recently got my 2022 F150. Love that the body is aluminum. Rust is my fear. My old truck (2008 Silverado) had so much undercarriage rust that the frame cracked. None of my other vehicles have that kind of rust. My only thought was the son of the previous owner had to have been driving it through beach sand.

 

[charles hines]

Wow… Im in Michigan and my 2022 still looks new compared to yours. Maybe driving on dirt roads treated with chloride dust control caused the rust

 

[mwf5888]

Here was my 2021 KR PB, which I traded in July, with Line-X undercoating and then my new 2024 KR PB which was on QC hold for 10 weeks sitting in a lot in Detroit.

2021 Rear

2021 Front

2024 Rear (Just off the truck at dealership before Line-X undercoating)

 

[bigblue815]

Just completed rust protection and undercoating from my local Line-X. Couldn’t be happier. They did a great job on prepping the underbody and then applying valugard 160. Here’s some pictures of the process.

 

[Tall Tail]

Our 2012 Elantra underbody with 130k+ mi driving the same roads as our F150 with 20k mi to compare to the pics above.

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