that statment reminded me of loosing a gallon jug of coolant out of the trunk in my rusty old 72 Monte Carlo......

 

This is silly. That's like living in Seattle and suing an umbrella company because the center of it eventually starts to leak from all of the rain. Ford is not responsible for people not spraying the salt off of their frames. How many people down south have this problem? If it's not occurring everywhere to every ranger in this particular class then you are fighting a losing battle.

 

I had a '92 Ranger (17/18 years old now) with a near flawless frame and underbody. My '05 looks like the '92 should have....something afoul is afoot sayeth Sherlock.

 

my 93 i dont think it was ever washed before i got it i had to replaice all my leaf spring hanger the rotted and the bumper looks like it going to fall of when you stand on it how it that fords fault

and do you park ur truck on grass or in durt drive way that will help it rot faster

 

Coming from the Detroit/Windsor area...the capital of salt! I have seen some rangers with solid frames that are 6-8 years old that have gone through the winters and some of the newer(02-03 and up) look worse then the older ones but part of it still comes down to yearly maintenance.

My 09 had rust on it right from the dealership where the bare metal was showing especially around the rear spring hangers. Hell Over half the rear axle was unpainted. The waxed based s$%t they use on all the frames trap and hold all the stuff flying off the tires anyway.

 

I prime and paint the under side of my truck 2x a year. once in the spring and once in the fall.

my truck WILL NOT have a crappy undercarriage for as long as I own it. When it goes on a lift at a shop, it looks like a new vehicle.

 

Frame rust is a myth!

 

I bought my truck brand new in 2006, it was a 2005. I noticed that there has been quite a bit of rust on the truck.

Now yes, I live where there is alot of salt, sand and winter. I wash the under carrage of the truck in the winter about every two weeks. I have it undercoated. My big gripe with the quality of the metals used seem to just be lesser quality than the past fords that I have had my paws on. I have noticed that I'm about to need to buy new bumpers in a year or two, as mine are rusted on the back side ( yes I rinse them out frequently).

I had the truck undercoated at ford, and it was done horribly, it flaked off after year one. I have given up... But I have not had any bumpers or tires falling off... But it really would not suprise me. I think only so much can be blamed on the winters, salt, and owner abuse. There is just times when companies screw up by trying to save money in the build of things. My 97 explorer was not as rusty as my ranger is... and when I got rid of that it was 9 years old... My truck is only 4 years old.

I am very unhappy about alot of things with my 2005 Ranger, mostly all the seals leaking, I think it is great that some people are trying to go after Ford, they deserve a recall. The dealership that I bought the truck from screwed me time and time again, and acted dumb when they charged me for services and parts that were not rendered. I understand to maintain a automobile costs alot of money and sometimes more than people expect, but there is no explaination for charging me for airfilters, and they are not changed... fuel filters, not being changed, and oil filters not being changed... How can someone trust a dealership that cannot properly change oil consistantly....

 

I love living where I live.... I NEVER have to touch the underside of my truck. Pressure wash it only when the crossmembers are packed full of mud.


All points made in this thread are great. OP's fighting a losing battle. Can't site Toyota's frame flaw for a Ranger's frame becoming rusty and falling apart....It's all about location location location and owner neglect.

 

What about better wheel well guards?

Heck part of the problem is Ford started taking the forward fender liners out on 2wds and later all the trucks. The best thing I ever did was add extra protection to try and control where mud and salt get thrown around the wheels.

Forward wheel liners, better mud flaps, and gap guards (on a non bodylifted truck

 

Some kind of rear wheel well tubs would have been a good factory install on ford part, but than again... If you build something too well, there will not be enough repeat customers. If you build something too poorly, there will not be enough repeat customers. If you build something alright, and skimp on things people don't notice, you will have plenty repeat customers.... this is the game of manufacturing in year 2009 and onwards. Things just are not built like they once were..

 

Ford removed those for better engine cooling(supposedly).

Putting something between the bed and frame would make for an excellent area for crap to accumulate which will never be cleaned.

 

this thread makes me laugh. chemical reaction metal rusts. welcome to fact.

 

speachless...

 

i'm more worried about breaking something then something rusting away,there gonna get rust on them over time anyway so i wouldnt blame ford for that, i have a chip in my paint that is rusty so does that mean i can blame ford for it rusting haha

 

I'm not sure about that but I only have 32s but we may be talking about two different things.

 

I live in MA and i don't have frame rust problems neither has the body

 

Every fall I go through my truck and spray white lithium grease along the bottom of all the doors and tailgate. On the frame I used to undercoat all my cars but switched to paint after seeing how easily the undercoating cracks and salt gets under the undercoating. I also wash the undercarriage once or twice a week during the winter. Im gonna move out of the rust belt just so my truck can have a salt free winter lol.

 

i agree with shane... location and neglect... for thoose of you who go "mudding" and like to drive around caked in mud... if you keep that crap underneath for 3 weeks bad S*** happens! at least spray that off and keep your exterior caked, thats what paint is for, protection. hell even if you dont go "mudding" treat your ride to a treat at least 2 times a year and give its belly a bath.

just remember "S**T HAPPENS WHEN YOU PARTY NAKED"

 

new to this forum..I googled ranger frame rust,and heres what I have to say.Here in Newbrunswick,Canada we deal with horrid roads in winter,I personally work salting/sanding/plowing for a public works depot.Been looking at rangers one dealer had 2 06`extra cab 4x4`s,v6,auto.Having tried one out last week at night and retuned in the day to look it over better.The rear frame from the back end clear to the edge of the rear spring shackles was paper thin,with areas I could put my finger through..The other ranger was fine...not a maintenance issue as its wide open with no areas to trap moisture etc..Weak weak metal...not impressive at all.It`s common here with these, many older trucks here hold up much better than this...its made me rethink buying a ranger at all.

 

Haveing lived my entire life in Maine i am very familiar with rust problems on vehicles.Back when the State used regular "rock salt" mixed with sand rust was not to big of an issue.They now use what i believe is called liquified calcium chloride instead.Many 2or 3 year old vehicles now need the brake lines replaced because they are rusted through.Up here,any inspection mechanic will tell you thay Rangers are known to have frame rust problems.More so than most other vehicles.Ford's fault??I don't know.Chevrolet and GMC trucks are known to have rocker panels and rear bumpers rot completely out in 4 or 5 years.On the other hand,my wife drives an 02 Jeep Liberty that is never cleaned underneath.No rust anywhere.Go figure.????

 

I know this thread is hella old but... I bought my Ranger used with 80k on the odometer. It spent it whole life as a fleet vehicle in Rhode Island, literally right on the ocean. It was then stored for two years before I bought it. Its an 2004 so its going on 8 years old now. You'd think with the New England weather and the salty ocean air that it would be rusted to pieces. But not so.

Frame is perfect, (knock on wood) very minor surface rust on quarter sized spots where the coating has worn away. Nothing that 30 seconds with some sand paper couldn't handle. The worst rust I've found was under the spare tire where it presses up against the frame, and on the axle. When I peeled the axle tag off my truck, there was a good amount of rust forming from water being trapped under there. Oh and the shocks were rusted clean through, but those are easily replaced. Just my two cents, maybe I got lucky, but I see alot of older rangers on the road....

I also have personally experienced the Toyota frame issue...theres a big difference between rust and freaking holes you could fit a baseball through.

 

ford fan..us in the rust belt are no strangers to frame rust issues..thanks for weighing in.....

 

My spare tire fell off in the middle of the highway this weekend due to a rusted winch cable and holding hardware. The cable is frayed and the hardware was rusted. Im so glad no vehicles ran into it.

 

im gonna chime in with my .02...IMO rusty frames are part of poor upkeep...my 03 with 73K on it doesnt have ANY rust on the frame what-so-ever...