My '13 JKU was delivered to my dealer in January, I have owned it for a week. I crawled under the front and noticed what appears to be excessive rust across a variety of areas. I may swing by my dealer do see if others have this but for a $36k vehicle this is a bit much for a vehicle with 200mi on it.
Here is a idea for the OP. If you get nowhere with the dealership. Post the rusty pics on facebook, asking if anyone would purchase a new Jeep Wrangler from this dealership with this much rust or create a website for it. Lastly you could contact a local news agency, one with a consumer reporter to see if they are interested in the story.
I heard on the Clark Howard Show that many companies now monitor social media for complaints. This will elevate it quick.
Every new Wrangler should look like MikeK46's pictures.
Ok well I stopped by the dealer today to see if they would do anything with mine. At first they tried to tell me " this is consider normal per factory standards, and it is purely a cosmetic thing". I told them I spent a lot of money on a new vehicle and that it shouldn't look like that and I didn't want it to cause any problems further down the line. This is a vehicle I plan on keeping for a long time. They then proceeded to tell me " that more than half of the jeeps they get in have this problem but they don't expect people to look under there vehicles". So I went over to the jeep that's on the show room floor and that one looks great nice and shiny black. I told them this how it should look. They then brought up their detail manager and he basically tried to tell me the same thing, he acted like he could care less, I had to ask him 3 times if he would just come look at mine, I tried to tell him this is not normal. At this point I started getting a little pissed. Finally he looked at it and said " ok well what I can do is sand down the bad spots and repaint it will take 3-4 hours. So I'm taking it back tomorrow. I will take some before and after pics too. Wow they will try to get out of it anyway they can.
This. They are not going to sand shiet. They will hit the underside with 4 cans of rustoleum to shut you up. Contact chrysler and leave the dealer out of it. They will just make the problem worse. If you are ok with sanding/painting, do it yourself, at least you'll know it was done right.
No dealer is going to do anything about it. They will try to weasel out of everything. I would go straight to Jeep and demand something be done...and if they won't do anything, does your state have anything like a Department of Consumer Affairs or Consumer Protection?
Well they are not going to give me anything besides painting it. Do you guys think I should just do it my self, prep it properly and then apply a product like por15 rust preventative paint. I hate to do that, because i would be letting the dealership of the hook for fixing it, but now I'm getting the feeling the dealer is just going to cover it up to make it look pretty hoping I won't know any better.
I forgot to mention too that the detail manager told me that " no matter how much paint you put on the underside it will never last", I asked how come a jeep that's 10 years old doesn't show as much rust as my brand new one with 250 miles on it. He didn't have an answer
My service manager called today, no word back from Chrysler. Restated it was normal. I referenced the 2004 Pacifica and the rust issues that caused problems in 2009 and 2010 for owners, he said this was different - I said, possibly, but perhaps it was just surface rust in 2004. He disagreed.
I have started to reach out to my auto industry contacts for additional perspective.
I made a follow-up call to customer care this evening. They have assigned a case manager and will examine the concerns from their end and will call me tomorrow evening.
Accessory belt pulley also showing signs, Not sure what the blue marker date represents.
I made a follow-up call to customer care this evening. They have assigned a case manager and will examine the concerns from their end and will call me tomorrow evening.
Accessory belt pulley also showing signs, Not sure what the blue marker date represents.
I fought this battle with my 2011 a couple of years ago, slight rusting on the drive shaft and knuckles. Not as bad as the original post. I went to the dealer several times, it was the same response, "it's just superficial rust". It drove me crazy. I explained that the automobile was expensive and I wasn't planning on completely rebuilding it. That superficial rust led to eventually rust penetrating the part. They offered to take pictures, send them to Detroit for the manufacturer's opinion (they had done once before. I told them forget it, it is just a waste of time. The dealer offered to paint the areas, I accepted, I know I know:banghead: . Mostly to prevent rusting on parts that haven't been affected. End of story, but I still look at other jeeps that are in worse conditions (especially the muffler). Not a great feeling, sorry to those going through it. Now that it's a few years older, I've come to accept it, still below 15,000 miles. We'll see, maybe some mods - wasn't expecting in my future.
2 days ago i had my lift installed and found out my underside is just as rusted as OP. Calling the dealer today to see if they will do anything for me.
Maybe it wasn't in a flood, and I've been wrong before but to me all those pictures scream damage from salt water. My aunt has a cottage that you have to drive several miles down a beach to get to, and from time to time have to cross through salt water. Thats exactly what all her vehicles look like within a month of purchase.
Pen markings indicate this vehicle was inspected and reference notes/marks made.
This has all the smell of a corrosion test mule by Chrysler.
Insist Chrysler replace the vehicle. Go as far as you can up the Chrysler chain of command and then get a lawyer. One letter from him will get their attention.
Don't let the local dealer or the Area Chrysler Rep bully you.
- If you financed the vehicle through the dealership take it there, park it in front of the showroom.
- Lock it up. Take the keys with you. Put a sign in the window inviting potential customers to take a look at the undercarriage.
- Stop making payments.
- Have your lawyer send letter to dealership, Chrysler Area Rep, Chrysler, State Consumer Protection Office, State Attorney General, local TV station local BBB, etc...
Under no circumstances would I accept this 'new' Jeep. If you hold to your guns on this, you will prevail.
Go to a Ford, GM, or Dodge dealership. Look under the trucks. 1/2 tons, 1 tons, SUVs, it doesn't matter. They ALL have surface rust on certain parts. It's 100% normal.
These automakers could dip every single little part in zinc and then hand paint them black for you...but then the price of the vehicle will go up drastically...and after a few wet salty winters it's going to look just like these pics ^^^ all over again.
In my opinion, you guys need to spend time worrying about real problems...like why these things leak every time it rains, why the engines weren't tested thoroughly to rid them of head problems before they were sold to the public, why the transmissions are going bananas, and why they aren't cleaning the casting sand out before putting the engines into the Jeeps.
Go to a Ford, GM, or Dodge dealership. Look under the trucks. 1/2 tons, 1 tons, SUVs, it doesn't matter. They ALL have surface rust on certain parts. It's 100% normal.
These automakers could dip every single little part in zinc and then hand paint them black for you...but then the price of the vehicle will go up drastically...and after a few wet salty winters it's going to look just like these pics ^^^ all over again.
In my opinion, you guys need to spend time worrying about real problems...like why these things leak every time it rains, why the engines weren't tested thoroughly to rid them of head problems before they were sold to the public, why the transmissions are going bananas, and why they aren't cleaning the casting sand out before putting the engines into the Jeeps.
Some people will accept shoddy and defective merchandise as normal. Some people will buy any old rustbucket and think it's 100% normal. Some won't.
Surface rust on certain parts or "after a few wet salty winters" is one thing. The amount of rust and corrosion (even on the aluminum) on the OP's vehicle straight from the dealer is a completely different matter. If my vehicle looked like his when I went to the dealer to pick it up, I'd say: "No thanks. Order another one for me." I've bought more than my share of new vehicles from different manufacturers over the past 50 years, and have never had a single one look as bad as the OP's vehicle even after several years.
Yes, rust is normal...over time. But rust happens to be a degradation of the metal...not just a surface coating. A new vehicle should not be corroded. And since rust has a higher volume than the underlying material, it can eventually force apart adjacent parts. It's called rust smacking. Look it up.
The amount of rust on the OP's vehicle is a real problem..a problem that is far more serious than a leak in the rain. As long as there are people like you who will accept defective merchandise as "100% normal", the manufacturers will keep churning out sub-standard vehicles that may oxidize into oblivion before their time.
Just checked mine, 2013 JK Sport, got it 2 weeks ago, has 24 miles on it, now has 860. I live in Massachusetts, been through 3 snow storms alreadys... see attached photos (sorry for the quality, cell phone shots i took real quick)... nothing like OP has.... Talked to my buddy who has a 2012 JK and he said its "guaranteed the drive shaft and muffler will rust, they are untreated, don't worry about it...." then I showed him OP photos and he said his JK definitely has more than normal rust... said it looks like a bad powder coat job....
I don't like the rust on mine, but mine seems to match what *most* have, nothings on the frame and such...
That Jeep looks like it sat in salt water. I have worked some auto loan fraud cases where vehicles that were damaged by salt water flooding were sold as new, and they all looked like that, equal corrosion on all exposed parts. I would pull up your carpet in spots and check for odd silt deposits or corrosion there as well.
Maybe Jeep changed (or cheapened) the process they used to paint the under body components which allows surface corrosion to take hold faster, but that would not explain why aluminum parts are corroding at that level.
Chrysler Customer Care contacted me. They are attempting to reach the dealer.
I have looked at other Jeeps on the dealers lot, owned many vehicles over the past 25yrs and I have not viewed this level of rust except on my '98 Volvo V70 after 10 yrs and 180k of north east driving. Our 2012 Volvo XC90 with 15k miles has a front & rear suspension that still looks new, after two winters and a drive on the beach at OBX. My 2010 Volkswagen Touareg TDI after two years did not have any surface rust like this. My brother sells Chevy trucks in PA and he does not see this sort of rust on his current new inventory.
Everyone has different experiences. Just hoping for a positive resolution. Keep the shiny side up and the rubber down.
Ya I'm bringin sexy back ...ya!
Going to check under mine too. I have just over 1000K on it. Picked it up March25. I hope it doesn't look as bad as OP!
Toyota's 1st Tacoma buyback was purely voluntary to keep customers happy. Then their rust problem continued on later model years and they issued recalls only to fix specific safety concerns.
Yesterday I looked under two Wranglers straight off the transport on our overflow lot. I sell Chevy but our dealer network also includes a local Jeep dealership. Didn't take any pics but the Moab Unlimited had front axel corrosion similar to the photos posted here. The Oscar Mike axel looked new, just like it should. If my new 10a has axel corrosion like this I am going to be pretty upset. I expect a new vehicle and there is without a doubt a problem here.
A very small amount of rust. I live in the desert. No salt put on the roads around here. No reason for rust to really start. I'm lucky to not have that issue.
My Billet JKU was born Dec 12, and I was eyeing it at the dealer for about 3 weeks prior to pulling the trigger Feb 1, so I know it came straight from Toledo. Being on the RI coast, we have salt winter and summer (summer in the form of Salt fog). That combination just killed the body and was working the frame hard on my old '99 F350.
My 488 mile undercarriage isn't nearly as bad as the OP's, but the patterns are the same (although my frame only shows rust where it was scraped (probably from the transport) and studying it tonight I can see where the paint stops, the rust starts. Poor factory prep/paint is what it looks like to me.
I'll check with the dealer but I'm most likey going to POR 15 it all and be done with it.
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