My 10 year old 1995 Chevy Blazer didn't have any door rust when I got rid of it, but check out what I found on my '04 Durango today. This truck is kept clean and waxed, doors and door jambs wiped down every time I wash it. Just took my son to the grocery store earlier and noticed this in his door jamb. This has all happened in under the past month...





It's documented on my Durango forum that there is a major issue with the '04s and rusted seams. Last year even Chrysler paid to fix a few. I'm stopping by my dealership tomorrow to see what my service guy can come up with. I was planning on keeping this truck for a long time to come....

Ford is having a similar problem with hoods on Explorers and Mustangs. My brothers GT 06 with 3000 miles that have never been driven in snow is rusting around the bottom perimeter of the hood. Either way its a bummer. Did you search for a technical service bulletin for the problem? Might help with getting it fixed

Did Ford fix his hood?

It's pretty minor rust.

However I don't think that rust is caused by snow or salt or rain. I think it's caused by slightly dissimilar metals being in contact with one another at the seam. It appears your drain hole is fine.

It's gonna get worse. Factory probably only warrants "rust through" - which is probably about 4 years from now.

What would the slightly dissimilar metals be Indy? The skin and the shell are both steel. As is the rocker panel. And none are listed as being high strength steel in Mitchell Ultramate.

yeah, but they were probably stamped from rolls off two completely different heats of metal. In which case the chemical composition is slightly different, so you might be getting some corrosion.

I'm not a steel expert, but did some consulting work in a steel mill one time. I was amazed how they did it:

1. Use a giant electromagnet to "charge" the furnace with scrap.
2. Melt the scrap down. Blow pure oxygen into the molten steel to oxidize off impurities - and to heat it up.
3. Once the steel is nice and hot - no longer red - hot steel is the color of clear water, they took a "chemistry" of the melt to see what they have.
4. Then they look down the daily schedule and see what they can make that vat into - sort of a real quick educated guess. If they can't get anything on the schedule, they gotta keep lancing it with oxygen to burn off the alloys - which floats to the top in slag.
5. Then they prepar the alloy add.
6. They "tap" the furnace and add the alloy. Then stir it up with nitrogen.

Well, so that's the way they did it many years ago. It wasn't real scientific, so you know that there is some variation heat to heat.

Okay, fair enough. But it seems to me that the dissimilarity wouldn't be great enough to cause rust on a painted part in less than 4 years. But I guess anything is possible.

My friend got ford to replace the hood & trunk lid on his. My brother's has not brought his in yet to get looked at.

I did a lot of 'internet learning' about rust before I did the bottom on the big boat. Rust is going to happen if oxygen can get to steel. Doesn't matter if it's by water or just air (our air is full of water anyway). If you have rust, it's because the steel isn't (or wasn't) properly sealed. In your case 'cadet, just plain not enough primer and/or paint.

After your dealer looks at it, I would suggest the following: go to Depot or Lowes or Ace, and find some Krylon spray rust converter:


(what I've used is in a different looking can, but same stuff, maybe they've changed the label)...

take some fantastik or windex or whatever, and clean the rusty area real good. You could then mask around and spray the rust, or it might be easier to spray some of the stuff into a paper cup (beware of backspray) and just apply it to the seam with a small brush. Anyway, the stuff works, it'll halt the oxidation. If you follow up by painting the seam with some touchup paint, it'll probably be several years before you see rust appear there again...

Best way to fix it?

I take it I should pop the bubble of rust open, and clean that also, then spray it? Should I remove the black weather stripping from the door and leave it off, it looks like its just holding water there when it gets wet. There is another weather stripping seal on the body around the door frame.

I did a pretty good search online, and it sounds like this is caused by not enough seam sealer being used by the manufacturer during assembly. Chain oil can be sprayed inside the door panels to prevent rust, or something like this 3M Rust Fighter-I.

Think its worthwile?

I went out and test drove an '08 F150 Supercrew today...and it didn't impress me at all. It had the 5.4, and it had less power than my truck. I've got to make this truck last...and look good for years to come.

Cadet, I'd use the 3M stuff AFTER the 'converter' stuff. Yes, pop any rust bubbles---and you just want to clean any dirt or flakes of rust out, but leaving a little 'surface' rust is good, that's what the converter works on. *According to what I've read* converters change the chemical composition of rust and neutralize it. It's also supposed to seek out moisture that's hiding out. After it's done, it's ready to paint, or leave as is...

I watched the stuff work on the bottom of our houseboat, it was actually interesting to see what it did (if that makes any sense), and well--it'll be a couple of years before I'll know for sure how well it really works, but when we pull the boat out next month, if it DOESN'T work, I'll know it!

Got ya. Thanks FR. I've got a spray can of that rust converter stuff in the garage. Dealer took a look at it today, and is going to get in touch with Chrysler. It's doubtful they will do anything though, since it's not technically an "outer body panel" or rusted through.

Are all the doors doing that or just one?

What about bringing it to a body shop and getting there thoughts on repair?

Seems like newer vehicles are holding up to corrosion very well. My Expedition (2004) is getting rust bubbles on the rear tail gate around the plastic license plate cover/hatch handle piece. I need to get that fixed.

Just that door. Thats what makes me think it is a manufacturing defect, as all the others are fine.

Whoa, that there is VERY minor rust caused by salt and water getting into the door seam. I see it all the time. The fix is simple - get a can of Fluid Film, spray the seam on all of the door bottoms a couple of times a year on a dry summer day, as well as spray into each of the door drain holes on the bottom. Don't forget the tailgate, brake lines, fuel lines, fuel filter, etc.

Fluid Film

Get a spray bomb. I buy it by the case. Simply the best!

I take it I should still sand it down and repaint it if I use fluid film? A body shop quoted me $195 to clean that up and repaint, and also a small spot on the seam on the underside of my hood. I found my color paint at the local auto parts store. The plan as of now is to clean the rust up, spray some "Rust Fix" on it, and then hit it with rust resistant primer. Then topcoat. I was going to use this, CorrosionX inside the door via the drain holes, and possibly pulling off the interior door panel and spraying some more in that way. Fluid Film seems to be about the same thing, but it is available locally. I might go that route.

FR? CNY? Indyboater? BillyB?

Sound good?

All this on an '04....unreal!

There are many ways to repair your rust. I have personally had seam rust tried to be repaired by a body shop, but it didn't last long at all. Waste of time and money. I have seen other people's vehicles who tried the body-shop route, with no long lasting success either. Sometimes body shops can actually make the problem worse.

CorrosionX will work just fine. I wouldn't try to prime and paint it - you need your spray-of-choice to be applied directly to the rust and you need to let it seep into the seam. Like I said, spray it into the drain holes, and you can spray it on the seam and spread it evenly with a shop towel or the like. I have never removed a door panel to do this, as the spray will creep a bit. Let the excess drip off - you can't use too much.

When I bought my current 03 Sierra in 05 with 12,000 miles, all of the door bottom seams and tailgate seam had rust!! I have stopped it completely with Fluid Film. Simple yet effective procedure that I do twice a year.

Well today was a busy day. Went out to the local John Deere dealer and picked up some Fluid Film. The admiral's Grand Prix doesn't have the issue my Durango has, so I hit each of the door drain holes with Fluid Film and left a good coating on there.

Did the same thing to my Durango, except for the rust door. I chipped at it with my fingernail, and the rust/paint bubble fell right apart. I scraped as much rust out as I could, and went down the seam both ways until there was no more rust. I then painted two coats of Permatex Rust Converter over the entire area. Directions say to let that setup for 24 hours, then topcoat. Tomorrow afternoon I'll prime, paint, and clear coat the area. I'll wait a few days before I put the weatherstripping back on.

The paint doesn't seem like its to late in that area, but on the drivers door the paint is very thin...you can see the primer through the paint on the bottom of the door.

Took some time this evening and drove an '08 Ram, Dodge redesigned the lower door seal, the new design doesn't look like it will hold any water. I might get new lower door seals for my truck....I'll wait and see. Fluid Film sounds like it is the answer to my problem, and I probably didn't have to do all the work I did. Pics to follow shortly....

The worst door seals that I've seen for rust are the late 90's, early 2000's Park Ave's - they have the entire bottom of the door covered with rubber weather stripping and you can't even see the door seam. Yikes, what were they thinking?!! It's ultra-quietness is quickly overcome by the sound of rust eating at the door seam!

Drivers door....faintly painted. I didn't realize this until now.


Rusty door before the repair


Paint off and rust showing


Rust Converted

I hear that. On my Durango the weatherstripping is a round tube, but then a flat piece extends down covering up the drain holes....I'd love to meet whoever designed that! On the new Rams it is just flat pieces of rubber, and it does still cover up the drain holes, but at least it is not a round tube that will hold water.

I guess they thought that when the moulding rusted, that you should take it off and check the door too. Cause all the mouldings rusted at the same rate or faster than the doors.

You're on the right path firecadet.

What he said!

Three coats of paint...followed by three coats of clear coat. Looks better than the rest of the door . I'm happy. I'll wait 30 days for it to fully cure and set up before I spray it down with Fluid Film and put the weatherstripping back on.

Nice job