As automotive journalists, we try to keep our finger on the pulse. What helps us even more is when our broad readership clues us in to what’s happening on the ground. Just this past week, I heard from John, who had read my piece on Jeep’s painful corrosion issues. He wrote in to let me know that the story goes deeper than just a single Stellantis brand.
John wrote in regarding his 2019 Chrysler Pacifica, which suffered a very similar issue to the Jeeps we’ve seen previously. “As you can see in the pictures, the paint on the hood was bubbling,” John told us. “I honestly don’t know when it started… maybe two years after I bought the car.”
What’s notable about John’s issue is that it comes down to one thing—aluminum. The Pacifica hood, like the Wrangler’s doors, is made of the lightweight material. Over the years, it’s been causing problems for Jeep, for Chrysler, and so many other brands—Stellantis and otherwise.
Flaky
The corrosion on John’s hood was quite unsightly. Bubbling occurred along much of the hood’s leading edge, with paint flaking off in places and leaving the metal exposed underneath. He also noted some paint flaking off the steel fenders, in the area hidden by the closed hood. Thankfully, he was able to get the ugly mess repaired, but not without some trouble.
“I was ultimately able to get the hood replaced under the factory corrosion warranty, but it was certainly a hassle,” he explains. He’d bought the car a ways away from his home in North Virginia, and that caused problems. “None of the dealers in the Northern Virginia area would touch the warranty work because I did not buy the car from them.”
Eventually, he was able to get the issue dealt with by the dealer that sold him the vehicle, over the border in Maryland. “The shop in Maryland, while inconvenient, did a nice job on the hood replacement,” he says. “The warranty wouldn’t touch the failed paint on the fenders.”
Was this just an oddball problem on John’s Pacifica? Well, he’s the investigative sort. He quickly found out that wasn’t the case. “I walked the parking lot during some downtime at my kid’s swim meet,” he explains. “I found six more Pacificas… five of them had the same corrosion on the aluminum hood.”
Anecdotal evidence from the dealership supported that theory. “The shop manager that I worked with said that this is a pretty common problem with Chryslers, apparently related to poor materials, cutting corners on prep, and working too fast,” says John. Plus, you can jump on just about any Chrysler forum, and you’ll find plenty of posts on the same topic.
Indeed, official documents stand testament to the widespread nature of the problem. Stellantis issued a Technical Service Bulletin in 2022 regarding “Aluminum Body Panel Corrosion Repair.” Under Vehicles Affected, you’ll find the Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator dating back to 2018, as well as the Chrysler Pacifica dating back to 2017.
Oh! But you’ll also find the Dodge Journey, Avenger, Dart, Challenger, Charger and Viper, dating back as early as 2013. Fiats, Alfa Romeos, and Ram pickups are implicated too. Basically, if it’s got an aluminum panel, Stellantis figured it could be affected.
The prime example seen on the TSB is the classic Jeep Wrangler hinge corrosion. The following example image shows it happening on the leading edge of a hood. Stellantis doesn’t outline a causative factor in the TSB. When we discussed the Jeep matter with the automaker, it put it down to “occasional variation in the manufacturing process.” The problem can be repaired in two ways. The panels can be sanded, treated with an anti-corrosion pen, and refinished. Alternatively, the panels can be replaced entirely if the aluminum corrosion has badly pitted the surface.
It’s worth noting that not all of these vehicles are built in the same factory. That would be a compelling common factor if it were the case, but it’s not. The Chrysler Pacifica is built in Windsor Assembly in Ontario, Canada. Meanwhile, the Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator are built at the Toledo Assembly Complex in Ohio. To say nothing of all the other Fiats, Dodges, and other cars called out on the same Technical Service Bulletin.
Not Just Stellantis
Fundamentally, it seems like Stellantis has had long-standing issues with reliably painting aluminum panels. But it’s not the only one. Ford has faced these same struggles.
In a technical service bulletin released in 2020, Ford tackled the problem of “Aluminum Panel Corrosion.” It covered all Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury products dating back to 2000, though only some had extensive use of aluminum body panels. “Some 2000 and newer Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury vehicles equipped with aluminum body panels may exhibit corrosion concerns appearing as bubbled and/or peeling paint with or without accompanying white dust,” read the bulletin. “Panel replacement is recommended.”
In Ford’s case, we do have a rough idea of the cause. Going back all the way to 2004, an earlier TSB put the issue down to panels being contaminated with fine iron particles prior to painting. This caused galvanic corrosion thanks to the dissimilar metal reaction between the iron particles and the aluminum panel. This happened under the paint, causing bubbling and corrosion with ugly results. As read the bulletin:
BACKGROUND:
Ford’s Scientific Research Laboratory has performed a number of tests on vehicle body parts returned for corrosion related concerns. Testing has revealed that the aluminum corrosion was caused by iron particles working their way into the aluminum body part, prior to it being painted.
SERVICE TIPS AND PROCEDURE:
When repairing a vehicle for corrosion or collision damage, it is essential that extreme care be taken to cover and protect all aluminum parts to prevent cross metal contamination. Areas in a shop where metal work is performed should be sectioned off, using at the very least curtain walls, to prevent metal dust migration. Cross contamination can also occur through the use of metal working tools (hammers, dollys, picks, grinding wheels, etc.). Tools used for aluminum repairs should be kept separate, and not used to repair other metals. Wire brushes used on aluminum should be made of stainless steel.
Ford had initially requested that repairs be undertaken by sanding and repainting the affected panels. The whole matter eventually ended up in a lawsuit, and Ford switched to recommending outright panel replacements instead.
Ferrari, too, has faced this issue. Rather infamously, the F12 is known for showing this characteristic bubbling under the paint, much to the frustration of owners. As seen in this video from AutoVlog, the problem looks remarkably similar to the flaking seen on Jeep and Chrysler product.
Curiouser And Curiouser
The big question remains—what’s going on here? Why are so many automakers having trouble with aluminum corrosion? And just as interestingly, why is it affecting some automakers more than others? Google will give you plenty of examples of Ferraris, Fords, Chryslers, and Jeeps with these issues. Meanwhile, Chevrolet has used aluminum panels for quite some time now, but examples of aluminum corrosion on its products are much harder to find.
Ford’s research does provide a compelling explanation for the problem, at least for its own vehicles. At the same time, it’s a little confusing that in so many vehicles, the problem first shows up on the edges of the hood. You would perhaps expect external iron contamination to land in nearly-random spots on a body panel, rather than always on the hood’s leading edge.
Went see an Ecoboost and noticed this bubbling on the hood. The hood was not properly aligned. 2015 Ecoboost that lived in Michigan. Should I be concerned? I would like to buy it, but what if they had an accident and the did a crappy job at fixing it? Carfax says there was a minor accident.
byu/huirosco inMustang
One problem we have is that automakers aren’t altogether forthcoming about why they’re having these problems. Barring Ford’s example above, none have really come out and said “our aluminum panels are corroding and seeing paint bubbling because of this single factor.”
This is something I intend to get to the bottom of in due time. Paint experts must be consulted, and more automakers asked for their explanation of the problems out in the wild.
Overall, though, it’s worth noting that there’s nothing fundamentally problematic with aluminum. Plenty of vehicles seem to use it without widespread problems. The hood on the original Mazda Miata is a great example, not exactly known for paint bubbling issues. So there must be a way to get it right—and a way to get it wrong.
Ultimately, one thing remains obvious. If you’ve got the bubbling on any car, panel replacement seems the most surefire repair. May the warranty be with you.
Image credits: Chrysler, John P (supplied), AutoVlog via YouTube screenshot
I’ve had five different Toyota’s 8 to 12 years old with at least one large painted aluminum panel and never had an issue.
I work at a manufacturing company that works extensively with aluminum. The aluminum section of the production floor MUST remain separate from the other sections of production. A dissimilar metal that comes into contact with aluminum will always result in galvanic corrosion. Production sections, carts to move parts, even people cannot be mixed.
The interesting thing is that in order for the corrosion to occur at any significant level, it requires that there be an electrolyte (ie, water). Not sure how an electrolytic solution is getting underneath the paint… but Stellantis gonna Stellantis (and FCA, etc.)
I would imagine that it may have something to do with Water based paint systems and possibly primer/sealer issues around edges
I think it’s primarily a process and QC issue. The cars that don’t corrode are mostly Japanese and German from makers with exacting processes while the ones with problems are from companies with looser processes and either MBAs relentlessly cost cutting like Ford and Chrysler or a certain laissez-faire like Ferrari. Ford is both surprising because they had access to Landrover’s engineers in the oughts and unsurprising because of their litany of quality failures. Chevrolet’s success with aluminum is a sign GM may have finally learned.
Thanks Lewin! Now able to understand this issue so much better. Good writing here amigo.
So it comes down to basic issues of tools used and shop prep or lack of such? And perhaps just manufacturing plant/materials issues as well?
And shop owner/tech “we don’t give a shit attitude” seems to be a major deal here.
Kind of like owning a fancy restaurant and pissing in the soup to stretch a buck?
Question: is this same thing an issue in the Euro Countries Auto repair shops?
Starting to think that steel and aluminum are like Dems and GOP parties here.
As in “we will never be able to get along in close proximity.”
Every other vehicle I see in parking areas for years has seemed to have this issue going on somewhere on the body. Just about every cop car around me does as well
WTF people, this is America! We can learn to do shit right. Seriously.
This is not rocket science level stuff here. This is easy god damn it.
Honestly the fact that this isn’t affecting brands like GM, Toyota, and Mazda as much suggests it’s process control related for sure.
The leading edge is the hard to figure part. why? Aren’t panels like hood sprayed and hung? maybe the lowest point, the leading edge, during curing has something to do with it?
My 2022 Pachy hasnt show any sign of rust, yet. I live in Michigan but I keep it on the garage most of the time. It has some rocks impacts due to all the highway mileage, I will keep an eye on it.
My Audis from the early aughts suffer none of this. It seems to me too to be a process/materials problem. I find it telling that it appears to be most often in areas that would have experienced more stress during stamping. I’m becoming convinced it is in fact atmospheric iron nano-particles bonding to micro-fractures in the freshly stamped panels. I assume some manufacturers are using some type of treatment or coating before or right after stamping that avoids contamination. That or it’s just plain down to the grade or quality of the alloy used.
This also feels like something far less expensive to eliminate than repair. Given the possible brand value damage, if I were in charge, this would be a high priority. Perhaps some press coverage will motivate.
micro fractures is an interesting idea to explain the leading edge
Hey it is not their fault they were told the aluminum they got made from recycled cans was aircraft grade quality aluminum.
Do you think Ea-Nasir reincarnated as an aluminum dealer?
Haha yes and also we should be able to post memes and gifs here
I have a 10 year old Tesla Model S (all aluminum body) and have no issues with corrosion and I have not seen any on other Model S’s when I hang out at Superchargers on trips.
Tesla may suck at panel alignment, but apparently their cleaning and painting process is solid.
My 2023 Model 3 has a few odd alignment issues (nothing worth fixing, but noticeable if you look) as does my wife’s 2021 Model Y.
Every Miata from 1989-2005(possibly continuing with NC and ND) came with aluminum hoods and I have never seen any of them do this. How was a small manufacturer painting aluminum and having it last 30+ years without issue when a modern manufacturer can’t?
Lots of Volvo’s too
Volvo started galvanizing their entire steel car bodies from the 740 series on. It makes a huge difference, as the zinc basically provides galvanic protection for the entire car.
The hoods and some tailgates were aluminum
All the more ironic when you consider Mazda’s record with rust-proofing the rest of their cars.
Accurate. Luckily I live in the south so have never had issues, but have definitely seen some that must have spent a lot of time in church, given how holey they were.
Re: “None of the dealers in the Northern Virginia area would touch the warranty work because I did not buy the car from them.”
I didn’t think a dealer was allowed to refuse warranty work if you didn’t buy the vehicle from them.
When an injection pump on my ’01 Jetta TDI let got just shy of 60,000 miles I had moved 60 miles from where I had purchased it. The local VW dealer handled the repair without squabble.
(Unfortunately, the replacement pump was an overhauled unit that let go at 101,500 miles. The powertrain warranty was to 100K and VWOA refused to repair it a second time even though I was only 1500 miles past the cutoff and they had put in a clearly defective pump. That’s one of the reasons I won’t be buying another VAG vehicle.)
I think it was noted in the earlier article that technically the warranty is for perforation in the panel, not “cosmetic” repair. If the local dealers weren’t interested in helping as he wasn’t a “loyal” customer they may have been in the right. However, it also depends on if the 2022 TSB had been issued before or after the work was requested, as that would give more cause for them having to do the work.
Something like putting a pump on a car is a normal, reasonable enough job to where I’d be surprised to hear of any dealer refuse it but I’ve seen lots of dealers from other brands refuse big jobs like panel replacement or even things like engine replacement under warranty unless you bought the car from there.
There’s a lot of reasons why but it usually boils down to the dealer is so afraid of manufacturer chargebacks, the repair dragging on and eating up shop resources and tech time that they could be using on easy jobs instead, or dealing with the possibility of an issue popping up after the initial repair that they’d be on the hook for. Honestly I believe that if most dealers had their way, they’d deny anything that isn’t an easy part replacement that could be done in a day or two
Thank you both for your perspectives. I can now see how it might be a gray area in this situation. My sympathies to those affected.
Sorry to hear that. I had my mazda’s (2015) gearbox replaced under warranty at 97,000klms, and when I asked what the warranty was on this they said there is no extra warranty, just the regular 100,000klms warranty- so 3,000 klms left lolll. It’s like they’re actively trying to make sure you aren’t a repeat customer.
Yeah. That sucks. Was it the Mazda gearbox for which you can no longer get replacement shifter cables?
No clue, ended up selling it- as much as the interior was nice the red paint was stupid thin, the suspension and bushings were all trash/always knocking/rattling, coupled with the gearbox (not to mention how terrible it was geared), that was the final straw.
I called four dealers local to my house before schlepping the car up north of Baltimore (and getting a speed camera ticket in the process). All four gave similar answers, and it really boils down to two things:
So basically they will only do it for “loyal” customers, meaning those who at least purchased the car from them in the first place.
The shop in MD was surprised by all that, but happily took on the job and were really great to work with. They did great work, too. Just super inconvenient.
Just like the widespread paint delamination on many GM, Ford, and Chrysler vehicles in certain colours during the latter part of 1980s.
Even later than the 80s, every white Chevy van from 10 years ago is missing paint on the leading edge of the hood and roof and it seems like every dark blue toyota corolla from that time period is also missing clearcoat on the roof. Companies still trying to figure out how to squeeze more $$$ out of the paint process.
The whole article I was thinking about the NA Miata hoods. If I had a dime for every post about rocker panel rust, I’d have a fleet of Spec Miata racers, if I had a dime for every post I’ve seen about hood corrosion, I’d have $0.00. Even my now former ’90 had horrendous paint on every surface, and the hood’s paint was roached, but there wasn’t a spec of corrosion found on it.
It may be a cliché at this point, but Japanese brands (not you Nissan) tend to get their manufacturing right. It must be America MBA-ification of manufacturing departments that leads to so much cost cutting in the wrong areas, leading to massive quality fiascos and weekly recall campaigns.
Yeah, the Japanese seem to have figured something out well. I was thinking not of Miata’s but of Mid-aughts STIs and WRXs. I haven’t ever seen an example of hood corrosion that I can think of and those things are getting pretty seriously thrashed at this point.
Also the Toyobaru twins all have aluminum hoods. I haven’t seen or heard any such issue there, and it’s been 12 years now.
I didn’t even realize those had aluminum hoods, same goes for Toyobaru twins. I think that just amplifies the argument even more that it’s just not an issue for Japanese brands despite using far less aluminum than American brands have as of late.
Also to be fair can’t have a corroded aluminum hood on a Subaru when half of them get swapped for carbon fiber anyways!
Other than your Miata hood, Mazda has been about the worst of the Japanese brands for corrosion. There is a reason we have very few Mazdas more then 5-10 years old on the road up here in Canada, unless they were babied. The first few generations of Mazda 3 were absolutely shocking.
Are they still bad? I know something like 2002 to 2009 they were really terrible, but I hadn’t heard much about the more recent ones.
My Miata’s hood WAS corroded… but it had been replaced with a cheap steel knockoff.
After the last article about jeeps, I walked around my neighborhood (harlem) and of the 3 jeeps I checked, 2 had major corrosion on the hinges, what a cluster f!
Somebody’s been buying cheap Chinese aluminum.
How bad are they at this? The Germans have been using aluminum body parts for a LONG time and I’ve never heard issues with paint on hoods and liftgates on Audi or Porsche. It’s gotta be bad prep and bad primer. Have you ever seen how a VAG vehicle is primed? The whole MF is dipped into a vat of electrically charged primer.
In Ford’s case, it is because they don’t properly clean and prep the panels before painting to remove the iron oxide particles that get onto them from the press and just the general plant environment
I would guess same or similar for Stellantis
Ford has known about this for over 20 years and has refused to fix their processes to stop it, partly because they are creative with finding ways to avoid covering it under warranty, so paying for a few repairs they let slip through here and there is cheaper than factory improvements
Mazda approves lol
Ouch, my Mazdas resemble that remark!
As an owner of a 2020 Voyager, BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
At the beach in RI a few weeks ago, the parking attendant mentioned that she also had the same van. Then mentioned to keep an eye on surface rust, that every single local Pacifica in town was rusting prematurely. This report seems to confirm the issue, and it makes me sad.
Will be obsessively monitoring from this point onward.
The leading edge of the hood is also prime territory for chips and just plain wear. It takes the brunt of the grime, grit, rain, and wind. If something was going to opportunistically find a way under paint, you could do much worse than the edge of the hood.
Edges are also how things get set down; if these stamped aluminum parts were ever on a pallet or rack, there’s a decent chance they were down by a dirty floor, picked up some iron, and got painted right over.
#1 is “that sucks but makes sense,” #2 is (if true!) bad QC, and #3 is the conclusion that quality control and process are poor at Stellantis, whatever the mix of #1 and #2.
And yet my 98 F-150’s hood is just fine
Yeah my 92 Cummins only place on the hood is where the ram hood ornament is and it is nowhere near as bad looking as these.
I have a ’97 F-150 that will be sent to the scrap yard. Rust has overtaken everything below the windows, cab mounts are gone along with door bottoms, all of the rocker panels in and out, box sides, box floor (drop in bed liner), etc. Only the aluminum hood is corrosion free, even with cracked paint from hitting a drunken fool playing street games at 3 am. The fact that there is a ground strap between the hood and body may explain something…
The aluminium engine cover from my 1997 Lotus Elise still looks as good as new, and it spent 20 years getting covered in salt all winter.
Maybe it’s the extra i in aluminium.
My experience as well with my Land Rovers.
Interestingly, Rover chose alumin(i)um for Land Rover bodywork initially due to post-war materials shortages and costs. Of course, they quickly capitalized on the relative non-rusting characteristics of the material compared to steel, particularly on vehicles that were expected to operate in muddy conditions in a generally damp climate — Caked mud from off-roading is a perfect environment for steel to start rusting in. Even after steel would have likely been the cheaper and easier-to work-with choice, they stuck with aluminum for its characteristics and designed their vehicles around the quirks of incorporating and working with it.
Anyhow, the British seem to have figured out to keep galvanic corrosion at bay decades ago. Land Rovers, for instance, have plenty of steel structure under the aluminum outer panels and always have. Points where aluminum and steel are connected together — hotspots for corrosion — rarely show significant problems, at least not for a decade or more, typically. Even when galvanic corrosion shows up in them, at least for the ones I’ve had of the “classic” (Pre-BMW and JLR corporate ownership) variety, what appears is the typical white oxidation residue migrating through the paint and erosion of the aluminum, not bubbling under the paint.
I think it really does come down to preparation and handling, and the British must have worked out the best practices decades ago — at least for the particular alloys they chose. That, and construction of the vehicles from the planning stages up incorporated it. It was never an add-on to an existing steel-based design. Chrysler and other US platforms exhibiting galvanic corrosion problems are all designs adapted from all-steel construction. Just changing from one metal to another might be one of those “How hard can it be??” loaded questions.
The X350 XJ had big issues with the same corrosion as this, but I think they sorted it out for later cars.
That extra “i” must be what’s keeping my 20 y/o Jag XJ looking pristine too.
what colour is it? are both the boot and the bonnet okay? you will have to write a mighty big cheque to purchase new tyres
I almost didn’t recognise the humour in your response.
Looks like this is an Al-encompassing problem
COTD
Galvanic corrosion occurs with the presence of water. Maybe the leading edge of the hood is where you commonly see this problem because that’s where water all flows to and collects as it drips off as the car is sitting.
lmao but ya it’s the chinese making crap cars right?
I love the idea of weight savings and aluminum for things like doors and hoods but we can’t get that right in 2024? Remember, the prices always increase, the warranties haven’t.
So it is not just a jeep thing? The rubber duckies are going to be disappointed
Aluminium is for airplanes. Cars bodies should either be steel, or plastic over a steel spaceframe like the Fiero.
I never asked for my hood to be marginally lighter.
I *know* steel bodies will rust eventually.
A small percentage of badly prepared aluminum *might* bubble some paint.
I know which one I prefer.
OK but Ford and Chrysler are not Audi. Clearly, they’re not ready to build cars out of aluminium.
Famous last words perhaps, but no problems with my aluminum Dodge (11 years old) or aluminum Ford (6 years old) so far.
Yeah. From what I’ve seen the aluminum F series have held up really well.
Obviously they can still have issues with chassis corrosion, but even the oldest, scruffiest, 2015 F150s from the first year of production look clean and presentable. We have some of the worst salt conditions up here in Ontario /rust belt North.
On the other hand, GMs and Rams from the same years (and newer) are staring to show visual rust on the rockers, fenders and bed sides.
I would rather have a steel bed that is cheaper to fix in a crash than an aluminium truck that does not offer any advantage (esp here in Qatar where F 150s 2015+ were sold), and can be expensive to fix in a crash even if common, and can melt when on fire.
With how disposable modern cars are I’d rather have an aluminum body and or chassis.
For unibody they’ll total your car over a minor fender bender, so I’d rather have the car that doesn’t rust.
For Body on Frame since so few places pull dents anymore and instead replace panels, I’d rather go with aluminum. Also for applications like pickups where the bed and body get beat up aluminum is nice because if the paint gets scratched you don’t have to worry about the metal underneath rusting.
Yup. Lots of fleet 2015 F150s covered in dents and scratches, that still look professional with all their paint intact.
Silver makes for the best paint color on aluminum, scratch it and you can hardly tell!