Jeep Wrangler Forum : “2008 Wrangler Rust Issues anyone?”

this is a normal thing,driving in rain ect,nothing to worry about.

the slight rust is cause by condesation on the undersides and its normal and eventually it will rust through but it will take many years

I am having the same problems.  I bought a 2008 Jeep Wrangler in September and the muffler looks worse than my old Camaro's.  I took it back and they suggested painting it black with grill paint.  After much complaining, they agreed to put on a new muffler (painted).  I hope this fixes the problem rather than masking it???  I'm also concerned with the rust on the door hinges.  They shabbily cleaned it off once.  However, they told me to expect it to come back and that I should grease the inside of the hinges.  I love the Jeep.  However, with it only being 8 months old and having 3,000 miles, I wonder how it's going to look in 2 years???  Let me know what happens with your's.

I have a 2008 two door that I bought in October with 7k on it right now.  My muffler is covered in rust and looks tacky with a brand new Jeep.  I also have a 2001 Jeep that my daughter drives, same muffler, way less rust. I think it's an issue with the new ones. The dealership won't acknowledge it being an issue.  I understand it's not a problem to worry about, but I forked out a lot of money and the back of my 2008 vehicle looks like hell.

I also have a yellow 2008 four-door wrangler with rust on the muffler and door hinges. I spoke with someone at Jeep's warranty division who told me that should be covered for 5 years or 100,000 miles. It is body rust. The problem lies with the pin in the hinge. If that is a problem, perhaps Jeep needs to address the issue of the simple pin before they encounter class action law suits! I love my Jeep, but not the hassles I have been getting this week. I know many people with jeeps who have not had these problems. They own older jeeps. Maybe that is the problem. Cutting corners is not good. Another thing we noticed was that the roll cage is not completely painted. We were putting our soft top on this summer and pulled the padding back. SURPRISE! Not all yellow. What a load of crap.

have an 07 4 door i love. hinges rusted last year with about 15,000 miles so i called chrysler and they had to pay to get hinges repainted. again, this year with 32,000 miles, same problem so the dealer is repainting them one last time at no charge to me. looks like i will be putting on some stainless steel door hinges next year. they run around $250

I have a 2008 4 door Sahara. Bought it in September of '08. It has 8,000 miles and rust above every tire, on all the hinges, and around the bolts that are around the windshield. my muffler and exhaust are also looking awful with rust. brought it to dealer and they buffed out the hinges. for a $30,000 car this shouldnt be happening. any suggestions?

I have a 2008 4-door Jeep Sahara with 4,000 miles on it and my door hinges are rusting as well. I took it to the dealship I purchased it from and they told me to take it to a Jeep dealship with a body shop, explain the problem, they will take pictures and then send them to Chrysler to review. My response to them; "So.... in the mean time I just sit back and watch the rust go from the hinge pins to the hinges to the doors."  I got the blank look. I had a 1998 Chevy Silverado Z71 pickup truck that never saw the inside of a garage, drove through all kinds of weather in Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Maryland, yet only had two little rust spots on the tailgate. That was with 196,000 miles on it. I think Chryler has a problem with their door hinges they really need to fix.   

I have a 2007 Wrangler Unlimited that I bought brand new. My door hinges were all rusted after 5 months! They were fixed before the warranty was up. Now they are rusted again and I was told they won't do anything. It's not their fault. I guess it's mine somehow. I take good care of my Jeep. I've never been off-roading. I'm the mother of three young children. I thought I bought a new reliable vehicle. I bought an expensive piece of s---!There are more problems than that. Today I told customer service that I hope they file chapter 11, I hope the business goes under, and I'm wishing they all lose their jobs because they don't stand behind their product. Can you feel my level of frustration???

I bought mine last year, exactly the same as you, and we have the same problem. The best thing you can do is to oil treat your Jeep . The pipe are very cheap but either if they look rusted, they last for long. I had the same reaction and it's normal,like you said ,for a 30,000 $ truck,it's kinda pissing off !!!!

I see the surface rust on the drive shafts, and a little on the seams of the muffler, not to much to worry about.  What I have to agree with is the person who commented on the hinges.  I saw the same thing and though how ridiculous it looks to have a jeep that is 1 year old and corroded hinges. I am disappointed on that fact.  Other than that I have not seen the rust as bad as other explained on the muffler.  My suggestion is to start saving now for a a low restriction exhaust to go the the High flow intake I know everyone will probably put on soon.... :-)

it is a normal thing for jeeps to rust but what u can do to stop the rust on vitle parts of the jeep is use the spray insulation foam u get in cans and fill the frame with it so water cant get in and rust it out from the inside outt and what u can also do is get this stuff called por 15 and cote what is already rusty and whats not and it wil stop the spread of rust

2007 jeep wrangler JK sahara unlimited rusting muffler >spent $500.00 on a gibson stainless steel dual performance muffler problem solved,sounds awsome too!

Yeah salt and Metal dont mix very well. I spend laborious hours at a 4x4 shop in the BX NY (JP'S Crawler and 4x4), I own several jeeps all older.. 81cj8, 83cj8,87yj, 89yj, 97tj,  73 international scout..  anyhoo they all get their frame Hercalined or some sort or rust frame sealing... roll it on in some dirty clothes. and it will help prevent water/oxygen and salt from getting on the frame.. From years of looking at cars/trucks  dirt and grime can be lifesavers as rust preventative..so dont be a clean freak, unless youve taken preventative measures. You know the snow is gonna touch the frame!

Rust never sleeps

Rust on non-stainless exhaust parts is pretty much standard on all vehicles. The corrosive undercarriage environment is only exacerbated by the heat of the exhaust (heat speeds up chemical reactions). my suggestion is to get some POR-15 paint and some por15 thinner and put a few thinned out coats on the rusted parts. The rust you're talking about is mostly superficial, so time isn't critical.  Do it sometime in the summer so it has plenty of drying time before winter. The Rusty OEM exhaust on my 03 TJ is still going strong after all these years.  i Painted the driveshafts a year ago (thinned out coats, the por 15 penetrates into the rust).
As for the dude who said to fill the frame with sealing foam?-  DON"T DO THAT!!!
That stuff acts like a big sponge and will only hold water and salt in your frame and rot it!!!
The jeep should be put on  a hill and the frame hosed out every spring.
I also use LPS spray galvanize on any bare metal or rust.  The stuff works awesome.... not on exhaust though.
Remember- there's a big difference between a Jeep and an Audi.

As for the rusted hinges- if it's the hinge pin itself, i'd recommend some Never Seize. Take the door off and put a light but even coat on the pin.
I'd totally Agree  with being pissed off about rust on painted surfaces and around bolts and such on such a young jeep.  Perhaps the Quality has gone down since I bought mine.  Electrical issues were the norm when i bought mine.
I seriously think you need to be a mechanic to successfully own a Jeep!

Here here on the mechanic part, but isn't that the fun of a Jeep, because they are so easy to work on.  Chrysler has never been high on the list in quality.  American motor either, but as sophisticated as cars are now its seems they could figure out how to make a car that doesn't rust in one year....

Bought a custom ordered 2008 Wrangler, garage kept every day and less than 3M miles and all the exhaust and joints are rusted.  Have read many comments from owners and only a few with months of arguing had a dealer help out.  I was told by one service person it was due to cheaper exhausts used, even though Chrysler will deny.  I will spend $600 and put on new exhaust, that is under warranty.  This will be the last US car I buy, have lost all faith. My 04 Lexus sits outside all winter every year, no rust!  

I have the same problem; will a lawyer take a class action suit while they are in chapter 11; ever other car on the road does not have this problem; there is something worng & the should fix or replace the jeep; thank god mine is leased on tey can have it back next year..

its a common problem with jeep wranglers.  they always rust.  they always have.  you should have researched that before buying one.  now had you bought a toyota or mazda from ten or fifteen years ago you should expect those to rust out also.  dont stop buying american cars because a jeep wrangler got rust.  its a commonly known problem with them.  hence the only reason i didnt buy one.  

I have the exact same problem! I had problems with shaking/vibrating in the steering column (which of course they say is "normal,") and then within 5 months, my whole entire Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 2008 COMPLETELY rusted out. They have given me the run around and said it is "normal." I won't stand for it! Anyone reading this post that wants to email me their issue/contact info. with rusting or steering problems in the Jeep Wranger Unlimited 2008
( Sahara, other 2008 models etc..), I will gladly take it to a class action lawyer when there are enough of us, and see if anyone is interested in taking on the case. I am continuing to move forward with this legally, and I will not back down until this matter is resolved. Seems like too many people to just ignore. Email me at jencme35@yahoo.com with your rust issues and your contact info. and let's see if someone will accept this as a class action suit. Until that time, I will continue dealing with my own Jeep under the lemon law. Don't back down- continue your fight! Backing down is just what they attempt to drive you in to doing. Go and seek legal council! As far as comments about Jeeps always rusting, that is not accurate. I was a Jeep owner for years in the rain, sleet and snow and NEVER had any rust on my YJ! Nonsense!

Recall ID # 08V202000 - SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS - Hide Details
Recall Date: MAY 06, 2008
Component: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
Model Affected: WRANGLER
Potential Units Affected: 1709  

Recall Date:
MAY 06, 2008


Model Affected:
2008 JEEP WRANGLER


Summary:
CHRYSLER IS RECALLING 1,585 MY 2007-2008 JEEP WRANGLER, RIGHT HAND DRIVE ONLY, VEHICLES. SOME VEHICLES MAY HAVE INSUFFICIENT CLEARANCE BETWEEN THE STEERING INTERMEDIATE SHAFT AND REAR BRAKE TUBES.


Consequence:
PROLONGED BRAKE TUBE CONTACT COULD WEAR A HOLE IN THE TUBE AND CAUSE A PARTIAL BRAKE SYSTEM LOSS. THIS COULD CAUSE A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.


Remedy:
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A REVISED BRAKE TUBE CLIP TO RETAIN THE TUBES, INSPECT THE BRAKE TUBES FOR DAMAGE DUE TO POTENTIAL CONTACT WITH THE STEERING INTERMEDIATE SHAFT, AND REPLACE THE BRAKE TUBES IF NECESSARY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 30, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.


Potential Units Affected:
1709


Notes:
CHRYSLER LLC H17

I have a 2007 Jeep Wrangler and have the same problem with the door hinges, the paint is all bubbled and rusting from underneath. I was told the undercarriage is so rusted that if I ever need to replace something like a u joint I'll probably have to replace the whole front end.
Jeep has a 5 year corrosion warranty but my local dealer said he could not make that decision, it's is up to the Chrysler district manager. They had my Jeep for 41 days until the Chrysler rep came to look at it. He denied the claim saying it is "surface rust" and attributed it to "environmental causes" because I live on the Gulf Coast. The local service manager disagreed with him but he said there is nothing he can do. He feels I have a good case against them. Unfortunately I can't afford an attorney.

There are a couple of things you can do.
1. File a complaint with the NHTSA division of the U.S. Dept. of Transportation. The more documented complaints they receive the better because it establishes a pattern. If there enough complaints they can force a recall. It is a lengthy process, but filing the complaint is quick and easy.
2 Contact your state's Attorney General.
3. Contact the Federal Trade Commission
4. File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.
You can file complaints with all these organizations online quickly and easily. I did it in under 1 hour.
Again, the more documented complaints and negative publicity this gets, the better.
Anyone up for a class action suit?

2007 4 dr Wrangler  hinges are corroding under the paint on all doors as well as the suspension, exhaust, frame, bolts around windshield etc. Hood latches are almost white despite the $600.00 Simonize package. Driver's door had a knocking sound, dealer "fixed" it, door started popping open..adjusted it myself.  My dealer was shut down in the gov't takeover so I have to find another.  A florida car kept under cover 20 hrs a day? Come on!