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Rear Wheel Well Rust - Frame/Suspension shot?

32K views 47 replies 34 participants last post by  Heyitsrick 
#1 ·
So Ive got a 2005 Ford Escape Limited that I have owned since mile 0. Currently have just under 116,000 miles on it. Recently it has developed a loud creak and rattle noise from the right rear when going over bumps. I didnt think the shocks could be the problem since they were done 18,000 miles ago. But in looking at the wheel well Im worried I have a much larger issue...

The wheel well is covered in rust and looks to be cracked thru all along where the shock mounts. Ill try and post a pic as well. The metal is totally rusted and flaking off, I can see thru the wheel well metal/coating to the frame. Am I totally screwed or is the wheel well more cosmetic and my suspension/frame mount is okay?



 
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#3 ·
meyer_22 said:
Hmmmm - pic upload did not work, let me try again...

Dang that is a lot of rust. I thought mine was getting bad as the roads are salted here in Mi. But I would think a 05 should NOT be rusted that bad. My 95 S-10 has very little rust not even in the cab corners. This is really sad that a Car maker can't stop the rust but guess they like it makes us need to buy a new one. Did have a Chevy Van that the frame broke from rust, body looked great! Good luck and would hope the shock is mounted to something heaver then tin!
Don
 
#4 ·
They all go like that around where I live (eastern canada). Take it to a welding shop and they should be able to do something, you'll be on borrowed time though so I'd start looking for another vehicle. I've already junked 06 escapes because there were holes everywhere.
 
#5 ·
Yeah, I live in SE Michigan and the car is kept outside so the salted roads and winters have done a number on it. Looks like it might be time for a new purchase. Wonder what I can get on trade in for the car with this major rusting issue in the wheel well. Other than that the car is fine mechanically and has only minor dings/dents in the body and some slight rust on the rear hatch...
 
#6 ·
Around where I live there is a minimum $1000 trade in. Time to upgrade to a 08+ or get an F-150
 
#7 ·
I'm amazed that a 2005 would have that serious a rust problem! Ford must have been way behind the power curve with their rust proofing compared to other manufactureres of that same era!
 
#8 ·
Wow that's pretty bad. My 05 is rusting in the same spot. There is some kind of underbody coating (not sure if it's factory applied) and there were cracks in it which captured dirt and moisture right against the metal in several "pockets". Needless to say I went to town on the rest of the coating and covered everything I could with some rust converting primer. I hope it buys me a few more years before I need another car.
 
#9 ·
I'd talk to the Ford people. I remember there is some guarantee against 'perforation' type rust that lasts a long time. It may be the rust warranty is still in effect.
If not, I'd be cleaning all the rust with a wire brush, and use a 'rust converter' chemical solution to prepare before priming and painting.
I cannot see if the rusted out areas affect the shock mount integrity, but if the mount is wobbly, I'd get someone handy with a torch to weld in some sheet metal, then do the converter, prime, and paint. If you don't, it will continue to deteriorate.
I think someone in the factory got a little too tight with the anti-rust on this model as I have rust in the tailgate where the outer skin folds over the inner shell. It may be a replacement tailgate, but still was a FoMoCo product.
Others have reported rusted out rear fenders at the edge that defines the wheel cutout.
tom
 
#10 ·
I have a 2004 mazda tribute, about 80k miles, and it is in the shop right now because the back/right tire well was completely rusted through. You could see through my car and into the trunk (sorry I don't have pictures). I took it to 3 shops and each one said they had never seen anything like it. My guy ordered the well and it took over a week to be delivered. When my guy asked Mazda why it took so long, the mazda guy said that they can't keep the part in stock: everyone's back/right tire well is rusted. He said he was surprised that there hasn't been a recall. And so am I because each guy said DO NOT DRIVE this car anymore until you get it fixed (granted I'm a girl and they might have been trying to scare me). Costing me $1500 plus another couple hundred for a rental. I love my tribute but I don't think I will get another mazda/ford when this one dies. Don't know if any of this helps you but you can take comfort that you are not alone!
 
#11 ·
I've got a 2003 Tribute, and I've been lucky that my floor and wheel wells don't have severe rust in them.

...that said, this spring I found there is a hole right through the top of my tailgate, and my rear fender edges, where the doors are have rusted through....only a matter of time now...
 
#12 ·
My 2006 Escape had the same problem.Ford would do nothing for me. My Ford dealer referred me to a local welder that works on cars. I located a junk Escape and purchased the rear passenger quarter. The welder cut the rusted section out and welded a section of the junk wheel well in place. My 06 is a hybrid, the rust extends up to the rear battery. The welder would not touch the battery so I had the Escape towed to Ford to have the battery removed then towed back to the welder. When the wheel well is fixed I will then need to have the Escape towed back to ford to have the battery reinstalled. This process will take a month by the time I get my vehicle back. Thankfully I have AAA, they covered all the towing costs. I do like this car and was very disappointed that Ford will do nothing for me. By the way the wheel well replacement from Ford is on a 3 month back order, that is why I went with the junk replacement.
I hope this works and the other side does not do the same thing. I have purchased nothing but Fords since 1985, I will look at other makers for my next vehicle.
 
#14 ·
You got me scared, I went out to the garage and examined my wheel wells really close. No rust or anything like that at all, the previous owner really rustproofed the heck out of the wells. As for those who aren't so fortunate as I was. I hope you get your problems fixed, this is a heck of a safety issue...

EDIT: I think what has also helped me is that the first owner of my Escape lived in Texas. But he had extra rustproofing done anyway... :yes:
 
#17 ·
Took my 05 Escape to the mechanic today to check the brake system and he mentioned some stuff about recalls. I got home and checked http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchComplaints to see if I could find stuff on the brake system but the majority of complaints were about this problem -the shock mount in rear wheel well is completely rusted and causing serious problems. Now I'm worried about this as well and I'm going to check the condition of my mount - hopefully it's ok....
 
#20 ·
I had the same problem on our 2005 Escape XLS. At the time it had 76,000 miles. My wife complained of a rattle/bang in the back of the car. I was shocked with what I found. The passenger side was very bad and I even found a few small holes on the driver side once I got the interior removed. In my opinion the damage was caused by moisture/salt/debris finding imperfections in the under coating and was then trapped between the undercoat and the body until it rotted away. This happened in April 2013. I did a complete 4 wheel brake job and tire rotation in October 2012 and there were no signs of imminent failure because all of the undercoat was still in place, even if there was no metal behind it. I was chipping away undercoat during the repair that had no metal left behind it at all. I did all the repair work myself, making my own patch panels and the better part of 20 hours cleaning, cutting, welding, and grinding. The repair may not be body shop perfect but the price was right. On top of it all, a squirrel got in through the hole overnight and chewed on a trim piece and the center rear seat belt :wall:

Moral of the story: Your escape may be rusting away and you might not even be able to see it unless you remove the rear interior panels.

It is not accepting the links to my individual pictures, but the album can be found here: http://s81.photobucket.com/user/shuteme ... ape%20Rust
 
#21 ·
shuteme00 said:
It is not accepting the links to my individual pictures, but the album can be found here: http://s81.photobucket.com/user/shuteme ... ape%20Rust
BRAVO!
Love your work and thank you for the pictures!!
I put myself through college in Buffalo fixing rust, moved to Texas immediately after graduation.....largely to get away from northern winters!.....Being a certified car fanatic, rust is the last thing I ever want to see!
 
#22 ·
Another victim... 2005 Escape Limited V6, 145,900 miles.
Noticed rattling from rear and thought it was "stuff" in rear compartment. After a couple days it advanced to a loud THUD upon hitting larger bumps. Noticed the handling felt like a bad shock on right rear, but looked under to see it was no longer connected...
Did a quick search this morning to find several complaints on another forum, many on the NHTSA, and its own Facebook page! :cuss:
 
#23 ·
I have a ford escape 2011 with 34000 kms or 21000 miles. Squeaking sound onthe right rear part cameabout last year and broughtit to the dealer and was told that they had to replace some bushing. It was gone then its now back again. I was checking underneath and found some rust on the wheel well on both sides of the rear whell well. I am so disappointed seeing this!!!! Is this still covered by warranty? I always take it for a yearly rust proofing to protect it from the salt during winter here in Canada. Any thoughts on this matter?
 
#24 ·
Yeah our 2010 has a big piece of paint missing on the rear fender lip. Probably about 4 inches long. Rust on the bottom of the hatch. The paint they use these days and primer is junk. I like our 10 and 13 year old Fords but the more problems i have with this 2010 makes me think their quality is now gone and are making garbage like other manufacturers. The problem with the exploding rear windows is another topic all by itself. I noticed white corrosion where the hinges bolt through the top of the window, not rust or salt but from the metal degrading, will post pictures so others can see.
 
#25 ·
That's some nasty rust through you've got there. I heard the same thump from the right wheel well area of my Tribute, fortunately it was just dead shocks for me. Manage to replace them myself without too much difficulty. There was a bit of rust where the shock stud rested. But the base metal is still solid after 14 years. I guess the original rust proofing pay dividend.
 
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