Rust around tail gate handle?

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RND1

RND1

10 Year 15 Year
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Nov 16, 2010
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Location
Chelmsford, MA
Hello! I've been searching for a 2004/2005 Hundy in my local area (Boston) and every one I've seen has rust forming around the tail gate handle. Is this a design flaw? I just drove a flawless 2005 with only 63K miles on it and it too had this rust. The dealer was shocked when I pointed it out to them. Has anyone found a solution for this?

I've never bought a vehicle without seeing it and driving it, but I'm now thinking that I should look south or west for a rust free example and have it shipped? TIA.
 
Mine had it, I got it fixed once, it's coming back though. It was a NY truck for 10 years.
 
It's "normal". My 2004 has it. Had it fixed last year and will do again this year. cheap maintenance to do it. Take a look at the drain holes back there too. Mine were sanded down when I did it last year.
 
Yup, it's quite normal. Have it on my 2002 LC and my parents also have it on their 2005 LX. Where in Boston are you?
 
dreamcruiser80 said:
It's "normal". My 2004 has it. Had it fixed last year and will do again this year. cheap maintenance to do it. Take a look at the drain holes back there too. Mine were sanded down when I did it last year.
Click to expand...

Can you elaborate on how you had it fixed and what it cost (cheap maintenance)? I talked to one of the Land Cruiser guys in NH and they said it's not a cheap fix and to find one without the rust.
 
lhommec13 said:
Yup, it's quite normal. Have it on my 2002 LC and my parents also have it on their 2005 LX. Where in Boston are you?
Click to expand...

Wow, even your parents '05 LX has it? Must be a design problem with water not draining properly. Wonder if the non-rust belt cars have this problem? I'm in Chelmsford.
 
I have the same on my 2000. Body shop wants $250 to grind it out, fill, seal, prime, and paint. Seems like a good price to me.
 
Given the location it really wouldn't be hard to DIY. Sand the inside and outside to metal, apply appropriate inhibitor, prime, mask off the area, apply something durable like bed liner. It's not like anyone sees it. Heck, I'd view it as an improvement given the poor factory design.
 
Mine started rusting too. It is not because of leaks. It happens because the gasket material they use is porous foam rubber. Once it gets wet it stays wet, and then promotes the rust. They get wet from water coming up from underneath caused by turbulence.
Check your number plate lights as well. They use the same type of gasket material and will eventually start to rust.
I removed all of mine, repaired the rust, and replaced the gasket material with bicycle inner tube rubber.
Problem solved. No more rust so far after 2 years. (Knock on metal!)
Good luck.
 
badlander said:
Mine started rusting too. It is not because of leaks. It happens because the gasket material they use is porous foam rubber. Once it gets wet it stays wet, and then promotes the rust. They get wet from water coming up from underneath caused by turbulence.
Check your number plate lights as well. They use the same type of gasket material and will eventually start to rust.
I removed all of mine, repaired the rust, and replaced the gasket material with bicycle inner tube rubber.
Problem solved. No more rust so far after 2 years. (Knock on metal!)
Good luck.
Click to expand...

Badlander, did you get this rust even in Florida or was your car up north? I'm considering an '04 in Florida and was assuming it would be rust free?
 
Mine came from Indianna and spent some of it's winters in Fl.
The body is in good shape but the underside has some pretty ugly stuff in places. I have spent a lot of time under there trying to halt the destruction. Florida trucks are better than northern trucks but we still get tons of rain in the summer. Worse than that, some people feel the need to drive on the salty beach and through the salt water, which I could never understand. That has got to be the absolute worst thing you can do to a vehicle.
I agree with 1LoudX and would go to the south west to purchase another one, if I ever need to.
 
My handle snapped off from the rust last week, I am going to have to get a whole new tailgate...
 
I had the same problem in my 2000 LC at 75k, pinch weld was going with the handle/latch. Replaced whole hatch with one from an LX found the scrap hatch on the dismantler web sites for $500. Install would have been a one banana job but for a torqued hinge on the replacement hatch that I was too dumb to diagnose. Ohio winters are rough, my belief is that the high mounted brake light is leaky and the water does not drain properly on many trucks. Step one, seal light with silicone, step 2 clear drain holes, step three waxoyl inside of
hatch through interior latch and other access holes. I think it worked. The LX hatch had the beginnings of the same problem, but it has not gotten any worse.
 
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