2021 Roof rust spots

I have 2021 tundra which I purchased new and found a couple rust spots on the roof. The dealership where I purchased the truck is trying to tell me the rust is a result of rock chips and mag chloride got in and is causing the rust. When I look really close it appears to me that it has bubbled under the paint and broke through to the surface, perhaps there was moisture or something on the surface prior to paint. I just have a hard time believing that a 1 year old truck would have rust issues like this, I’m not even located in the rust belt. I’m in Colorado and no salt is used. Any help would be appreciated on how to move forward with Toyota.

 

I'm not an expert at all but that is typically what is it looks like when rust starts. It bubbles out the paint from underneath. You sure they don't use salt in Colorado? You guys get a lot more snow than us on the east coast and they salt like crazy over here. Being that its on the roof and out of site might be a good thing for a cheap DIY fix with a little sanding, touch up paint, compound and polish. It wont look great but you wont see it and it wont get worse.

 

CDOT says it's still a good idea to wash off the mag chloride because it's still "less corrosive". I don't miss living in Aurora at all.

 

I’m pretty sure it’s just mag chloride out here but I may be wrong. Even the under carriage is rust free, no signs of rust anywhere else. My concern is it’s a 2021 that saw one mild winter,I planned on keeping this truck for at least 10 years as I did with my previous truck's but what will it look like in 5 years. You don’t see much rust out here and that’s why I’m a bit nervous and hoping Toyota would take care of it. I understand that the spots are on the roof but I have never had issues like this in the past. I also have a 94 land cruiser that doesn’t have a sign of rust anywhere, guess we’ll see what Toyota says but I will have a hard time if they do not fix the issue.

 

That's covered under warranty. I would get that fixed right away.

 

yes Colorado only uses Mag Chloride, but that stuff is nasty also, look at the dead trees along all the mountain roads, it is from that stuff. It will also eat up the concrete in your driveway and garage. You know all that weird white filmy dust you clean out of your garage every spring? Mag Chloride.
So while none of that has anything to do with rust on a 1 year old truck, it’s a good thing to run your vehicle through a car wash in between storms all winter long.

Aurora sucks

Take that truck back under warranty

 

No way that's from a single rock chip and salt, esp on a 21.

 

Appreciate all the reply’s. I’ve been waiting for a couple weeks for an answer from the dealership, last week I was told Toyota stated the pics are inconclusive and wanted additional pics which I sent over to them and I’m still waiting for an answer. Just not sure on how to move forward as this truck should not be rusting like this and a bit worried it may not be covered by the warranty.

 

take it to another dealership

 

I don't know how ya'll put up with this.

 

Rock chips ? - on the ROOF ?? Without context of where it’s chipped - hard to say - but overall difficult to believe it’s stone chips from road debris on the roof (it’s a big truck - the hood and the windshield would be absolutely peppered before you’d expect to see any on the roof - and then only the leading edge above the windshield).

THEN saying it’s a result of snow melt - again - how in the hell is that stuff getting kicked up that high ?!? Are you following a gravel truck 8 months of the year that’s untapped and then a snow plow the other 4 months of the year ? I’m calling BS on that excuse.

It’s a combination of thin paint and thin metal. Obviously a roof is a thinner metal than most any part of the truck - as it doesn’t NEED to be heavier steel. Still - shouldn’t be doing this within 2 years (worst case let’s say your 21 was made in late 20). That needs to be stripped down/properly refinished and then a good coat of wax or ceramic coat applied.

Hell I’d ceramic the entire truck seeing that happening so quickly - not just the usual spots. I’ve seen trucks driven in strip pits daily not show that level of damage so quickly.

 

Any updates from Toyota? I noticed a rust spot on the driver’s side bed panel of my 2020 Pro. Hard to make out on the picture but there’s definitely some orange developing on there.

 

I found a chip on my 2020 roof last week when washing it, but it looks like an actual chip. OP's pic appears to have bubbling under the paint around it, which thankfully mine doesn't have. We used to live where they salted and/or used the liquid solution, and we never saw rust issues develop that fast (under paint penetration). Granted, we frequently ran them through carwashes with undercarriage wash in the winter - OP likely keeps his clean too I would guess.

I think the OP's truck has to have something else going on - I would assume from an issue during prep/paint at the factory (but I'm no paint specialist by any means). Hope Toyota treats him right on this one.

 

Thanks! Mine is definitely not bubbling as with OP’s truck, we’ll not yet at least, but definitely some rust there . I just don’t want it to get any worse and definitely don’t want to get the runaround with the Dealership.

 

Those chips and subsequent rust spots shouldn’t be happening until the clear coat wears down after many years, not a couple. I have a bug guard that keeps most of them off my hood but I can’t protect the roof.

 

I cleaned the rust that was forming out best I could with the touch up paint pen/kit, then blobbed the paint on to seal it. It's not the prettiest, but being on the roof I was more concerned with stopping the damage. In a more visible location, you might ask you dealership who they have touch up rock chips on their used cars. I've used those guys in the past and (the skilled ones) do real good work. They typically prep the spot and air-brush it to match/blend. Used to be fairly cheap. Just another option to consider.