Cobra is sick

[Coy]

I am new to this forum. last week I took my new 04 Cobra with 1,000 miles to a ford house for a popping noise to the rear end. When the guys put it up on the rack, I observed that the underneath was severely corroded and rusted. The stainless steel exhaust system is brown through-out with rust. Bolts.nuts, pulleys, clips, are pitted bad. One bolt you could not even put a wrench on the is so rounded off. I have not run over anything and only have had it for two months. I am still waiting for a phone call from the local ford rep. I suggest that you folks take a look under your Cobra's. Mine could be the only one,but may not be. Looking for suggestions.:(

[venomous]

Sorry to hear about that man. That really sucks. Are you up in one of the northern states that snows alot. Rust is frequent under cars that are driven on snowy, salty roads. Maybe this was the problem? :doubt:

[Coy]

Negative, even the guys over at my local ford house are astounded, they say that they have never seen anything like this. I live in south central US, we barely even get any snow,the roads are not salted down. It almost looks as if the bottom of the car was sitting somwhere saly water though. You cannot see the damage by looking though the engine compartment.I am new to this forum. last week I took my new 04 Cobra with 1,000 miles to a ford house for a popping noise to the rear end. When the guys put it up on the rack, I observed that the underneath was severely corroded and rusted. The stainless steel exhaust system is brown through-out with rust. Bolts.nuts, pulleys, clips, are pitted bad. One bolt you could not even put a wrench on the is so rounded off. I have not run over anything and only have had it for two months. I am still waiting for a phone call from the local ford rep. I suggest that you folks take a look under your Cobra's. Mine could be the only one,but may not be. Looking for suggestions.:(

[Firme]

Coy, welcome to the board, and hope to see you around more often.

Sorry to hear about your problem. That happened to a local guy here in Houston. He was lucky enough to have discovered the rust 3 days after getting the car home. His radiator bracket had almost rusted all the way through. He took it back to the dealer expecting to get the run around, but instead, they looked at it, hudled up and came back and told him to pick another 04 off of the lot, as easy as that. I hope they are as kind with a 2 month old car.

Get them to find the history of the car. I think the local guy did, and they found that the car had sat in some lot up north for a while, which they figured was the cause since car's don't really rust in houston.

You technically have a warranty on paint defect. If they say sorry, then say "Fix it under warranty" and they may rethink their answer.

[Coy]

Thanks Firme, for replying. I actually live in Kerrville just west of San Antonio where I purchased the car. I think that I am getting the run around. It will be a week since Northside Ford looked at my car. I guess I may have to call Ford direct and start complaining. Northside, said that they would get the Ford representative to call me. Now here it is a week now and no call. I am sure the guys at ford would have offered me a new car, but guess not. I really don't want it fixed. The damage is very bad, they would have to completely redue the everything under the car and then some. Meanwhile, I am still making car payments.Coy, welcome to the board, and hope to see you around more often.

Sorry to hear about your problem. That happened to a local guy here in Houston. He was lucky enough to have discovered the rust 3 days after getting the car home. His radiator bracket had almost rusted all the way through. He took it back to the dealer expecting to get the run around, but instead, they looked at it, hudled up and came back and told him to pick another 04 off of the lot, as easy as that. I hope they are as kind with a 2 month old car.

Get them to find the history of the car. I think the local guy did, and they found that the car had sat in some lot up north for a while, which they figured was the cause since car's don't really rust in houston.

You technically have a warranty on paint defect. If they say sorry, then say "Fix it under warranty" and they may rethink their answer.

[Firme]

Coy

call:

Phone: 800-392-3673

Hours of Operation:
8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. ET. (Monday-Friday)
9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. ET. (Saturday)

That should be ford Customer care. File a complaint on the car and the dealerships handling of the matter if they are giving you the run around. This SHOULD light a fire under someone. It has helped me before, hope it helps you.

[Big Will]

Same thing with my 04 cobra! The rust on the exhaust pipes right after the stainless steel tips look like years of exposure.A seal in the gas tank failed, the check engine light can on and stayed on, not to mention every morning the belts sound like there are a hundred canarys living under my hood. But when I step on the gas pedal,oooooooooo baby!!!!!!!:D

[Coy]

Firme,

I did what you said. I called the 1-800 number. Customer service said that I will be recieving a phone call in about three days from the Ford Rep. With a location to meet. :bounce: They said the Ford Rep. was out sick.:doubt: I will let you know what his answer to me will be. I am still skeptical though.
Thanks.
Coy

call:

Phone: 800-392-3673

Hours of Operation:
8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. ET. (Monday-Friday)
9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. ET. (Saturday)

That should be ford Customer care. File a complaint on the car and the dealerships handling of the matter if they are giving you the run around. This SHOULD light a fire under someone. It has helped me before, hope it helps you.

[Firme]

I will let you know what his answer to me will be. I am still skeptical though.
Thanks.

Good luck man, its a start.

[Coy]

Good luck man, its a start.
Firme,

Well, it has been a while since I last replied. But, I did not have any news on my 2004 Cobra. I recieved a phone call today stating that I will have my car replaced with a brand new one.:bounce: All I have to do is sign on the bootom line (again) and what color I want. I will get the final details on Thursday as far as a pick up date. I have since learned that their have been several more 2004 Cobra's in far worse shape than mine. It's a shame that this has occurred to such fine supercars.
Thanks for your advise.
Coy

[cobracrazy]

That is really strange. I am glad you will get a good result out of Ford. Let us know if you ever find out what the deal is.

[Firme]

Glad to know they are replacing the vehicle. If I had to guess, there was a probably a batch that sat at some shipping yard or area that had something that caused this.

Good luck with the new one Coy, and hope you have much better luck with it. Just give this one a real good inspection. Hope you decide the club also :thumbsup: as our member base is starting to grow in San Antonio, and hopefully you guys can get together and have a bunch of SCMC events there.

[MikeyC]

Coy


Just bought an '04 vert 2 weeks ago and am on my way to the garage to crawl under it. Getting a lot of noise during shifting - 'clunks' in the rear end area.

My sister lives in Kerrville - I think the area is called River Hills. Her name is Wanda Kemp Maxson. Used to be involved in selling real estate in River Hills. Pretty much retired now.

I live in Pinehurst, NC and the dealer got the Cobra from another one here in NC. Hope I don't find the same rust problem you had. Sounds like from a later message that they plan on replacing it. Too bad you had to go through the pain with a brand new car. Picking up a new one is one of the great pleasures of mankind.

Mike Critzer
2004 Redfire Cobra Convertable
I am new to this forum. last week I took my new 04 Cobra with 1,000 miles to a ford house for a popping noise to the rear end. When the guys put it up on the rack, I observed that the underneath was severely corroded and rusted. The stainless steel exhaust system is brown through-out with rust. Bolts.nuts, pulleys, clips, are pitted bad. One bolt you could not even put a wrench on the is so rounded off. I have not run over anything and only have had it for two months. I am still waiting for a phone call from the local ford rep. I suggest that you folks take a look under your Cobra's. Mine could be the only one,but may not be. Looking for suggestions.:(

[MikeyC]

Coy


Me again. Just got back from the garage and saw quite a bit of rust, especially on the exhaust system. Actually looked like on the the mufflers had holes in it!! Looked under my wife's 2003 Aviator and everything is as clean as can be and it has 15,000 miles on it. I'll be visiting my local Ford dealer on Thursday with blood in my eye. Talked to the guy who sold it to me and he had not heard anything about a rust problem with the new ones. Hope they as cooperative as your dealer, I get REAL passionate about my cars.

Mike
I am new to this forum. last week I took my new 04 Cobra with 1,000 miles to a ford house for a popping noise to the rear end. When the guys put it up on the rack, I observed that the underneath was severely corroded and rusted. The stainless steel exhaust system is brown through-out with rust. Bolts.nuts, pulleys, clips, are pitted bad. One bolt you could not even put a wrench on the is so rounded off. I have not run over anything and only have had it for two months. I am still waiting for a phone call from the local ford rep. I suggest that you folks take a look under your Cobra's. Mine could be the only one,but may not be. Looking for suggestions.:(

[davelegguy]

It sounds like your cars underside was somehow splashed with acid. Salt takes a lot more time to eat that much metal.

[Coy]

Coy


Me again. Just got back from the garage and saw quite a bit of rust, especially on the exhaust system. Actually looked like on the the mufflers had holes in it!! Looked under my wife's 2003 Aviator and everything is as clean as can be and it has 15,000 miles on it. I'll be visiting my local Ford dealer on Thursday with blood in my eye. Talked to the guy who sold it to me and he had not heard anything about a rust problem with the new ones. Hope they as cooperative as your dealer, I get REAL passionate about my cars.

Mike

Hello Mike,

Mike, I still have not been able to find out what the cause of the rust and corrosion is yet. My mufflers look the same way.(stainless steel)? I know for a fact that several Cobra's at Covert in Austin, which were sitting on their lot, were put up on a lift and the damage was tremendous. I took my car to two different dealers to see if they could give some info. All said that they had not seen this amount of damage on vehicles that were eight years old and driven in the northern states. I know how you feel, I had blood in my eyes as well. As, I sit here and write I am waiting for my phone call to pick up my new car in San Antonio. I am not familier with your sister, but this area is a nice place to live. I know several folks who have purchased GT's lately and they report no damage at all. If you have a problem they can call Wes Malik the ford Rep. for the San Antonio area. He is the person that I spoke to. You can bet before I drive my new car off their lot, it will be up in the air for a thorough inspection. I suspect that something happened with the mixture of metals or something like. Even salt could not destroy a vehicle that quick.

[MikeyC]

Coy


Took the car in on Thursday and the service manager took a lot of digital pictures of the underside. Don't think the damage is as great as what you had. Anyway, the svc mgr was going to huddle with the Ford rep and decide what to do. He mentioned getting the underside flushed and adding some sort of corrosion protection (undercoating??). I took a look at another '04 convertable on the lot and it was clean.

Talked to the folks at SVT Hotline (800-367-3788) and they weren't aware of a widespread problem. Maybe just didn't want to admit the liability. Said the car was manufactured on Feb 21st of the year in Dearborn and may have sat on the lot in snow/salt for a while. I'm trying to find out when it was shipped. They also said it may have been on the bottom of the hauler and had road salt splashed on it during transit from Michigan to North Carolina. They also said this should have been found by the dealer during the pre-delivery inspection. That's another point I intend to take up with the dealer I bought it from. Hopefully they will be as understanding as the folks in Texas.

Spent a few years living in Houston during the '80's and visited my sister in Kerrville several times. You're right, it's a beautiful place. Deer/antelope just roam around in her back yard.

Time to go for a quick cruise before I hit the golf course. Need my daily Cobra fix.

Mike
Hello Mike,

Mike, I still have not been able to find out what the cause of the rust and corrosion is yet. My mufflers look the same way.(stainless steel)? I know for a fact that several Cobra's at Covert in Austin, which were sitting on their lot, were put up on a lift and the damage was tremendous. I took my car to two different dealers to see if they could give some info. All said that they had not seen this amount of damage on vehicles that were eight years old and driven in the northern states. I know how you feel, I had blood in my eyes as well. As, I sit here and write I am waiting for my phone call to pick up my new car in San Antonio. I am not familier with your sister, but this area is a nice place to live. I know several folks who have purchased GT's lately and they report no damage at all. If you have a problem they can call Wes Malik the ford Rep. for the San Antonio area. He is the person that I spoke to. You can bet before I drive my new car off their lot, it will be up in the air for a thorough inspection. I suspect that something happened with the mixture of metals or something like. Even salt could not destroy a vehicle that quick.

[MikeyC]

Coy


What was the build date for your car? Mine was built Feb 21, 2004 and possibly sat for a while in Dearborn and also might have gotten the salt during transit to NC. Still waiting on word from the Ford rep on what they are going to do. The local dealer called yesterday and wanted to know how many miles I had on the car (1800). Not sure why they wanted to know. Think I'l give them the name of the Ford rep in San Antonio. Maybe that will move things along.

Mike
Hello Mike,

Mike, I still have not been able to find out what the cause of the rust and corrosion is yet. My mufflers look the same way.(stainless steel)? I know for a fact that several Cobra's at Covert in Austin, which were sitting on their lot, were put up on a lift and the damage was tremendous. I took my car to two different dealers to see if they could give some info. All said that they had not seen this amount of damage on vehicles that were eight years old and driven in the northern states. I know how you feel, I had blood in my eyes as well. As, I sit here and write I am waiting for my phone call to pick up my new car in San Antonio. I am not familier with your sister, but this area is a nice place to live. I know several folks who have purchased GT's lately and they report no damage at all. If you have a problem they can call Wes Malik the ford Rep. for the San Antonio area. He is the person that I spoke to. You can bet before I drive my new car off their lot, it will be up in the air for a thorough inspection. I suspect that something happened with the mixture of metals or something like. Even salt could not destroy a vehicle that quick.

[Coy]

Hello Mike,

Mike, the build date of my car was in January, but I don't know the exact (day) date. I bought the car the first week of March. That leaves only two months or less from where the car sat or whatever happened to it? A car just cannot get that messed up in less than two months.
I picked up my new car this past Thursday in San Antonio at NorthSide Ford. This is where I purchased the first car. I did a complete inspection and the car is basically spotless underneath. This time I got the Redfire coupe. I had a black one.
Mike, I will tell you this. The ford rep looked at my car and wrote down the mileage. It had 1758 miles. What they did was use the lemon law, then showed it as a lease purchase, as if I purchased it on the lease program. I bought the car outright. When the ford rep took down the mileage, I asked if I needed to stop driving it. I was told, "No", keep on driving it. When Ford sent me the paperwork, I was to be charged $500.00 plus .14 cents per mile over the 1758 miles. I just about blew a head gasket!:mad:
Anyway, I called around. I spoke with two guys, they said that was usual and customary. I still don't think that was right. When I signed the paperwork it was almost a complete washout, even though I had to pay a little extra for the so-called extra miles. I took the deal.
It appears that they may be attempting to do the same thing with your car. I also was told that these cars are shipped by (railroad). Now, what makes sense now? It took a month and a half to get the deal worked out. But I can tell you this I am very happy with my new car. Keep me informed if you can find out anything else. Coy

Coy


What was the build date for your car? Mine was built Feb 21, 2004 and possibly sat for a while in Dearborn and also might have gotten the salt during transit to NC. Still waiting on word from the Ford rep on what they are going to do. The local dealer called yesterday and wanted to know how many miles I had on the car (1800). Not sure why they wanted to know. Think I'l give them the name of the Ford rep in San Antonio. Maybe that will move things along.

Mike

[MikeyC]

Coy


Good news about your new Cobra. I have the Redfire vert and I think you will love the color. Put some Zaino on it and the color really 'pops'.

I'm still working with the local dealer on my problem. I don't think it is anywhere as bad as yours. Let me know your email address and I'll send you the pictures I took of the rust and salt.

The salt residue just brushes away - it doesn't seem to be a real problem. It's the rust on the exhaust system that concerns me the most. Also a little rust on some bolts and other parts. Not horrible but more than I think should be on a car I've only had a month. I had the dealer put another Cobra from their lot on the lift and it had hardly any rust - just a little bit on the exhaust, nothing like mine. The local guys told me they are going to recommend to the Ford rep that they replace the entire exhaust system, have the car's 'belly' power washed to remove any salt residue, sand and repaint any rusted areas, replace all rusty bolts and then undercoat it. Sounds like a fair deal given the amount of rust and salt I've seen. Let's hope the Ford guy agrees with their recommendation.

Have fun with the new redfire coupe. Let me know how you like the color.

Mike
Hello Mike,

Mike, the build date of my car was in January, but I don't know the exact (day) date. I bought the car the first week of March. That leaves only two months or less from where the car sat or whatever happened to it? A car just cannot get that messed up in less than two months.
I picked up my new car this past Thursday in San Antonio at NorthSide Ford. This is where I purchased the first car. I did a complete inspection and the car is basically spotless underneath. This time I got the Redfire coupe. I had a black one.
Mike, I will tell you this. The ford rep looked at my car and wrote down the mileage. It had 1758 miles. What they did was use the lemon law, then showed it as a lease purchase, as if I purchased it on the lease program. I bought the car outright. When the ford rep took down the mileage, I asked if I needed to stop driving it. I was told, "No", keep on driving it. When Ford sent me the paperwork, I was to be charged $500.00 plus .14 cents per mile over the 1758 miles. I just about blew a head gasket!:mad:
Anyway, I called around. I spoke with two guys, they said that was usual and customary. I still don't think that was right. When I signed the paperwork it was almost a complete washout, even though I had to pay a little extra for the so-called extra miles. I took the deal.
It appears that they may be attempting to do the same thing with your car. I also was told that these cars are shipped by (railroad). Now, what makes sense now? It took a month and a half to get the deal worked out. But I can tell you this I am very happy with my new car. Keep me informed if you can find out anything else. Coy

[Coy]

Hello Mike,

Mike, I think if I were you, I would go with the deal that the dealership is offering. It appears that the damage is not near as bad as my former Cobra. We had a guy here in Kerrville this past week that was going to put on Borla exhaust system. When they put it up on the rack they found that his Cobra had alot of damage underneath. He bought his Cobra in Austin. It appears that they are going to replace his car as well. I looked for the Zaino, but could not locate it here in Kerrville. I will see if they have a web site for it. Oh, I am quite pleased with my Redfire coupe. I had an 2001 Cobra, the same color, it was a head turner. This Cobra is just the same. It turns heads everytime I go into town. My e-mail is coy@stx.rr.com. Let me know what comes about. Coy

Coy


Good news about your new Cobra. I have the Redfire vert and I think you will love the color. Put some Zaino on it and the color really 'pops'.

I'm still working with the local dealer on my problem. I don't think it is anywhere as bad as yours. Let me know your email address and I'll send you the pictures I took of the rust and salt.

The salt residue just brushes away - it doesn't seem to be a real problem. It's the rust on the exhaust system that concerns me the most. Also a little rust on some bolts and other parts. Not horrible but more than I think should be on a car I've only had a month. I had the dealer put another Cobra from their lot on the lift and it had hardly any rust - just a little bit on the exhaust, nothing like mine. The local guys told me they are going to recommend to the Ford rep that they replace the entire exhaust system, have the car's 'belly' power washed to remove any salt residue, sand and repaint any rusted areas, replace all rusty bolts and then undercoat it. Sounds like a fair deal given the amount of rust and salt I've seen. Let's hope the Ford guy agrees with their recommendation.

Have fun with the new redfire coupe. Let me know how you like the color.

Mike

[RF Cobra]

I've been following this topic for about a week now (got my Cobra on 6/21) and due to a battery defect I had mine at the dealership today (Sidenote - this car really flies now that it has a fully working battery! :D ). I had noticed some rust on the pipes behind the wheels so I had them put it on the lift. While everything else checked out okay, the mufflers showed some rust and the pipes from the mufflers back were covered with rust spots of various sizes. However, the most noticeable thing that both the tech and I realized at the same time was that everything from the mufflers back (other than the polished tip covers) was generic steel, not stainless. :( So, I am wondering why it is advertised as a stainless steel exhaust system when it is not all stainless steel. Anybody else notice this when checking under your car?

[cobrabitn]

Please e-mail Steve Treece if you plan to buy Zaino. He sponsors the club and gives to all of our car shows. His e-mail address is cashine@juno.com.

Your support helps generate funds to allow us to have a BB that you post on, thanks! :thumbsup:

[Coy]

I am e-mailing him right now the for info. It appears to be a very high quality product.

Thanks, Coy

Please e-mail Steve Treece if you plan to buy Zaino. He sponsors the club and gives to all of our car shows. His e-mail address is cashine@juno.com.

Your support helps generate funds to allow us to have a BB that you post on, thanks! :thumbsup:

[cobrabitn]

Thank you , I appreciate that. Steve has given us raffle goodies for many SCMC events and I always like to return the favor by pointing business his way. Thanks again. :thumbsup:

[MikeyC]

Got a call from the dealer yesterday and this is what they offered to do: replace the entire exhaust system from headers back, sandblast and repaint any rusted spots (convertables have a support brace about 3 feet long on each side and they have some rust spots. Painted black.), replace any bolts that I want replaced ( a couple have some rust) and then undercoat the car. With the level of rust I've seen, this doesn't seem like a bad deal. Coy, I don't think the rust is nearly as bad as what you had - sent you the pictures a couple of days ago that I took while it was on the lift. I'm going to take it in later this month after we get back from a week at the beach (Nags Head). No need to put a week of salt air on a new exhaust system.

Anyone know if it will be a problem if the exhaust system is undercoated?? Change the sound any?? Haven't heard of undercoating for a long time - can't remember seeing a Rusty Jones shop in years. Guess US manufacturers starting building better cars that didn't rust out like they used to.

[Coy]

Mike,

I don't believe that the undercoating will be a problem to the sound of the exhaust. After fixing what needs to be fixed, they will put it back together (to you approval of course). I would think that this would probably help with road noise. I could be wrong.
There is a guy here in Kerrville who is going to get his new Cobra undercoated sometime next week. He also wants his car to sound a little louder, and is going to put differnet mufflers on. He wants a little more rumble. I guess he does not want to have to worry about rust problems. I will have to see in a couple of weeks or so to find out from him on what kind of a difference it will make. I will be in the Mountains of Colorado in a couple of weeks though. It may be a while before I reply. Have fun.

Got a call from the dealer yesterday and this is what they offered to do: replace the entire exhaust system from headers back, sandblast and repaint any rusted spots (convertables have a support brace about 3 feet long on each side and they have some rust spots. Painted black.), replace any bolts that I want replaced ( a couple have some rust) and then undercoat the car. With the level of rust I've seen, this doesn't seem like a bad deal. Coy, I don't think the rust is nearly as bad as what you had - sent you the pictures a couple of days ago that I took while it was on the lift. I'm going to take it in later this month after we get back from a week at the beach (Nags Head). No need to put a week of salt air on a new exhaust system.

Anyone know if it will be a problem if the exhaust system is undercoated?? Change the sound any?? Haven't heard of undercoating for a long time - can't remember seeing a Rusty Jones shop in years. Guess US manufacturers starting building better cars that didn't rust out like they used to.

[MikeyC]

Coy


I'm looking for just a little bit more noise, too. Thinking about Flowmaster mufflers, not the entire cat-back system. Don't want it too loud. Think just mufflers will do what I'm looking for. Have fun in the mountains. Probably be a lot cooler than Kerrville. Let me know how it goes with the undercoating on your friend's car.

Mike
Mike,

I don't believe that the undercoating will be a problem to the sound of the exhaust. After fixing what needs to be fixed, they will put it back together (to you approval of course). I would think that this would probably help with road noise. I could be wrong.
There is a guy here in Kerrville who is going to get his new Cobra undercoated sometime next week. He also wants his car to sound a little louder, and is going to put differnet mufflers on. He wants a little more rumble. I guess he does not want to have to worry about rust problems. I will have to see in a couple of weeks or so to find out from him on what kind of a difference it will make. I will be in the Mountains of Colorado in a couple of weeks though. It may be a while before I reply. Have fun.

[Coy]

Mike,

I thought that I would check the forum before I leave for vacation tomorrow morning. Mike, I checked with the guy who undercoated his vehicle. It took a lot of the road noise away and he did it himself here in Kerrville. He also installed the X pipe cat back system by magnaflow. It is a tad bit louder than stock. It is a nice, smooth rumble. I drove his car (his wife's car) and its sounds nice. He told me paid around $650.00 plus $150.00 for labor. Mike, I don't know but I don't think that I would go with flowmaster. I think that maybe that may be too loud. I am looking at maybe installing the Borla stinger system. It costs somewhere around $575.00, plus Uncle Sam will have his hand in there somewhere. It installs after the factory H-pipe. I don't want to mess with the sensors and all. I think that it installs in 3-4 hours if I do it myself. If you can go to the site of http://www.ninosport.com/store/Mustang/catagory_Mustang_exhaust.htm. They have a laundry list of several types of recorded exhaust systems. Oh yes, it is very hot here, it almost hit a 100.
Talk to you later after I get back.
Coy


I'm looking for just a little bit more noise, too. Thinking about Flowmaster mufflers, not the entire cat-back system. Don't want it too loud. Think just mufflers will do what I'm looking for. Have fun in the mountains. Probably be a lot cooler than Kerrville. Let me know how it goes with the undercoating on your friend's car.

Mike