Should this raise any concern? Had a cracked windshield off the top driver side edge (about 3 inches from the upper corner) and there was no sign of chips or anything. The crack grew so we had it replaced before inspection and found this rust! That is what caused the cracked windshield. The windshield installer just cleaned up the rust and primed the area before installing the new windshield. Turns out the Dakota has had this windshield replaced before...my wife bought it new in 2007 with 6 miles on it! Must have had a problem between Michigan and Pittsburgh resulting in a new windshield. The installer showed me the original rubber that was cut thin and the second newer rubber placed over top of it. I know that is common practice to replace windshields but it should not have needed 2 layers from the factory!? Anyways, the installer must have chipped through the rubber and ruined the primer and did not repair it so it may have resulted in this rust. Not sure how this happens if all the metal is painted and the truck was only 4 years old. It was actually 3 years old when the crack started and we replaced it after the winter before inspection.

Anyways my question is what should be done about this rust as the truck was under warranty at the time. My problem with this rust is what will happen down the road if the truck rolls over in an accident? What is the proper steps to fixing the rust? New roof, cut out the rust, or what???! Thank you for some help. Also, the truck has a sunroof and it leaks...water comes in the A pillar when it rains and it has since 8-9 months after she bought it. Still has the leak! I read a bulletin on it; something about felt around the sunroof could lead to leaks...Could this have caused the rust? Water always comes in the A pillar. It could just be the windshield was not properly installed when it was new or the second time before she bought it in 2007. Thanks again.

 

damn that sucks, i would kick and scream until they fixed that under warranty since it was due to an improper installation by a dealer technician even if u are out of warranty. how were u supposed to know that was there until either the whole roof started rusting away or the windshield was replaced again

 

Good luck with the dealer doing anything for you the windshield guy fixed the problem for you and let it go

 

Yeah right! All he did was scrape the rust off! He didn't take it out and replace the rotten metal! Look at the photos!!! Its not fixed

 

I guess I needed to insert the sarcasm icon when I posted above but I have seen worse, dealer might offer to fix you never know.....

 

I was just pulling your chain but seriously they should fix it. It was rusted when it was under warranty. I am sure it will be a song and a dance and a few hoops to get taken care of. I bet it ruined the structural integrity of the truck too in the event of a roll over.

 

Regular primer isn't sufficient to put an end to rust in an area - it will slow it down, but eventually, it'll come through and then you'll need to cut & replace the rusted steel. That area doesn't look too bad, but you can see that the rust has taken hold & needs more than a scrape and prime. There are a number of products around that work well on stuff like this and even worse - these products are normally paints with special additives such as creep agents to get the product into tight areas and rust pacifiers to convert the iron oxide into a "benign" compound. Examples of this type of product are, POR15 and Rust Bullet, I've used them both and they're both really good at treating and sealing rusted steel. POR15, in my opinion, dries harder, but is more difficult to use with a paint gun. In it's favor, POR carries the preparation products, so it's all "1 stop shopping". Some of these metal prep products also can be used to treat rust that's just starting up - a cheaper compound that you should be able to get with a bit of searching is Phosphoric Acid. This acid also works well but you need to take precautions on what it gets on (including yourself) - cover yourself, wear safety glasses, and cover things you don't want to change color, etc.

 

If the truck came from the dealership with a changed windshield, the dealership was obliged to disclose this to you - it was no longer a "from the factory new vehicle). If they didn't disclose this & you can get your glass man to stand beside you when you go to the dealership, you should be able to get them to fix it properly and pay for the fix.

I had a GM van that was in a minor accident after I owned it for several years and while it was in the shop getting fixed, the body shop pointed out that it had been in an accident before it was sold to me. These repairs weren't done properly and there was rust starting in areas on one side (similar to the window frame rust shown in this thread). When I confronted the dealership about the problem and their non-disclosure, it didn't take long to negotiate a settlement.

 

I brought this to their attention and they never disclosed it to us. Even the owner has not been very helpful. Lets see if I can find that record. I know the glass installer remembers; he remembers the rust too and when I talked to him he even remembered rust on the right side which he never showed me. I don't remember that but I never really looked after I saw the rust on the driver side.

 

My 98 had the same problem 2 years ago. Rust put pressure on the glass and cracked it. Here in assachusetts compulsory insurance covers all glass, so I got a new one free. When I worked in Daytona Auto Body this was a common repair we did. Pulled the glass, welded in new metal, primed, painted and replaced glass for about $70. But that was 100 years ago.