MajorVery commonBody & Rust

Ford Transit: Body rust — sills, wheel arches, front panel seams and door bottoms

Body rust — sills, wheel arches, front panel seams and door bottoms is a very common body & rust fault on the Ford Transit on the 2000–2013 cars, and we rate it major. Putting it right costs $400 to $4,000 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. Below is what goes wrong, the symptoms to notice on a test drive, where to look, and what to ask the seller before you hand over any money. It is one of 10 documented faults on the Ford Transit.

Vehicle: Ford Transit
Years: 2000–2013
System: Body & Rust

This page covers the Ford Transit as a model. Some faults only affect particular engines or build years — enter a plate below to narrow the list to one car.

All Ford Transit faults10 documented faults on this model

What you are looking at

No photograph available

We do not hold a verified photograph of the Body corrosion yet. We would rather show none than show a picture of a different part.

What goes wrong

Mk6 and Mk7 Transits rust with total commitment: sills, front and rear wheel arches, door bottoms, the front panel seams and around the windscreen. Much of it starts behind trim and under sealant where you cannot see it until it erupts. On a working van this is WoF/CoF trouble and structural sill rust can make an otherwise good van uneconomic to certify. Assume rust until proven otherwise on anything pre-2014.

What you would notice

Bubbling along sills and arch lips
Rust streaks from door bottom drains
Crusty seams around the windscreen and front panel
Filler or fresh paint patches on lower panels

How to check it

Where to look. Sills, wheel arches, door bottoms, front panel and windscreen surround, load-floor seams

Walk the van with a magnet or a fingertip: sills (lift any covers), all four arch lips, door bottoms and the windscreen surround.
Look inside the load area at the wheel boxes and floor seams.
Ask for the last CoF/WoF sheets and any rust-repair invoices.

Parts involved: Body corrosion.

What it costs to put right

$400 to $4,000 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That is for this job on its own, not for the car.

An estimate, in NZD, for the repair as normally carried out. What a specific car costs depends on which part has failed and what it damaged on the way — treat this as the floor for a negotiation, not a quote.

Ask the seller

“Has it had rust repairs for a WoF/CoF?”
“Has the windscreen ever been out for rust repair?”

Now check the Ford Transit you are actually looking at

Everything above is true of the model, and it is free. What it does not tell you is whether THIS car has been looked after: its odometer history and whether the reading has ever gone backwards, whether there is still money owing on it, whether it has been reported stolen, how many owners it has had and what it is really worth today. That comes from the official records for that plate. Enter the plate for the free details, or get the full history and a market valuation from $13.49.

Not sure what you would be paying for? See what a full KickTyres check includes.

Where this comes from

The failure described above is documented in the sources below. The inspection instructions and the cost estimate are KickTyres’ own interpretation of them.

FordTransit.org forum Mk6/Mk7 rust threads
ClickMechanic — common problems with the Ford Transit (corrosion)

Ford Transit buyer questions

Is body rust — sills, wheel arches, front panel seams and door bottoms serious on a Ford Transit?

We rate it major and very common on the Ford Transit. Mk6 and Mk7 Transits rust with total commitment: sills, front and rear wheel arches, door bottoms, the front panel seams and around the windscreen. Much of it starts behind trim and under sealant where you cannot see it until it erupts. On a working van this is WoF/CoF trouble and structural sill rust can make an otherwise good van uneconomic to certify. Assume rust until proven otherwise on anything pre-2014.

How much does it cost to fix on a Ford Transit?

$400 to $4,000 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That figure is for this job on its own. A car showing the symptoms on this page is usually worth either walking away from or negotiating down by at least the repair figure.

Which Ford Transit years are affected?

Our research records this fault on the 2000–2013 Ford Transit. Build dates move around, especially on imported cars, so treat the range as the years to look hardest at rather than a guarantee either way. The official records tell you the exact build and first registration date for the car in front of you.

How do I check for it before I buy?

Walk the van with a magnet or a fingertip: sills (lift any covers), all four arch lips, door bottoms and the windscreen surround. Look inside the load area at the wheel boxes and floor seams. Ask for the last CoF/WoF sheets and any rust-repair invoices. Look here: Sills, wheel arches, door bottoms, front panel and windscreen surround, load-floor seams