MajorCommonBody & Rust

Holden Rodeo: Rust in sills, rear wheel arches, tailgate and cab mounts (TF)

Rust in sills, rear wheel arches, tailgate and cab mounts (TF) is a common body & rust fault on the Holden Rodeo on the 2000–2003 cars, and we rate it major. Putting it right costs $500 to $3,000 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 12 documented faults on the Holden Rodeo.

Vehicle: Holden Rodeo
Years: 2000–2003
System: Body & Rust

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

All Holden Rodeo faults12 documented faults on this model

What you are looking at

No photograph available

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

What goes wrong

TF Rodeos are now 20-25 years old and rust is the deal-breaker: check the sills, rear wheel arches, tailgate seams, front guards and around the windscreen. Utes that lived near the coast or carried wet loads rot in the tray floor and cab mounts. Surface bubbling is usually far worse underneath, and structural rust in sills or mounts is a WoF failure that can cost more than the truck is worth to repair properly.

What you would notice

Paint bubbling along sills and arch lips
Rust stains from seams and tailgate hems
Crusty scale on the chassis and cab mounts underneath

How to check it

Where to look. Sills, rear wheel arches, tailgate, tray floor, chassis and cab mounts

Run a hand along the inner rear arches and sill bottoms, look under the tray mats, and get underneath with a torch to check chassis rails and cab mounts. Tap suspicious areas — filler over rust sounds dull.

Parts involved: Body corrosion, Chassis and structural rust.

What it costs to put right

$500 to $3,000 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 any rust repair or panel work been done?”
“Where has the ute spent its life (coastal, farm)?”

Now check the Holden Rodeo 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 published sources — owner forums, technical service bulletins, recall notices and workshop write-ups — held in our fault database. The inspection instructions and the cost estimate are KickTyres’ own interpretation of them, and it is a starting point for an inspection rather than a manufacturer statement.

Holden Rodeo buyer questions

Is rust in sills, rear wheel arches, tailgate and cab mounts (tf) serious on a Holden Rodeo?

We rate it major and common on the Holden Rodeo. TF Rodeos are now 20-25 years old and rust is the deal-breaker: check the sills, rear wheel arches, tailgate seams, front guards and around the windscreen. Utes that lived near the coast or carried wet loads rot in the tray floor and cab mounts. Surface bubbling is usually far worse underneath, and structural rust in sills or mounts is a WoF failure that can cost more than the truck is worth to repair properly.

How much does it cost to fix on a Holden Rodeo?

$500 to $3,000 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 Holden Rodeo years are affected?

Our research records this fault on the 2000–2003 Holden Rodeo. 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.