MajorCommonBody & Rust

Nissan AD Van: Rust in rear load area, tailgate and wheel arches (commercial life)

Rust in rear load area, tailgate and wheel arches (commercial life) is a common body & rust fault on the Nissan AD Van on the 2000–2020 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 5 documented faults on the Nissan AD Van.

Vehicle: Nissan AD Van
Years: 2000–2020
Fuel: petrol
System: Body & Rust

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

All Nissan AD Van faults5 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

AD Vans are commercial workhorses that carry loads, get scraped, and are often parked outside for years, so corrosion appears where the paint has been chipped by cargo and where water sits. The rear inner wheel arches, tailgate lower edge, load-floor seams and door bottoms are the usual spots. On a used import this rust can be a WoF fail if it is near a seatbelt anchor or structural seam, turning a cheap van into a certification headache.

What you would notice

Bubbling paint on wheel arches, tailgate or door bottoms
Flaking rust in the load floor seams
Damp or musty load area
Rust stains around the rear jack points

How to check it

Where to look. Rear inner wheel arches, tailgate lower edge, load-floor seams, door bottoms, rear sills

Lift the load-floor mat and check the metal underneath and the seams for scale.
Press the rear arches and tailgate lower lip with a thumb - crunchy or soft metal is structural rust.
Look underneath at the sills and rear jacking points.
Ask whether it will pass a fresh WoF as-is.

Parts involved: Body corrosion.

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

“Does it have a current WoF and any recent rust repairs?”
“Has it been used for deliveries or trades work?”

Now check the Nissan AD Van 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.

My Nissan Leaf Forum 'Rust question' thread (shared Nissan van platform)
NZ import-van WoF corrosion guidance (VIRM in-service inspection)

Nissan AD Van buyer questions

Is rust in rear load area, tailgate and wheel arches (commercial life) serious on a Nissan AD Van?

We rate it major and common on the Nissan AD Van. AD Vans are commercial workhorses that carry loads, get scraped, and are often parked outside for years, so corrosion appears where the paint has been chipped by cargo and where water sits. The rear inner wheel arches, tailgate lower edge, load-floor seams and door bottoms are the usual spots. On a used import this rust can be a WoF fail if it is near a seatbelt anchor or structural seam, turning a cheap van into a certification headache.

How much does it cost to fix on a Nissan AD Van?

$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 Nissan AD Van years are affected?

Our research records this fault on the 2000–2020 Nissan AD Van. 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?

Lift the load-floor mat and check the metal underneath and the seams for scale. Press the rear arches and tailgate lower lip with a thumb - crunchy or soft metal is structural rust. Look underneath at the sills and rear jacking points. Ask whether it will pass a fresh WoF as-is. Look here: Rear inner wheel arches, tailgate lower edge, load-floor seams, door bottoms, rear sills