[Cal T&C]

This is similar to the common bubbles of corrosion on the aluminum hood of 5th gen Chrysler & Dodge minivan.
A websearch will reveal that a variety of CJDR vehicles with aluminum body panels have the problem. Some are repaired under warranty at no cost to owner.

 

[Edlewis]

I have the extended factory warranty on my 2017 Ltd and I just heard back from Chrysler that they are covering the paint bubbling on my hood and doors.
They said they are just replacing the hood AND the doors. I barely noticed that the paint was doing this until I was hand detailing the van after a road trip.
If not for this forum, I would not have been looking out for this problem.

 

[Edlewis]

I have the extended factory warranty on my 2017 Ltd and I just heard back from Chrysler that they are covering the paint bubbling on my hood and doors.
They said they are just replacing the hood AND the doors. I barely noticed that the paint was doing this until I was hand detailing the van after a road trip.
If not for this forum, I would not have been looking out for this problem.

 

[Cal T&C]

FYI. Several years ago before I had the hood replaced on my 5th Gen I went to a local CJDR dealer used car lot. Of the five used Grand Caravan and Town & Country, three had the bubbles on the leading edge of the hood.

 

[smglasbiker]

My question is has anyone had this fixed and it comes back even worse after having it repainted? I have a small spot on the lip my 2020 Limited's hood, but am reluctant to cause a bigger problem having them mess with it.

 

[BobPacHy]

My question is has anyone had this fixed and it comes back even worse after having it repainted? I have a small spot on the lip my 2020 Limited's hood, but am reluctant to cause a bigger problem having them mess with it.

Not so far. It was 2 years this summer and it all looks good. There is some special process involving a primer or under primer that they need to use but I don't know all the details. The Chrysler dealer that did the work has a lifetime guarantee on all their body shop work so even if it does come back then it should be taken care of. There is no guarantee that it might not start elsewhere....I had the hood and sliding doors done. Driver door has already been done before I bought it. Unlike some, none of my panels were replaced.

 

[Cal T&C]

Under warranty I got a new hood. Some get a repair and repaint. It varies from dealer to dealer and if you have warranty coverage.

 

[SitKneelBend]

Under warranty I got a new hood. Some get a repair and repaint. It varies from dealer to dealer and if you have warranty coverage.

I bet the hood swaps are done through a core charge service. Pre-painted and ready to go refurbished parts.

 

[Shniest]

Starting this process now.... im within my 5yr/160k warranty so we will see how this goes! I have a bunch of bubbling along my hood edge which i thought was my own problem until i read the issues here and its covered in warranty.... I caught it in time as my warranty runs out mid November....

 

[BobPacHy]

Starting this process now.... im within my 5yr/160k warranty so we will see how this goes! I have a bunch of bubbling along my hood edge which i thought was my own problem until i read the issues here and its covered in warranty.... I caught it in time as my warranty runs out mid November....

Look closely at the door edges along the bottom and leading edge. It is more than just a hood issue.

 

[Cal T&C]

You might want to look at TSB 31-002-20, GRP 31. I don’t know if this is the latest editio.

 

[GregPan]

This is a known issue with the hood and doors being aluminum. Other manufacturers have these same issues putting paint on aluminum.

I have a 2004 Jaguar XJ8, all aluminum body with over 100,000 miles on it, driven in the winter in Ontario, Canada. Paint peeling has not been a problem at all. I would say that the problem is with the paint being used, or some problem with the application. By coincidence I am taking it in for corrosion proofing today, a few weeks late, mostly for the steel parts on the frame and adjacent parts, brake lines, etc.

The reason I am here is that I am considering buying a used Pacifica Hybrid and I am really concerned about rusting. I have looked at a number of used vehicles lately and the amount of rust on the frames and adjacent parts is often terrible on 7 year old SUVs I have looked at. The worst have been Buicks and Cadillacs, but I have not looked at many Chrysler/Stellantis vehicles to compare

My daughter and son in law have a 2018 Pacifica Hybrid, and we really like it. They live in sunny southern California, but buying one driven in salty Ontario for five months a year, possibly by someone who did not take care of it really well, concerns me.

 

[SitKneelBend]

I have a 2004 Jaguar XJ8, all aluminum body with over 100,000 miles on it, driven in the winter in Ontario, Canada. Paint peeling has not been a problem at all. I would say that the problem is with the paint being used, or some problem with the application. By coincidence I am taking it in for corrosion proofing today, a few weeks late, mostly for the steel parts on the frame and adjacent parts, brake lines, etc.

The reason I am here is that I am considering buying a used Pacifica Hybrid and I am really concerned about rusting. I have looked at a number of used vehicles lately and the amount of rust on the frames and adjacent parts is often terrible on 7 year old SUVs I have looked at. The worst have been Buicks and Cadillacs, but I have not looked at many Chrysler/Stellantis vehicles to compare

My daughter and son in law have a 2018 Pacifica Hybrid, and we really like it. They live in sunny southern California, but buying one driven in salty Ontario for five months a year, possibly by someone who did not take care of it really well, concerns me.

With regards to rust, one of the good things about the Pacifica is that all of the lower fascia is plastic to include the rocker panels. That being said, I will have mine treated by Krown every year I own it.

 

[GregPan]

With regards to rust, one of the good things about the Pacifica is that all of the lower fascia is plastic to include the rocker panels. That being said, I will have mine treated by Krown every year I own it.

I had a Saturn some years ago, the plastic body on that was great!

The paint on almost every vehicle looks good these days, but the parts people don't look at are just as important.

I should have done the Jag every year, but it is such a messy process, that I have skipped some.

I was going to go to my local Krown location this year. When I called the answering machine said that they were booked until January, then my wife read that Krown had shut them down. The owner died last year, but I have no idea what happened since then. I am going to give Corrosion Free a try this time.

 

[SitKneelBend]

I had a Saturn some years ago, the plastic body on that was great!

The paint on almost every vehicle looks good these days, but the parts people don't look at are just as important.

I should have done the Jag every year, but it is such a messy process, that I have skipped some.

I was going to go to my local Krown location this year. When I called the answering machine said that they were booked until January, then my wife read that Krown had shut them down. The owner died last year, but I have no idea what happened since then. I am going to give Corrosion Free a try this time.

That's a bummer. I was originally going to do it myself until I priced it out and found that Krown can treat it for the same amount it would cost me to do so annually (and they probably are far more generous with the product). I'm not familiar with Corrosion Free, but the only caution I will give to anyone reading this is to stay away from any rubberized/plasticized coatings. They might look nice but will make rusting worse. I think just about any film based self-healing application will do the trick though. You could even use the old timer method and spray used motor oil on it and be better off than the solid coatings.

 

[GregPan]

That's a bummer. I was originally going to do it myself until I priced it out and found that Krown can treat it for the same amount it would cost me to do so annually (and they probably are far more generous with the product). I'm not familiar with Corrosion Free, but the only caution I will give to anyone reading this is to stay away from any rubberized/plasticized coatings. They might look nice but will make rusting worse. I think just about any film based self-healing application will do the trick though. You could even use the old timer method and spray used motor oil on it and be better off than the solid coatings.

Apparently the man was well liked locally. He was about 57 when he died and I would not be surprised if being in an environment with that oil spray in the air for months each year would have shortened his life. Trying to spray the underside of any vehicle would be really difficult without a lift and a powerful spraying system, so DIY would probably be limited to the easily accessible spots. I spray silicone on the rubber trim parts especially around the door frames which can get frozen shut, and I spray a little oil on obvious exposed rust prone areas.

 

[Ex Rebel Owner]

It doesn't rust but it looks like crud and it isn't like it is a 10 year old car so to me it needed to be fixed one way or the other.
A couple of my bubbles looked like they were starting to crack and I assume at some point the paint would chip off and then it would really look bad.
It is certainly repairable since they did not replace panels on mine, just followed the Chrysler repair procedure.
I used a Chrysler dealer that had a body shop if that makes any difference.
Where are you in Ontario?

I won der of it is spots where e coat builds up and they sand it down and sometimes break thru and it does not get properly redone so then the paint bubbles. I worked at that plant over 25 years ago and there were those type issues back then. They do properly repair them or are supposed to be repaired.

 

[BobPacHy]

Not so far. It was 2 years this summer and it all looks good. There is some special process involving a primer or under primer that they need to use but I don't know all the details. The Chrysler dealer that did the work has a lifetime guarantee on all their body shop work so even if it does come back then it should be taken care of. There is no guarantee that it might not start elsewhere....I had the hood and sliding doors done. Driver door has already been done before I bought it. Unlike some, none of my panels were replaced.

Just FYI....the bubbling has reappeared just recently and yes it is far worse than before....the Chrysler repair was clearly a temp fix.
They have refused to do anything further.
I do know a decent body guy so I'm going to have a chat with him and see what the options are.

 

[mainesail]

Just had the driver's door and passenger sliding door replaced due to corrosion. this after the hood was replaced earlier this year. The dealer was super to deal with and on top of replacing the two doors, they repainted both sides at the same time.

 

[BobPacHy]

Just had the driver's door and passenger sliding door replaced due to corrosion. this after the hood was replaced earlier this year. The dealer was super to deal with and on top of replacing the two doors, they repainted both sides at the same time.

I find it interesting that they actually replaced both doors and repainted both sides of your van? That sounds excessive from a warranty standpoint.
They refinished my hood and two doors and now that the bubbles are back I am convinced that they only refinished the spots where bubbles were appearing rather than refinishing the edge all the way around.