You Won’t Believe How Much Rust Is on This 26K-Mile Chevy Silverado Frame
Salt is your enemy. Just remember that.
The internet is enamored with low-mileage cars and trucks. When one pops up for sale with its original tires showing full tread, comment sections everywhere light up. Talk to anyone in the real world, though, and they'll tell you that less use rarely means fewer problems. If you need proof, just look underneath this 25,770-mile Chevrolet Silverado whose rusty frame gets a new hole every time you poke it with your finger.
A short clip of the truck went viral on TikTok after it was posted to a channel called Automotive in the Field. I never heard him mention the exact model year of the Chevy, but it's a GMT900 generation, meaning it could be anywhere from a 2007 to a 2014. Even if it's an earlier model, it isn't that old.
The technician who runs the channel says the Silverado lives in western New York, which explains a lot. They don't call it the Rust Belt for nothing. Driving on salty roads, if only for a little while, will end in corrosion if it's never washed off. As the up-close shots prove, no rubberized undercarriage spray is a match for that.
It doesn't help that this generation of Silverado is notoriously prone to rust. You can find forum posts about corrosion issues dating back to when the GMT900 Chevy was still in production. It never stopped being a problem and as recently as March 2024, General Motors issued a technical service bulletin to remedy problems with 2011-and-up trucks whose frame coating peels off too easily. The rust issues aren't limited to the chassis either, as these are known for rotting rocker panels and rear fenders as well.
It's crazy to see how much of the steel frame has been eaten away. Honestly, it's just as bad as the thinner cross-member up front. I'm not sure if the truck was only ever driven in winter or what, but this is the embodiment of being ridden hard and put away wet.
The TikTokker posted a follow-up video to prove the Chevy's mileage: 25,770. You wouldn't know it was so bad underneath if you never crawled under there as the truck's bodywork appears to be in great shape. It goes to show the importance of checking everything, everywhere to the best of your ability—especially if you're inspecting one before purchase. Any vehicle in this part of the world requires a thorough look around, and that's doubly true if they have known corrosion problems.
If you want to avoid this on your own ride, get it sprayed with a fluid film undercoating ASAP. Or, maybe move somewhere else.
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