Nerf bars rusting from inside out

So after Florence rolled through I had to drive through a couple flooded spots, and some water got inside my Lund nerf bars. I didn't notice until I kept seeing what I thought was dark mud around the plastic step platforms. Kept wiping it up only to find more the next day. Then I pulled off the plastic step molds and found tons of sludge underneath. Wiped all THAT up and still kept finding it. Well there was water just sitting inside the bars, tossing up the sludgy stuff during bumps and stops/gos.

Finally I pulled the bars off, drilled drain holes in each end, and throughly rinsed them with soap. There was some material inside that kept draining out, at first I thought it was bark particles but that made no sense since when installed there's no way for something that big to get in. I looked more closely and it appears to be bits of metal sloughing off the inside of the bars as they rust. So this is not muddy sludge but rusty sludge (which has left awesome stains on my driveway).

Silly me, I thought I recalled buying aluminum nerf bars and when I went back to look at the product info, they are steel.

I'm afraid that after enough time goes buy, these will rust from the inside out and I'll step on the bar, and it'll disintegrate. Not to mention having drilled holes that are now perfect entrance ways for more rust.

One of the step's attachment points broke during removal so I'm seeking replacement under warranty, but wondering what you all think. Is this a tragedy waiting to happen, and should I just toss these, consider it a lesson learned, and buy new ones if they aren't replaced under warranty? Or are they likely to hold up better than I think? They're only ten months old.

 

Thinking about the cheapest solution maybe after they are cleaned up from the inside spray some frame saver or some other rust proofing paint in it.

 

Do they have any warranty?

 

Having drain holes will generally be better than having water stuck inside them, but seems to me to be a very poor quality product you got there.

 

Yeah they're under warranty, currently trying that.

 

I'm actually not surprised. My own fault for partially submerging them, and some of the water may have been briny. Considering it's been sitting in there for a couple weeks now the rust is about what I'd expect for steel.

 

If water can get in the way you seem to think you got it in, then rain water can also get in, as can salted winter road sludge if you drive in wintery places.

 

That's awesome, thanks! I was reading about sprays to deal with the rust but couldn't figure out how I was going to get it in there. These have a nice nozzle. Really appreciate it, I just ordered some.

 

I would make sure they don’t corrode onto the frame and just keep them until they rust.

Pretty much all thise tube type steps will rust out at some point. Its just the way it goes.

 

Yeah, that's what I was worried about too. I was thinking I'd remove them as soon as the brackets holding them on started to accumulate rust. But the good news is that RealTruck.com is sending me brand new ones. I asked for warranty replacement based on part of the plastic trim on the step breaking, and they're replacing based on that and the rust they saw in the picture. Have to give credit to RealTruck.com and Lund for covering that. Turnaround in ordering the warranty replacement was three hours, impressive.

 

So how about RealTruck.com approving warranty replacement on Tuesday, with the new bars arriving today. Customer service response and shipping could not have been faster!

 

I see rusted tube steps all the time. I think it's inevitable. I had a Smittybilt rear tube bumper on my 1991 and that started rusting the first winter. I eventually pulled the plastic caps off and welded the ends and that slowed it down a lot.

 

Just took mine off the 2015 I just bought today and one was half full of water. They plastic steps on that one were peeled up a little. I definitely plan on drilling some drain holes in them for future use.

 

The stainless steel nerf bars I have had since I bought the truck still look good. I'd like to replace with black powder coated stainless steel but cant find an affordable set. I have yet to see a black nerf bar that isnt showing signs of rust.

 

Mine are the stainless steps... No signs of anything but wanted to take them off because at stock height I really don't need them. But when I took them off one was at least half full of water. Didn't pour out rusty colored ‍♂️ but might make sure yours aren't holding water

 

I had Lund steel tube steps on my 08 many years ago. They rusted from the inside out after about 3 years and were never submerged like yours were. I guess it was from water seeping in around the edges of the plastic parts. I was out of the warranty period, so Lund was no help.

I took them off, cleaned them up, removed as much rust as I could access, and painted them with black bed coating in spray cans. It extended the life of them for another 2 years but they ultimately just rusted away from the inside.

I went without side steps for a few years and I now have N-Fab Nerf Steps. They're a lot more expensise but also come with a much better warranty.

 

I was going to say fluidfilm