Symptom explainer · every vehicle on the site
Paint peels or body rusts
Most reported: 2014 Kia Sorento with 147 reports. Across the 125 model years on this site with at least five, owners filed 1,691.
- 1,691owner reports
- 125model years affected
- 50,000median miles
- 18involved a crash
- 1involved a fire
Paint complaints come in two shapes: clear coat or color peeling off the roof and hood, and rust breaking through the body. About a third of the complaints here mention the roof or hood and about a third mention rust or corrosion, and a good share of them are about who pays for the fix.
Which cars report it most · By model · When it happens · What it is and what to do
The 25 vehicles with the most reports
Each row is one model year. The bar is its count of paint reports; the share is how much of that car's complaint file this problem takes up. Bigger sellers draw more reports, so read the share alongside the count. Red dots mark crashes and fires in these reports; amber marks a recall on the same system.
- 114716% of its complaints75k mi
- 22015 Kia Sorento1 crash8812% of its complaints70k mi
- 3696% of its complaints71k mi
- 4644% of its complaints58k mi
- 5566% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 6415% of its complaints40k mi
- 72018 Jeep Wranglerrecall402% of its complaints6k mi
- 8344% of its complaints60k mi
- 9336% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 10328% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 112015 Chevrolet Silverado 15002 crashes313% of its complaints67k mi
- 122017 Ford Explorerrecall302% of its complaints55k mi
- 13281% of its complaints20k mi
- 14241% of its complaints58k mi
- 15244% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 16193% of its complaints70k mi
- 172015 Ford Explorerrecall181% of its complaints59k mi
- 18183% of its complaints50k mi
- 19182% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 201716% of its complaints74k mi
- 21156% of its complaints60k mi
- 222014 Mercedes-Benz E350recall156% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 232015 Hyundai Sonata1 crash151% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 242016 Acura MDXrecall154% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 252016 Hyundai Sonata1 crash152% of its complaintsfew mileages
Where it dominates the complaint file
Model years with at least 25 reports, ranked by the share of all their complaints that describe paint. That takes most of the sales-volume effect out (small sellers still swing more).
- 114716% of its complaints75k mi
- 22015 Kia Sorento1 crash8812% of its complaints70k mi
- 3328% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 4336% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 5566% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 6696% of its complaints71k mi
- 7415% of its complaints40k mi
- 8344% of its complaints60k mi
- 9644% of its complaints58k mi
- 102015 Chevrolet Silverado 15002 crashes313% of its complaints67k mi
By model, every year together
The 12 models with the most reports. Each chip is a model year; the darker chip is its worst year.
- Kia Sorento342
- Kia Optima115
When it happens
632 of the 1,691 reports state a mileage. The middle half fall between 26,000 and 72,000 miles; the median is 50,000. Each column is a 20,000-mile band.
Reports by model year
Every report of paint, grouped by the model year of the car. 18 involved a crash and 1 a fire. 26 people were hurt.
What owners describe
Share of the 1,691 reports that use each phrase. One report can use several.
What got replaced
Reports that name the part, across every vehicle.
What it is and what to do
That makes this group unusual on the site. It's smaller than most, at roughly 1,700 complaints across the vehicles covered, and only 13 vehicle years have enough reports for a sheet of their own. The 2014 to 2016 Kia Sorento alone accounts for close to a fifth of it. Owners who give a mileage put the median around 50,000.
A flat no from the dealer doesn't have to be the last word, as the FTC's steps below show.
NHTSA recalls exist for safety risks, and peeling paint on its own isn't one. Corrosion becomes one when it eats something structural. The data has examples: Honda's 26V-365 adds a rear subframe reinforcement on some Pilots, Passports, Ridgelines and MDXs sold in a list of mostly northern states, because a rusted subframe can let a rear control arm fail. Nissan's 16V-219 replaced liftgate support stays on some 2014 to 2016 Rogues that could corrode and break off. If rust is showing underneath rather than on a panel, that's the version to take seriously.
There's no warning light or trouble code for this, so the evidence is whatever you bring. Take dated photos as it spreads (from the same spot, in daylight). Note when you first saw it and the mileage.
Get it written on a repair order while the car is still in warranty, even if the answer that day is no. The FTC says a defect reported during the warranty period has to be fixed even if the warranty expires before the repair is done. If the dealer won't move, the FTC's advice is to write to the manufacturer, by certified mail with a return receipt. And run the VIN through NHTSA's recall lookup in case a corrosion recall already covers your car.
Sources
- Check for recalls and the recall process, NHTSA
- NHTSA recall 26V-365, Honda rear subframe corrosion
- NHTSA recall 16V-219, Nissan Rogue liftgate support stays
- Warranties, FTC Consumer Advice
- Complaint counts, mileages and phrase shares: NHTSA complaint files as tallied on this site
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints on the 1,040 vehicle model years that have a page here, grouped by the word patterns described on the method page. A vehicle needs five matching reports to be counted in this ranking. Checked Sep 27, 2026. All problem explainers.