Flaking paint on the hitch

[quadna71]

I noticed a couple days ago the paint is flaking off the hitch. Never used it other than the rubber boot that came with the 4Runner. Anyone else experienced this? I can see some unfinished stuff flashing with rust quickly, but this is powder coating that is flaking away. Especially with only being 8 months old.

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[gvan1998]

Same thing happened to mine.

I just took a wire brush and wiped all the rust out and sprayed it with gloss black paint.

 

[Archer]

That sux, probably from the water getting behind the rubber plug and staying there...


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[127.0.0.1]

it happens to all factory hitches, and all aftermarket hitches eventually
scrape it and paint it, or scrape it and spray it with fluidfilm, or both

 

[get.outside.75]

Not as bad but yes. I hit it with some gloss black spray paint as well.

 

[milsuper]

I take out those "Toyota Logo Hitch Plug" and keep it out whenever I buy a new Toyota trucks/SUV. And, I immediately spray Fluid Film to those hitch areas upon taking delivery.

After each use of the ball hitch mount, I take it out and keep it out, and immediately spray Fluid Film.

I do this for my 2026 Tacoma SR5 4x4, 2026 4Runner TRD ORP, 2020 Tundra 1794 Edition TRD OR.

I had severe rust problem with my 2009 Tacoma TRD OR, so a lesson learned.

EDIT: Just make sure you cover the spare tire before you start spraying away with Fluid Film....FYI.

 

[Nodak]

i have a diode dynamic hitch brake light and even that is causing the hitch to corrode. heck its starting to stain the DD hitch light housing.

meh, its a fact of life when you have a beefy steel subsystem and getting pounded with winter effects 3-6 months of the year and rain/heat the rest of the time.

that constant flexing is bound to cause issues with the spray painted part of the hitch system. live with it an move on in my opinion.

 

[get.outside.75]

meh, its a fact of life when you have a beefy steel subsystem and getting pounded with winter effects 3-6 months of the year and rain/heat the rest of the time.

Mine is garage kept 99.9% of its life in NC where there is no winter so that isn't it in my case.

 

[quadna71]

I think it's just a crappy powder coat treatment. You can tell that the entire face is bubbling and will continue to lose paint.

And I understand the points being made that salt/weather/abuse is a fact of life. But my 5-year old truck has a hitch that looks like new. It is used regularly to pull a camper with a weight distribution hitch, safety chains hooked/unhooked, and the lock pin installed and removed all the time. But no paint lost or rust forming.

 

[zgreen]

I think it's just a crappy powder coat treatment. You can tell that the entire face is bubbling and will continue to lose paint.

And I understand the points being made that salt/weather/abuse is a fact of life. But my 5-year old truck has a hitch that looks like new. It is used regularly to pull a camper with a weight distribution hitch, safety chains hooked/unhooked, and the lock pin installed and removed all the time. But no paint lost or rust forming.

I would think Toyota would fix under warranty, no? While I appreciate all of the other comments, part of the vehicle shouldn't be rusting that quickly and there are plenty of other threads that show rusting all over the vehicle within a short period of time... Let us know how it gets resolved!

 

[kobyneal]

If you use plastidip instead of paint (from experience) it works a lot better. Easy to also remove if you happen to get any anywhere else

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