Anyone else pulled of their spare tire carrier and found this!?

This is from an 07, I am the second owner. It looks like maybe the weight of the tire and closing the door over the years has bent the metal, cracked the paint and started to rust. Think I am going to sand it all down and just spray some rustomelum on it. The spare will cover the patch work.

Not so good. I would trace the backer and use some 1/8 inch steel pate, and some epdm rubber to spread the load across the spare area.

also it may have been hit...jsut saying...hit just hard enough to do that...

Was that with the stock sized tire on there? I'm with Mike, it looks like it was hit to me too.

I am guessing hit too. It was a stock size tire, although not the stock tire. It is a BF goodrich AT. There was a mark on the stock spare tire cover but no dents or anything. Should be easy enough to fix, just wanted to give others a heads up as I am sure no one ever takes that mount off. I took it off because I noticed a build up of 'crap' behind it and wanted to clean and wax back there.

im not doubting that over time this could happen by openig and closing the door..however you are not opening that rear door anywhere near as aften as the front doors...not even a tenth as many times...but also the door is bent from the factory at the mounting spots and that is what gives it its strength...if you saw a spot or a nick then im gonna have to go with being hit..backed into a pole or something...should be an easy fix to just clean it up and shoot some protection over it

I got around to 'fixing' the rust. Took the dremel with the sanding disc (not the drum) and sanded down to the metal and did a bigger area than was rusted to make sure there wasnt any more hiding under the paint.





Just used regular rustoleum flat paint I had laying around since this are will be hidden anyway.



While I was in the garage with paint and sweat already I decided to plasti dip the emblems and do a light coat of nite shades on the tail lights just to give them a smoked look.