I bought my 7443 chrome bulbs from www.autolumination.com (great service BTW - great product - pic included) and after I removed my tail light housing, I found this spot on each side with all the paint rubbed off. It would only be a matter of time before this was bare metal.

We Cali people aren't that worried, but the rust belt people . . . this is a disaster waiting to happen. Once you get a rust bubble here, its all over.

I cleaned up the spot, applied touch-up and a clear coat layer, then glued some thin rubber there to act as a buffer. I also waxed the entire area behind the tail lights for extra protection.

Removing the taillights takes 5 minutes . . . probably worth it to make sure you're ok.

To remove the tailights, pop out the 3 plugs on top of them, unbolt, and with some force, pull up from the corner closest to the bumper. They will pop out with some finesse.

 

wouldn't worry too much the rear facia is plastic.

 

umm . . . rear bumper yes, body panel no. That is the upper part of the taillight (where it comes to a point.)

Look at my avitar. See my antenna - see where the taillight ends half way up the hatch? That's metal there -

 

I have the same problem too, I thought it was from me getting rear ended a while ago though

 

ohh I couldn't tell so I thought it was the area in the second pic.
n/m your right.

 

I also have rust in the hatch area....

 

It's actually been posted before a year ago and was happening to others, but thanks for the heads up.