Do Running Boards Rust? Steel, Aluminum and Stainless in Road Salt

The sales pitch says the metal solves it. The paperwork is less sure. Here is what the sources support, metal by metal, and what we could not find.

What each material actually does

The stainless source is about building railings, not truck parts, but salt is salt. Its other useful finding: smooth finishes hold less salt and rinse clean more easily than rough ones. Which metal beats which on a running board is a question for our aluminum vs stainless comparison, and the short version there is that no test we found settles it. The details by metal are on aluminum running boards and stainless steel running boards.

Where the paperwork tells you to watch

The tread gets the marketing. The sheets worry about the joints and the cuts.

• Holes you drill. RealTruck's guide for the AMP PowerStep 76254-01A has you drill 19/64-inch holes through the pinch weld for the light wires, deburr them, then "apply paint to holes to prevent rusting".
• Metal you cut. Rough Country's sheet for its 2007-2018 Chevy and GMC kit has you notch a parking brake bracket on 2007-2013 models, then sand and paint it to reduce rust.
• Steel against aluminum. Tyger's sheet for TG-RS6F60118 on the F-150 uses plastic retainers it says are "designed to prevent corrosion between the aluminum body panel and the steel mounting brackets". It tells you not to install the brackets without them.
• Chips. Tyger's warranty on its Riser boards leaves out damage from road hazards such as gravel. So a chipped coating from a gravel road is yours to deal with.

That box is the F-150 SuperCrew part, as its title states. For other trucks, the same question is worth asking the seller. Check your exact year and cab on the listing before you buy.

What a warranty will and will not say

Read the warranty, not the bullet points. Two examples from makers:

That chrome line covers one Tyger product group, not every part it sells. And Tyger's terms do not name every line, so ask about yours. One WOLFBOX title for F-150 power boards uses the word Rust-Proof. Nothing in the title backs it, and we found no test that does. On this site we say corrosion-resistant, never rust-proof.

How to slow it down

None of this comes with a promise on any part's lifespan. These are care steps the makers themselves print.

1. Wash the salt off

   Go Rhino's sheets say to wash often in cold areas to remove harmful materials used on roadways, then dry all surfaces.

2. Use gentle stuff

   Go Rhino says no abrasive cleaners or polish compounds, only gentle soap and water. Westin's sheets recommend regular waxing with a non-abrasive wax.

3. Seal what you cut

   Paint drilled holes and cut edges, as the AMP and Rough Country sheets say. Use the grommets and sealer the kit calls for.

4. Keep the insulators

   Fit every plastic retainer or washer that came in the box. How to install running boards covers the rest of the job.

5. Look underneath

   Check the brackets and the fasteners when you wash the truck. Tyger's sheets call for periodic inspections anyway.

What we could not find

We found no salt-spray hours, no corrosion measurements and no independent winter durability test for any truck running board. If a seller quotes a lifespan, ask where it comes from. If you are worried about warranty on the truck itself, a rusted aftermarket bracket is a different matter from the truck's coverage, so see do running boards void your warranty.

Our picks by truck are on best running boards, and the home page sorts parts by your truck.