The surface rust on new vehicles looks bad because it has not changed color to the dark that most undersides of vehicles look like. On a newly rusted piece of metal it is fairly bright and really looks eye catchingly ugly. I would doubt if the domestic manufacturers even paint the steel on the driveshafts etc. Once most of that stuff gets a thin coating of oxidation on it I think it actually provides a protective coating. Most of the rust will take place on the thinner most succeptible pieces of the truck like the body first. Once the body is rusted out then watch out!
