Anybody know what this is?
 

I just bought a 2012 Mazda 3 hb (auto tx) this week, I noticed a pipe was rusting underneath the gas/break pedal.

Does anyone know what this pipe is? Should I be concerned?

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e1...3.jpg~original
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e1...e.jpg~original

Possibly the drive for the steering, turn the wheel and see if it moves?

looks rusty you don't need it

Yep, steering shaft. There should be a cover for it though.

yea, I had a look around, it feels like the cover is rusting. Any idea why a part on the inside of a vehicle may be rusting??

The vehicle history shows no accidents, is this just cheap parts or something else?

Checked on forums, noone else seems to be having this issue...

The cover would be plastic. Somehow moisture got to it. Either a seal or condensation or something.

thnx for your replies!

hmmm so at some point in time the casing was removed...

I'm not very mechanical... is this really bad? should I bring it to the dealership and get them to fix it?

I've only had the car for 1 week and it's "mazda certified pre owned", supposed to still have 1 year of comprehensive and 5 years powertrain

Is it bad? Probably not.

I'd look further up and see if there's any other signs of moisture. As far as the shaft goes, as long as the ujoints are sufficiently lubricated, it should be fine.

The rust isn't a bid deal, its surface rust on a solid piece of metal. Why the part for wet is more of a concern, possible water leak? condensation? keep an eye on your carpets for wetness, it may have been fixed already.

Also, move your bloody floor mats down, they shouldn't be wedged up behind your pedals like that. Did you not hear about all the runaway cars a few years back because the pedals stuck to the floor mats?

Isn't it Plunger?