This research presents time-dependent corrosion analysis of automotive steel utilised in a large military vehicle in real operating environment, followed by simulated environmental tests and simplistic surface corrosion modelling. Time-dependent surface corrosion accumulated on this specific component was observed to be approximately 250 mu m thick, with the identification of surface contaminants such as chlorine and sulphur. Simulated environmental tests considering temperature and relative humidity variations were performed to evaluate quantitative corrosion damage to the structure of the vehicle. The relationship of various temperatures and relative humidity with respect to time, within the context of corrosion initiation and propagation, has been presented. A mathematical model to incorporate corrosion accumulation on the surfaces derived from the simulated environmental tests is presented. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.