Stress/deformation-induced accelerated corrosion has been reported for many alloys used in structural and functional applications. To understand the effect of applied elastic stresses on corrosion behavior of alloys, samples of stainless steel (SS) 304 were subjected to different levels of elastic tensile stresses and their corrosion behavior was studied. The applied elastic stress is believed to alter materials' pitting behavior in chloride-containing environments. Results from this study show that applied tensile stresses hinder pitting resistance of SS304. Stress and stress concentration around pit vicinity accelerate salt-film repair, thereby impeding repassivation. Through this mechanism, pit growth is stabilized. Results from electrochemical tests on samples at different elastic stress levels are discussed in this paper. (C) 2019 The Electrochemical Society.