Sol-gel yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) thin films were prepared on commercial carbon steel sheets by dip-coating technique followed by a low temperature heat treatment (473,573, and 673 K for 1 h) in order to improve both corrosion properties and adhesion. For comparison, zirconia (ZrO2) coatings have been also analyzed. Electrochemical techniques, Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to characterize the anticorrosion behavior of the coatings in a 3.5 wt% NaCl solution. The adhesion with a polyester organic coating was evaluated by the pull-off technique. The typical thickness of the deposited layers ranged from 1 to 1.3 mu m depending on process parameters. The obtained results indicated that sol-gel ZrO2 and YSZ coatings without an organic coating can act as protective barriers against wet corrosion during the first hours, but they fail when the time exposure is longer than 1 day. However, when synthesized films were used as a pre-treatment and an organic coating was added (top-coated), the anticorrosive and adhesion properties were strongly affected by the temperature of the treatment, and an increase in both properties was observed at higher temperatures. The structural and morphological characteristics of the coating provide an explanation of the role of each film in the electrochemical behavior in this aggressive medium. Comparing both systems, YSZ displayed greater protective and adhesion values than exhibited for ZrO2 which can be correlated with the stabilization of the cubic phase. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.