Local breakdown of protective corrosion films may result in rapid local attack or mesa corrosion attack during CO2 corrosion of carbon steel. The factors affecting formation and local breakdown of protective corrosion films were studied in a series of flow loop experiments performed at 40 - 80 °C with pH 5.8, 1.8 bar CO2 partial pressure, high iron content in the water and flow rates 0.1 - 7 m/s. Carbon steels with or without chromium and nickel additions up to 1 % were tested. Addition of 0.5 % chromium in the steel was found to reduce the tendency for severe mesa attack in carbon steels during CO2 corrosion significantly. Deep mesa attack did not occur in steels with 0.5-1 % Cr in experiments at 80 °C and pH 5.8. Protective corrosion films reform more easily in the chromium containing steels, making localized attack less dangerous in chromium containing steels than in unalloyed carbon steels. Keywords: carbon dioxide, carbon steel, chromium, mesa attack, sweet corrosion