Curbing the frame rust on an 04.

This topic has probably been beaten to death.... but.....

I know there is a huge 3.4 billion dollar frame recall happening right now.

That appears to cover only 2005 - 2009.

I live in a cold weather climate with salt. I have an 04 extended cab trd. I called in and they took down my info on the vehicle but claim my trucks frame was serviced back in 2009 for the frame. This would have been just before i bought the truck.....weeks before.

The frame did have a soft black undercoating applied to the frame at that time i think and that was Toyotas fix.... but that has since completely dried up and fallen off. I have rust.......but no holes in the frame yet as far as i know. I know the 2004 models and prior crack and break in front of the rear tires just like the later models.

If my frame has a 15 year warranty on it and the crappy coating has fallen off and rust apparent...why wouldn't it be covered?

Seems odd. Was the coating a band aid just to get the frame beyone the 15 year mark so they dont have to cover it if there is an issue?

I love love love this truck and bought a toyota based on the reliability. Its no secret on the frame rot of their trucks but its really sad. The truck looks like new. Im going to get under there in -20 degree weather and have a look myself to see what shape it is in.

Is there any way to protect it now that im stuck with it the way that it is? I dont want to coat over the rust with anything. That will just trap the rust and likely make the issue worse. I just want to prolong the life of my truck. Spraying the frame with an oil coating perhaps? I have a large bottle of marvel mystery oil around here somewhere. That stuff coats well. I have used that to keep tools from rusting and it works well.

 

The Tacoma 2nd gen part of the class action settlement on 10/31/2016 - which is not a recall, but a 12 year warranty enhancement - is for years 2005-2010.

 

You are also in the same boat as many of us cold weather state Tacoma owners. The corrosion protection was not effective in most cases. I think mine has all flaked off. According to the notices I received at the time informing me of the requirements to maintain the 15 year frame warranty extension on these vehicles, owners were required to have Toyota apply the corrosion protection (at Toyota's expense) before a specific deadline.

Most experiences discussed here are that if the coating was applied and the frame subsequently fails during the warranty period, the frame will be replaced. If your truck was coated, it should be covered. Who did you call?

 

With a 2004 you're still eligible for frame replacement until 2019 if your frame was inspected and undercoated AND the frame is/can be perforated by a Toyota tech. You need to take it to a Toyota dealership and have them check the frame on a lift. I believe they test it with a hammer, if they can punch through the frame, it's deemed unsafe and eligible for replacement.
I have no first hand knowledge on this but this is what I've learned through research and I'm pretty confident this is correct.
I would not take no for an answer and visit several dealerships. One may tell you no because they don't want to deal with it. Another may gladly replace your frame.
Might take some driving and some of your time but you may just end up with a new frame.
Also go to Toyota owners website anger your vin and see what dealerships have services your truck in the past. You can call them and have them email you your full service history. I did this with my truck. That way you have documented proof if it was inspected and coated.
Best of luck, hope this helps!

 

You're lucky it was coated and you have the 15 year warranty. For it to qualify for a new frame, Toyota has to inspect it and determine that it's unsafe to operate. I think you have to have at least a 10mm perforation in the frame due to rust or something like that, could be that yours isn't bad enough yet.

 

Was the coating a band aid just to get the frame beyond the 15 year mark so they dont have to cover it if there is an issue?


Yes.

 

Why did Toyota require the undercoating? Lots of speculation here. By doing so they ended the warranty for everyone that did not have the undercoating applied before the deadline. It also gave then a roster of the vehicles which retained the warranty, and a definite limit on their possible liability for replacements. The undercoating did not provide any real protection to the frame, and quickly began to flake off after application.

 

BTW OP, welcome to TW.

Check out Por15 or fluid film for protecting the frame. There are many testimonials here on both products.

 

ya think?! lol

 

I called Toyota at 1.800.331.4331

They had no idea the ownership of the truck had changed and didnt have me in the system. I called bs on this.......citing that i got a recall notice in the mail for the rear tire carrier. They then found my information which was "incomplete". They updated it and went through the list of recalls stating my VIN was not part of that recall.

They told me everything is based on the VIN number. I asked if trucks from certain factories were affected and maybe mine came from an unaffected factory? They didnt know. All they kept saying is that it was VIN based and my VIN was not under any frame recalls.

 

That was my thought as well. Trying a cheap fix to get most folks beyond the warranty and then it isnt their problem any longer. Again there is no question frame rot has been a toyota truck issue for a long time but not this early.

 

I suppose now that they know i called in inquiring about it my truck has been flagged in their system as fine based on the case number they gave me. No amount of driving around is going to address that. I have to think every dealership looks at the same information in a database somewhere.

Im going to get under there this weekend if it isnt too cold (it was -20 this morning) and see what things look like. I know the coating is gone and there is rust.....but thats about all i know at this point. No clue how bad it is.

 

Interestingly i did login to my Toyota Owners page, i put in my vin and pulled my service records. IT says in the PDFs that the truck was in for a corrsion recall in June of 09 by me. My name is in the PDF yet i didnt even own the truck until later that year. I have never been to that dealership in my life.....and it was not where i bought the truck. Same town....yes but not that dealership. What a mess. How did my name get on the invoice if i didnt even own the truck?

The oldest record is 3/09/05 at that same dealership.........when the truck had 11k miles on it......again my name is on every pdf invoice and i didnt buy the truck until july or august of 09 and the truck had 73k on it when i bought it. Perhaps the computer system just replaces the previous owners name with my name on everything? That seems odd.

 

Here are the notes from the recall service that were done back on 6.11.2009 before i owned the truck:

RECALL/CAMPAIGN ~|~PERFORM
SSC# 90D RECALL ~|~OPEN RECALL
FOUND ON DEALER DAILY
~|~PERFORMED SSC#90D
WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT
REMOVED RUST SCALE. APPLY
CORROSION RESISTANT COATING
TO INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF FRAME.
OP CODE 8630JM 3.6 HOURS

 

The current owner's data shows on all the service records in the Toyota Owners website. Same for all of us. I would assume that is a privacy issue for the prior owners. But the main thing is you have the record for the corrosion coating, and therefore, according to my and many other's understanding of the extended warranty, you are covered.

It's also my understanding that this warranty extension falls under the heading of a "Service Campaign", not a "Recall", under which the manufacturer is voluntarily preforming this service. Recalls are subject the a host of regulations and are tracked and recorded in an entirely different manor. When whoever you spoke to researched your VIN, they would not haver found any record of a frame recall because there was no frame recall. There have been other recalls on 1st gen Tacomas, such as the recent spare tire carrier.

 

Thanks for the info. IM going to get under there and have a look the first chance i get. I am curious now. I still love the truck. 0 issues ever.......just giving it the normal maintenance, oil changes and tire rotations. My exaust has a recent hole in it. I am hoping to find a good replacement this summer. Other than that.....no issues.

 

Where did your truck originally sell? Mine came off the dealer's lot in Maine (a cold weather state, if I recall correctly), then moved to Massachusetts. Somehow, it ended up on a dealer lot in NJ, where I bought it in 2013. At the time I owned a 2001, which had been run through the frame replacement program in 2012, so why not buy another? Had both for a year, then sold the '01. I also owned a '97 TRD and a '00, both of which were bought back by Toyota under the buy back program for the '95.5-'00 model years. So I'm batting .750 with the Tacoma frame rust issue, but I'm still here, and still driving a Tacoma. The jury is still out on the '03.

 

This is very true my 04 just had its frame replaced less than a month ago

 

If your frame is rusty but still good, I would suggest you try to remove as much loose rust as possible then have it greased
Grease will keep the rust from spreading and worsening

Or get it sand blasted and have it repainted then greased (grease will prevent rust from coming back)

 

Minnesota.....cold and wet winters.....really cold. ITs been here all its life. I believe it was purchased in a eastern suburb of minneapolis and serviced at another dealer during the first part of its life in a southern suburb of minneapolis. Im in a northern suburb of minneapolis. You see the pattern here