2016 - 2017 Tacoma frames have no stamped VIN numbers or tags

I purchased a 2017 Tacoma 4 door short bed with only 1,500 miles & paper tags. It was hit in rear only. We own a 14 employee body shop in Central California & many employees ( & owners) drive rebuilt late model totalled vehicles , all with "salvage titles" at considerable savings.

We first located a used 2016 frame only from a salvage yard after consulting Toyota to confirm as we do with using all used parts for insurance companies. The 2016 uses the same frame part number as 2017, so we rebuilt the truck using the used frame. Also.the vehicle id number on the 2016 cab had no leans or theft reports)



In Kalifornia to get a "salvage' title we must take the truck to CHP for inspection with all sales receipts & photos as we have being doing for 30 years, so the inspector know us and only looked at the bills wisthout looking at the frame & parts etc. Then we are told we "cannot" register the vehicle as a 2017, it "must" be registered as a 2016 because of the 2016 frame.
(veh code 671 (b) ). We were also told we "must" pull the windshield & dash id tqag plus allother taags such as door tags!.

Toyota parts tell us there is NO stamped or even tagged numbers on the new frames & we found none one either the 2016 0r 2017, neither did the salvage yard, or the CHP inspector.

Has anyone else had the same problem in Kalifornia?

 

I thought the VIN had to be embedded somewhere on all vehicle frames...also, why is California spelled with a K...?

 

Yup, the vins on that frame somewhere

 

Yes, it has to have a vin in the frame.

 

Check the passenger front wheel well on the side of the frame

 

01-04 had a vin sticker under the spare tire carrier on the crossmember. Might be the same for those. They usually try and hide them for a reason.

 

California is only spelled with a "K", here on the 'Left Coast', when one is pissed off about regulation that doesn't make any sense.

I and Toyota dealers out here say the new (2016-20117) frame assy is "blank" as in No numbers or stickers anywhere on both frames.

Also, in Toyota computers & ours they 'both' use the same part number. & we compared & fit all parts perfectly, no mods necessary.

 

I accidently found the VIN on my Wrangler. It was stamped into the drivers frame rail, and completly covered by the frame paint, invisible until you remove the paint. Not sure if it's the same case for Toyota.

 

The frame Vin is considered a "confidential vin" and won't necessarily contain all 17 characters. No one will readily reveal the location of a confidential vin for obvious reasons. Your Toyota dealer may honestly not even know where it is