Frame Rust Recall

If your truck got the crc coating did that extend the warranty?

 

12 years after first in service date. My 2015 is warrantied until 2027 I think

 

Taking mine in today to have the frame inspected for this campaign. I swore I took my truck in last year for this, but that time they just inspected it and said it was fine. No CRC applied or anything. This time I'll make sure they do something, since the flyer says they will either apply the crc or replace the frame.

 

hello everyone, i just had my 2012 done and i said dont install these plugs, shadow showed one of his plugs but the not other side, the reason i said dont install them is because i did not want them drilling more holes in the frame, but now im considering selling the truck so maybe i should install them.

 

my first generation was under frame warranty for 15 years, on the 14th year toyota had it rust proofed, then i sold it, i asked the toyota dealership how long is the warranty going to be for my 2012 and they didnt know

 

I’m not 100% percent sure, but I think the plugs are just for existing holes in the frame. To keep water out and on the ends to keep water out.

 

they drill one 3/8 hole in the frame on each side and also put a hole in the plastic cover, they do not use the hole with the collar to mount it.

 

So I bought my 2015 two years ago. The frame looked pretty good. However I suspected some treatment had been done to it. If you look at the photo with the frame sticker you can tell some paint/fluid film had been applied. This having been my first Tacoma I didn’t really know what I was looking at but thought it wasn’t terrible. I put a coating of wool wax on last season, and for prep this season I went to a self car wash and sprayed the frame good to try and remove some of the old wool wax and generally clean the frame some. After, I noticed that there is now some rust. Mostly at the seams, and a few dime size spots on the frame. See photos. So what now? Is this enough that I should be talking to Toyota? I’m in what they consider a heavy salt state. (MD.) Do I just cover it with more fluid film or wool wax and move on. Or grind it and paint it over? Looking for input. How bad do I have it? Also any interpretation of the F2 on the frame sticker! Thanks!

edit: some of that crud on the top of the frame is old woolwax not rust.

 

Well I just spoke to Toyota and they have agreed to take a look at it. Says I fall under a program that’s good till 2027.

 

They didn’t do that to my 15, just plastic plugs to close the holes up plus coat the interior of the frame.

 

That rust doesn't look too bad. Most of the welds on my truck started to rust, similar to your picture. If someone applied paint to help protect the frame, like I did, then not a big deal. If you plan on keeping the truck for an extended period, I would take a wire brush or similar to the rusted areas, treat areas of rust with something like POR15 or spray can rust paint, and then continue annual applications of fluid film/wood wax. From the pictures you posted, the frame looks in good shape.

 

Turns out at drop off with Toyota this morning that the truck was in there early in 2021 just before I bought it, to have the spray treatment done. So I guess I’m about to find out what they are willing to do when the rust comes back through their treatment just over a year later.

 

Just a shameless plug, but for any of you who deal with road salt you should be looking into spraying your frame inside and out every fall with fludfilm, woolwax, or some other lanolin based product. (I think there's a third big name but I can't place it)

it's very thin and will wash off the front end components if you do a lot of highway driving, but I've been using it on my '99 for 8-9 years and the frame still looks as new as the day I brought it home to maine from florida.
I also used it on a plow truck I picked up that was all crusty and flakey on the underside- the swolen flakey rust drinks the stuff up, and it keeps oxygen from getting to what's left of the good steel. Really great stuff. I'll be treating my 2013 with it for the first time in the coming weeks.
Around here, if you look, you'll see shops offering to do it for you, 200-250 a treatment. It's a bit steep, but doing it yourself is messy, messy work. We do the whole fleet in a few days so it's worth the mess.

 

I used wool wax last year. It went on thicker than what I believe fluidfilm does. (I have never used fluidfilm). So far there is still a relatively thick coating on a lot of the frame and other parts.

Question: before reapplying this season should I power wash off the old application or go right over top of it? I do not have access to a lift, only car ramps, so getting under with a power wash will be mighty wet and messy.

 

I've heard that about wool wax- we use fluidfilm but when our stock runs out (we have like 15 gallons of the stuff right now) I might switch, thicker is better.
I wouldn't bother trying to scrape it off- it attracts a lot of dirt and road dust, which just makes for better protection from rust. If you have a carwash nearby that does the underbody wash, that's all we do the day before the next coat goes on.

 

Is it worth going around and hitting the obvious rust spots with an air needle scaler and/or wire brush then applying some Corroseal and paint before the Fluid Film gets applied? Curious if such a treatment holds up in the face of salted roads, or if it's kind of a "why bother".

 

Also adding to that. If the rust is covered. Can enough lanolin be removed to effectively get any paint to stick at that point? I guess if maybe you use mineral spirits or something?

 

I've never tried to remove the stuff, to be honest- but painting over it is likely out. Mineral spirits or acetone and a lot of work might do it, but imo it's a waste of time.

I've never tried to paint under a vehicle before applying this either- honestly if there's some surface rust I think it would help prevent the stuff from washing off, where a smooth painted surface would want to wash clean readily.

Attached a photo from a few months ago on my '99 after 8 years of daily use/commuting on Maine roads, mix of city/highway for the first four and country/highway for the last four. Only treatment I've done is take it to an underbody car wash once a year, then hose it down (inside and out for the frame) with FF.
Trying not to hijack the thread, though - I think applying this over a crunchy frame would only help, since the rust would give something for it to absorb into and prevent oxygen from reaching the steel.
It doesn't work so well on my wifes unibody yaris, since there's no frame- the unibody is just semi-flat stamped steel underneith so there's not much for this stuff to cling to. She drives 80+ on the highway, and the salt spray just washes it off the rear of the underbody, so it's rusting back there. Might have something to do with being so close to the road, too. We don't see that on any of the other vehicles in the fleet, but nobody else in the family drives like that in the winter...

 

Is that the black fluidfilm? Slight overspray on the cab?

 

No- that's the OG fluidfilm, some is sprayed on the back of the cab just from doing the frame, but around the edges that's not overspray. the stuff "creeps" along the surface of anything it gets on, and it picks up road dust. It crept out from under the cab, and out of that hole with the missing plug (just noticing thats missing...) and collects black dust.
I heard they started making some with a black tint to it, but due to a miscommunication three of us showed up with 5 gallon buckets of the old stuff two years ago

Wipes clean with a rag and leaves a nice shine on the paint, But I've never bothered to clean it up