How did my bed dent my cab?

When checking the bed, make sure you don't just check the bolts are tight. Actually grab the front corner of the bed from beside the truck and lift up on it and see if there is play. I'm not sure if it's a 3rd gen problem, but on the 2nd gen I believe their is a sleeve or something, so the bolt can be tight, but the bed still slides up and down.

 

Nobody wants an elongated hole....

Are you referring to the bed bolts?

I'm gonna go see if the bed bolts have loosened here in a few, I wouldn't be shocked if they are.

 

OOOOOOH!

 

Here you go. Check this out.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/tacoma-loose-bed-design-flaw-explanation.388873/

 

Good luck broville, tighten them sumbiches!

 

The only thing I have here is an Archive cross tube. Have never had my bed touch the cab.. you can even see the deflection

 

now try that same spot at 35mph

 

That's some serious flex if that's what caused it.

 

you were getting pulled, or doing some pulling out of the snow in one of the photos?
Our bed is effectively an industrial sized rubbermaid with the lid taken off and a foil ring of steel around it held to the frame from the bottom only.

With your rack putting mass above the bed rails you'll get the recoil effect when yanking.
Plus any additional weight that was in your bed getting tossed to and fro.

 

Hitting a large dip in a trail at speed will do that, usually accompanied by the drivers head meeting the roof of their taco.

 

I know on a lot of trucks the bed bolts come loose and it starts to rattle pretty loudly in the cab. When I figured out that was my issue, I ended up having two or three loose bolts. Just wondering if yours all might be loose and the bed shifted? It a Torx t55 socket.

 

Mine lines up with the red line. The entire way from side to side. Something is amiss here.

 

my 1st gen frontier took a 35 mile an hour hit in the ass and looked better than that dent

 

OMG!!!!

 

Ever had a cap or something similar mounted on top of your bed?

 

Take a look at where the arrow is pointing and take note of the gap. Now take a peak at his and you’ll notice the gap has shrunk. In order for that to happen, wouldn’t it take the failure of the bolts fastening the bed in place? Or perhaps the bed’s plastic gussets failed in some way and jeopardized the fastening.

 

Lumber rack with cab over hoop? I’ve seen a long bed taco with the front of the hoop resting on the cab roof. Check the roof for a corresponding dent.