Frame Rust 2001 -2004

I also went to Machens in COMO. They seemed pretty aware of the recall and options for those affected (thanks to you, perhaps). No hassle from any of the service reps and they were very willing to "work something out."

Just curious, are you getting any other work done while the frame is being swapped out? (i.e. fuel filter)

 

Does the extended 15 yr warranty apply to all Tacomas in every state? If I didn't get a letter from Toyota, is my frame still covered, or are only certain VIN's covered? I am about to purchase a Tacoma in KY that was inspected and passed, and was undercoated. But I live in NC and will register it here. Would that void the warranty extension?

From Toyota's letter it sounds like all Tacomas are covered as long as you bring them in for inspection and treatment if you live in the specified salt states. Does anybody have an answer for this?

 

Just took my 01 Taco in to a dealer here in Arkansas & the frame failed inspection. Rust had worked it's way through the frame.

I bought the truck when I lived in Michigan, I then moved to Arizona & now I live in Arkansas. I believe the 2 Michigan winters this truck saw is what contaminated the frame. I took a wire wheel to the entire undercarriage of the truck when I lived in AZ. Hit it with 2 layers of "rust inhibitor" spray, a layer of "rust resistant" primer, & 2 layers of paint. It looked like it was brand new when I finished with the job. But 2 years later I was doing work under the truck & noticed a spot of rust. I pushed my finger against the rust & my finger went into the frame. It was just a spot about 10 inches long but it was enough to fail the inspection.

My truck is a 01 Tacoma Dbl cab, TRD. It has all the bells & whistles that come with the TRD package plus a Magna flow exhaust system, 3 inch Pro Com lift kit, 33 in tires, Custom wheels, & a cold Air intake. The truck has 186,500 miles on it. I have owned it since about 45,000 miles. The truck has been (by far) the most reliable vehicle I have ever owned. I'm not sure if I want to let it go. I know the miles are high but it still runs like it's brand new! I have taken extra good care of it, so this rust issue kinda hurts.

I'm in the process of dealing with Toyota & a local dealer here in Arkansas. So far the process has been fairly easy to deal with. I was told they are either going to replace the frame or buy the truck back from me. I do not have any numbers yet. But I will post my experience on here as I go through this.

 

keep us updated! I have an 04 and i know they are supposed to just replace the frame on the 01-04 but im interested that they are considering buying yours. I would love to have mine bought back!

 

Ok here is where I'm at thus far. I have been speaking with Toyota & a local dealer at the same time.

The service guy at the dealer gave me a bit of wrong info, which Toyota corrected. Toyota is NOT offering a buy back on the 01-04 models (nor any of the newer models either). The buy back is only offered to 98-00. The reason? 98-00 parts are no longer available thus they can not fix the frame. 01-04 parts are still in production. This came from Toyota directly.

So I have decided to go ahead with the repair. I do have a bit of a problem though. My truck has a 3inch Pro Com lift & much larger tires. So I have decided to up grade to a Tuff Country 5 inch lift. The dealer is going to install the lift for me. I'm buying the lift online & will take it to the dealer to have it done while they are doing the frame replacement. I'm also going to have the entire exhaust from headers to tail pipe upgraded. I'm contemplating on getting the entire truck painted as well. Dealer said they will give me a price on that. They are going to provide me with a rental. At first they tried to give me a Corrola for a rental. I told them it's bow season & a Corrola is not going to make it where my tree stand is, so the decided to lend me a newer Tacoma when all the parts are in. Right now my Tacoma is still with me & i'm waiting for all the parts to arrive before I give it over to the dealer.

I will let you know where it goes from here

 

Report the frame rust to the NHTSA. Toyota is f-cking us. I'm SOL with my '02. no help whatsoever. My plan for the truck is to not drive it on wet roads.

 

I called my dealer inquiring about an inspection and made an appointment to get it checked out. Right before I hung up the phone I just asked, thinking it was free, to see how much it was. He said they would charge me an hour of shop time, which was $50. Then I asked him if it was free for a undercoating if it was rusty and he said it would be $800. Needless to say, I did not go to the appointment because I was pissed they tried to charge me 50 bucks when they are well aware of the rust issues.

 

thats great news about the lift! I knew they would install factory parts (clutch, shocks, etc) at no labor cost but i had no idea they would do aftermarket too. I am hoping my frame will rust out b4 the 15 years is up.

As for them charging you, IF you got a letter in the mail, there is a free inspection and FREE undercoating. If you just go to the dealer and ask about it then they will charge you because the dealer will not get reimbursed from toyota for the work done. Your problem is with toyota not the dealer.

 

I never received a letter from toyota and didnt get charged anything when mine was inspected. I am supposed to go get the undercoating sometime soon but the dealer did say they were stopping the undercoating very soon.

 

I bought the truck this summer so I haven't received a letter. The dealer knows the truck was in a salt rich environment for the first 6 or 7 years of its life, and is well aware of the rusty frame issue, but says he is unaware of Toyota paying for free inspection/undercoating at...I'll give Toyota a call and see what they have to say. I understand not every truck is eligible, but any truck near any salt should be able to get an undercoating for a mistake Toyota made building these trucks IMO.

 

Yeah id def call toyota. I think ALL 95.5-04 tacomas should be included. No matter where they are registered at. I havent had my truck but a couple months and they never said anything to me about a letter. Goodluck with getting toyota to do what is right.

 

You guys the dealer does not make the final call, Toyota does. The dealer is going to try to squeeze every penny from Toyota & you. You need to contact Toyota first, set up a claim number, they will tell you where to go.

USE CAUTION WITH THE DEALER! They are not installing my lift for free but are giving me a huge brake due to the fact the truck is going to be completely torn down thus making the job much easier. Pay attention to every penny they charge you (if any). I needed my carrier bearing replaced as well, they tried to charge me the labor for it. I told them they will have to remove the old carrier bearing during the frame replacement and reinstall it on the new, so why would you charge me labor on something you are going to do during the warranty repair anyway? The service manager agreed with me. You need to be vigilant & non-confrontational it will get you no where.

If the dealer is not familiar with the Rust warranty you might have to educate them yourself, just as I did.

I'm not sure why anyone would be mad at Toyota? This is NOT a recall! Toyota is standing behind their product. They are giving all of us Tacoma owners (regardless of what year) an additional 15 years of warranty on the frame! They are nor ever were obligated to do so. No other manufacture out their has EVER done anything like this. Again no reason what so ever to be mad. Yea maybe some faired better by having their trucks bought back boo-hoo cry me a river already. But none of us bought our trucks with the intention of selling them back to Toyota let alone have the entire frame rebuilt or rust proofed. Everyone wins here!

 

I just got my truck back today from the frame swap. VERY positive experience.

I had reasonable expectations, was realistic with the Service Advisor and he treated me well. I introduced myself to the Service Manager, never made any demands, never got bent out of shape and nicely shared my expectations. It looks like I got luckier than most folks, but I don't know why. I had been under my truck and knew what I was up against: if it passed this time, another winter would have probably made it fail. I spoke to 4 different dealers and this was the only one I felt comfortable with, so we worked it out. When I spoke to them, they had done several of these and learned from previous experience the ins and outs of the swaps. Plus, they are making a nice profit from this swap - not from my pocket.

 

I just bought my truck 2 weeks ago in upstate NY and after doing some research on here about recalls saw the frame and looked into it. Found out it was undercoated by a dealer in Litchfield, CT in 09. I noticed the undercoating was flaking bad in many areas so I called my local dealer and they said I had to contact the dealer that coated it. I called them and they said I could bring it in this afternoon for an inspection....they put it on the lift and within 10 minutes the service guy came out and said they found a huge hole in the pass side front of the frame and took pics to show a Toyota rep and would let me know within the next couple days...crossing my fingers they replace it. I'm worried because I just purchased the truck and it still has a 30 day temp plate so I hope they cover it. He said the dealer I bought it from (in NY) should have never sold it like that. I took a pic with my phone.

 

Man, that almost looks like it was cut out. That is a huge hole! Mine was about the size of a quarter & it failed inspection.

Also, it's NOT a recall, it's a extended 15 year warranty from date of manufacture.

What year is your truck?

 

I agree it almost looked like it was cut out, I think that was from them possibly chipping away at it..? It's an 02 with 96k miles.

 

My truck is an 01 with almost 190,000 miles & the warranty covered the entire frame replacement, so I think your well within the warranty coverage. They most likely will replace your frame. Just make sure you contact Toyota yourself & set up a claim.

 

they called today and want me to drop it off tuesday night and a Toyota rep is coming to see it on Wednesday...they said they'd give me a loaner.

Anyone have their frame coated under warranty and then rot this bad within 2yrs? Or had a frame replaced after it was coated? I'm curious the condition when it was coated in 09 that its this bad now.

 

how long did they have your truck during the replacement and what did they change at no cost to you other than the frame itself?

 

Mine is still in the process of getting done. It's been approved by Toyota. I'm still waiting for the frame to come in.

The dealer is not going to do anything for free. But if a part is worn & is coming off during the replacement you simply should buy a new one & have them put a new part in. If they try to charge you labor for a part they are taking off anyway, say something. That's double dipping. Toyota is paying them to replace the frame & all the labor that is involved, it would be an unethical move on the dealers end if they try to get you to pay on top of what Toyota is already paying. They are replacing the carrier bearing with a new. I will buy the part & no labor charge. I'm also having them replace the bushing for the rack. I purchased a much stronger after market bushing from a company called Energy Suspension and they will put it in.

My original plan was to replace my 3 inch lift with a new 5 inch lift & have them install it during the frame swap. But I have changed my mind since then. I have decided to reuse my old lift & have the body of the truck taken care of instead. I'm having the hood & roof repainted & the entire truck body buffed down. But i'm paying extra for that of course.