Frame Rust 2001 -2004

patched by Toyota?!?! I had no idea they did that. Why did they not replace the frame?

I'v noticed that my spray is flaking too in just a couple isolated places.. not a huge concern though to me, 'cause if it fails b4 2016 I get a new frame

and Lucky - your buddy is covered thru 2018 and will get a new frame if/when it fails soo I'd say rest easy and wheelit like hell, then get a new frame and wheelit forever more

 

At Toyota Now with Regional TOYNA service guy

 

frame is ugly/rusty but Toyota ok'd it and said it is good to go. they will inspect every year and replace the frame at such time as it becomes penetrable (from corrosion).

suggestion - IF you have an 01-04 get the local dealer to inspect and build up solid stack of paperwork every year to document the progress and establish owner prudence.

 

I have an 04 tacoma that apparelty has a completely rusted out frame. I was driving down the road and noticed some unusual rattling. I stopped and upon inspection found that the frame on both sides had cracked all the way through directly above the rear tires. This rendered the vehicle extremely unsafe to drive. I had it towed to a repair shop and they told me that a complete frame replacement needs to be done and that the vehicleis unsafe to drive as is. They said the frame is completely rusted out. I understand the vehicle came out of New York and has high salt concentrations but the rest of the truck is virtually rust free. I can’t believe that a frame rusting completely out is normal in just 10 years. I have contacted Toyota and they are telling me that any recalls pertaining tothis have expired. I can’t believe they will not step up and fix what is obviously shoddy craftsmanship. From my understanding, they stepped up to the plate with the 1995-2000’s that had the exact same issue and obviously was not fixed in the 2001-2004 models. I am very disappointed with Toyota. If any of the rest of you have experienced this issue and have found a way to resolve it please let me know. Also if you have not resolved it please make a formal complaint to the NHTSA and maybe we can get Toyota to do something about it.

 

Toyota ran a ~2 year campaign for the trucks to get inspected/sprayed or replaced for the 01-04 years and extended the warranty of the frame to 15 years from build date. How long have you had the truck? If the previous owner had it whenever the recall happened and had it inspected then your frame should be covered. If not, well, all you can do is talk to corporate.

 

Tbangerter, you need to have the dealer check if the original TSB was performed. A TSB is NOT a recall and does expire, so if the previous owner did not perform the TSB then Toyota has no obligation to replace the frame. That is what happened to mine. I was stupid and ignored every piece of mail that came to me from Toyota. My truck was in pretty mint condition:


But it still looked like this underneath:


Now if the TSB was performed than they will owe you a new frame. And tread carefully, because even when Toyota actually does owe you warranty work, they are a bitch to deal with. Good luck.

 

Were the earlier trucks as prone to failure as these years

 

this whole rusty frame issue makes me wonder why I even bought one of these trucks. I'm a little worried myself now as my frame has a shit-ton of surface rust on it.

I contacted the dealer before I bought the truck and they said the frame corrosion inhibitor was applied in 2009. What does this mean for me if I have a failure or it doesn't pass inspection?

 

If you've confirmed that the rust inhibitor was applied by Toyota, then your frame is covered under 'warranty' until 2019 (15yrs from in service date). You should still take it in for the frame inspection annually IMO for peace of mind

 

its not your truck, its where you live lol. blame the rust on your city using salt

 

Thanks for the clarification good to know, this makes me feel way better.

I agree there to a point, but there's definitely a shortcoming or obvious manufacturer defect with the metal for the frames to rust that bad, that quick. Your fortunate you don't have to worry about it you lucky guy!

Don't get me wrong guys I like my yota and I realize every manufacturer has their problems.

 

Apparently, the final assembly for 1st generation Tacoma trucks was done in Fremont, CA. The frames were manufactured in Mexico by a subsidiary of the Dana Corp. There were steps skipped in the production that covered the corrosion protection of the metal. Toyota won a huge lawsuit with Dana a couple of years back relating to this quality error. As generous as Toyota appears with the buyback campaigns that followed, the money came out of Dana Corp's pocket (not that it shouldn't; They screwed up.).

read more where it come from....

 

I dont think so, read about frames made at Mexico, they just didnt put the anticorrosive coat

 

You would think with our 2001-2004 tacos that since they were willing to extend the replacement to 15 years of it was checked that the OEM frame should be covered because it's not even 15 years since the frame was made. That would be a good argument I believe. I've never seen anyone mention that.

 

2004s are affected too, though if the frame rusts out on the 2001-2004 Tacoma, Toyota will repair or replace it. If any model year of Tacoma has a clean frame or not rusted through, the dealer will apply rust proofing to it free of charge.[/QUOTE]
So I started hearing a rattle in the rear of my 04 Tacoma. Slid underneath Fu4K

 

Okay,I'm jealous,what's the trick to getting Toyota to do a frame replacement?? I went to my local dealership an originally(on the phone) I was able to get the new frame under the recall,then when I took mine in they ran the VIN an said it was coated in 2010(by another dealership)an that Toyota met their responsibilities under the recall an sorry about the rust hole but i wasn't eligible for the frame replacement,so I went out to the parking lot and called Toyota an basically was told the same thing..This one is a 2004 also..

 

If you had your frame coated you are covered for a perforation until 2019 and you should be given a frame replacement.

 

Do they apply a lot of Calcium Chloride where you drive?

 

Toyota would have a perfect small truck if they improved their frame manufacturing process and metallurgy too.

 

That seems to be the American business model, bigger and more technology is always better, so to keep up they change what truck drives prefer to top the competition.