Rusty Frame

Thanks everyone for the reply’s and offering advice. I know it was a bone head move and I definitely learned my lesson.

My sister is the attorney and free so I thought it might be worth a shot since they simply used a defective frame to replace a defective frame. I guess I thought Toyota had enough of a reputation that they would not have this kind of issue.

This is my first Toyota and was purchasing it for my Mom. She saw a documentary that Toyota trucks of this era run forever and would rattle off the ten things that would need to be replaced/maintained and a rusty frame wasn’t on the list. She hates the Lexus SUV my Dad bought for her and wanted a 4wd pickup. I was against the decision and thought it was probably a bad idea, but, in the interest of making my aging mother happy, I went for it.

Ive owned my share of old cars over the years and have always lived in either Wisconsin or Minnesota. None of my 20 year old Honda’s or Subaru ever had a frame rusty like this and not being familiar with Tacomas I did not know it was a known issue. If I were buying the car for myself I would have researched it more. I realize I bear responsibility and made a poor decision. I just didn’t have time, I was trying to help my mom out and I missed it.

We looked at the car at night and I just didn’t spot it in the dark. The seller originally had it listed for 8k, then 7k, he had a brand new tundra in the driveway and said he was just ready for an upgrade. He did not disclose the rust but did disclose all the new parts which were many including front and rear shocks and rear leaf springs. The car inside is pristine, I’ve never seen a vehicle this old with an interior so nice. A/C blows ice cold. Color is grey and there isn’t a single rip or tear, it smells nice, it feels good and it drives perfect. I was thinking man this guy has taken great care of this and is an enthusiast himself.

But, I got suckered and have no recourse.

Parting out sounds like a great idea but a lot of work and I probably don’t have the time or enough knowledge/experience to pull it off.

I did contact one of the safety cap installers (Zeus) in my area. I sent them the pics and they think it might be possible to repair some of it but are concerned it’s too far gone to safely install a cap on the rear sections. I would need to bring it to them to find out for certain.

On top of that the gas tank is almost rusted through, the control arms and places where suspension connections are etc. look pretty bad too.

I have a guy who does body work on the side who says my best option (if I choose to repair) is to find a rolling chassis from a Tacoma at a yard in the south that hasn’t rusted. The rolling chassis has the gas tank all the suspension the connections to the body brake lines, etc. We found one in Joplin Missouri but they want $3500 plus shipping (it’s like shipping a car 500-600) and then at least 2k for him to install it. At that point I think it would be pretty solid but still 200k+ on the body, trans and engine. At that point I’d have at least 12k into it. That’s a lot.

Another option we are considering is trying to trade it in at the Toyota dealer where the frame replacement was done. Another Hail Mary.

I’d be interested in what you guys have to say.

Total bummer.

 

Welcome, sorry it is like this

The seller obviously screwed you. Looks like they put a lot of time into detail and new tires to cover the crap underneath. I am not familiar with your state or laws, usually this is a tough learning experience. But, is there any recourse against the seller. Possibly the way they advertised the vehicle or knowingly selling you an unsafe vehicle. Do you have state inspections? Trying to think of anything you can pin back on the owner to show the did something fraudulent, because it sure looks like they did.

 

Wait… it’s a 2000? Toyota never replaced those. Those trucks were bought back. The frame on that truck is the original.

how is this Toyota’s fault? Dana was the manufacture of the frame and Toyota went above and beyond what many other companies would of done.
Hell my buddies 2011 f150 split in half and what did Ford say? “Oh well”


This is a case of a seller that deserves some justice served. But also, a case of why people should have used vehicles inspected before purchase.

 

1000%.

He probably was on here 2 weeks ago asking about frame repair before buying the new truck and selling this one.

 

There’s actually a fair few people who are buying them rotted out cheap and turning around selling them right away for way more. And they’re not putting titles in their names.

 

To the op a part out will net the most money return to you, but will take time.
Sell as is you’ll be hard pressed to get more than 1500 with the mileage. the last one I bought with a rotted frame was 1350. 200k on a 2002 doubles cab. The other one I’m picking up is a fair bit more, but it’s a special low mileage one.


if you have the space and time, a part out is the route to go.

 

If it was me, at minimum I will call and front up on him. Flat out ask if he feels good knowing he sold a rusted out frame without disclosing it. He would probably hang up.

Then I buy my own robo caller and set it to call his house every night at 2 am. Then maybe his cable gets cut by accident. Or his a/c line breaks to his house. Sewer gets clogged. Lots of things break around the house at night. I AM NOT ADVOCATING VIOLENCE.

 

Good point about state safety inspections. If this had a sticker you could press for fraud in civil court.

 

I hope you at least call the guy and tell him he's an asshole.

 

As the manufacturer, Toyota does have the ultimate responsibility, regardless if they actually made the frame or not. It's why they offered the warranty. But on the same token, they don't just have a blanket "we'll replace your frame forever no questions asked" policy. At a certain point, you gotta wash the salt off your car occasionally, and inspect your vehicle more than once a decade.

That said, it's not Toyota's "fault". Like you say, Toyota has a pretty generous policy about the rust. I doubt Chevy or Ford have 15 year replacement warranties for frame rust.

This is the owner's fault (in this thread, the previous owner). Anyone who lives in the rust belt should know that ALL manufacturers are prone to rust. It's inevitable when they salt the roads in the winter. People like to complain, as if Toyota should make rust proof cars or something. Toyotas are reliable. But metal is metal, and that shit is going to rust when you take salt baths for 6 months out of the year.

It's not like getting that call is all of a sudden going to make him reassess his life. He knows it and clearly doesn't care. All he's going to say is, "thanks for the $6k."

 

Damn that sucks. The first thing I looked for when I got my Tacoma was frame rust. I did that even before checking anything else out. If it's rusted, I walk.

 

This.

 

Ask the guy for your money back, tell him if not you’re taking legal action. Kicking and screaming at Toyota for the condition of a 21 year old truck frame from Minnesota is laughable. It’s buying trucks 101 to inspect a frame, you are learning an expensive lesson here.

 

Not sure any legal action will happen. OP kind of got screwed. Sad because it's a beautiful looking truck other than the frame.

 

Sorry to hear about that. I've definitely found myself in spots where I've overlooked things out of excitement.

Yes, Toyotas are generally reliable. The early Tacomas have frame rust issues. Toyota addressed many of these with a recall. They extended the recall up to 2017 trucks but I have yet to see any late 2nd gens or 3rd gens even close to needing new frames. Even my local dealership mentioned about the days where they just wrote checks to people and purchased their trucks due to the frames but they haven't had to do that in about 12+ years. They said they haven't seen any even close to needing replacement in a long time.

As someone who lives in Michigan, rust is a way of life. If you have a 10 year old vehicle with no body rust (let alone anywhere else) then you're doing something right. In my opinion Toyota has gone above and beyond when it comes to this rust issue. I have coworkers and neighbors with Chevy trucks that are the same age as my Tacoma or newer with much more visible frame rust than I have.

If you do decide it's worth it and get a new frame (or get a new truck in general) make sure you use Fluid Film or some other rust protectant (except rubberized undercoating). At the very least it'll vastly extend the life of the frame/underbody.

 

I think, if all is said and done and you end up stuck with it:

A - In my opinion, putting over half what you paid into it just for frame repair seems steep since there is likely going to be more than just the frame that needs work sooner rather than later. I understand if you don't want to part it out yourself, but it'd be worth trying to sell whole as a parts truck, I think you might be able to squeeze $3K out of it from the right buyer. People love these trucks. It may take some time, but if the body and interior are clean, there's probably a buyer out there.
(Note: You have to have a certain amount of posts on here to post a sale thread if that interests you, but could be worth it, especially if your mom wants a Tacoma, lotsa info to dig through on here you can rack up posts in no time.)

B- As someone who has been burned before (mine was vehicle history related) as well, don't let it sway you from getting her another of the same model. If she wants a small Toyota pickup, go for it, they really are great trucks, that one, just...well you know. Crawl under the next one haha. (Though Lexus makes great vehicles, and reliable too, I'd love a GX)

 

I don’t know the specific laws in OP’s state so I can’t say whether it’s actually feasible or not. But I would definitely threaten him in hopes to get the money back. The guy who sold it to him is either an outright scammer or clueless about the fact that the frame falling apart deems the truck unsafe and worthless.

 

Across the lake from you in Ontario Canada there have been many second GEN Tacoma’s getting new frames thanks to Toyota corporate Standing behind their customers. Rust prevention actions by Truck owners is the key to owning a Tacoma long term.

 

Just a question that occured to me. Is anyone in the aftermarket making replacement frames that don't rust out like the originals? And if not, why not?

 

Yeah, my key words were "late 2nd gens." But as you alluded to, most other manufacturers would consider that to be "normal wear" and wouldn't stand by it. 1 oz of prevention is worth 1 lb of cure.