Frame recall Dealer has my truck 6 months

I have been waiting since September 2014 in NJ the hole on the passenger side is about 8 inches long and the one on the driver side on a couple of inches. No loaner or frame in yet.

 

Wait, recall on 2nd gen frames? School a 1st gen guy about this!

 

The recall is for rust perforation. If your frame is inspected and has at least one hole at least 10mm in diameter they will replace your frame. If it doesn't have any holes they will apply anti corrosion coatings to the frame. This recall is only for certain rust belt states.

 

Took mine in November 6th 2014 and still waiting. They have the frame, but were waiting on a back ordered wiring harnesses. The dealer said they were just starting to do them again. I still have my truck, they said it was still safe to drive. They only take them if they are deemed unsafe.

 

Mine has been on order since Dec 12, 2014, I feel your pain and starting to look into options now. Corporate has more excuses for frame delays than I can shake a stick at.

 

Toyota determined that my sister and bro-in-law's 07 access cab needed a new frame last Nov 2014. They said the frame wasn't dangerous and told them to keep driving it. They checked with their dealer yesterday and they still have no frame or installation parts... They asked for a trade-in price because they're tired of waiting and figured they'd just get a new truck. Except for the frame, their truck is in excellent shape, both body and mechanics and has 115k. The dealer offered them $6,500.....

 

Brought mine in November '14 to PA dealer and determined needed new frame.
Let me drive the truck away.
Still waiting. No word on frame,springs,etc.
Was told last week people that brought their frames in during October '14 do not have theirs done yet.

 

Bagman, That dealer that offered 6500 for trade in, should be arrested for attempted grand theft.

 

Needless to say my bil was pissed and is now looking for another dealer to deal with. He's also going to contact Toyota Corporate to see if he can get some answers.

 

Bagman, I don't know why they didn't offer more for the trade in and screwed you on the other end like they usually do!

 

I finally got my truck back yesterday after almost 6 months and all seems well based on the short drive home from the dealership. Although, I'll reserve judgement until at least a month of driving has passed. I also saw the final bill and it just boggles the mine how this makes financial sense (see below). However, the dealer did mention that Toyota decided not to do a buy back this time around as they apparently lost millions on the 1st generation trucks using that method. Instead, they were granted either a tax credit or write off for replacing the frames which either minimized or eliminated their lost on the recall. That's only explanation I have heard up to this point that makes sense why they choose this method instead. That said, some trucks had rust so bad that other parts of the body were also effected. In those cases, they were bought out but that was very rare per the dealer.

Frame: $7900 and some change
Labor: $4000 and some change
Rental: $6000 and some change ($1050/month was the actual car rental price or $6300 over 6 months) Keep in mind that was the dealer's rate and probably would have been more for the average consumer. I should also mention that we rented a car for so long that we actually exceed the rental life of the first vehicle and were forced to trade-in after the 10K mile mark/6 month age so they could auction/sell the car. I guess they only keep them for a short time before moving on with a new vehicle. It was also a pain in the ass to go back every 30 days to renew the contract so my insurance would cover the rental.
Front calipers: $515 - This piece came out of my pocket and is a direct result of the vehicle sitting so long despite the dealer stating they do lot maintenance. In short, the calipers froze and had to be replaced but I knew this was coming based on previous owner's experience. I should also note these were after market calipers as the Toyota ones were double that price per the dealer.

Total bill: $18.5K

My 2005 DC Sport has 94.5K miles and per Kelly Blue Book is valued between $15.1K to $16.8K depending on how you view the condition of your vehicle. I would have happily traded my truck in for the new 2016 if the dealer made me an offer in that range. Anyhow, attached are a few photos I took in case someone else is wondering. I noticed a few things:

1. My frame was made in Mexico, but the one sitting on the lot was made in the USA. I'm uncertain why the difference unless it's based on where your truck was assembled.
2. The trail hitch was not replaced as part of the recall as can be seen from the rust. I also don't remember a chain hanging down from the spare tire before but in all honesty I also don't crawl under my truck that often.
3. The shocks were also not replaced.
4. The leaf springs were replaced as were all brake lines and plumbing up/down the frame.
5. The only fluid changed was the coolant and brake fluid (forgot this in my original post).
6. One of my rear parking light bulbs was replaced for $36 which seems pricey.
7. And finally, only 1 mechanic was doing all the frame replacements. It took him about 2-3 days per truck and mine was the 5th or 6th one he completed. That seems crazy to me and that it should be a minimum of 2 guys but apparently it works.
8. I just noticed oil (6/17/15) on my garage floor this morning. It appears they forgot/lost the rubber cover to the oil filter housing drain and whatever was in there leaked out. A small annoyance but not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. (6/18/15) I stand corrected, the driver side caliper is leaking brake fluid so I'll be taking the truck back today. It appears to have been doing it for a while as the rim is all blistered and completely stripped of the coating on the inside. All I know is that it wasn't like this when I dropped it off 6 months ago so hopefully they will be honorable and replace the wheel too. I could careless if it's used. Pictures added below.

I hope this provides some additional insight to others that may be going through the same ordeal. Let me know if you want any further photos of the frame posted.

 

How could they remove/replace brake lines and not change brake fluid? I would ask them this question. Congrats on getting your truck back.

 

Sorry, that was done too. I just forgot as the laundry list of parts/work was extensive. Thanks!

 

Did they replaced transmission fluid ? No way to disconnect engine with out loosing transmission fluid.
That is crazy... but if they want to pay for it let them. Maybe Toyota learns how to paint f frame so we dont have to watch our trucks turn into garden ornaments.
Like other guy got $6500.
He would get better resale value on Chevy than on Toyota with frame full of holes..

 

The chain you see hanging is the chain that holds the spare tire. Excess chain usually sits on the top of the wheel, but sometimes it falls through the center of the wheel, where the hub is. no problem.

I heard that Toyota sued the steel manufacturer, and that they're using the money to replace all of these frames. Also heard they changed steel companies and new(er) (2009 maybe?) 2nd gen tacomas don't have this problem anymore. Not sure if that's true or not though - I read it on a forum somewhere... TW I think it was called

 

I asked the same question and per the dealer the engine/transmission are moved as one unit from the old to the new frame. Therefore, there is no opening of the transmission that would require fluid to be added. I hope that makes sense?

 

That makes sense about the chain so I may have to lower the spare (it's still the original spare) and see if I can situate it so not to hang down so low. I just don't want it to catch on anything even though the possibility is probably very remote. The service manager also mentioned they changed to a different manufacture of the frames so that may be the reasoning behind it. That said, lawsuits don't typically cover all your costs so I find it hard to believe they would elect to replace/fix rather than buyout. I certainly don't know either way and it could be a combination lawsuit/tax credit. I'm also not convinced that Toyota has corrected the rust issue as it has plagued their frames across multiple model years and platforms. I remember my uncle having the same problem on his Tacoma and T100 Tundra but don't believe either was subjected to a recall. It's really an unfortunate situation that I would have thought be corrected by now. I wonder if other truck manufactures have had the same issues? My only other comparison was a Chevy S10 I had previously but unfortunately it never made it 10 years and so I couldn't comment on the frame integrity.

 

T0y0ta05,
I drive a 1994 Ford Ranger daily and the frame looks great. I out it on a lift every 4 months or so and give the undercarriage a good inspection and the frame has held up remarkably well. So I do believe this is a Singulat issue with Toyota and their frame builders. I'm not saying that other companies don't have rust issues, just not this extreme.

 

I guess they just don't build them like they use too.