Still looking..... But I am scared of rusty frames.

Hey Guy's still looking for a ext cab Tacoma but all of the research I have heard about rusty frames I am really worried it wont last as long as I had hoped. I guess my question is are all of these Tacoma frames going to rust out eventually? Were there some made with bad material and some not?

Thank you
Brian

 

If you live and drive in an area where the roads are salted in the winter and/or near the coast, some rust is probably inevitable for most vehicles you might consider purchasing; unless you rustproof early and remain diligent. Toyota supposedly solved the early 2nd gen, Dana-made frame issues, but I wouldn't put a lot in faith in that, especially for a $20k+ investment. For a new Tacoma, you could DIY rustproof your frame in less than 1/2 day and under $100, a small price for peace of mind.

For rust prevention/treatment discussion and alternatives see:
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd...on-thread.html

 

I bought a 98 Tacoma. Local PA truck. Tons of salt used here. Frame was immaculate. Wasn't replaced by Toyota either. Just take care of it. Wash it a lot in the winter. Most of them had frames replaced by Toyota anyway.

 

Even so keep an eye on it mine was perfect as well .

2 winters and I had to do some repair work .

it came from the inside out.

Who ever is building the replacement frames can not keep up with the demand my local Dealer Krause Toyota has a back log of 30 Tacoma frames.

Like anything else factor that into the offer when buying a used Tacoma

 

If your in an area of rust toyotas arent the only ones to get holes in the frames so id do some checking regardless of the brand. Take the truck in to get inspected before you buy it

 

Thing is here it is not only the frames .

Since even the 2000 is now 15 years old the brine is brutal on brake and fuel lines as well

The fuel pump bracket and that area on top the tank no matter how one tries you can`t wash every thing off.

My service manager friend was not there yesterday I was going to ask her if the new frames installs get new brake and fuel lines as well.

To me it would be sort of dumb to reinstall old rusty lines on a new frame.

I saw the old frames go to scrap in small pieces able to be handled with ease.

Since they can`t keep up with demand and the warranties come first I wonder if Toyota will ever sell the frames to interested customers.

It would be far cheaper then building one from scratch once time and materials were figured.

 

I've read that they DO replace ALL of the break lines, when they do a frame replacement. I read an article about the frame replacement online, it's at:

Torque News.com

And it's titled:

Why Toyota Tacoma owners should not fear the frame recall.

 

Ill sell you my 2wd extended cab. It grew up in Reno Nv and is now in southern Cali. Not a hint of rust anywhere and probably never will. Heck, there isnt even any surface rust on the underside. I havent seen snow in this area since 1994

 

Gotta have 4WD! And...This one has less than 24,000 miles on it.

 

Keep looking, I looked for over a year for what I wanted and finally found one on the last week I was looking. The best part it was only 4 miles from where I live. If I would have not found one I would have gotten a Chevy colorado V8 or nissan frontier. Aye voy.

 

I found mine by pure chance just checking Ebay one morning looking for something else.

 

Brought my 05 Tacoma into the dealership last week to check for rust under the new campaign. Well they not only found rust but they found two holes right through the frame as well as a broken leaf spring that was rubbing against a brake line. I was pretty stunned.
Then I had a weeks wait while Toyota decided it they were going to fix it. Today I get a phone call and they are going to replace the frame as well as shocks, brake lines leaf springs. Its going to take a month but they are giving me a rental truck. I thought my nightmare was about to begin but giving credit where credit is due Toyota stepped up. I had no idea my frame was in such bad shape i oiled it every year. My advice is get it in to be checked you may be surprised.

 

Hey man, I can surely understand the worry. You see and hear horror stories all over the Internet. In my case, my truck is from Pennsylvania, the salt capital of the midatlantic states. Needless to say my truck had some surface rust, and the some more penetrating rust as well which scared the living hell out of me.

So I checked with Toyota and I wasn't covered by the warranty. So instead of waiting for it rust out in a few years, I removed the rust and under coated the entire frame recently. I hope that in the coming years that my repair holds up to the elements, but the point that others and I will say is, just take care of it and you'll be okay

 

x2... I saw some Domestic truck frames that were straight rust along side clean 1st Gen Tacomas/T-100s when I was living in Omaha.

It's all about how much care is given by the owner. I just bought my 98' in eastern Idaho and apart from some minor spots around the drainage holes my original frame is solid. But even if/when it were to start rusting aggressively I'd just repair it because 1st-gen Taco man!