Recall Expired

Hi everyone, I went to my local Toyota dealer last year to have the recall on the spare bracket worked on. I asked about the frame recall that I learned about while searching to buy my truck (2002 Taco 4x4) which has almost 200xxx miles on it. The dealer told me that "the recall had expired" and "there was nothing they could do about it". This was about a year ago and now that I'm working on my exhaust I am realizing just how bad my frame is getting. My rear leaf spring mounting brackets, where it is welded to the frame, is rusted through on both the passenger and driver side. the frame gets worse and has more cancer the further back you go. I feel like this is BS that a recall can expire. What do you guys think?

 

It was not a recall. It was a customer satisfaction program. Recalls have no time limitations and monitored by the NHTSA. CSPs are done by the manufacturer on their own will. There was a time frame that was given to have the frame inspected and under coated to extend warranty coverage. People who ignored this screwed anyone down the line that buys the truck.

 

Sadly, they can deny you. It's part of it even though it isn't right.

 

I guess the other option would be to find a frame somewhere and change it over. it would make a nice winter project if you have a shop.

 

Or a total nightmare if you don't know what you're doing

 

That's some nasty rust there..

 

I thought it was a 15 year cut off? Regardless if the truck wasn't undercoated by toyota they won't do it.

 

Rust has been the nemesis of Toyota trucks since the early days of 1979. I had two of them in the 1980's that just disintegrated prematurely before my eyes. You'd think by now that it would be a simple matter to address the quality of the metallurgy in the frames. I'd be happy to pay a little extra for a rust proof frame. Sheet metal can be fixed, but a frame is usually cause to write off the vehicle. If you decide to part it out, its probably worth more in parts than as a complete vehicle, if you don't mind receiving the payment in 000's of transactions and negotiations.