2005 Toyota Tacoma Crossmember cut for lift

Hello Tacomaworld,

So I searched a couple of ways and I'm not coming up with anything. My question is this, the frame on my 05' was replaced August 2015, I did not own the truck at the time and the previous owner had the Toyota Dealership cut the front crossmember to accommodate a lift kit. At the time of purchase I was not aware of this. Fast forward to today, I've owned the truck for 2 weeks and it is making quite a bit of noise coming from the suspension. I drop it off to my local dealership and they were blown away that another Toyota Dealership would actually cut out the crossmember on a new frame. The service manager said "it's right here in black and white on the service invoice, this is not right and it shouldn't have been done, we are not 4x4 fabricators, this truck is not safe and it is in need of a new frame!" I am in the process of discussing the issue with Toyota. In the event that Toyota doesn't agree to make repairs is there some way to fix the crossmember. I do not intend on lifting the truck.

 

Did you buy it from the previous owner or from a dealer??? Fishy as fuck either way...what douchebag owner has the crossmember cut for a drop-bracket lift and then removes the lift and sells the truck with the frame like that, or what shitty dealership doesn't do a frame inspection and catch a cut cross-member...pretty blatently obvious.

Either way sorry to hear that. People who have cut the crossmember and then return to stock either A.) saved the cut piece to weld back in and fix, or B.) go to a salvage yard and chop one off a junker and weld the piece in. I'm not sure of another way to do it besides a custom piece. You sure you don't want a 4.5" or 6" drop-bracket lift?

If you bought it from a dealer I'd assume that is their liability and they need to get you a new frame if you decide to keep the truck.

I'm sure others will chime in. Not my field of know-how in dealer dealings like this.

 

LOLOL....

good lord, IM sorry... but every vehicle i have bought used i have gotten underneath and gone over it with a fine tooth comb. How could you not notice this hack job when you bought it?

That stated. the truck had a drop bracket lift on it previously hence the crossmember cut. If the dealer that sold it to you (assuming its a dealer) sold it to you as non modified RAISE FREAKING HELL. If it was a private party, you are fucked at any recourse.

 

Even if a dealer cut the cross member on the new frame to accommodate the lift the previous owner had on there, there's no way the dealer returned it to stock by bolting in that hack job replacement cross member. I have a feeling the previous owner removed the lift to sell before trading in or private sale of the truck. That would mean the previous owner installed that angle iron to hold the frame together after the lift was removed. I can't believe a dealer would have missed that on a trade in but if so, its to your benefit. They dealer you bought from should take care of it. Of course if you bought private, then time to lawyer up.

 

Most used cars that age are sold "as is," so would be an uphill fight either way.

 

Frame doesn't look very new to me. I'd doubt the dealer did it as well.

 

Bought it from a private party. It was not disclosed, I don't think that there is any recourse that I would be willing to pursue against the private seller. Based on the service invoice it clearly states that in August 2015 the frame was replaced and modified to allow for a lift kit to remain on the truck. My concern was one dealership admonishing another dealerships work quality. Wondering if there is anything there worth pursuing. Either way I'm gonna have to correct it. Not interested in a lift any other fixes would be appreciated. Thanks for the quick responses.

 

If you can get a dealer to say it is not fit for the road and the seller made a "material misrepresentation of quality" you absolutely have a case.

 

That frame looks like hammered dog shit. I'm sorry you are dealing with this OP as I would be goddamned livid if I found my frame to be in that condition. Either way I would had inspected the piss out of the frame to ensure it was still structurally sound before I boughtit however. That's why used car pre purchase inspections from a private party shop are always a good insurance policy.

 

ALWAYS have it inspected by a trusted mechanic. ALWAYS. $100 to verify a several thousand dollar purchase?

Err, fuck yeah.

 

Meh in that case you might be SOL. I could have sworn I've seen dealers do drop brackets. I'm sure they'd have to warranty their work though, but in your case the prior owner screwed you over and figured some angle iron would do the trick. Not sure where to go from here. Sure the dealer may have done the lift but what the dealer did and what the owner did are 2 different things. Owner removed the lift and sold it to you privately, I highly doubt Toyota would entertain any of your problem. Not to be an ass and say what you are probably already been thinking but it's a hard lesson to check every little nook of a used vehicle you want to buy.

 

Just got off of the phone with the dealership that performed the operation on the crossmember. They accepted responsibility for installing the angle iron. I told them I took it to another Toyota dealership that said the frame needs to be replaced. Their response was when a customer is willing to pay us we'll do whatever they want! Thought I'd share. I'll keep posted on progress if any at all.

 

I have seen a couple lifts like that. Instead of removing it and replacing it with a drop; the drop is bolted or welded to the cut original crossmember. Looking and riding in the vehicles, I did not feel unsafe.

 

Omg, lol I just opened the pic. That is slightly wrong way.

 

damn sorry to hear that bro, i hate to be in your situation right now. Such a fawking hassle specially you bought at the dealership. Dealership should've have inspect that car. i hope you will get the frame replace or get your money back.

 

Wow, thats some shitty fabrication work.

A lot of dealers will install drop bracket lifts, which requires cutting of the frame like that. You could have someone with fabrication skills fix this pretty easily. (My truck used to have a cut cross member which was repaired when I ditched the drop bracket lift)

You may have shot yourself in the foot with that one...now they know your on the prowl and can deny what was said in the conversation.

 

OP, That can be repaired even as bad as it looks. It will probably not be cheap however. Take it to a reputable frame shop, they can fabricate and replace the missing section and restore the frame measurements to the proper values. I am pretty sure things have shifted since the hack job.

 

Our frames are like wet noodles even with the cross member. Anyone that has minimal welding/fabrication skill can fix that with some 2x3 box tubing and some 1/4" plate.



Here is a proper repair.

 

I know what you are saying and agree. Not knowing what the truck has been through after the hack job; if it were mine I would want the frame to be checked.

In this area it could cause alignment, steering and tracking issues.... I don't like spending a thousand dollars on tires every 6 months.

Better safe than sorry.

The pics above look like a quality job!