Help....Rusty Frame

Climbed under my truck not long ago and noticed a pretty rough spot of rust in the frame. Anyone have any suggestions on repairing? I was thinking of having it patched and then coated.

Overall the frame is pretty solid but this section looks bad.

 

That's pretty bad. Have you checked the status of your frame warranty with Toyota? An '04 would still be covered if the warranty conditions have been met.

 

Yeah, hopefully you had your frame treated by Toyota (prior to 2011 I think it was?), if you did then you'd definitely qualify for a frame replacement. That looks bad, I'd be wary of driving that around. Call Toyota Corp. and have your VIN handy to see if you qualify if you aren't sure whether or not your frame was treated in the past.

If you don't qualify for the replacement then you could always patch it and weld it, won't be as good or strong as a new frame but definitely better than where it's at right now.

 

Thanks for the quick response guys. I don't think it was treated but I'm definitely going to reach out to Toyota to see what they say. I've had this truck over 10 years and trying to stretch out its life as much as possible.

 

No problem, good luck. Hate to see a fellow '04 hurt like that

Makes me real happy they don't salt the roads out here on the west coast, not that they'd have any reason to.

 

That's probably what got it. And some mud too of course.

 

Sounds like you owned it during the critical time in the frame rust service campaign when the undercoating was required. Were you in a cold weather state back around 2010? If not, you may not have been notified by Toyota. Call them and find out your status.

I have to agree about driving a truck in that condition. My dealer would not let me drive mine off the lot after a frame inspection, and it was nowhere near as bad as yours.

 

I bought it from a friend with 15k on it at the time. I live in Middle-Eastern TN. Not sure if that's considered a "cold-weather state"?

 

I posted this in another rust related post awhile back:


To be clear, this was never a recall, but a warranty enhancement (extended warranty on the frame, model years 2001-2004, for 15 years from the vehicle "in service" date) on the frame as part of a service campaign for trucks in certain cold weather states (CT, DE, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, VA, VT, WI, WV - no mention of Canada in my notice, so your rights may vary), provided the owner had preventative maintenance (undercoating) preformed by Toyota before the service deadline back in the 2010-2011 era (2012 in NY).


Your state is not listed, but I don't know what may apply in your circumstances. Toyota HQ will have to answer that for you. Call them, not the dealer. Good luck, and keep us informed.

 

Just for the record a repaired frame done correct will be every bit as good as the original if not better .

Done correct is the important part

To the OP I guessing you were unaware of the frame Issues ??

Maybe thought you did not have enough winter to be a problem.

 

Andrew, Go to your nearest Toyota dealer and see what they will do. Got my 2001 frame replaced barely in time for the program for my year.( took it in August 2015, got it back March 2016) I'm in Western NC, not that far from you so cold weather state may not be an issue. But don't wait, time is of the essence for your safety as well as Toyota's willingness to help. ( year and mileage may be considered.) These frames rust from the INSIDE, so you may have worse than you see. Local Toyota dealer very helpful, but did charge for rotating my tires. ( you'd think that would be necessary to change the frame, but overall I'm pleased.) Good luck!

 

That's insane in this situation.

 

Just got off the phone with Toyota today. Got an appointment set up to inspect the frame to see if its eligible for replacement. They indicated over the phone it would be. However, they did say current turn around time is about 10 months on a new frame. I'll give everyone an update once I return from the dealer.

 

In the process of doing this with my 02, i have a 2x6 hole by the passenger shock mount all the way through. my truck was coated by toyota so they honored the frame replacement. Wait time is like 6+ months though and they deemed it unsafe to drive so its parked on the dealer lot until who knows when. You will probably be deemed unsafe to drive and go through the same thing as me. Good luck

 

Guessing mine will be deemed unsafe too. Luckily, I have access to another vehicle I can drive if that's the case.

 

I thought so too, but I'll eat it, to get a new frame on a 15 year old truck. What other company would pay for it and not just tell me to go pound sand? I've heard it costs Toyota about 15 grand per vehicle. If they offered me that towards a new truck, I would have gone for it. I use my truck as a truck, haul whatever to wherever, and have never gotten stuck. M taco can do anything...
except sit in my driveway and NOT rust...( gotta replace the bumpers next.)

( edited because I'm a D.A.....and that ain't district attorney...)

 

Andrew, this is very good news. Hoping for a good outcome in your case. There is no conceivable way a frame in that condition would pass the 12 point frame inspection.

My dealer set me up with a loaner during the replacement process. It was a brand new 2012 truck with under 500 miles. At the time, I did not use my truck daily, so I did not use it much, if at all. And back then replacements were only taking a week or so. Therefore, it sat in the driveway. That would be different today though.

 

Lucky, they were going to get me into a corolla and work with me when i needed a truck. I have a miata as a second car but need a truck for house stuff and biking on the weekends so having to swap out the corolla all the time would have been a hassle. Luckily a contractor friend was getting rid of his 05 TRD OR to get a ram 2500 for plowing so i got that for now, once the 02 is back i will either sell that or the 05.

 

Toyota did deem my ride unsafe. Waiting on field inspector from corporate to come in and verify the frame condition. Then, I should know the next step in the process.

 

If you want to protect against further rust....

Remove rust with a wire wheel attached to a grinder.

Hand sand with coarse sand paper (60-80) grit, a cross-hatch pattern is the most effective. If you can sand blast that's even better, but most likely not an option.

Once area is thoroughly abraded, wipe clean with a solvent soaked rag, (acetone works great) stay away from mineral spirits as it leaves an oily residue.

Apply 2 coats of Tnemec 135 Chembuild @ 4-6 mils per coat. It will prevent further rust from moisture and chlorides.