Need advice on frame rust

My mom bought a 2002 tacoma last year. Was a clean low mileage truck and looked to be well taken care of. Only 114,xxx miles and in 2011 it was taken in and the frame was coated by Toyota. Well today I go to change the oil and I see a rust hole on driver side of frame under the cab. I finish my oil change and go to the local dealer. Show them the issue and after running the vin they see that steps were taken but was out of warranty by 1 year and a day. So Toyota will not fix it under warranty as the 15 year warranty starts when it was purchased not when it was treated. Makes no sense to me. So now I need help. Anyone have advice on how to proceed l. Don't want mom driving it and she has $4k in it. I'm not going to resell it and lie about it. I really just want the frame replaced and continue on. I'm not new to Toyotas. Almost 20yrs with them and this is a first for me. I know many have been here before so any advice would be great.

 

I might be wrong but I thought the coating extended the warranty 10 years.

 

Dear Mtb_Taco,

Sorry to hear about your mom's Tacoma. What state does your mom live in?

Wow, so your mom's 2002 Tacoma suffers from frame rust. That really sucks. Frame rust is a design flaw in all of the first generation Tacomas. Unfortunately, those first generation Tacomas that are not from the west coast, southwest, pacific northwest of the United States with the exception of Florida and Texas are going to have this problem if they are still in existence at this point in time. Toyota dealt with this problem two ways. The first half of the first generation Tacomas were purchased back by Toyota for above retail Kelly Blue Book, and they were stripped of their useful parts, and then they were destroyed. When I say first half, I am speaking about the 1995.5 to 2000 model years. The second half of first generation Tacomas were given new frames at Toyota's expense. Your mom's 2002 was one of those that would of been given a new frame by Toyota if your mom would of taken it to Toyota during the frame recall period. Unfortunately, the new frame recall period has expired on all of the second half of first generation Tacomas.

That is wise of you not to let your mom drive it. The thing could completely come apart while driving down the street. At this point in time, you might want to talk to a specialty Toyota wrecking yard and see what your options are.

Good Luck,
Paul

 

Even a Virgin frame rust free will have issues with liquid brine and salt.

They need constant attention

Options friends that can Fabricate willing to help ?? repair as needed .

Find a frame in the Southwest have it transported to your location

Can you do the work yourself or need to pay to have it done.

Last I checked New Frames were not being sold that might have changed.

Sell the Truck as is

 

You don't say what the size of the hole is and if it's just that one rust spot or is it more pervasive? Have it inspected first by a knowledgeable mechanic. He will tell you if its just that spot or more extensive, and if its just a small spot or a few small spots scattered around, I imagine a steel patch could be welded to take care of the issue.

 

Take it to a welder and have him fix it if a frame replace is too expensive(it is for me). How bad is the spot?

 

Frames on these trucks do rust from the inside out, so what you cannot see is worse than what you can see.

The only way to know to if other areas are rusted through is to bang it thoroughly with a hammer. The worst area is where the leaf springs attach to the frame, right behind the cab. Then the inner frame rails by the gas tank and the catalytic converter

Then, if it is worth patching it up, this:
https://www.autorust.com/product-category/toyota/
(or make your own and do the work if you know how to weld)

Of course, if you know how to weld or have a friend who does, it is going to be much less expensive than having a shop do it

 

That's incorrect. It's 15 years from production date so long as the frame was coated. There are still 1st gen 2004 Tacomas that qualify

 

Redbull9944,

Thanks for clearing that up for me.

Take it easy,
Paul

 

Actually sale date. I was a little off....

But ask me how I know

 

Okay Redbull,

How do you know?

Take it easy,
Paul

 

Toyota won’t help you. 15 years and that’s it. Once the 15 year window passes, you’re on your own.

You can either buy frame patches from someone like www.autorust.com and have a welder fix it, or do what I personally would do and buy a good frame from the West Coast and swap it.

 

If the entire frame overall is good...with the exception of the hole you discovered...I'd cut the cancer out and weld ...then use an internal box frame coating like what's offered from Eastwood. I blasted my frame then coated the whole deal in POR-15...and added layers of undercoating for good measure. Just my opinion

 

I went to a local shop and had the saf-t-cap installed. I found the rust was worst between the gas tank and frame. Find a shop that works on Jeep's and they likely have experience with saf-t-cap. Toyota would do nothing for me since my 2004 wasn't coated even though it was covered to 2019.

Bang on the frame with a hammer and post a picture of the hole. Though of us in salt states can give you a better assessment of how bad it is.