I Dam near totalled my Tacoma

thanks all. The airbags didn't deploy physically but did electronically. The sensors set them off, yet nothing happened. They malfunctioned. The computer says so. And the frame is bent, little, yet it is. I am driving a car rental (2020 Tacoma TRD Sport in charcoal - I like my white one better I have to say). But that I have to say, the truck is very sturdy. I rather have a broken truck than a broken neck.

 

Yarr matey.

 

Kinda makes one wish the Tacoma frames were boxed in and not C channel, only advantage of C channel is articulation offroad is much better, I know jeep frames have more of a spring steel frame for this articulation than most frames, appears the Tacoma frames are pretty weak. I saw a pic of a new Jeep Gladiator online recently with a severely bent frame just behind the cab, due to towing a trailer offroad.

 

Gotta wonder how the damage would have been with the stock bumper.

I bet there wouldn't have been any frame damage.

 

Sorry for your troubles! I would be interested to see the frame damages.
A proper designed bumper should give before the frame. They are there to absorb low speed impacts but collapse in a higher speed impact. the downside to this is when a aftermarket bumper bends or collapses the uneducated chalk it up to a poorly designed bumper which it is actually the opposite!
A new bumper if far easier than a new frame.

 

Steel bumpers are damage multiplier's.

 

my friends, here is the reality: The repair bid is coming in at around $15,000 (could be more, although my own not-fault insurance had determined at first a much lower amount pending taking the whole car apart, which is ongoing now - the body shop said already the damage they think will be between $15 to $17), to switch out the frame, bumper - tailgate - and hitch receiver assembly and mess around with the SRS Airbag system.

The Insurance company is contemplating one of 2 things, weighing their options of this situation. Parts are stuck in Japan, thanks to all the associated consequences surrounding COVID19 and prognosis for arrival time is somewhere between 6 to 8 weeks or unknown. The Insurance Comp is providing a truck rental at $40/day (It's that gray Tacoma you see there in the background on one of the pics, the white one is mine). Estimated value of the truck at the time of accident based on the value from "BEFORE" the accident is $36,200 including tax and lic and reg, or net $33,302 (based on numbers provided by Geico via CCC)

If the insurance (Bear River - the at-fault provider) will total the truck, that's that. But if they insist in repairing, the likely diminished value I will sue for is the difference between $30,000 plus tax, and the $36... something thousand. I was offered a 'repaired - damaged truck' trade-in of $30K. So around $4K more or less is the diminished value, could be more - we will see. Plus who knows anywhere from $2000 to $4000 (unknown) truck rental, and then the real time real repair figure, whatever that is going to be, taking into account the unknowns with the SRS AIRBAG System. It needs to be either reset, or the computer replaced, probably the latter. Toyota and any dealers have shown reluctance to plug in the computer diagnostics to determine at this point how badly the SRS A sys is damaged if at all. But it could be a surprise. It's an unknown, until after they fixed the whole truck. It's too much liability for Toyota to make a determination and then have that potentially lead to a diagnostic and a promise. They could be wrong and then what...? Liability written all over, if that airbag won't deploy. They won't be able to make such promise... imagine. People could die. So, of course I don't speak for the insurance company - I can't or won't - but totaling out the truck seems to be the cleanest for all parties.

At $36,000 I would stand to lose probably $1,500... ok, I wash my hands, I drove the car for 3 months, put on 7,134 miles. It sucks either way. But the nice thing to say, the frame absorbed a lot of energy that could have otherwise been transferred over to me and my daughter. We are insured, but... Won't say more.. because that is also going to be in litigation coming up in the months and years to come. The back and neck is an intriguing wonder.

 

Glad you're ok

 

with COVID19 it is really tricky now. We needed to go to therapy. I have been coughing... dry cough, go figure. But it's the same thing I have been running around since end of December 2019. Of course, the worries add to getting suddenly a mental fever... which I probably am only imagining. Not freaking out. But my back, neck, and that of my daughter, needs treatment which we have to postpone now. The doctor's office is too risky. Luckily we have lots of churches in our neighborhoods which we are currently not visiting. They are being right now equipped with hospital beds etc.... In our 2 to 3 miles radius we have about 10 church building which could house over 1500 beds... That is our situation here right now. National Guard is out working round the clock to get ready. And I have to deal with my neck and back. I have pulled a muscle back in and around my right shoulder blade when I braced for the impact, because I saw the accident coming when I looked into the rear view mirror. I am not mad with the kid (17 year old girl). But I am upset about it, my brand new car, our bones, our muscles... discs, and now this, with not being able to continue treatment till further. It sucks, to say the least. But it could have been worse. I am glad we were in the Tacoma when it happened, and not in a different or smaller car. She hit us with a Dodge Van at about 40 mph. Good things are coming....definitely! Best Wishes to all! TacoFranzi