Frame Recall Notice by Phone?

Find another dealer. That sounds like some BS.

 

Here is my follow up, post inspection. Set up the appointment with Maplewood Toyota and dropped the truck off early on March 12. Complementary rental was a 2019 Camry SE. Would have been nice to try out a Gen 3 Tacoma but the Camry was interesting for comparison since my DD is a 2015 Camry SE. As I mentioned my truck has a fairly easy life overall without a ton of winter use. Here is a before picture of the frame, you can see a little of the old Fluid Film treatments remaining and general dirt.


The next day they called when working on the truck, recommended a change of the cabin air filter and spark plugs. I declined both as I can do the filter much cheaper in under 5 minutes and had already done the plugs myself. The truck was done mid-afternoon and I picked it up late that afternoon. No charge.
I was surprised at how limited was the amount of corrosion inhibitor used. This is the same area of frame shown in the before picture above. You can see they didn't go crazy cleaning the frame either concentrating on the areas the CRC would be applied.


I wouldn't worry about this stuff hiding problems or promoting rust. Here is another picture showing the frame rails on the passenger side post treatment. It runs down the seam near the bottom of the frame and around the cross member mounts. It's been over 2 weeks since I picked up the truck and just took the photos today, the sealant is still very wet, I suspect it won't set up any time soon.


The biggest change I could see are the caps installed that block the frame where they go from the long open section to the boxed section at the front. Here is a look at the new cap on the passenger side of the truck, the bright area is the opening to the front wheel well. Of course, this isn't an air tight cap.


Here is the cap on the driver side. This side looks a little trickier since the brake lines had to be moved aside and worked around.


There were plugs installed farther up on frame as well near the front wheels.


If there was one surprise for me it was the areas that weren't treated. For example the cross member under the engine has ways for salt to get in, evidence of rust along the seams but weren't touched.


The bottom line for me is that it's done and the frame coverage is in effect until 2026.

 

Sad face over them giving you a 2020 f150. Man up

 

OP - you asked 'A local Toyota dealership (not where I bought it) called me today and said my 2014 is subject to a frame recall and I needed to schedule a frame inspection. Do they do this by phone?'
I guess they could do the inspection by phone . . . you would probably have to crawl around underneath truck to get the video for them.

 

What?

 

really, i have to explain,

 

OP- I'm a few years ahead of you in the frame timeline.

My truck is an 08 and it first went in for a frame inspection in '14. At that time they didn't discover any perforation to the frame so they applied a black/goopy/undercoat type spray and sent me on my way.

I was beginning to see a bunch of rust on the frame over the winter so a month ago I called the dealer to ask about an inspection and they said- sure, bring it in. Also as it turns out, my extended frame warranty is about to expire in May of this year, so I got lucky with the timing.

Anyway, they found a few holes, tossed me the keys to a '19 Tacoma loaner and said they'd call me in a few months when my new frame was in place.

 

that's kind of a good thing cause I think they replace the front LCAs and maybe someother new critical parts when they do the full replacement

 

I just got my frame inspected last month, with no findings reported. Are you saying you can get it inspected more than once?

 

I had my frame first inspected in 2014. I called the dealer a few weeks ago and asked if I could get inspected again and they said yes....and at no charge. And I'm still (barely) in the extended warranty timeframe. I don't know if this is an individual dealer thing of from Toyota in terms of frequency or cost, but in my case they did the new inspection and found a hole that exceeded 10mm which I was told is the threshold for frame replacement. I left the dealer an hour later with a 2019 SR5 short bed and was told I'd hear back from them in a couple of months.

I've got to assume that this is a profit center for the dealerships. They're now able to charge Toyota for the rental that I have and I was told that the average frame replacement cost was $14-17,000 depending on what they fond when it was all apart.

 

The dealership told me the same thing. I'll be sure to bring it in again before the period of coverage ends. In the meantime, I'm going to get the frame coated in Rust Check.

 

I just got approved for the frame swap. Now I'm looking at 1200 bucks worth of parts it needs while it's ripped apart. Better than shelling out 35 grand for a new one.

 

Just received letter from Toyota today. It says, If I think I have a frame problem, make appt. with dealer for inspection. If I don't think I have a frame problem, keep this letter with the owners manual. If I have a frame rust problem before 12 yrs. from date of first use (Mar. 09, 2013), bring truck & letter to authorized dealer for inspection. So if I have frame rust problems before Mar. 09, 2025. Hope it lasts way longer than that !!!

 

It was a base model. I told them I needed to tow a sled trailer and they gave me a truck with no hitch. Yes a sad face over then giving me a brand new ford.

 

My understanding is that you have to take the truck in for inspection to get the extended warranty and that inspection must occur before 12/21.

 

So I had my truck in to have the EO2 done on the springs. Had them also do the frame inspection and it failed. Perforation was found in A2 of the frame..
Hopefully, it is a good thing. Is there anything I should know about what they are about to do? I am told it is going to take a few weeks or longer to get the parts.

They didnt offer me a loaner.. I was told they would call me when the parts were in and drove my truck away.



Is there a pdf file on the work that is involved when the frame gets replaced?

 

$35,000? I'll do it for $25,000!

I got the letter for my '15 and did it as preventative maintenance. If you have a frame rust issue down the road you can show you've jumped through their hoop prior. Got it in at 8:00 am and it was done by 4:00.

 

So after clarifying that this wasn't a scam with you guys, I went ahead and called a dealership to set up an inspection. This was in March. They told me they had to order some parts and would call me to set up an appointment when they came in. Some frame plugs or something. Fast forward 6 months and I still haven't heard from them. I called today and they said the parts are still on order. Reason: COVID.

Anyone know a dealership where I can get my hands on these plugs and get this party started? I don't want to do this during the winter once the salt gets thrown down on the highways. Rather do it now while it is clean and dry.

Any help? I may even pay for the plugs if they aren't too outrageous.

 

Lo and behold, the dealership called Monday and said the plugs were in. I dropped it off Thursday night and picked it up at noon today. All done. Looks gooey like all the other pics.

I am curious about these bolts they put in. I'm assuming they hold something inside the frame?