Frame Recall - Bought a lemon

Hey guys. Last week we bought my son his first car - an 08 Tacoma. I have an ‘18 4Runner and appreciate(d) Toyota’s quality and resale value… so a Tacoma seemed like a great first vehicle.

Car had a clean Carfax and the seller was like “its really clean!” Truck ran like a champ and has only 65k miles. The vehicle had good service records where it was serviced at a Toyota dealership (this is important). It was listed as a dealer vehicle at one point in another state. When we checked it out, there was torrential rain and a tornado watch. The truck looked great from
The inside and outside, under the hoof was typical… but we didnt know about the frame issues and didnt crawl under the truck in the rain. Regrets.

fast forward to today, 10 days later. Truck was seen by Toyota, who more or less told us to get lost. The last open campaign expired in 2020. Carfax
Showed first sale in 2010, but Toyota says it was in 2008, so the 12 year settlement period ended in 2020. So we took it to get a Maryland safety inespection and it failed due to extensive rust. There are several large frame holes and pretty extensive rust on the hubs, control arms, lines, etc. it has zero chance of legally passing inspection, and we now have a $12k lawn ornament.

I am obviously pretty upset about this, but in looking at the Carfax report again, I can see the Toyota dealership service the car three times in the year following the service recall (2017 and 2018). The campaign was open at that point in time and I find it extremely difficult to believe that this extensive rust only occurred in the years following. With how bad it is, I cant believe it was flawless in 2017 and 2018, and 4 years later i can put my fingers through the frame. Toyota says it received frame treatment (crc?) in 2016.

I’m ar a loss for what to do. I cant afford a $12k loss but its a bit late for that. I am wondering if there are any loopholes or maybe legal recourse, since Toyota had the car several times in 2018 and during the recall. Ive seen 15 years mentioned on these boards, but dont see it mentioned in the settlement agreement.

Is shopping for a rolling chassis even worth it? I dont mind putting in a month or work to swap it, but if its gonna cost me $10k to find a salvagable chassis then its not worth persuing.

Man. Life has really been piling it on lately… this one is on us for not crawling under it. Believe me this is a lesson that we will never forget.

 

1st gen Tacomas had 15 years of coverage for the frame replacement, 2nd gens (2005+) only got 12 years

I hate to say it but I doubt there's much Toyota will do, unless you can fight the dealership themselves to take it back for not disclosing the rust issue. I don't know what your state laws are but I would imagine there's something against a dealership selling vehicles that can't pass a state inspection.

We don't have state inspections out here but we do have smog inspections, and a dealership can't sell a vehicle that can't legally pass smog. I would hope they have a similar law about selling used cars and inspections out on that side of the country

 

Hi, sorry to hear this. Unfortunately about once a week someone posts this same exact topic after they unknowingly bought a truck with a rotted frame. There is no legal recourse. You’re going to have to try to sell it or get a new frame.

 

Wow that’s terrible OP. It’s sort of unclear where you actually bought the truck, a dealer or private seller? I would definitely talk to them about restitution and go from there.

 

I would go back to the seller. Whether he/she knew or not the fact is that they sold you an unacceptable and unsafe vehicle. Get your money back...or take them to court.

 

Snitz, that really sucks. Sorry for your predicament. A rolling chassis will be hard to find but I'd certainly explore that avenue. @OmahTako has pissed on your parade enough so I'm not going to pile on.
I too, would go back to the seller and threaten lawsuit. Just tell them you want your money back and go from there. Document your discussion then consider taking them to court.
I'm not a big fan of litigation but you got hosed here buddy.

 

viewing in the rain or parking it over puddles and dirt are classic tricks.

 

Check your local state laws. Most states won't let them sell a car that won't pass inspection. Good luck , I know it's gotta suck.

 

Very unfortunate, but a used car is just that...a used car.

Buyer beware, etc.

It's 14 years old you know?

I'd look into Safe T caps and look into having it repaired and reinforced.

 

First I'd check with your State on the sale of a vehicle that isn't road worthy. You got a CarFax? Look through their guarantee (probably shitty) maybe you have something there.

Good luck, you'll need it.

 

Talk to an attorney. Used or not, the dealership has a duty to sell you a serviceable vehicle. That one is not serviceable. And, without a doubt, that should have been caught in the inspection before it was put on the lot. I'd fight that to the ends of the Earth.

 

Jeez. Sorry to hear that OP. 65k miles also seems doubtful at this point.

 

Well at 65,000 miles , I would be looking for a frame. You still paid to much , but with a frame , control arms , and some bolts you could get some use our of it .

 

Looks like OP is in Maryland. If that's the case he's basically screwed according to the law for private sellers


https://www.peoples-law.org/buying-or-selling-used-car-maryland-private-sale

 

Did you mean he paid too much or not much?

 

A lot of “how could you not see that” … And I’m very well aware that this is on us. Trust me I am kicking myself in the ass every moment of every day. The truck is immaculate on the top, and from the sides the frame looks pretty good. It wasn’t until the frame was up on a lift that you can see the inside of the frame rails.

i’m not a mechanic and I was not aware of the recall prior to purchasing this truck. It had lots of service records, was owned by a dealership in recent years, clean Carfax, and as I mentioned the rest of the car is pretty much spotless and extremely low mileage. Crawling underneath the frame is just not something I’ve ever done on a used car in the past. Lesson learned and I’m sure that something I will do going forward.

i’m a mom who took their kid to buy their first cat… Not someone who’s been wrenching on Tacoma‘s for a while.

 

We understand.

Wrenching is something I'd say a huge majority of vehicle owners don't do at all.

Morale of the story is really just about due diligence.

But as you said, you're kicking yourself in the ass for it. No need for the rest of us to continue doing so.

As I stated above though, maybe look into getting it repaired. I wouldn't call it a complete loss.

Getting the bed off is an easy feat for many and that'll provide all the room needed to reinforce the frame (or cut out what's bad).

 

ThoughI have bought rusty vehicles before knowingly and when selling I try to point out things I'd like to fix, I'm sure someone could find something I didn't catch so they are sold 'As Is'.
I think you'd have to prove he knew how bad it was, which by using the dealer for maint. (?) he may not have and woud be very difficult to prove without first hand knowlege he did.

edit: After some thought I believe I'd sell it off for what you could get to someone who wants or doesn't mind a big project as you didn't sign on for one.
It prob. would be a long, tough effort on your part.
The good news? You're not going to lose 12 thousand
Bad news? You'll lose some.

 

the 65k is legit. Each service record recorded the mileage.