Is it ok to leave these removed ?

So on the serious question side related to this..
Since those are considered part of the front "zone" to insure structural integrity of the front in an impact, would Toyota and/or an Insurance Company consider an after market skid plate a deletion of that part and deny a claim for front end damage?

 

Debatable. While insurance loves to find any stretch of a reason to keep their money, chances of them a) noticing missing structural pieces and b) having a reasonable calculation of the difference in damage had it been in place, are minimal.

From an insurance standpoint, it's no different than replacing the crash bar with an aftermarket bumper - something many of us have done.

 

And there is the general direction I was going with this, unfortunately it immediately went way off the rails.
Also adding to the confusion, the original post was incorrectly worded, it should’ve read: “if I’m not running a stock skid plate”

 

possible? absolutely.
likely? probably not. any company willing to go to that level of claim denial can easily come up with a few dozen easier reasons. conditions, speed, improper lane usage...

my one buddy had his old colorado parked out in front of his house. parallel to the street, on a gravel parkway area between the street and sidewalk. someone took the corner so fast and hit it. they pushed the spare tire from behind the rear axle to in front of the rear axle, knocked the cap off the bed, and twisted the frame 10".

the person had some crappy SR-22 insurance that denied his claim on a few different grounds, centering around him 'driving the truck on the wrong side of the street'. he spoke with his insurance about it, but the truck was worth $2k, liability-only policy, and talked to a few lawyers.

they all said the same thing-- that brand of insurance makes all their money by never paying out a claim. so he could take it to court but they'd wrap it up in the legal system for decades if they have to so they can avoid paying out. even just getting 1 court date set would've cost more than the truck is worth. so he straightened it himself, and added an i-beam for a rear bumper.

there's a million reasons for claim denial. i'm no expert, but i would say that level of scrutiny would only come into play in a really serious death/dismemberment case with forensic teams and lots of lawyers. and at that point, you're so screwed, a little hunk of metal being there or not isn't really going to change the outcome much.