04 frame replacement

Hey All, I'm brand new to this site. I'm curious about any '04 frame replacement issues. I have a '04 4x4 6cyl in great shape that Toyota just deemed un driveable today, with only 76,000 miles on it. They basically said I missed the dead line by less then 11 months and refuse to replace frame that they called "swiss cheese". Any thoughts?

 

Welcome to TW!

I wish it were under more positive circumstances

Take it to Toyota corporate, get a lawyer, and/or threaten negative publicity for the dealer!

 

Going after the dealer does nothing. It’s not up to them. It’s up to Toyota Corp. the dealer is just the one performing the work..

 

Out of luck unfortunetly. As of this year, no more 1st gens are getting new frames since the 15 year coverage is up for the 04's finally.

 

Thanks all for your thoughts.. I called corporate today and they said they won't do a thing, I asked to talk to a higher up and have a phone call set up for tomorrow. I will try the lawyer/media route.

 

I wouldnt waste the time. So many on here have said this, yet no one has ever won anything. At the end of the day, Toyota gave you 15 years to take a peek under your truck. Far more than any other brand wouldve offered.

 

I was trying to put a pic of her on here from last summer, apparently I'm to stupid to figure it out. Thanks all for your input... Sad day.

 

The lawyer route is a waste of time. The warranty coverage Toyota has for our frames was under a CSP (customer service program). Basically Toyota worked a deal with NHTSA (National Highway & Transportation Administrations), saying we will offer extended coverage for “x” amount of years or miles, whichever comes first. Toyota does this all the time when they see a lot of failures outside of warranty, but not enough to to warrant a recall. In the 01-04 Tacoma frame warranty extension, Toyota said they would cover these trucks for 15 years from the date of first use (original purchase date), unlimited mileage. Toyota won’t do anything to help you cause you missed the deadline, they can say we launched this CSP, and we sent owners a notice in the mail. To cover your frame outside of the terms of the CSP would mean Toyota would be violating a strict agreement they made with a government agency. If they made an exception for you, they’d have to make an exception for everyone. Sorry to sound so bitter about the whole thing but that’s the reality of the situation. Either you’re paying for a frame out of pocket, you find someone to patch the frame, you drive the truck until it falls apart (not recommended), or you part it out. It’s an unfortunate situation and it pains me to be the bearer of bad news, cause I hate having to tell people they’re screwed, and I love these truck and I love keeping them on the road. Hopefully you find a solution that works for you

 

Since the warranty is up is it possible to pay for a new frame out of pocket? I lucked out and found a Washington state owned taco with no rust, but I’ve always wondered if it’s an option people could take it they had a money tree in their house

 

yes, it is possible to buy a new frame from toyota dealer, just like it is possible to buy any part. They are special order though, so it will take a few months before dealer gets it, as the frame needs to be built from blueprints

Or you can get one built at a custom welding shop, or do it yourself if you know how to weld

 

I don`t know if you can buy a new frame .

When they were still replacing frames the demand was so high they could not keep up so only frames being replaced were being built

Last I asked it was undecided if any would be made and sold through dealers .

Canada may very well be different.

 

I have looked into a frame swap about $7500 to get the new frame ($3200) and the rest in time and labor.
Another thing too is that as the swap is happening many things can fall apart and cost will go up.

 

Patching is expensive and may not be the best route since more will pop out later on , If you think is worth and you really want it , then you can Get a frame , new was like 4-5 K last time I checked, or buy used from south west states in good condition , i saw someone asked 900-1,000 for one , and do the swap .... reasonable labor will be hard to find but not impossible. A friend was 15 plus years Toyota mechanic ... that will be the route I will take and\ or as others said, part out

 

When I had my last Taco with frame issues, not knowing exactly how bad your frame is, I started checking craigslist for frames for sale, several did and not a bad price ($500). The other thing I did was buy a nice welder and learn to weld, I started cutting out the bad sections and welding in good steel. This is doable if you have a few zones where it went to hell, for me it was the welds at the leaf spring mounts. Here is my repair:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/rusty-frame-repair.628484/

If your frame is toast, then replacing the frame isn't to hard if you have the space or can rent a garage or space, check out this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Urqq8FbVvb0

 

unfortunately they never notified me or my relative to take a peek 10 years ago as I assume that MANY 1000s of Tacoma owners at the time were not notified officially for safety purposes if anything

10 years has been a long long time but I don't even recall the word going out on national news day after day so that most all people would have a better chance to hear about it and look into it, quite a few do not use Toyota dealer services, etc. there seem to be quite a few folks out there that still have not heard of this and have had their truck for a long time not knowing but everybodys circumstance is different

 

Sorry for your loss, but honestly why did you not check this out earlier? Its common knowledge the Toyota frames did not last even in warm weather states. Toyota offered 15 years for replacement, thats a hella long time.

 

Let me throw this out for someone in need. I found this double cab here in central Florida, and purchased two passenger doors and bed box. This truck is one owner, and has always lived in central Florida. There isn't a speck of rust on it. And I know rust, being from NY. Although it looks rough in front, it appeared to me that the other vehicle went high of the frame rails. I was lucky enough to have gotten a replacement, so I have no need, but, if I needed a replacement, this would be heading home with me!!!! OP, I can't swear to it, but I think this frame will work for an extended cab as well, may have to relocate a couple of body or bed mounts if my memory serves.

 

not common for those not in the know, not connected online in forums such as TW, etc.
there are many out there like that still i presume, hell i had no clue how bad it gets until TW pics and then visiting local salvage lot this past year
dealer told me mine was good and sent me on my way without further instructions on proper maintenance
they have never even seen or heard of FF here! just told me they could re-under rubbercoat for $400 or $500

 

I don't believe yours was part of replacement program, but rather the buyback and crush program that was only for the early models, and preceded the replacement program.

 

my relative had a '98 they bot used in NE in 2oo4 and no notice was given to them either. I had to convince the dealer in late 2010 to check it for them after hearing about this from a palTalk chatroom from someone in Indiana with an early 2000s model that needed a new frame. the '98 was found bad so they got a check and bot a 2nd gen