2001 Tacoma 4DR Rust Damage

So I recently got a 2001 Toyota Tacoma 4DR TRD Off-road, I fell in love with it. Well after 3 months, I've notice flakes of rust on the carport floor. So I looked underneath and to my surprise there is rust damage. Now I love this truck, my dad had one when I was young. And I called the local Toyota dealerships and they tell me that they don't even make the frames for the 2001 tacomas anymore. And I missed the free replacement campaigne. So I'm asking y'all what can I do? Just look through pull a part yards til I find a frame or try and patch?

 

Honestly maybe it's me but that rust doesn't look that bad. Of course that's not referring to the picture where you can put your finger through the frame, that can't be good I'd imagine.

 

Call Toyota HQ ASAP and find out if its covered.

 

It's not like too bad but still I want this truck to last me at least 10 more years. I looked up the recall on the vin number and shows no recalls. But then I found this and not one Toyota dealership says it's true.

 

Also read the many topics on this rust issue. I and many others have posted plenty of info you can read through

 

Heres a short rundown on this,

Toyota dealers have no clue!
It wasn't a recall, it was a service campaign. That's why you won't find anything with the VIN
If your truck was undercoated by Toyota you may have a chance at it being replaced.
The 15-year warranty started when the truck first went into service. (purchased and driven off lot when new)
Toyota HQ is your starting point, call them and get a case number. They will let you know if the warranty has expired.

Hope this works out for you.

 

This topic really needs to be a sticky. The campaign for the most part is over and done with. These trucks are now at the age where they will start trading hands and moving from rust belt to sunbelt. This is the second frame that someone has posted in less than a month that is pretty much a wad of shit

 

Your frame looks like it might have had the coating applied by Toyota at one time. If it did you have 15 years from original purchase date to have it inspected (in your case it'll definitely fail) and Toyota will replace the frame.

Being a 2001 you are likely very close to, if not over, the 15 year time frame since your truck was purchased.

On the topic of your frame, it is very rotten, it's pretty much toast and will need new plate steel welded in a lot of areas. Money will make it better, if you're willing to spend it.

 

That coating looks like resale undercoating that was recently applied. If you look close there's large rust flakes with "fresh" looking coating.

 

Thats what I was kinda thinking, it looks like a bit thicker coating than what I've seen Toyota use. Mine was a much thinner application and is flaking off like crazy.

OP, if you are close to a Toyota dealer, have them pull the service records for your truck to see if the frame was inspected and undercoated. You can also try ToyotaOwners website and see if it's on there.

 

Could be, I don't have first hand experience with what Toyota used when they did it. Lipstick on a pig.

Either way call Toyota or a dealer in the north east (they have a lot of experience with this issue) and give them your vin. They'll let you know either way

 

Thanks guys! I called the dealership and I have to wait til tomorrow morning and I will be going straight there tomorrow. I'll let y'all know if they replace the frame or give me some damn stupid excuse why they can't.

 

I am waiting to hear back on my truck. It's an American truck now in Canada. I don't think it was ever coated by Toyota, but Friday while working in the woods I flexed the front end and where the sway bar mounts is nice and rotten and binding like crazy. So it's either patch it (like I have done in another spot) or hope the hell the previous owner had it coated with the total bullshit coating Toyota used.

How many frames have been replaced? I'm guessing thousands, so all of those frames were coated and look they still rusted out. I hope someone gets something going here and we get the repairs we deserve.

 

You are wasting your time if you deal with the dealer. I went to two different dealers in my area and neither of them had a clue, both dealers said the campaign was over with (this was in Feb of this year) and that I was screwed. I didn't accept that so I called Toyota HQ, got a case number and they called me back the next day saying my frame was covered. Toyota HQ asked me where I wanted the frame swap to happen and they called the dealer to let them know this was going to happen.

 

Depends on the dealer. Mine was very aware of the details of the service campaign. Basically stating what everyone on here says. But my dealer has a stack of old frames outside service bays, so they have done a dozen or more so far.

So was your truck coated by Toyota?

 

people get rid of frames cheap if you are willing to do a ton of work swapping frames, I once saw a guy giving one away for free in arizona or something. I assumed the 15 year thing was until the end of 2016 but I guess i was wrong. Im not sure how you could say that doesn't look bad lol.

 

The dealers I contacted have also done the frame swaps but were clueless when it came to when the campaign ends. Both dealers said it was over and my truck was no longer covered, not true as Toyota HQ said it was covered.

OP's truck is a 2001 so there is a good chance that the warranty has expired even if the frame was undercoated by Toyota.

 

I'm gonna ask the dealer doing my frame swap if the frame is up for grabs. My frame isn't as bad as OP's and if anyone wanted it before it gets scrapped, I will snag it and give it away. Hopefully they say take it.

Much easier to repair my frame than to do the OP's and everything can be ready to just swap the body and motor over

 

So was your frame coated?

 

Yes, mine was coated back in 2011