2004 Tacoma recall

Hello!
New to this forum just wanted to seek some information which I wasn't able to find online.
My 2004 Tacoma was just approved for frame replacement. I heard that when this came about some people got new vehicles, and some had frames replaced under the recall.
Can anyone clue me in on how it is determined who gets what? It seems a little crazy that Toyota will now invest all this money into replacing a frame on a 14 year old vehicle.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my truck but just want to make sure I don't have any other options available to me and not sure where I can find more info on this.
Also, if anyone has had this done and can let me know of any issues they might have run into or anything I should be aware of I would really appreciate it.
Thanks!

 

First, it's not a recall. It's an extended warranty.

I never heard of anyone getting a new vehicle. Trucks from I think 1995 - 2000 were bought back at 1.5x blue book then crushed. Trucks from 2001 - 2004 got frame replacements.

 

Ok, thanks!

 

Some 03 and 04 trucks still qualify for it, if your frame us rusted through call your local dealership ship and set up an appointment to have the frame checked. If it fails the check then toyota will replace the frame.

Btw welcome to TW

 

hers already qualified

@tacotaco3 There were no "new" vehicles given in replacement. Toyota bought back the 2000 and earlier years and you would walk away with a check. 2001 and up they replaced most things from the frame and down.

Once you get the new frame completed make sure to get it sprayed or do it yourself to keep this frame for many more years. I still have the original frame because I've sprayed mine since new.

 

Thank you!

 

Thanks for the advice, and yea I got the call today from the dealership letting me know the frame qualified for replacement! Thankfully the guy who owned it before me had the frame sprayed by them a few years back otherwise it wouldn't have qualified I was told. Phew!

 

yeah Toyota had a 'buy back' program for early first gens and then switched to replacing the frames instead for later models.

Hopefully they do it in a timely manner, some dealerships seems to take months while others take a few weeks. Also, don't let them try and hit you with a bill for extra parts that they have to replace. There might be some things you have to cover (like new shocks if your old ones are too worn out to put back on, etc.) but anything related to the rusty frame should be covered.

 

Ok thanks! that's good to be aware of. It sounded like they were going to cover anything that has to be replaced due to the frame work. The guy told me that it will prob be around $16,000 worth of work due to all the other things that will probably need to be replaced, but I will double check, it would be good to have an idea ahead of time.
They gave me a timeline for 4-6 weeks, depending on when the frame arrives, I have to head out of state for a new job and was told they'd try to rush it so it doesn't mess with my timeline, sounded fair to me, also they are giving me a rental until then so I'm actually quite impressed so far.

 

Godspeed. Mine took 4 months. It took like 80 days just for the frame to arrive at the dealership. Then another month and a half for them to do the work. And they stroked me $2,300 in additional parts.

 

Yikes! that's crazy. He didn't mention the whole paying for additional parts but perhaps they "assume" people know that, I will have to double check but I guess I don't really have a choice if I want them to replace the frame.

 

That's what I thought, too. The trouble is they have you over a barrel at that point. Your truck is in a million pieces, they tell you that you must buy new this and new that, and here's what I'm charging you for parts. They might as well tell you that the parts are a million dollars, because what are you going to do? I guess if they told you a million you'd buy a different truck, but you get my point.

When they finally get around to telling you what you need, make them take pictures of the parts they "can't use", give you an itemized list of parts and prices, then shop for those same parts on Camelback's site. Then, at least, you have some ammunition to negotiate parts prices with.

 

I had my '04 done a year ago. Here is some cut-and-paste from other threads where I posted about my experience:

The dealer billed Toyota $12,986. They let me look at the paperwork but didn't let me keep a copy. When I dropped it off I was told 5 to 8 months to get a frame in. It arrived in 4 weeks. The dealer was as surprised as I was. Nobody seems to have any idea how the new frames are allocated to dealers (including, apparently, dealers). If you are going to get parts for the dealer to install during the switch, get them lined up now. You might not have time later if the frame shows up quickly. The actual work took 3 days.

Nobody knows what exactly is included in the new frame "kit." Some get brake lines, some don't. Some get e-brake cables, some don't. Some people were allowed in the shop to photograph the process, some were not. Some folks here have had dealers do all additional work for free, and some have had to pay for all additional work. Under the 2nd Gen class-action agreement everything is strictly spelled out. With your 1st Gen '04, there are guidelines that cover a few things such as major parts and the loaner vehicle policy, but almost everything else is open to negotiation. People's experiences, as reported on this site and elsewhere, have varied wildly. Be proactive.

I had a shitload of extra stuff done during my frame job, and I made the service guy sit down and go over each thing and agree on labor charges. Anything that comes completely off, whether re-installed or replaced, should have no labor charge (shocks, rear bumper, skid plates, etc.). Reduced labor for things opened up for access during the swap (I had the charcoal canister on top of the gas tank done for half-labor while it was more easily accessible). I paid full labor for the front bumper, since it wouldn't have been touched otherwise. I looked up all the prices for the parts beforehand and what they quoted me was right - no extra mark-up. Try to spend some time with your Service Rep. and find out what they'll do for you. You probably won't get everything you want, but you might get more than you thought.

Also, be aware of the current condition of everything else under the truck. When the frame comes in and they take the truck apart, they'll call and tell you you need new skid plates, shocks, squirrel defibrillator, etc. It's easier (and cheaper) for them to torch out the old and put in new parts than to carefully remove and re-install the old parts (plus the profit on the new parts is a nice bonus for them). You don't want to buy anything you don't really need. On the other hand, if you do want to replace some of that stuff, doing it now with the free or reduced labor makes sense. Or see if they will install aftermarket stuff if you buy your own parts elsewhere. Many people have reported they were allowed to do this.

Some people have reported that they needed to bring the truck back in after the swap to have things tightened or adjusted. A couple people reported bent or mis-manufactured replacement frames. Mine had no issues at all, and with the super detail job they did as part of the frame swap, it was like new.


Good luck!

 

Good stuff right here^. I was lucky enough to buy my truck with the frame replaced late 2016.