3rd Gen Frame

So, I work in the auto/body business and lately have seen something that concerns me. Time after time I see tacomas come in with minor rear collision damage I'm talking low speed stop light stuff, front bumper to trailer hitch contact that causes frame damage every time almost any touch to that hitch causes a whopping $10,000 amount of damage due to entire frame needing to be swapped out. Why didn't toyota section the frame so that the rear can be replaced ? I'm thinking about boxing mine at the rear to reinforce it.

 

3rd gens?

 

Aren't all modern frames built like this?

 

If the frame was in sections, it would lose its rigidity. All vehicles and manufacturers today are taking steps to decrease costs yet still ‘get the job done’. They don’t care about what happens to the frame in a minor accident. Or anything else for that matter.....(in a minor accident).

Major accidents are a different story and more of a concern - Safety, crumple zones, etc.

If you stiffen up the frame - that will transfer the forces to other areas. So, you’re saving the frame yet you could be causing more harm to YOU... transmission, engine, suspension, body, etc.
Take your pick - whether you damage $10,000 in frame damage, or $10,000 in body/transmission/suspension/bodily injury. ???

And here I thought you were gonna mention ‘frame rust’ - GASP!

 

Me too!

 

Talking with my region rep he said Toyota really worked to make sure the 3rd gen has the best possible frame. Waxed coated for added moisture protection and plugs to keep dirt out

 

How does that help with collision work the OP is asking about?

 

Why can't the bed be removed and the frame be straightened in that area?

 

People were committing they thought this was about frame rust... just trying to help out with some of the info I have

 

My 16 TRD Sport was rear ended at a red light one night, and at the time I thought all the damage was on the rear bumper, but no, the frame buckled. His insurance totalled it because they don't replace frames. So they wrote me a check and I bought an even nicer Tacoma.

 

Sounds like a good excuse to upgrade to a HC rear.

SOS' HC rear has an integrated hitch, and they're 20% off right now. Here's the sale: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ay-sale-20-off-sitewide.518831/#post-16420745

 

I didn't know SOS made a 3rd gen rear bumper.

 

Disposable Tacoma's have arrived.It's so American nowadays to fill up our landfills with poor quality imported products.Corporate America CEO's and shareholders thank all of you.

 

FWIW, you can do $10k damage to just about anything with only light contact today. I had a fork truck back into my Silverado at about 2mph and do almost that much in repair cost in cosmetic only damage. At least it's beam steel and not folded/pressed sheet. You can "section" and replace parts of it with an oxy torch and a TIG after it's been damaged beyond simple porta-power straightening.

 

Plus there's this...

http://www.repairerdrivennews.com/2...or-company-in-north-america-first-on-a-truck/

"...you cannot repair any of these grades, according to Toyota. You can’t heat- or cold-straighten them either. (440 MPa is still high-strength steel, and its characteristics can be compromised by hot or cold repair.)

“Because occupant safety is such a high priority, HSS and UHSS occupant cabin reinforcement repair is not recommended,” Toyota wrote in CRIB 175...."

 

Most insurance companies don't like frame work. It has to be about brand new and freaking loaded to have enough value to even get reframed a lot of the time.

I think a big helper would be to not leave a receiver in it if you are not towing too.

No idea what kind of frame a Tacoma has but there has been a big push lately to go fully boxed on truck frames which makes bolting together sections hard.

 

If you ever think about safety, I would not put a torch to the Tacoma frame. It's not made to withstand a hit without bending. It's designed to collapse and protect the occupant through use of different types of steels. Occupant safety is number one. Vehicle damage is way down the list. My wife just got her new Toyota Highlander totalled after a guy ran a red light. She walked away with just a few bruises from the knee airbags. If you look at her vehicle, you would think there were multiple fatalities! I can always buy a new vehicle. I doubt very seriously there is another woman on this planet that would put up with me for 34 years so far like this one did! Replacing vehicles is easy. People? Not so much.

 

Nothing new, the Tacoma has never had a robust frame.

 

The frame, like everything else, is made now days to crumple in certain areas to absorb impact in accidents. I’d rather my truck frame crumple than my spine. I can easily replace a truck, don’t see too many spinal columns on the market, lol.

 

Funny thing is that our 3rd gens frame is made of 1/8" thick steel. It is not fully boxed which may be some of the problem but to keep in mind that most of the half ton pick ups (which is a step above a tacoma) uses 1/16" thick steel on a fully boxed frame. Our frame is very stout for what it is.