Frame replacement - dealership holding my truck ransom

I don't know if I'd go so far as to call it generous, but it is a solid gesture on their behalf. After all, they sold trucks with frames made from poorly designed/treated steel for years...which of course is what has led to all of this. They were involved in multiple lawsuits over the matter so they had to do something, granted they may have been able to get away with doing less but it's still cool of them to be swapping frames on trucks that are over a decade old.

IIRC Toyota has sued Dana Corp (the frame manufacturer) over the issue as well

 

See, this whole thing is decided by legal firms. Who covers what, who pays, who eats the bill on this or that..

The dealer is in a tight spot. Corporate is very stubborn about what they will cover, but it's the dealer ship that has to keep the customer happy

 

I don't know everything but life has taught me one thing, know what battles are worth fighting and what ones aren't. The OP is in college, I don't know if he is working too, but you have to ask yourself "what is my time worth"? Being older than the OP, IMHO this situation isn't worth the fight. I would be grateful for the new frame and for not being the unfortunate ones who are going to have a 10mm hole days after the 12 year service anniversary.

 

or the ones that end up with rusty frames but don't fall within the other parameters of the warranty, like being registered in a "cold weather state". Seen some people here in CA with that issue, we don't have road salt but we do have beach salt, lol.

 

Sorry op but I wish I was in your spot with my 08. I get different financial abilities and time travel etc.

The only reason I am getting this 2nd chance is because someone started a class action suit and would not back down.

Good luck with the fight!

 

My thoughts exactly.
Toyota still denies any wrong doing, btw. Even up to this day. Toyota's lawyers are on record saying they deny any wrong doing or anything faulty with the trucks, and the only reason they are settling is because they know they would lose a lot more in wrongful death/other lawsuits if they keep ignoring the issue.
Toyota pumped out trucks with shit frames for 15 years, and denies any fault, but they get a free pass because the 5vzfe motor goes 250k. Wild.

I agree, it's a fat deal for someone who's truck is clapped out and they get a new frame, ball joints, control arms, brake lines, new brake fluid, free wheel alignment, etc. But that's not my truck. Mine only has 140k, and the only things the dealership recommended I fix are a leaking timing cover gasket, the serpentine belt, and new tires.
but it's not so sweet for the 5-10 people who died because their 7 y/o truck crumbled in half while driving on the highway in Maine.
It's also not so sweet for the 100s or 1000s of people who paid out of pocket for new frames prior to the settlement because their truck failed yearly inspection due to a swiss cheese frame.
Yeah, those people get reimbursed years after the fact if they file some paperwork, but can you imagine? A truck you just finished paying off, maybe 1-2 years ago, and it fails your yearly state inspection due to a football sized hole in the frame right below the passenger footwell.
What are you gonna do? Try to sell it to some sucker on craigslist? Trade it in for scrap? Or pay for a new frame so maybe you can drive it a few more years at least?

100% on the money.
I understand completely. This is simply wisdom that comes with time. I'm a bit older than most college students, and I owned/operated a small landscaping company for 8 years, so I have somewhat of a clue.
Prior to the whole "ransom" fiasco, I was talking with my best friend right after I found out about the broken shock, and I told him "ya know...I could go in there and be jerk, and be loud-mouthed, and say stuff like 'you need to replace my shocks, or I'll call corporate on your asses blah blah blah blah' but you know I'm not like that. It's whatever. I guess I'll just drive it home as is and order shocks immediately."
And he said "yeah, of course you can go be a jerk, but I wouldn't unless they try to force you to pay for new ones at OEM, like if they claim some BS about safety liabilities. Buying new shocks is no big deal, but don't let them push you around."
Honestly, I knew the situation was a possibility, but I thought it was low likelihood.

This is true. Someone had to start somewhere, but this isn't some class action movement.




For the record, after a 5 minute conversation with the dealer rep, she called back and the dealer agreed to replace the shock 'internally'. There really wasn't much arm-twisting. She tried to act tough, and I simply told her that I'm a member of a vibrant forum, and I'm well aware of the process and the details. I drove it in, I expect to drive it out. End of story.
After I stood my ground, her act quickly turned into "let me ask the manager of blah blah and call you back within 1 hr."
45 minutes later: "Although it isn't covered under the warranty, the dealership will replace it internally."
She made it clear that it's only the passenger rear shock being replaced, so I'm just gonna end up trashing it when I throw 3rd gen parts under it, because who wants to buy a set of one new shock and one 20k mile shock, but they quickly admitted their fault.

 

uh, no actually. I started this thread to find out a way to win, not to bend over to the dealer.
And, very quickly, I was provided with exactly what I was looking for.

Page 1, post #6 by
N919HJ
Thanks again, btw.

This member luckily posted exactly the tool I needed to use as leverage, and the dealer backed down. As far as I'm concerned, it should have been /thread after post #6 because the rest is just bickering. "You should be grateful..." "stop being petty" etc.
Question was asked, and answered. [/user]