Hail Mary - 04 Tacoma Frame Rot Issue

Unfortunately, this truck came into my hands after the 'limited service campaign' Toyota did for these trucks back in 2011. I wasn't even aware of the campaign until another recall brought my truck in for service and they could not complete the recall repairs due to the extensive rust.

Clearly the previous owner failed to take advantage of it, and after contacting Toyota, they told me in slightly nicer words to go f*#k myself because the (not a recall) service campaign had expired. I told them I was not even looking for a handout, if there was some kind of way I could get a frame and pay the labor or something! (I really like this truck)

Does anyone have any advice or ideas on how to get help with replacing the frame? I'm not even sure where to start looking.

Even similar stories could be helpful, at this point the truck has only 93k miles on it, engine and body are pretty flawless, but the frame is trash. This truck has a lot of life left in it but is sadly about to get sold for parts if I can't find a solution.

Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read and for any help or advice you can provide.

 

Take it to another dealer. If I'm not mistaken some people are still getting frames.

*1st dibs in line for 4x4 parts

 

I thought you could buy a frame by itself....if you're willing to pay for it AND labor, the invoice to Toyota corporate for my frame job came to $15,000.

 

If it wasn't taken in for an inspection by now, then it's no longer eligible for the frame replacement program. That ended back in March. Anyone who got their frame inspected up until March has a 15 year warranty on it now, if I'm not mistaken that's how it worked. I'm guessing the previous owner never got it inspected at all?

Hoooooly shit dude! Had no idea it was THAT much. OP, your best bet is to find another truck of the same year/engine/trans type and do the frame swap yourself, or have a shop do it.

 

You can buy a frame but it's like $2,500 not including all the little bits and pieces needed to replace it as well as labor. Being an 04, I thought there was a 15 year warranty so it would still be covered but I believe this is only if it was inspected and coated.

 

Yup, had to have been inspected by March of this year.

 

Seems like there's still quite a few of these low mileage, great condition trucks out there with rusted frames. I'd personally take the body off the frame and either find a donor frame or start tubing. Both will take lots of work. Depending on where the rust is, i'd consider plating as well.

 

If your a Fabricator you would not even be asking you would just build a frame and be done.

Buying a frame from Toyota is not going to happen till all the warranty frames are done.

The vendor can not meet demand on just the warranty claims

If your in the winter weather a frame swap is just a short term fix unless your after that frame on a weekly basis

 

You can submit a complaint to the better business bureau and nhtsa to see what comes out of it.

 

I'd be shopping for a SW example with stupid high miles, a bad trans or motor, a beat up body and a great condition frame.

Searching wrecking yards for a totaled truck with a good frame. A significant hail storm can total a truck of that age with high miles. As can a front/side hit that blows airbags, dents a lot of metal and breaks glass, but never gets to the frame.

Making two into one is your main hope IMHO.

 

That would work if the OP lives south of I 40

My 2000 came from Texas as perfect as I could want did the whole 9 yards treating the inside of the frame it lasted 2 years

 

Not sure where you're located OP but if you keep an eye out for donor trucks on the west coast or desert area (Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico...) I'm sure you could find a high mileage truck for cheap that has a great frame on it.

 

Hmm did not know about the inspection, if I took it in for the tire plate/ball joint recall before March wouldn't they have done the inspection while it was there? I still have the work order from the dealer.

I am thinking the donor truck might be my best alternative, but I'm in Eastern VA and not sure what kind of luck I will have with that. Anyone know some good resources on finding trucks like that? Will probably start calling around to local mechanics and see if they might be able to put me in touch with someone.

Edit: Thanks for everyone that took time to reply, it might be a hopeless cause but I appreciate it.

 

Nothing is hopeless. All you need is money and time

 

How i feel everytime one of these threads pops up.



This was me a couple months ago..


Lucky my truck had only lived in Virgina, Alaska, and Utah...

 

Might be the cleanest looking stock rear bumper I've ever seen

 

Brand new oem. I had just bolted it on that day when I finished painting the frame.
It sat in a Toyota box for 17 years in some guy's garage.

 

It's funny-money accounting, since Toyota is supplying the frame. The parts price you see on the invoice has the typical 300% spare parts markup.

Still hard to add up to $15k though. Say the frame is $2500. Toyota in the early years paid for 60 labor hours (ref https://www.reddit.com/r/Justrolled...ops_loaner_trucks_the_frame_needed_to/cjvw9lf ), so figure $6000 if the shop rate is $100/hr. $2500+6000 = $8500.

 

There is a story out there of a guy that Toyota tried to stick for $5k in misc parts when they did his 2nd gen. Grommets, bolts, nuts, bushings, clips, brackets, washers, ect.