Opinions on the condition of this original 09 frame

Hi Tacoma gurus, I’m wondering if you can give me you opinions on the condition of this original 2009 Taco frame….I’m considering purchasing the truck but the frame issues have made me leery of the 05-09 models that are now out of warranty.what do you think?

 

This truck received the Toyota undercoating according to the seller.

 

Anyone?

 

Hard to tell from just the pics but I can say that it's close to what my 09 looks like. Toyota inspected my frame back when they started their recalls and said that there were no holes. Just in the last few months I paid to have it Ziebart undercoated and that was a mistake. Not necessarily because it was Ziebart but because of the local shop that did it. I could have down a better job myself even without a lift.

 

Looks like they did the same to yours as they did to mine undercoated over rust. Mine still rusted through and needed a new frame. Some of those pics it's hard to tell. But judging by the rust on some of the other components like the rear, under body, brackets and such it's probably pretty bad.

 

You need to look up in the frame rails toward the front of the truck. Also, look at the spare tire carrier, if it's heavily rusted than you can bet the inside channels of the frame are too.

 

Try taking pictures of the frame rails and posting those.The black undercoating is making the frame too dark to photograph next to the lighter colored floor pan, mufflers, etc. First impression is it has had an undercoating cover up job and it’s probably rotted.

 

Thank you, fella’s… I think I’m gonna let this one pass. Too bad, relatively low mileage, clean topside, V6 Sr5 TRD package.

 

Boxed areas by the cats. They tend to rot from the inside out.

 

Thank you for that information. Moving forward I’ll specifically check those areas. Just found out the seller sold the truck to someone else. Meh, I wanted a Regular cab anyway.

 

You got lucky not touching that truck. You can tell it's rotting from the inside. Good for you doing your homework

 

Thanks! I’m trying to stay patient and snag a good one. 4wd Regular Cab with low mileage and a new (or still under warranty) frame…how long could it take?

 

I really needed this thread.

Went to a dealership on another matter and they gave me a looksee while it was up on the rack. Large gaping holes in the frame by the front passenger wheel. Didn't even bother to look farther. But let me vent a bit, 'kay?

a.) I have an extended warrentee purchased at the time I got the truck (August, 2019).

b.) I have heard there was some sort of recall action by Toyota but don't know if anyone took advantage of that.

c.) I've put a bit into the truck..... new wheels, new stereo, rack-and-pinion rail, and new headlamps...but what really hurts is that I got it for about 14000 USD and still have quite a bit to pay.

d.) Oh, and BTW, I really Love this truck, but I am worried the b***h might get me killed. I could really appreciate some assistance with my decision-making disorder.

Best Wishes,

Bruce

 

Well that depends...where are you located? That matters

 

Hi there! I’m in MA. It seems the rust buckets are more the rule than the exception up here. Too bad Toyota didn’t approach this as a recall issue instead of a limited warranty one. I’ve been a Toyota loyalist for decades now but the taco frame issue just seems wrong.

 

Bruce, I’m sorry to hear of your troubles. Is your Tacoma an 09? What date was it originally put into use? 12 years after that you should be covered. I’ve passed on two low mileage 09’s in the last few weeks. It’s been heart breaking because topside they both were immaculate but both out of warranty with signs of rot. The first one w/ only 50k miles quite a bit worse than the one I pictured above. The dealer covered it with a thick undercoat and welded two holes in the frame….didn’t want to (best case) have to keep repairing the frame, or (worst case) pay 12k out of pocket for a new frame on a truck I just payed 15k for. I’m starting to wonder about the Nissan Frontier. Will I get banned for mentioning that in these parts?

 

Took me 5 or 6 months checking marketplace and craigslist to find the right truck. Test drove lots of trucks. Left after looking at some trucks for 1 minute due to rust on frame. Having 2 other vehicles, I wasn't pressed to make any decisions. Happy I held out. Good luck getting what you want.

 

Thanks! I’m still pretty committed to finding a Regular cab Taco with low miles but Frontier thoughts are creeping in. I know you can’t beat Toyota reliability and longevity though….except for this frame thing ‍.
Happy Halloween all!

 

Not sure where it was but a few weeks ago I saw 1-2 on Craigslist, one I think said it was reframed. Just gotta be quick..

 

Yep, I think I saw that one - in western, MA I think? It popped up in the middle of the work week and I knew I wouldn’t be able to get away until the weekend…. it was gone by then of course.