Rusty Frame

Hi All,

Wondering if anyone can help as I just spent 6k on a 2000 Tacoma extended cab. The truck appeared in great shape with minimal rust on the body. After purchasing from a private party here in Minnesota, have discovered the frame is completely rusted and there are holes in the frame. The vehicle is unsafe to even drive.

After doing some research and learning about the recall and issues with these frames in cold climates where salt is used I was able to learn from my local dealer that they replaced the frame under the extended warrantly/Recall in 2011. Given that they replaced the entire frame in 2011 I'm literally shocked that it would have completely rusted again in 10 years!!??

I've contacted Toyota and even had my attorney call but they deny any wrongdoing and called me back saying you have no recourse and we are not going to return the call to your attorney. Since that call my attorney is working with me to file a complaint with the attorney general.

I'm wondering if anyone else here has experienced this issue where the frame was replace and then rusted out again in a relatively short period of time. It's obvious Toyota just put the same defective frame on the truck when they replaced it.

Anyway would be great to hear of others have had this problem and what they did or if we should consider contacting Toyota as a group and filing a class action.

 

Ouch!!
What are the specific laws regarding private party sales in your state ?
Maybe you’ll have some luck there.
Welcome to the forum.

 

Welcome to TacomaWorld
Sorry for your loss.
All 1st gen Tacoma frames are out of warranty.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/rust-prevention-treatment-consolidation-thread.355928/

 

How good are you at welding ?

 

dude.. the cojones on the seller asking for 6k for that.

 

As far as recourse, I would expect that the only thing that will come out of that is a lawyer's bill. It's a ten year old truck frame....

HOW on earth did you miss this?????????????????????

 

On the bright side, I'm sure that there is $6K worth of parts, especially if the engine's in decent shape.

 

Hard to miss it is

 

Pretty much that...I would venture a guess that it's a 99.999999% probability that Toyota will not replace an entire frame a second time.

 

I could be wrong, but I feel like I hear people getting donor trucks for engine or 4wd swaps for around a grand. Looking the photos, the entire underside, including the drive line, is rusted.

 

Not going to lie, that frame looks to be approximately exactly 21 years old. Not sure how you're going to make this worth your money. The first step might be acknowledging a very valuable lesson.

 

Pour one out for our homie.

 

Holy smokes man, that thing is horrendous. How did you miss that? Part it out or start looking for a junkyard frame in better shape...

 

If you're willing to put the effort into it, you can do it. Assuming the powertrain is in good shape, pull 'em out, degrease and hit with a rattle can. Eng & trans should go $750 each, the tires look decent; set of four on, rims, another $500 - 700; that's $2K already. Body panels look decent, someone with a good frame & rusty body would pay a few sheckles for those... It's work and time, but the money's there.

 

Unless you have a law in your state where you can go after the seller for putting an unsafe vehicle up for sale, your screwed. The only other two options you have are
1. buy a used frame in better condition and swap it out. Not cheap but it will get the truck back on the road.
2. As others have said, part it out, you'll recoup most of your money.

It's a hard lesson to learn, but these 1st gen Tacoma's are notorious for frame rust. Good luck in your endeavors , and keep us posted at to what direction you take.

 

Not to be the one, but how did you miss the huge holes right above the rear tire? If you did not see that, what did you check before making the purchase? As far as getting something back,

 

Put me in for the 4x4 swap parts

Buying from a private party basically means you're screwed since all sales are classified "as-is". This is exactly why you pay for an inspection if you're not experienced. Toyota never fixed the frame design as far as I know, they just offered to replace rusted out, and as some have already said, those days are now over.

 

I live in Ohio where everything rusts.
First rule here is to look under the vehicle you are looking at before you even bother looking at the rest of the truck. To save time I look in the bed to see if the spare is sitting in the bed. That tells me the frame more than likely is rotted around the spare tire carrier. Tacoma bodies hold up fairly well which makes them deceptive.
These people are paying $45000 for new Tacomas with frames that are crap. Im one of them . Toyota never fixed the problem and wont as long as they can get away with it. My excuse for buying a Tacoma? I was under the impression Toyota had fixed the frame problems but found out otherwise. I should have done more research. If I had I would have bought the new Honda Ridgeline I was also looking at. Until people stop buying Tacomas Toyota is not going to fix the problem. The West Coast guys and guys down south should be OK but in the rust belt states these trucks should be avoided.

 

Ok first, you need to do more research. The frame thing is NOT a recall. It was an extended warranty. Owners had 15 years from the in-service date to deal with this, regardless if the frame was replaced under the warranty. That has long since expired for all 1st gens, especially your 21 year old one.

But let's do some math: The frame on your 21 year old truck was replaced ~10 years into it's life. And now, that same amount of time has passed, and you're surprised it's rusted again? The replacement frames were identical to the old ones. They weren't magically impervious to rust.

As far as if anyone has experienced this. Yes, many. This is a well known issue.

Sorry man, this sucks.

But in the end, this should be a MASSIVE learning experience: a $6000 lesson. You can very clearly see the giant holes in the frame though the rear wheel well just standing next to it. I mean... yikes...

Every car I've ever bought (used and even new) I get under it and look for rust and corrosion, and this was long before I ever knew about the Tacoma frame rust thing, and I live in sunny CA where rust isn't even a "thing" for the most part.

If you don't have the expertise to do that, pay a mechanic to do it for you. Best ~$200 you could spend, especially when it saves you from making this kind of mistake.

Private sellers have almost NO responsibility to ensure the vehicle is in working condition so it likely doesn't matter if the seller knew about the rust or not. That's on the buyer.

DO NOT DRIVE IT.

 

As long as it's within that 15 year extended warranty period, I'm pretty sure they would have replaced it as often as necessary.

But there were requirements. You had to have it inspected within a certain time frame, and done various preventative measures. You can't just ignore your frame for 15 years and expect Toyota to just throw a new frame at you.