Rusty rear chrome bumpers?

After having owned a number of Toyotas I can say that the quality of materials isn't what it used to be...but these days what is? My 2008 4X4 ACab (recent used purchase, no warranty) has the bumper chrome rust problem but it's not too bad yet. This spring I plan on removing the bumper (to add a hitch), and before remounting it I'll clean/prime/paint the inside before treating the chrome portion with a few applications or Meguiar's NXT. Regular washing/polishing and then adding an occasional coat of NXT should keep it from rusting badly for quite awhile.

Yup it's a cheap bumper. Just gotta keep the water/salt off the backside metal and out of the chrome cracks as much as possible.

 

My dealership actually replaced the bumper saying that Toyota realized they had a problem with it. This AFTER they initially told me it was "normal" for a bumper to rust in the winter and that it would wipe right off. I told them I would come by every time it needed wiping. Now we'll just see if this one is any better than the last. He assured me it was made better. Sure it was...

 

LOL, of course the new bumper is made better, haven't you seen how studly the new Tacos are on the TV commercials? Pretty much indes'truck'table now.

Lucky you still have warranty coverage, best to use it for all it's worth before all the metal disintegrates.

If Toyota could only find a way to make their frames and accessories as good as their engines, we'd be all set.

Good luck with yours, tacochick.

 

Toyota replaced my rusty rear bumper last week... They had zero in stock so they pulled one from a 2011 on the lot. They also ordered the parts for the 4 leaf spring rear suspension TSB.

 

Can I ask what dealership in Butler you went to? I'm in New Castle, so I'm driving on all of the same roads you are. Work in Cranberry, so my daily drive is up and down I-79.

 

I was behind what appeared to be a brand new Silverado today, and the drivers side half was rust spotted consitently from the hitch to the drivers side, so apparently it is an epidemic not limited to Tacoma's. Strangley, the passenger side (hitch over) didn't appear to have been affected.

I've seen new Ford bumpers with the same condition as well.

 

Chrome blows... I shoulda went with a sport

 

Noticed rust pitting on my rear bumper and contacted my local dealer to see if it was covered under warranty.

No issues from the dealer, their body shop department ordered a new bumper all under warranty.

 

The bottom edges of mine has tiny rust spots too. And I wax the entire truck every week too.

 

mine had rust at 750 miles

 

The bumper on mine looks exactly the same as one would find on a Chevy right down to the plastic I don't think any of them make the bumpers.

 

It's been a year since I posted (above), where I did the clean/prime/home-made rustproof job on the inside of my chrome bumper, and the truck frame as well. All looks good, no issues yet. The rustproofing really seems to work well, will be touching it up again in April.

 

Yep, 2010 bumper was a rusty mess after the 1st winter. I took it in anticipating they would hassle me about replacing it and they told me that this was happening a lot. Said maybe some bad steel or something. They fixed it no problem. Didn't happen this winter.

On another note, my blower motor went out already (26K miles). It still worked but rattled until it drove me nuts. They told me this also was a common problem and that I should be prepared to replace it every couple years! WHAT? How about reengineer that damn thing!

 

Toyota does not seen to have done anything to improve the rusty bumper issue. I have a two month old 2015 Tacoma limited and sure enough the rear bumper is already rusting

 

All metal rusts but it's pretty easy to make your chrome bumper last alot longer by treating the bumper's UNDERSIDE (the exposed metal side)....where most of the dirt and salt collects.

Clean the bumper's underside well with a hose and soapy water to get any existing sand/rust flakes off, then dry it thoroughly. Once all surfaces are completely dry, paintbrush the exposed metal with a rustproofing compound. I used a home-made version with a paraffin base...it was thick enough to paint on and the wax holds the mixture well to the metal, and repels water. Be sure to paint it on to as much of the exposed underside metal/flat spots/cracks of the bumper as you can reach. It will help seal off the metal from the bottom (road side) up.

As mentioned in prior posts, I did my 2008 Tacoma bumper in 2011 when I bought the truck from a dealer. The bumper still looks like new...and I live in the snow/salt belt of the northeast.

Better than replacing bumpers every few years.

 

Thought I should chime in here.2015 SR5 Access Cab Less than 10 000kms and rust forming already.

 

Mine is a 2013, and when I went in for my first oil change at 5k miles, they asked how I liked the truck. I said it was great, then pointed at the rear bumper and said, "Is it normal for that to be rusting after just a few months of ownership?" They claimed there was a "bad batch" and that they'd replace it under warranty, and that no, it wasn't normal at all. They replaced it, and the new one hasn't rusted yet. Sounds to me like it was more than just a "bad batch" given the responses to this thread.