Screw Toyota. 1 week out

Oh wow. Didnt realize they were Dana frames!.

For the record I'm know I'm at partial fault for some of this for not doing my homework. Just hoping for some help that's all.

But I disagree with you. It's a manufacture defect...and actually a Dana issue not toyota imo

Hopefully Gap insurance will pay for the truck note and I'll just get the safetcap pieces for it and drive it till the wheels fall off lol

 

Where is the state and federal statute that states Toyota is liable for that situation?

It doesn’t matter what you think, it matters what the law says.

If you let your brakes rust out and they fail and you mow over a pedestrian... you aren’t going to get too far pointing the finger at Toyota.

You are responsible for the condition of your vehicle. The only exception is negligence, like a dealer not approving you for a rusted broken frame that actually qualified. Even then its dealer liability not Toyota.

I’m not arguing with you but stating if that above situation did occur YOU are the liable party. So use caution moving forward if the frame shows serious damage.

 

Do you think that a week ago this qualified?

 

Yes. But did they inspect it and say it didn’t qualify when it did?

Did a Toyota dealer or any dealer sell you the truck? Or did you buy private party?

Sorry if you answered that in the last couple pages and i missed it

 

Or actually the bigger question is if it would've showed up from n inspection 1.5 yrs ago. That's my biggest point. Dealership should've caught it and should be liable IF rules stated that it should've been checked.

Anybody remember the start date of the tsb and know if it was a mandatory check when trucks showed up for service like the floor matt tsb?

 

Non toy used car dealership. Which I will try that Avenue as well with thier body and frame gap insurance

 

Its not a TSB but a recall. A TSB is just a means for dealers and truck owners to report common problems and potential solutions. Toyota is not required to correct any TSBs or even find a fix. Recalls they are required to send notice and fix.

Thats why I’m wondering if you purchased from a dealer. They should have checked all recalls and fixed before sale. However if you bought your truck 1.5 years ago well... prove it qualified 1.5 years ago and failed.

Hard to walk backwards if its been that long.

 

I wanna say thanks for everyone perspectives on this.

I'm not arguing here with anyone and I'm not a freeloader trying to get something for free.

It's just an issue I'm having that I'm trying to resolve and posted to get ideas to do so.

 

No I bought truck 6 months ago.

Once I saw the tsb online via TW I pulled services records from mountain states toyota and see last dealership service date on 6/17

 

Actually it's an extended warranty not tsb or recall as some of you had said.

Toyota just called and denied. Fyi

Off to GAP insurance

 

Despite all the back and forth with everything, I hope it all works out for you. One way or another.

 

Thought you said you bought it this year ?

 

I don’t see how GAP insurance would cover this. GAP typically only covers the difference in what the insurance company pays and what you owe on the vehicle in a total loss accident.

 

Gap wont cover it.the O.P. is out of luck.

 

I've been wondering about the GAP insurance comments myself. As the poster in #53 explained correctly, it covers the difference between the totaled vehicle and the amount still owed on it. It is a very specific kind of insurance.

That said, I do hope you get something resolved on that very nasty looking frame. Unfortunately, the warranty period for yours has expired. That's the ultimate issue. I also thought this matter was a class action originally and the court settlement is why owners are being charged with having to have their vehicles inspected and Toyota fixing the vehicles within a defined period of time. I did not know that Toyota was reaching back to pull Dana in on this matter.

Ultimately, the matter is mandated to follow in accordance with the settlement agreement. I would try again with Toyota or talk to the zone manager. The reason I say that is because in my case, the zone manager had to approve the new frame at my dealership when I took it in last month.

Finally, to the OP, I can only respectfully suggest you stop making admissions against interest as this kind of stuff is discoverable if you ever get into any kind of litigation, especially in terms of an accident regarding the frame. I know its kind of like closing the barn door after the horse is out. I hope it works out for you.

 

Well, yes and no.
Yes, in that the frame was apparently not manufactured to the standards that Toyota specified.
But no, in that its a piece of steel that has been exposed to road salt for 13 years, and that the warranty obligations by Toyota in the original sale of the vehicle did not in any way guarantee that it wouldn't rust its way right off the road after 13 years.

The fact of the matter is that steel will rust, even when exposed just to normal weather, and that tendency to rust is accelerated by exposure to harmful/dangerous chemicals on the road. One might say that the party ultimately responsible for the vehicle's condition is actually the various governments in the places where the vehicle has been driven during road salt season for choosing to use a harmful chemical on the road instead of only applying abrasives (i.e. sand), which wouldn't cause that severe of damage.

Nevertheless, it has still been 13 years, and without specific guidance on how long it *should* be able to survive such a hostile environment, what number would be an appropriate cutoff? Hint: the original warranty does specify an actual guarantee in years, and its long passed. Ultimately, YOU ARE responsible for the condition of your vehicle, and maintaining it properly, and deciding when it is appropriate to junk it.

Now having said all that, the severity of the rust on that frame is such that there really is no excuse for someone a year and a half ago not noticing it. Whether it was sold to you by some car dealer, or by a previous owner, they should have known about the condition of that frame, and it should have been disclosed to you. You may have legal recourse if they represented the vehicle as being in good condition. My suggestion would be to talk to a lawyer.

 

What's funny is Toyota is actually doing something for both 1st and 2nd gen owners. I see frames like the OP picture under Chevy and Ford trucks of the same era and newer than our Tacoma's or even worse. No one sued them nor are they covering any frames if they are out of the std warranty. They just tell the cust. to go pound sand.

I agree that a lot of these extreme rusting issues on not just Tacomas but lots of other vehicles is due to the type of de-icer used these days.

I don't think GAP insurance will cover a non total loss from not an accident.


@__TT__ I think that going to a metal fabricator and seeing if they can cut and patch the frame would be wise. We do it on old hot rods as well as that was going to be my option if my frame got denied last yr. Just need to find someone that has done that kid of work and is willing to take on the project. It would be a lot cheaper than putting a frame under it.

 

As bad as I feel for anybody who missed out on anything due to a deadline, one has to remember one important point. No matter what the deadline is, somebody will be just outside of it and feel slighted. The only solution - if you're one of those folks - is to remove any and all deadlines. But that just doesn't make any kind of business sense. And remember, at least Toyota is going well out of its way to replace frames that are technically well out of warranty. See that happening with GM, Ford or FCA on anything? Nope.

I drove Ford F-150's for years and still take some good natured (at least I hope it's good natured) grief from the owner of the dealership I always bought them from for going to a Toyota. He always says something like "Your frame rot out yet?" I always reply that "Even if it did, at least Toyota would replace it even if I was past my 3/36 warranty period. Did Ford ever replace a 6 Liter Powerstroke diesel?" That usually shuts him up.

 

Well just hit the car wash after a storm before you hit Mario's for a few brews!