Taco rust problem

On my 5th Toyota. 2 Tacos, 2 Carollas and now a new Highlander. Latest Taco - 2009 with 188k miles has been declared dead by Toyota. How nice. Too much rust underneath to repair it according to the dealer. So now I have a reasonably good taco that I have to trash. No rust on body, almost everything else works (radio no good). Engine doesnt burn oil...used sythetic ever since I bought it new. Needs replacement Power steering hose that goes to steering rack. Toyota wont fix it...wont even give me an estimate to fix it. Truck is in Colorado. Any suggestions for someone who will work on it and do frame repair and fix the hose for a reasonable price? Last one I had I ran 297k miles then sold it for 8K. Was hoping to get the same with this one. Got 280k on first Carolla too. No loyalty from Toyota even though I am a long-time customer. I was willing to pay for the repairs to steering or anything else mechanically wrong if they would just help with the frame. I never got the notice about the frame rust recall. Have moved a couple times so I guess it didnt catch up. Didnt have any previous issues. I did have some brake work, and alignment done, wasnt told there was an issue.

 

Part it out … not even worth the money to replace the frame .nobody is going to fix a frame that is bad . It won’t pass inspection and can become a liability issue .

 

If it is only really bad in one of the common spots, there are weld-on repair panels that can be added. The work should be done by a competent welder.

 

Here in the mid-west I know plenty of people with Ford/Chevy/Ram/Other pickups that have found shops or individuals who will weld a patch on a frame. Depends on how bad it is and how comfortable you are with driving it (and if it will pass inspection afterwards as not all states have inspection and those that do don't have consistent inspection laws). If the frame is repairable it's probably drastic to say part it out given the crazy high market for used and new Tacos.

 

Part out or replace the frame of the truck means that much. In Colorado you should be able to find a rust free frame for around a thousand dollars

 

^it will also take about $2-4k in labor costs to pay someone else to install that frame, making for somewhere near a $5k bill, assuming absolutely nothing breaks, needs updating, and works out perfectly. Realistically, lots of little maintenance items can also be taken care of with the engine out, so $7-8k wouldn't be an unreasonable final cost to keep the truck and get it back to working on a new frame.

 

For whatever its worth KBB sale to private party for that 2009 is probably pushing $10k i.e. it might be difficult to scrap yours and find one with no issues for less than $10k..but who knows. I can tell you here in the mid-west Tacos are routinely selling for over KBB. Same in New Mexico as a relative just went thru that search and purchase process there.

 

If the rust is repairable it’s a lot better than sending it to the junkyard.

nothing wrong with having an emergency pickup

 

Any photos?