Tacoma 2007 rusty frame out of warranty

Hi there

today was a very stressful day for me ..I was told by a Toyota dealer that my chassis has holes and is basically completely rusty..the extended warranty on this type of issue ( massive recall) has just expired (june 2019) .. I called Toyota headquarter but they stand firm on their legal ground and told me to F... off ..so here you have it ..a 122k miles Tacoma cosmetically pristine but a wreck after owning it only fir 15 months ..I am dumbfounded by the lack of empathy by Toyota..my first time with the brand and quite an underwhelming I must say ..any suggestions out there ? Cheers

 

Toyota extended that warranty twice that I know of. How long have you had the truck? I expect you got it used - sorry to be blunt - but you probably should have inspected it before buying. It was a long time known issue, and should have surfaced in service records (or inspections for same). Best of luck.

 

If it gets to the point that the dealer is the one to tell you your frame is dead, then that’s telling enough to me.

To the OP, I sympathize with you, sure the rust is an issue, but there have been set parameters to qualify, with many frames replaced, but it’s a two way street and as things go Toyota is only required to fix it up to the expected lifespan of the vehicle, which regardless of it being a Toyota, is not indefinite.

Get a look at it yourself since apparently this came as a shock being told by the dealer, and see if you can have it patched. Otherwise a diy frame swap or paying out of pocket is usually out of the question for 99.9% of people.

 

Take your 14 year old Ford or Chevy truck to the dealer and tell them your frame is rusted out and you want them to give you a new one. I guarantee you will be laughed off the premises. Toyota replaced frames up to 12 years from date of first service. By the way, I have owned Ford and Chevy trucks, and none of them lasted more than 11 years. (I live in northern New England, where the salt flows free in snow season.) Frames rust, trucks rust, and as much as it sucks, there it is.

Lack of empathy? What are they supposed to do? Just replace frames into perpetuity? They made a well-publicized settlement - it was for 12 years. Seems more than reasonable to me. I know it hurts to miss the deadline, but there was a deadline. I feel for you, I really do (I have all kinds of empathy) but I'm afraid you've had a spot of bad luck :-(

Just for accuracy in terms, the original factory recall for this issue ended in 2016. The 12 year deal is neither an extended warranty nor a factory recall - it is the settlement terms of a class action lawsuit.

 

This company makes fab sections you can have welded on, new for 2nd Gens. You have to call them, apparently the new items are not on their site yet.

https://www.autorust.com/product-category/toyota/tacoma-2005-2014-2nd-gen/

 

This or find a good redneck shop that will weld some plates in.

 

This. As long as there is good metal to weld to, if you hunt long enough you'll be able to find a shop to give it a go. It took me a while to find a shop that was willing to weld a crossmember back in so I could ditch my DB lift, but after calling several of them I found one that was redneck enough

 

Really sorry you’re experiencing this. Toyota has given me hell about this warranty recall, literally to the point I had to block the dealership number. They wanted to do the replacement, even though they told me my truck didn’t need it, but they’d have to remove my lift, and I’d have to get it to another city to the shop and pay to reinstall it. Umm... No thx.

 

If you live anywhere rust is an issue and your frame may be worse in the future, I would happily get my frame recall done at the dealership and pay someone else to reinstall my lift. Small amount to pay for a new frame for the peace of mind I won't have to do with a rusted frame no one can fix in the future. Just my opinion

What lift do you have installed?

 

OP. Sorry, but you are SOL

Your truck is 14+ years old. Rust happens as a result of nature. Yes, it is hastened by salt & brine in the snow belt.

This has been a known issue for many years. Its based on the age of the truck, not how long you have owned it. Toyota complied with the settlement for many years. Each frame Toyota replaced cost them roughly $13,000+. I understand why they take a hard stance on the deadline date.

You do have options. Sell it. Replace frame. Repair/patch frame. Ignore it and drive.

Realize rust happens, it not a "brand" targeted phenomenon.

You should've seen the US made cars from the 60's when they were 14 years old........