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Toyota Tacoma 2004 and Earlier Frame Problem

1348 messages,  Last post on Apr 25, 2013 at 10:23 AM

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What is this discussion about? Toyota Tacoma, Toyota 4Runner, Car Safety, Auto Body, Car Warranties, Truck

Messages Page 133 of 136

#1315 of 1348 ....and here we go! by jay3379

Sep 05, 2012 (5:43 am)

I took my 2001 Tacoma into the dealer today after easily poking a hole in my frame over the weekend. While doing some work under the truck I decided to give the frame a few taps with a hammer to see how it was holding up. Sure enough it went right through near where the leaf springs meet the frame. I did have the protective undercoating applied before the deadline mentioned in a letter I received about 2 years ago (Completed in August 2010). The dealer claims he can't authorize the frame replacement and is bringing in a Toyota rep for an inspection and I sense a battle brewing.
 
He told me that by my tapping a hole through Toyota would not warranty the frame. I told him that the "hammer test" was how these frames were being passed/failed by dealers like him all over the place. He confirmed "hammer test" was initially used, but claims that after the protective undercoating was applied use of a hammer was not permitted anymore and would most likely mean Toyota would not replace the frame.
 
So now I have a truck with a hole in the frame, and the Toyota Rep. will be out in a week or so to check it out for a final decision. It may work in my favor, but I have a bad feeling I may need to fight this. I'm just trying to get my ducks in a row and would appreciate any advice/opinions on the best ways to proceed and not get taken advantage of. Thanks!

#1316 of 1348 Re: ....and here we go! [jay3379] by bigbe

Sep 05, 2012 (6:11 am)

Replying to: jay3379 (Sep 05, 2012 5:43 am)
Hi dont worry they will do rite by by you They want that truck off the road

#1317 of 1348 Re: ....and here we go! [bigbe] by terceltom

Sep 05, 2012 (10:06 am)

Replying to: bigbe (Sep 05, 2012 6:11 am)
First off, if anything Toyota might eventually agree to a re-frame, because only "99"s and before are removed "off the road". But I really would like to know how you can be so confident that "jay3379"s Tacoma will be taken care of, when others on this forum have had no such luck?

#1318 of 1348 Re: ....and here we go! [terceltom] by eboswort

Sep 05, 2012 (5:03 pm)

Replying to: terceltom (Sep 05, 2012 10:06 am)
going through the same thing. i owned a '92 toyota pickup with no rust on it. decided it was time to upgrade and got a '03 tacoma (off craigslist) knowing nothing of the recall. frame looked good when i checked it out. when i took it in to have the muffler replaced the mechanic pointed out that the frame has a hole in it. toyota will do NOTHING for me because the recall has ended. shit out of luck.
 
now i am wondering is it worth welding it?? worried this will just be a problem that keeps coming back to haunt me.

#1320 of 1348 Re: ....and here we go! [jay3379] by kgsresearch

Oct 08, 2012 (6:28 am)

Replying to: jay3379 (Sep 05, 2012 5:43 am)
Did you have any luck with your truck? We just found out that our '04 Tacoma's frame is rusted, deeming it 'unsafe to drive' and failing inspection. But Toyota won't replace the frame because we never had the underspray. So now we have an 04 truck with only 148,000 and it's essentially useless?? Preparing to deal with Toyota's corporate office, any advice is appreciated! Thanks!

#1321 of 1348 Re: ....and here we go! [kgsresearch] by tcma

Oct 08, 2012 (8:20 am)

Replying to: kgsresearch (Oct 08, 2012 6:28 am)
Yes i went through the process it took awhile. I dont know what the stipulations on the 04's are. I had a 97 and it failed the inspection and they bought the truck back. When i went through it they had a complete standard operation procedure they followed to buy the truck back. It had nothing to do with if you had the frame sprayed. The frames were bad from the factory because the special rust treatment they dip the frames in did not work and of course the frame was rusting prematurely.

#1322 of 1348 Re: ....and here we go! [tcma] by kgsresearch

Oct 08, 2012 (5:45 pm)

Replying to: tcma (Oct 08, 2012 8:20 am)
Toyota customer care told us tonight that we missed the deadline for the underspray, so we are not able to access the extended warrenty, so there is "No Further Action" that Toyota can take. Clearly we are not happy with this response, and it certainly doesn't seem to match with their proclaimed 'customer satisfaction'. Need to figure out what to do next ... selling a truck of this supposed reliablity for parts doesn't seem like it should be the only option. (looks like '95-'99 trucks were bought back, '00-'04 trucks had frame replaced ... if you meet the timeline for the warrenty and had it undersprayed)

#1323 of 1348 '04 Tacoma frame rust failed inspection by kgsresearch

Oct 08, 2012 (5:55 pm)

We have an '04 Tacoma, 148,000 miles, that just failed inspection and is now deemed unsafe due to perforations in the frame from the rust. We never had the undercoating spray done (Toyota says they mailed us multiple notifications of this program, we don't recall getting them ... bottom line is the undercoating spray was never done), so we missed the deadline to have the frame replaced by Toyota under their extended warranty program. The undercoating would have extended the warranty from 5 years to 15 years for the frame. (Yes ... I've read that several people had it sprayed but it still rusted out ... that argument went nowhere with the Toyota rep). So now Toyota is telling us that "no further action" can be taken on their part. We are just a tad bit frustrated (yes, that's an understatement) that we now have a decent truck on our hands that we can basically only sell for parts??? Clearly we aren't going to come up with the $14,000 that it would cost us to replace the frame. Any advice on where to go from here would be greatly appreciated!!!

#1324 of 1348 Re: '04 Tacoma frame rust failed inspection [kgsresearch] by oxi04

Oct 09, 2012 (6:05 am)

Replying to: kgsresearch (Oct 08, 2012 5:55 pm)
kqs: What state are you in? I'm in NY and have an 04 Tacoma, bought new. I receved a letter in late Dec 2011 that advised me I had until the END of 2012 to have the truck inspected for rust perforation problems with the usual list of options, ie. undercoating or frame replacement. If you have been following this site you will have notice that the dealer did a crappy slam bang job on my truck. I have since resolved most issues with my local mechanic and will be sending the bill to the Dealer (I know lots of luck). Found even more problems as I drove the truck after a while, like leaking brake fluid from untightened connection under the hood. Majority of problem with the vibrations, shuddering were resolved when my local guy found that the dealership had put a bolt in the transmission mount that was too long and was rubbing/pushing on the tranny outer case. Once he removed that and put the right length one in it was like the same old smooth running truck it always had been. Sorry, back to your issue, I would put something in writing to Toyota headquarters in CA and send it certified mail, return receipt requested. Give them a detailed document of what you have done, dates, names of people you have spoken with, the whole 9 yards and ask them for a written response as to what they can do for you. If you have been a Toyata customer for a while give them a list of all the Toyotas you have ownedm ight help, and it can't hurt. Good Luck.

Messages Page 133 of 136

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