2003 Lexus GX470

WE TOOK IT TO A DEALERSHIP SERVICE CENTER TO HAVE BRAKES AND ROTORS REPLACED. IT WAS REPORTED TO US BY THE SHOP THAT WHEN THEY RAISED THE TRUCK, IT MADE NOISES AND THEY FELT IT WAS UNSAFE TO CONTINUE. THEY REPORTED TO US THAT THE FRAME WAS RUSTED OR ROTTED, ESPECIALLY NEAR THE RIGHT REAREND, AND THAT IT WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE, THAT THE WHERL OR THE BACK END COULD COLLAPSE. LAST NIGHT, I DID EXTENSIVE RESEARCH ONLINE AND IT APPEARS THIS IS A LONG-STANDING ISSUE WITH TOYOTA FRAMES ON THEIR TRUCKS, WITH MANUFACTURING DEFECTS IN STEEL PRODUCTION AND SUBSEQUENT CHEMICAL TREATMENT ERRORS BEFORE TRUCK ASSEMBLY. EVIDENTLY THERE HAVE BEEN MASSIVE RECALLS OF TACOMA TRUCKS WHICH HAVE THE SAME FRAMES MADE BY A COMPANY IN OHIO CALLED DANA. WE ARE WAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM TOYOTA TODAY WHO ASSIGNED US A CASE MANAGER YESTERDAY WHILE WE WERE AT THE DEALERSHIP REPAIR SHOP. MANY OF THESE TRUCKS NEEDED A FRAME SWAP. THE EXTENT OF THE FRAME RUST AND ROT IS UNBELIEVABLE FOR THE AGE OF THE VEHICLE

FRAME IS ROTTING FROM INSIDE OUT, EXCESSIVE CORROSION ON AN OTHERWISE SPOTLESS VEHICLE. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE THAT WAS COMMON TO THE EARLY/MID 2000'S TOYOTA TUNDRA, TACOMA, AND 4RUNNER, THE LATTER OF WHICH SHARES FRAME COMPONENTS. TOYOTA, FOR WHATEVER REASON, COVERED THE TUNDRA AND TACOMA THROUGH RECALLS, BUT SO FAR HAS NOT DONE A RECALL ON THE 4RUNNER OR GX470.

SEVERAL CRACKS (SOME HAIRLINE AND OTHERS WIDER) HAVE APPEARED ALL OVER THE DASHBOARD, NEAR VENTS, ABOVE INSTRUMENT CONSOLE AND IN FRONT OF THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG COVER. INITIALLY, I THOUGHT THIS WAS AN ISOLATED OCCURRENCE BUT IN RESEARCHING THIS TOPIC ONLINE I REALIZED THIS IS PERVASIVE ISSUE WITH THIS MODEL AND IT'S OVERSEAS COUSIN PRADO. THIS IS CLEARLY A MANUFACTURING DEFECT THAT TOYOTA AND LEXUS MUST CORRECT. I BELIEVE THE CRACKS OVER THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG COVER POSE A SAFETY RISK WITH POTENTIAL INTERFERENCE WITH THE OPERATION OF THE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT. TO BE SURE THIS WASN'T AN ISOLATED OCCURRENCE, I HAVE VISUALLY INSPECTED 5 OTHER GX 470S IN TAMPA AREA (RANDOMLY) OVER THE LAST MONTH AND EACH ONE OF THEM HAD THE SAME CRACKS ON THEIR DASHBOARDS. HERE ARE LINKS TO OWNER FORUM SITES I SURVEYED TO GET A SENSE OF THIS PROBLEM WORLDWIDE ... HTTP://US.LEXUSOWNERSCLUB.COM/FORUMS/TOPIC/54056-03-GX470-DASHBOARD-CRACKS/ HTTP://WWW.CLUBLEXUS.COM/FORUMS/GX-FIRST-GENERATION/427349-CRACKED-DASHBOARD.HTML HTTP://US.LEXUSOWNERSCLUB.COM/FORUMS/TOPIC/61250-GX470-CRACKED-DASH/ HTTP://WWW.PRADOPOINT.COM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?12073-CRACKED-DASHBOARD/PAGE15 NHTSA MUST ASK LEXUS TO SURVEY GX 470 OWNERS ON THIS ISSUE TO CONFIRM THE EXTENT OF THE PROBLEM. IF THE INCIDENT RATES ARE AS HIGH AS I BELIEVE THEY ARE, THIS SHOULD BE A BASIS FOR A RECALL AND LEXUS SHOULD BE FORCED TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE. *TR