1998 Toyota 4RUNNER

RECENTLY BOUGHT THIS 1998 4RUNNER THINKING IT WAS IN GREAT CONDITION. AFTER THE PURCHASE WE BROUGHT IT TO A MECHANIC TO HAVE IT CHECKED OUT AND HAVE THE BACK BRAKES FIXED. WHILE HE WAS DOING THE MAINTENANCE HE SAW THAT THE WHOLE UNDERBODY FRAME OF THE TRUCK IS RUSTED OUT AND ISN'T EVEN DRIVABLE DUE TO THE FACT AT ANY MOMENT THE WHOLE BACK OF THE TRUCK COULD FALL OUT. I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS STUFF HAPPENS BUT THROUGH MY RESEARCH THIS IS FAIRLY COMMON IN THE OLDER 4RUNNER MODELS ALONG WITH THE VERY SIMILAR FRAMED TACOMA WHICH HAS THE FRAME RECALL.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS RUST ON THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THERE WAS STRUCTURAL FAILURE OF THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE FRAME DUE TO RUST. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 213,000.

THE FRAME WAS POORLY DESIGNED FROM THE FACTORY. WITH THE HOLLOW STYLE FRAME AS THIN AS IT IS, DOES NOT HAVE PROPER DRAINAGE. THIS DESIGN FROM TOYOTA CAUSES PREMATURE OXIDIZATION OF THE FRAME/UNDER CARRIAGE, BECAUSE MOISTURE FROM NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS IS FAILED TO BE EVACUATED FROM THE FRAME EVEN AFTER BEING KEPT IN A DRY WARM PLACE FOR STORAGE. THIS PROBLEM IS WIDELY DOCUMENTED ONLINE IN FORUMS DEDICATED SPECIFICALLY TO THESE VEHICLES. THE FRAME RUST IS SO BAD ON MINE, I CAN NO LONGER DRIVE IT. I AM RECENTLY UNEMPLOYED, AND HAVE NOT NEARLY ENOUGH SAVINGS FOR A NEW VEHICLE. THIS WILL BECOME A NATIONAL SAFETY HAZARD SOON AS HIGHER MILEAGE 4RUNNERS OF THIS FRAME DESIGN ARE COMMONLY COMING DOWN IN PRICE ON THE USED MARKET AND ARE OFTEN SOUGHT AFTER AS GOOD "STARTER CAR" FOR NEW DRIVERS AND TEENS. TOYOTA SHOULD DO THE HONORABLE THING , WHICH THEY DEMONSTRATED AND SAVED LIVES WITH THE RECALL OF TACOMA MODEL FRAMES. I AM NOW CAR-LESS IN A RURAL AREA, WHICH MAKES ME PRETTY MUCH UNEMPLOYABLE. THANKS TOYOTA, IF THE FRAME I BOUGHT WAS HALF AS WELL BUILT AS THE BODY AND ENGINE OF THE AUTO I PURCHASED, I WOULD NOT BE IN THE SITUATION, AND THE HIGHWAYS WOULD NOT BE AT RISK, WHICH THEY ARE NOW. *TR

THE FRAME ON MY 1998 4RUNNER HAS BEEN DESTROYED BY RUST BEYOND WHAT SHOULD BE ACCEPTABLE. THERE ARE SOME HOLES IN THE FRAME AND THE RUST IS SEVERE. THE FRAME SHOULD BE A LIFETIME PART, NOT SOMETHING THAT FAILS IN THIS MANNER, AND THE STATE OF THE FRAME IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE BY ANY STANDARDS. I BROUGHT IT TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THEM LOOK AT IT, AND THEY TOLD ME TO MY FACE THAT IT WAS NOT SAFE, BUT THEY WOULD NOT MAKE A REPORT OR PUT THAT IN WRITING. THEIR REPORT SAID SOMETHING ALONG THE LINES OF 'CUSTOMER SAID FRAME WAS RUSTY, TECHNICIAN CONFIRMED THAT FRAME IS RUSTY.' TOYOTA SHOULD HAVE A RECALL ON THESE VEHICLES AND REPLACE THE FRAMES AND ANY ASSOCIATED ITEMS THAT HAVE BEEN RUINED BY THE RUST. TOYOTA RECALLED ALL THE BAD TACOMA FRAMES THAT WERE RUSTY THROUGH THE SAME TIME PERIOD, SO THEY SHOULD DEFINITELY DO THE SAME FOR ALL THE 4RUNNER OWNERS OUT THERE WITH THIS TROUBLE. *JS