1998 Toyota Tacoma

I HAVE A 1998 TOYOTA TACOMA 4X4 4CYL AND I HAVE RECENTLY NOTICED THAT THE FRAME ROT WAS SO BAD THAT THE REAR PORTION LOOKS LIKE SWISS CHEESE. THE FRAME HAS ACTUALLY GOTTEN SO BAD IT BROKE AWAY FROM THE LEAF SPRING MOUNTS AND IS NO LONGER CONNECTED. I AM VERY UPSET BECAUSE THE CAR IS ONLY 10 YEARS OLD AND I USED TO LINK TOYOTA WITH QUALITY. THIS COULD BE MY LAST TOYOTA BECAUSE I FEEL CHEATED. *TR

I WAS TOLD TODAY BY AN INSURANCE APPRAISER THAT THE FRAME ON MY 1998 TOYOTA TACOMA EXTENDED-CAB, 4X4 PICKUP TRUCK IS RUSTED SO BADLY THAT IT'S UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND COULD VERY POSSIBLY BREAK ON ROUGH ROAD CONDITIONS. SUCH A FAILURE COULD RENDER THE VEHICLE UNCONTROLLABLE AND CAUSE INJURY OR DEATH. HIS EVALUATION WAS SIMPLY THAT "THIS TRUCK IS NOW JUNK". HE WAS SURPRISED THAT THE IMPACT OF THE COLLISION DAMAGE HE WAS ASSESSING DIDN'T BREAK THE FRAME. I BOUGHT THIS TRUCK NEW IN AUGUST OF 1998 ($27000+ WINDOW STICKER) AND IT NOW HAS 46,766 MILES ON IT. ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT THIS RUST IS NOT REPAIRABLE AND THAT THE MANUFACTURER WILL NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS PROBLEM. THIS TRUCK HAS BEEN WELL MAINTAINED AND DRIVEN CAREFULLY BY A MATURE DRIVER. *TR

I HAVE SEEN IN THE NEWS, REPORTS OF '07 TOYOTA TACOMAS ACCELERATING UNINTENTIONALLY. I BOUGHT A USED 1998 TACOMA ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO AND I HAVE EXPERIENCED PERHAPS TEN OR MORE INCIDENTS OF MY ENGINE RUNNING AWAY TO THE POINT I HAVE TO PUT IT NEUTRAL AND KICK THE GAS PEDAL TO STOP IT. AT LEAST TWICE THAT HAS NOT WORKED , FORCING ME TO TURN OFF THE ENGINE. I NOTICE IT HAPPENS WHEN I'M DOWNSHIFTING FROM THIRD TO SECOND. I CALLED TOYOTA TWO YEARS AGO AND ASKED IF THEY HAD HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM FROM OTHER OWNERS. THEY SAID THEY HAD NOT. THIS IS NOT SO MUCH A COMPLAINT AS IT IS AN FYI TO YOU IN CASE YOU'RE STILL LOOKING INTO THIS. OTHER THAN THAT THE TRUCK HAS BEEN VERY DEPENDABLE. AND SINCE THE PROBLEM IS SO INTERMITTENT, ( IT HASN'T HAPPENED IN A YEAR), I DON'T FEEL THE NEED TO GET RID OF IT. BUT I CAN IMAGINE IN THE RIGHT CIRCUMSTANCES THIS COULD BE A SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU OR TOYOTA IS LOOKING INTO THIS. THANK YOU, JOHN T. POPE *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 TOYOTA TACOMA. THE VEHICLE'S FRAME IS ROTTED, RUSTED, AND CORRODED FROM THE FRONT TO THE BACK OF THE FRAME RAILS. THE VEHICLE FAILED STATE INSPECTION BECAUSE IT WAS DEEMED AS STRUCTURALLY UNSAFE. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN TAKEN TO THE DEALER BECAUSE IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND TOYOTA WILL NOT RECOGNIZE THE FAILURE. THE VIN AND PURCHASE DATE WERE UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 77,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 62,000.

THIS IS A 1998 TOYOTA TACOMA WITH 107,000 MILES. AFTER REPEATEDLY NOTICING RUST FLAKES ON THE GROUND UNDER THE VEHICLE, IT WAS TAKEN TO SEVERAL MECHANICS AND A BODY SHOP FOR ASSESSMENT. THERE WAS CONSENSUS THAT THE FRAME WAS COMPLETELY RUSTED THROUGH, AND THAT THERE WASN'T SUFFICIENT INTACT METAL LEFT TO ENABLE IT TO BE REPAIRED. THEY ALSO AGREED THAT THAT IT WOULD BE EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE TO REPLACE THE FRAME (ESTIMATES RANGED FROM $3,500 TO $10,000), SO THE VEHICLE WAS ESSENTIALLY "TOTALED." THEY ALL WARNED THAT IT WAS EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS TO DRIVE, SINCE THE SLIGHTEST ACCIDENT OR ROAD HAZARD COULD CAUSE THE FRAME TO BREAK AND THE VEHICLE TO SPLIT APART AND/OR BUCKLE. THIS VEHICLE IS NOT OLD ENOUGH, NOR DOES IT HAVE ENOUGH MILES ON IT, TO WARRANT THIS MASSIVE FAILURE OF FRAME INTEGRITY. IT HAS BEEN WELL MAINTAINED AND NOT DRIVEN UNDER ANY CONDITIONS THAT COULD ACCOUNT FOR THE FAILURE; THUS, IT SEEMS SELF-EVIDENT THAT IT IS A FUNDAMENTAL DEFECT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF THE VEHICLE THAT HAS RESULTED IN THIS DANGEROUS CONDITION. *TR