1999 Toyota Tacoma

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 TOYOTA TACOMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT CORROSION TO THE FRAME OF THE VEHICLE; HE WAS INFORMED BY THE DEALER. THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY WOULD CALL THE MANUFACTURER TO SET UP A BUY BACK. THE MANUFACTURER DENIED THE BUY BACK BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS SALVAGED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 197,000. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 196,000.

1999 TOYOTA TACOMA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO FRAME RUST PERFORATION *TGW WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED, RUST WAS FOUND AND DOCUMENTED AND PICTURES WERE E-MAILED TO TOYOTA. TOYOTA DENIED THE CONSUMERS REQUEST TO RE-PURCHASE THE VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER WROTE TOYOTA TWO LETTERS ASKING THEM TO RECONSIDER AND TO HAVE THE VEHICLE INSPECTED AGAIN. TOYOTA AGREED TO BUY THE VEHICLE BACK UNDER RECALL, BUT NOT AT THE VALUE THE CONSUMER WANTED. *JB UPDATED 12/28/10.*JB UPDATED 01/13/11.*JB THE CONSUMER STATED HE WOULD LIKE FOR NHTSA TO EXAMINE THE FRAME OF HIS TRUCK. UPDATED 02/10/11

RECENTLY SPOKE WITH SEVERAL TOYOTA TACOMA OWNERS WHO RELATED FRAME RUST PROBLEM. CHECKED TRUCK AND FOUND RUST ON FRAME(FINGERS WENT THROUGH FRAME IN SPOTS. TOOK VEHICLE TO TOYOTA SERVICE AND WAS TOLD NOT TO DRIVE TRUCK DUE TO EXCESSIVE RUST ON FRAME. THEN THEY RETURNED THE TRUCK TO ME TO DRIVE HOME?? TO RETURN IN TWO DAYS WHEN THEY WOULD HAVE A LOANER TRUCK FOR ME. RETURNED TRUCK TO TOYOTA AND AFTER A HUGE HASSLE THEY ARRANGED TO RENTAL VEHICLE FOR ME TO DRIVE. NOW TOYOTA DEALER HAS KEPT THE TRUCK BECAUSE IT IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. I AM WAITING FOR SOMEONE FROM TOYOTA TO CONTACT ME - HAVE BEEN TOLD I QUALIFY FOR A BUYOUT. THE DEALER/SERVICE DEPT. HAS NOW WASHED THEIR HANDS OF THE PROBLEM, TELLING ME I HAVE TO WAIT FOR TOYOTA TO CONTACT ME BUT HAVE NO IDEA HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE - WEEKS MAYBE. IN ADDITION, I WAS NOT PLANNING TO BUY A NEW VEHICLE - DIDN'T WANT THE EXPENSE BUT MAY NOT HAVE A CHOICE. *TR

I HAVE RECEIVED A LETTER FROM TOYOTA MOTOR CO. ALONG WITH 814,000 OTHER OWNERS OF TOYOTA TACOMA'S BUILT BETWEEN 1995-2000 STATING THAT OUR FRAME RUST WARRANTY HAS BEEN EXTENDED FOR 15 YEARS FROM DATE OF ORIGINAL PURCHASE AS A RESULT OF A FRAME RUST BECAUSE A PROCESS THAT WAS NOT DONE BY THE FRAME SUPPLIER TO TOYOTA. IF FRAME IS FOUND TO HAVE RUST TOYOTA MOTOR CO. WILL BUYBACK VEHICLE AT 150% OF HIGHEST KBB RETAIL VALUE. TOYOTA EXPECTS TO BUYBACK APPROX. 50% OF VEHICLES STILL ON THE ROAD. MOST OF THESE VEHICLES WILL BE FROM THE CENTRAL AND NORTHEASTERN PARTS OF THE US BUT THEY HAVE BOUGHT BACK VEHICLES IN ALL PARTS OF THE NATION INCLUDING CALIFORNIA. THIS CAMPAIGN BEGAN IN MID-2008. SO NOW I HAVE A VEHICLE THAT HAS SOME SURFACE RUST ON THE FRAME BUT NOT ENOUGH TO WARRANT THE BUYBACK PROGRAM AT THIS TIME BUT IN THE MEAN TIME WHILE THE FRAME RUSTS INTO THE TOYOTA BUYBACK STANDARDS MY KBB VALUE DECREASES, I DRIVE AROUND A VEHICLE WITH COMPROMISED FRAME INTEGRITY IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT, AND NO ONE WANTS TO BUY MY VEHICLE BECAUSE IT HAS THIS LATENT PROBLEM NOW WELL ESTABLISHED/DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT THE MEDIA. *TR

TL* THE CONTACTS OWNS A 1999 TOYOTA TACOMA. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, AN UNUSUAL NOISE WAS HEARD FROM THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE FLY WHEEL WAS CRACKED. REPAIRS WERE MADE ACCORDINGLY. ONE YEAR LATER, THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE AND IT WAS DISCOVERED THE UNDER CARRIAGE WAS ROTTED, AS WELL AS THE MUFFLER. THE PARTIAL UNKNOWN REPAIRS WERE MADE TO THE VEHICLE AT THE OWNERS EXPENSE. THERE WERE NO RECALLS ON THE VEHICLE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 113,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 170,000.

THIS IS AND ADDENDUM TO ODI NUMBER 10299896. PLEASE CHECK CONSUMERAFFAIRS.COM THERE ARE LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF TOYOTA OWNERS THAT HAVE HAD THEIR RUSTED TRUCK FRAMES INSPECTED BY A TOYOTA DEALER, WITH NO RESULTS, AND THEY FILED COMPLAINTS ON CONSUMERAFFAIRS.COM. WITH EXACT SAME RUSTED FRAME RUST PROBLEMS, QUITE A FEW WITH SALVAGE TITLES, AND MANY WITH TRUCKS 2001 THRU 2007, WHICH TOYOTA HAS ABANDONED. ALL POTENTIAL ROAD HAZARDS AT SOME POINT. OWNERS ARE COMPLETELY AT A LOSS HOW TO HAVE TOYOTA ADDRESS THE PROBLEM, I ACTUALLY FOUND NHTSA ON THE CONSUMERAFFAIRS.COM SITE, MOST HAVE NOT. ONE OWNER HAD HIS TRUCK INSPECTED AT TOYOTA DEALER, WAS TOLD IT WAS THE WORST CASE THEY HAD EVER REVIEWED, BUT DUE TO SALVAGED TITLE, REPLACEMENT WAS DENIED, OWNER WAS DRIVING TRUCK APPROX 2 WEEKS LATER AND FRAME BROKE COMPLETELY IN TWO WHILE DRIVING DOWN HIGHWAY?????? *TR

RUSTED FRAMES TOYOTA PICKUPS. VISITED TOYOTA GARAGE WITH MY 1999 TOYOTA TACOMA, JAN 15 2010, AFTER MY SERVICING GARAGE ADVISED MY FRAME WAS RUSTING AND TOYOTA WAS HAVING A "BUYBACK/WARRANTY RECALL COVERING YEARS 1995 THROUGH 2000 DUE TO FRAME RUSTING PROBLEMS". TOYOTA'S SAFETY CONCERN IS MOTOR FALLING THROUGH TO GROUND OR FRAME BREAKING ENTIRELY IN TWO WHILE DRIVING DOWN HIGHWAY. TOYOTA GARAGE INSPECTED MY TRUCK AND ADVISED FRAME WAS RUSTED SEVERELY AND QUALIFIED FOR BUYBACK, BUT DUE TO HAVING A SALVAGE/RECONSTRUCTED TITLE IT IS DISQUALIFIED FROM THE 150% BUYBACK AND THEREFORE QUALIFIES FOR NOTHING. THEY RETURNED TRUCK TO ME SAME DAY WITH ADVICE NOT TO HAUL ANYTHING HEAVY IN TRUCK, AND ADVISING I AM ON MY OWN!! A RUSTED FRAME IS A RUSTED FRAME, EVEN IF IT HAD BEEN COMPLETELY RECONSTRUCTED WITH NEW FRAME, MY FRAME HAS NO WELDED PLATES ETC. YOU MIGHT FIND FROM A PRIOR ACCIDENT, IT APPEARS 100% ORIGINAL. I UNDERSTAND MY SPECIFIC TRUCK WAS RE-TITLED DUE TO A PREVIOUS OWNER COMMITTING SUICIDE IN TRUCK, AND PA RE-TITLED TRUCK, PER THE OWNER I PURCHASED TRUCK FROM. I AM VERY CONCERNED WITH MY WIFE OR MYSELF DRIVING THIS TRUCK NOW. I WOULD BE PERFECTLY HAPPY WITH TOYOTA TO REPAIR OR REPLACE THE FRAME AS I LIKE THE TRUCK, BUT I DO EXPECT IT TO BE CORRECTED OR REPLACED, ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. THIS IS A $10,000 DOLLAR INVESTMENT, I AM RETIRED AND IT AMOUNTS TO A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF MONEY WE COULD LOSE WITH NO RESPONSIBILITY ON OUR PART OTHER THAN PURCHASING TRUCK. *TR UPDATED 03/01/10. UPDATED 03/08/10 UPDATED 10/27/10 *BF UPDATED 11/01/10*JB PICTURES RECEIVED. UPDATED 11/02/10*JB

IT WAS BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION THAT MY FRAME IS TOTALLY CORRODED (ROTTED) AND WOULD "SNAP" IN THE NEAR TERM. THE SPRINGS THAT ARE ATTACHED TO THE FRAME IS AT RISK OF BREAKING FREE FROM THE FRAME AND THE FRAME BREAKING IN TWO. MY TRUCK IS BARELY NINE YEARS OLD. I AM ONE OF THOSE RARE AUTO OWNERS WHO KEEP THEIR VEHICLES FOR MORE THAN 10 YEARS. I HAVE NEVER HAD A VEHICLE THAT HAD PROBLEMS WITH CORRODED FRAMES - EVER AND I HAVE HAD A FEW VEHICLES THAT WERE IN MY OWNERSHIP FOR MORE THAN 10 YEARS. I TAKE VERY GOOD CARE OF MY CARS AND IS THE REASON I AM ABLE TO OWN THEM FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME. MY REPUTABLE AUTO REPAIR SERVICES MERCHANT TOLD ME THAT HE HAS SEEN NUMEROUS TOYOTA TRUCKS IN SIMILAR SITUATIONS - MINE WAS THE WORST CASE HE HAS EVER SEEN. I UNDERSTAND TOYOTA HAS MANY SIMILAR COMPLAINTS AND IS DOING NOTHING TO TAKE CARE OF THIS VERY SERIOUS SITUATION. I AM AT RISK OF HAVING A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. THIS IS MY ONLY VEHICLE AND I CANNOT AFFORD TO GIVE THIS TRUCK UP AND PURCHASE A RELIABLE VEHICLE. I HOPE THAT THE NHTSA CAN HELP. *TR