1999 Toyota Tacoma

TL* THE CONTACT OWN A 1999 TOYOTA TACOMA. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH AND MAKING A LEFT TURN, THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE LEAF SPRING FRACTURED CAUSING THE CONTACT TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACTS RESIDENCE WHERE A PRIVATE MECHANIC DIAGNOSED THAT THE REAR PASSENGER LEAF SPRING AND SHOCKS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 220,000.

WE RECENTLY DISCOVERED A LARGE RUST HOLE IN THE FRAME IN FRONT OF THE REAR WHEEL OF OUR 1999 TOYOTA TACOMA. AFTER TALKING TO OUR MECHANIC ABOUT REPAIR, WE DISCOVERED THAT TOYOTA HAD ISSUED A WARRANTY EXTENSION FOR FRAME DUE ACCELERATED RUSTING OF THE FRAME AND MANUFACTURER DEFECT, BUT WE WERE NEVER NOTIFIED. WE CONTACTED TOYOTA, AND THEY SAID THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED ON JUNE 10, 2014. APPARENTLY, THE PREVIOUS OWNER HAD BEEN CONTACTED, BUT NOT US. WE PURCHASED THE TRUCK ON 2/20/2013. OUR MECHANIC HAS WARNED AGAINST DRIVING THE VEHICLE DUE TO FRAME ROT. TOYOTA IS NOT WILLING TO EXTEND THE WARRANTY EVEN THOUGH WE WERE UNAWARE OF IT AND NOT NOTIFIED. SO, WE NOW HAVE A VEHICLE THAT RUNS WELL AND IS IN GOOD SHAPE MECHANICALLY AND BODY-WISE, BUT WE HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT DRIVING IT SAFELY ON THE HIGHWAY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 TOYOTA TACOMA. AFTER GREASING THE DRIVE SHAFT UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT DISCOVERED THREE RUST HOLES LOCATED IN THE MIDDLE AND REAR OF THE LEAF SPRING MOUNT. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE MAIN FRAME WAS FAULTY DUE TO RUST. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE BUY BACK OFFER EXPIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 52,000. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED . THE FRAME WAS REPLACED AND SPRAYED WITH RUST PROOFING. UPDATED 12/16/2014 *JS

WE JUST LEARNED RECENTLY ABOUT THE ISSUE WITH THE TOYOTA FRAMES RUSTING OUT AND WHEN WE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO TOYOTA TO GET IT LOOKED AT THEY RESPONDED THAT THE 15 YEAR FRAME WARRANTY EXPIRED ON 5-27-2014. WE WERE NEVER NOTIFIED BY TOYOTA ABOUT THIS ISSUE, NOR WERE WE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM UNTIL RECENTLY WHEN A FRIEND HAD AN ISSUE AND TOLD US ABOUT IT. IF TOYOTA WOULD HAVE NOTIFIED US WE WOULD HAVE HAD THE FRAME INSPECTED PRIOR TO THE WARRANTY PERIOD EXPIRING. THEY DID NOTIFY ME IN 2007 OR SO ABOUT A RECALL ON MY 1990 TOYOTA BUT NOT THIS ONE FOR MY 1999 WHICH IS VERY A SERIOUS ISSUE. *TR

TRUCK HAS PERFORATED RUST THROUGH THE FRAME. AFTER RESEARCHING ONLINE, THIS APPEARS TO BE A KNOWN ISSUE IMPACTING OLDER TOYOTA TACOMAS. I HAVE RECEIVED NO NOTICE OF ANY ISSUE FROM TOYOTA DESPITE HAVING A GOOD ADDRESS ON FILE, BUT AFTER CONTACTING TOYOTA, THEY HAVE INFORMED ME OF A 15 YEAR EXTENDED PROGRAM SPECIFICALLY FOR PERFORATED FRAME RUST ISSUES ON THIS TRUCK. PER TOYOTA, THIS PROGRAM LAPSED TWO MONTHS PRIOR TO MY CALL. ONLINE RESEARCH AND LOCAL DEALERSHIP CONFIRMS, TOYOTA WAS BUYING THESE TRUCKS BACK AND PAYING 150% OF THE KBB EXCELLENT VALUE, IN ORDER TO SIMPLY CRUSH THE TRUCK AND MOVE ON. PER TOYOTA, SINCE I HAVE FOUND THE PROGRAM ON MY OWN AND AM CALLING TWO MONTHS LATE, THEY ARE NOT WILLING TO TAKE ANY CORRECTIVE ACTION WHATSOEVER, EITHER REPAIR OR REPURCHASE. PER THE DEALER, THEY ARE GETTING MULTIPLE INQUIRES INTO THIS DUE TO PEOPLE NOT BEING AWARE OF THE PROGRAM. AT THIS TIME, THE FRAME IS SO DAMAGED DUE TO RUST THAT IT IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE DUE TO THE POTENTIAL OF TOTAL COLLAPSE. *TR

I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE IN 02/11, FROM MY BROTHER. I HEARD ABOUT A RECALL AND CALLED BETTEN TOYOTA, NOW TOYOTA OF GRAND RAPIDS, BUT WAS TOLD THE VIN WAS NOT AFFECTED BY THIS RECALL. EARLY IN 2014, I NOTICED THE CAB CORNER HAD DROPPED DOWN. I LOOKED UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE AND SAW THE FRAME WAS RUSTED. I CALLED TOYOTA OF GR; THEY TOLD ME TO CALL TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE. I CALLED TOYOTA'S MAIN OFFICE (CUSTOMER SERVICE); THEY ASSIGNED ME A CASE NUMBER AND TOLD ME TO BRING IT TO A LOCAL DEALER AND HAVE THEM CHECK IT. I BROUGHT IT TO TOYOTA OF GR WHERE THEIR MECHANIC DEEMED IT UNSAFE TO DRIVE. TOYOTA OF GR SENT THIS REPORT TO TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE. ON 4/24/14 I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE THAT "TOYOTA EXTENDED THE WARRANTY ON YOUR TACOMA FOR A PERIOD OF 15 YEARS WITH NO MILEAGE LIMITATION FROM THE VEHICLE'S IN SERVICE DATE, FOR PERFORATION OF THE VEHICLE'S FRAME CAUSED BY RUST CORROSION. BASED ON A RECENT INSPECTION OF YOUR TACOMA, IT APPEARS THAT THE FRAME IS INDEED PERFORATED. AS A RESULT, TOYOTA IS PREPARED TO REPURCHASE YOUR TACOMA." ON 4/25/14 I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM TOYOTA MOTOR SALES, U.S.A. INC. STATING THAT THEY WOULD REPURCHASE MY VEHICLE SUBJECT TO THE CONFIRMATION THAT MY VEHICLE COMPLIES WITH ALL OF THE CONDITIONS OF THE WARRANTY EXTENSION. I WAS ASKED TO SIGN AN AGREEMENT ACCEPTING THEIR REPURCHASE AMOUNT AND SEND IT BACK TO THEM WITH A COPY OF THE TITLE. THIS WAS COMPLETED ON 4/28/14. I RECEIVED A CALL FROM TOYOTA 4/30/14 STATING THAT THE TRUCK DID NOT QUALIFY BECAUSE OF THE DATE IT WAS PUT INTO SERVICE. I FOUND OUT I MISSED IT BY FOUR MONTHS. IF THEY WOULD HAVE TOLD ME WHEN I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE 3 YEARS EARLIER THAT IT DID QUALIFY, THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN CARE OF AT THAT TIME. THEY HAD MY VIN BEFORE THEY SENT THE LETTER OUT ON 4/25/14 WHEN THEY SAID THEY WOULD BUY IT BACK. WE WOULD APPRECIATE YOUR HELP WITH THIS SITUATION. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 TOYOTA TACOMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS AT THE LOCAL MECHANIC FOR INSPECTION, THE SUBFRAME WAS FOUND TO BE SEVERELY CORRODED. THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 310,000.

ON MARCH 26, 2014, I LEARNED BY WORD OF MOUTH ABOUT THE RUST CORROSION PROBLEM WITH TOYOTA TACOMA'S. ON THAT DAY I CONTACTED TOYOTA TO VERIFY THE INFORMATION I RECEIVED. I WAS TOLD BY TOYOTA ABOUT THE "RUST CORROSION PROGRAM" AND THAT MY TACOMA WOULD NEED TO BE INSPECTED AND THAT I HAD UNTIL SEPT. 2014 TO GET THIS COMPLETED, AS THAT IS WHEN THE PROMOTION EXPIRED FOR MY TRUCK. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT A LETTER NOTIFYING ME WENT OUT IN 2008 AND I WAS PROVIDED THE ADDRESS IT WAS SEND, WHICH WAS NOT THE ADDRESS WHERE MY TRUCK WAS REGISTERED IN 2008. THUS I DID NOT RECEIVE ANY INFORMATION FROM TOYOTA ABOUT THE PROGRAM. ON APRIL 14, 2014, THE FRAME ON MY 1999 TOYOTA TACOMA WAS INSPECTED BY A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. UPON COMPLETION OF THE INSPECTION, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT MY TACOMA WAS "UNSAFE" TO DRIVE DUE TO A LARGE RUST HOLE ON THE FRAME FROM THE LEFT SIDE OF THE FUEL TANK TO THE REAR OF THE TANK. WHEN I REPORTED THIS INFORMATION TO TOYOTA THEY TOLD ME THAT THE PROMOTION HAD EXPIRED FOR MY TRUCK. I REFERENCED THE INFORMATION THAT I INITIALLY RECEIVED FROM TOYOTA AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE INFORMATION THAT I RECEIVED WAS WRONG AND THAT THEY WERE UNABLE TO DO ANYTHING FOR ME. I TOLD THEM THAT I HAD NEVER RECEIVED ANY INFORMATION FROM TOYOTA REGARDING THE RUST ISSUE, SO HOW WOULD I KNOW TO DO ANYTHING. THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY WERE "SORRY" AND THEY COULDN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. I CONTACTED THE EXECUTIVE OFFICES AND AGAIN WAS TOLD THERE WAS NOTHING THAT COULD BE DONE AND THEY WERE SORRY. SO NOW I HAVE AN UNSAFE TRUCK AND TOYOTA IS NOT WILLING TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. *JS

WHILE BREAKING SLOWLY COMING TO A STOP , I LOST MY ALL MY BREAK CONTROLS. FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE WITH NO FATALITIES. THE TOW TRUCK BROUGHT ME TO MY MECHANICS FACILITY AND INDICATED THAT THE TRUCKS STEEL FRAME AND PARTS RECEDED BACKWARDS PLACING PRESSURE ON BREAK LINES UNDER TRUCK TO SNAP. HE SHOWED ME THAT RUSTING OF THE FRAME CAUSED THE PROBLEM. THE CARRIAGE MOVED BACK BY 4" DUE TO RUSTING AND DETERIORATION. I CALLED TACOMA CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY SAID NOTHING CAN BE DONE TO HELP PAY FOR MY EXPENSES. IT'S COSTING ME $1,750 TO REPLACE FRAME AND REPAIR DAMAGES TO BREAKS AND OTHER COMPONENTS. *TR