2002 Toyota Tacoma

IN 2012 WE RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR THIS VEHICLES FRAME. WE TOOK THE VEHICLE INTO THE DEALERSHIP AND WE WERE TOLD EVERYHTHING LOOKS OK. NO OTHER ACTION WAS PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE. YESTERDAY WE NOTICED A CRACK IN THE FRAME. THE CAR IS NON DRIVEABLE. WE CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND WE WERE TOLD THIS IS NOW OUT OF WARRANTY. I CALLED TOYOTA HQ AND THEY STATED HAD IT BEEN SPRAYED - WHICH WAS TOYOTAS DIRECTION ON THIS RECALL, IT MAY HAVE PREVENTED THE RUSTING AND CRACKING BUT SINCE THE DEALER DIDN'T DO IT, IT IS NOW OUT OF ANYTHING ANYONE CAN DO. I ASKED THEM IF THEY WOULD SEND ME A COPY OF THE DIRECTIVE GIVEN TO THE DEALSHIPS ON HOW TO HANDLE THIS RECALL AND THEY SAID THAT IS NOT SOMETHING THEY COULD PROVIDE AND THEY CANNOT TAKE ACTION AGAINST THE DEALERSHIP. CAN YOU PLEASE HELP ME WITH THIS? I FEEL THAT IF THE DEALERSHIP HAD DONE THE SPRAYING AS THEY HAD BEEN INSTRUCTED, WE MAY NOT BE IN THIS SITUATION TODAY.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA TACOMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRAME WAS ROTTING ON THE VEHICLE. MCGEE TOYOTA OF DUDLEY (191 W MAIN ST, DUDLEY, MA 01571) AND HERB CHAMBERS TOYOTA OF AUBURN (809 WASHINGTON ST, AUBURN, MA 01501) STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 154,000.

MY 2002 TACOMA HAS SEVERE RUST ON THE FRAME AND DRIVE TRAIN AND I WAS TOLD BY THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP THAT THE TRUCK UNDER BODY WAS SPRAYED IN 2010 AND THAT THERE HAVE TO BE HOLES IN THE FRAME TO BE COVERED. HE ALSO SAID THAT THERE WAS A 15 YEAR WARRANTY FOR MY FRAME TO WHICH IT IS NOW 2018 AND HAS EXSPIRED. I FEEL THAT TOYOTA KNEW THAT DEFECTED STEEL WAS USED FOR THESE FRAMES FROM 2002. I WON'T EVEN BOTHER TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THEM BECAUSE I KNOW THAT THEY WON'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT.

MY TRUCKS FRAME RUSTED TO WHERE THE CAB IS IN GRAVE DANGER OF SEPARATING FROM THE BED OF THE TRUCK. WE DIDN'T GET A RECALL ON THE FRAME AND HAD NO IDEA THIS WAS HAPPENING. THE TRUCK WAS BOUGHT NEW AND WE DO LIVE WHERE THEY PUT SALT ON THE ROADS. NOW, TOYOTA SAID THEY WILL NOT HELP REMEDY THIS AT ALL BECAUSE THE TRUCK WASN'T TAKEN INTO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN APPROX. 6 MTHS OR HOWEVER LONG THEY HAD KNOWN ABOUT THIS. HOW WERE WE TO KNOW IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN IN? WE HAD NO PRIOR NOTICE UNTIL WE SAW IT OURSELVES AND A MECHANIC NOTICED IT AND WOULDN'T JACK THE TRUCK UP TO REPAIR A BRAKE LINE. HE SAID IT WOULD SEPARATE THE TRUCK FROM THE CAB PART.

TACOMA FRAME RECALL: GOOD DAY, I WAS DOING SOME RESEARCH ONLINE WITH MY MATTER AND PEOPLE WERE SAYING TO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY SAFETY ADMINISTRATION. I HAVE A 2002 SINGLE CAB TOYOTA TACOMA WHICH FRAME HAS TOTALLY RUSTED OUT NOW WITH A HOLE RITE THROUGH THE FRAME. I PROVIDED TOYOTA WITH MY VIN NUMBER YET THEY SAY I AM NOT ELIGIBLE FOR A FRAME REPLACEMENT YET THIS IS A FACTORY DEFAULT ON TOYOTAS FAULT. MY TRUCK IS CURRENTLY EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO BE ON THE ROAD AND I USE IT EVERY DAY FOR WORK WHERE MY LINE OF WORK INVOLVES DRIVING FROM HOUSE TO HOUSE EVERYDAY ALL DAY AND I WAS WANDERING IF YOU COULD HELP WITH FILING A CLAIM AGAINST TOYOTA? I HAVE ATTACHED A PICTURE OF THE FRAME WHICH IS ABOVE THE REAR PASSENGER WHEEL. I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR RESPONSE. [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).'*JB

THE FRAME IS ROTTING OUT. TOYOTA HAD THE VEHICLE FRAME COATED WITH SOME KIND OF TAR SUBSTANCE BECAUSE THE FRAME WAS SUSPECT TO HEAVY CORROSION. THE COATING WHICH WAS DONE AROUND 2010 DID NOT WORK AND THE VEHICLE NOW HAS HOLES IN THE FRAME DUE TO HEAVY RUST. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THESE VEHICLES. TOYOTA OFFERED A NON-WORKING SOLUTION THAT DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. THE COATING WAS JUST A GIMMICK AND NOT A SOLUTION TO THE FRAME ROT.

MY FRAME HAS SIGNIFICANT RUST, AND HAS HOLES IN THE FRAME NEAR THE PASSENGER SIDE LEAF SPRING ATTACHMENT. I PURCHASED AND REGISTERED THE TRUCK TOWARDS THE END OF TOYOTA'S GOODWILL CAMPAIGN, BUT THEY DID NOT NOTIFY ME. PREVIOUS OWNER RECEIVED NO NOTICE OF CAMPAIGN, SO THE FRAME WAS NOT SPRAYED INTERNALLY WITH RUST PROHIBITOR TREATMENT. TRUCK HAS APPROX. 136,000 MILES, AND IS OTHERWISE IN GOOD CONDITION. TOYOTA SHOULD RECALL THE FRAMES FOR THIS MODEL YEAR LIKE THEY DID FOR OTHER MODEL YEARS. THE GOODWILL CAMPAIGN WAS ADVERTISED INCONSISTENTLY, AND A SERIOUS STRUCTURAL ISSUE SHOULD BE A RECALL, NOT ARBITRARY. CASE #1402130463 WAS ESTABLISHED WITH TOYOTA A FEW YEARS AGO, BUT THEY HAVE NOT DONE ANYTHING ABOUT IT. THEY ALSO COULD NOT CONFIRM THAT PRIOR OWNER WAS CONTACTED REGARDING GOODWILL CAMPAIGN.