2002 Toyota Tacoma

I BOUGHT MY 2002 TACOMA V6 4X4 DOUBLE CAB FROM A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP USED IN MARCH OF 2006. ONE THING I NOTICED IS THAT THE FRAME OF THE TRUCK HAD EXCESSIVE EXTERIOR RUST BUILD UP. I USED TO BE AN AUTOMOTIVE TECHNICIAN, AND HAVE ALWAYS KNOWN THAT ALMOST ANY TOYOTA PICKUP TRUCK HAS FRAME RUST PROBLEMS. IT HAS BEEN A WELL KNOW FACT FOR YEARS AND YEARS. WHY DID TOYOTA WAIT SO LONG TO POST A RECALL ON THIS PROBLEM. SHORTLY AFTER BUYING MY 2002 I LOOKED AT A OLDER I BELIEVE 1995 TOYOTA PICK-UP THAT I SAW FOR SALE ONE DAY. I WAS LOOKING THE TRUCK OVER AND FOUND THAT THE FRAME WAS ROTTED THROUGH ON THE DRIVERS SIDE JUST BEFORE THE FRONT SPRING SHACK ON THE REAR OF THE TRUCK. IT HAD A HOLE IN THE FRAME ABOUT 2 1/2 INCHES WIDE, AND WHERE THERE WAS FRAME LEFT YOU COULD PUT YOUR FINGER THROUGH IT WITH LITTLE PRESSURE. I DECIDED IT WASN'T ANYTHING I WANTED TO DEAL WITH. NOW I HEARD ABOUT THE RECALL FOR THE FIRST GENERATION TACOMA'S 95-00 ON THE FRAMES ROTTING OUT JUST LIKE THE ONE I LOOKED AT. SO SEEING THAT MY 2002 TACOMA WAS SHOWING PREMATURE FRAME RUST, I DECIDED TO INSPECT IT CLOSER. I FOUND THAT NOT ONLY WAS THE FRAME RUSTING AND FLAKING ON THE OUTSIDE, IT WAS ALSO RUSTING ON THE INSIDE AS WELL. I ALSO FOUND THAT THE WELDS ON THE FRAME FOR THE SPRING HANGERS LOOKED VERY POORLY WELDED AND RUSTY TOO. I BELIEVE THAT TOYOTA SHOULD INCLUDE THE 2000 AND NEWER TACOMA'S IN THEIR FRAME ROT RECALL AS WELL. DOES ANY ONE KNOW IF THEY CHANGED THE QUALITY OF THE METAL USED IN THE FRAMES ON THE NEWER TACOMA'S OR THE DESIGN? HOW DO THEY JUSTIFY THAT THE NEWER TACOMA'S DON'T HAVE THIS PROBLEM? BECAUSE THEY ARE TOO NEW TO HAVE ROTTED TO THAT POINT YET? THINK ABOUT IT, WHY ELSE WOULD THEY HAVE WAITED SO MANY YEARS TO POST A RECALL ON A TRUCK THAT IS AT THE LEAST 8 YEARS OLD? THEY OBVIOUSLY KNEW THERE WAS A PROBLEM. I KNOW I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO OWNS A 2ND GENERATION TACOMA WITH THIS PROBLEM. *TR

IN APRIL OF 2008 I NOTICED THAT THE FRAME OF MY 2002 TOYOTA TACOMA PICKUP TRUCK HAD AN UNUSUALLY HIGH AMOUNT OF SURFACE RUST SHOWING ON THE FRAME. UPON CLOSER INSPECTION I DISCOVERED THAT IN AT LEAST ONE LOCATION THERE IS HOLES IN THE FRAME WERE IT HAS ROTTED THROUGH. I HAVE ALSO INSPECTED THE INTERIOR OF THE FRAME MEMBERS AND HAVE DISCOVERED LARGE AMOUNTS OF RUSTED METAL THAT HAS FALLEN OF THE INSIDE OF THE FRAME. IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THE FRAME OF THIS 6 YEAR OLD VEHICLE WITH 71,000 MILES ON IT IS ROTTING FROM THE INSIDE AND THE OUTSIDE. I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS IS INDEED A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

I AM THE OWNER OF A 2002 TOYOTA TACOMA TRUCK. THE VEHICLE HAS 53K MILES ON IT AND HAS EXCESSIVE RUST THROUGHOUT THE FRAME. THE FRAME WHILE NOT COMPLETELY RUSTED THROUGH, HAS SEVERE BUILDUP AROUND WELDS AND JOINTS. TOYOTA IS RECALLING 1995-2000 TACOMA TRUCKS FOR THIS EXACT PROBLEM, BUT 2001-2004 MODELS ARE EXCLUDED. THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM AND SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN TOYOTA'S CURRENT CAMPAIGN. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS 2002 TOYOTA TACOMA. WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE PASSENGER RIGHT FRONT TIRE BALL JOINT BROKE IN HALF. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER STATED THAT HIS VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER WASN'T INCLUDED IN RECALL 05V225000. A REPORT WAS FILED WITH THE MANUFACTURER AND THEY ADVISED HIM THAT HE WOULD RECEIVE A CALL BACK. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 100,000.

EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF RUST ON FRAME OF 2002 TOYOTA TACOMA PICK-UP. FRAME SHOWS EXTENSIVE CORROSION FROM INSIDE WORKING IT'S WAY OUT. I AM VERY CONCERNED THAT THE LIFE OF THIS VEHICLE WILL BE DRASTICALLY REDUCED DUE TO THIS ISSUE. I UNDERSTAND THAT TOYOTA IS INVESTIGATING THIS PROBLEM FOR YEARS 95 THROUGH 2000. WHAT ABOUT YEARS NEWER THAN 2000 THAT ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM???? *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA TACOMA. WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE FRONT BRAKES DETACHED FROM THE PADS AND BECAME JAMMED BETWEEN THE ROTOR AND THE CALIPER. A PORTION OF THE BRAKES STRUCK THE FRONT FENDER LIKE A BULLET. THE CONTACT CALLED TOYOTA, BUT THEY WOULD NOT ASSIST. HE REPAIRED THE VEHICLE HIMSELF AND STATED THAT HE WAS TAKING HIS VEHICLE OUT OF SERVICE FOR SAFETY REASONS. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 38,000.

THE 2002 TOYOTA TACOMA PRERUNNER WAS RUNNING GREAT WITH ONLY 54,000 MILES. ALL OIL CHANGES AND TUNE-UPS WERE UP TO DATE. WITHOUT MAKING ANY UNUSUAL SOUNDS, I EXPERIENCED A LOUD THUMP, LOTS OF SMOKE AND THE TRUCK ROLLED TO A STOP. UPON CHECKING, LOTS OF OIL WAS LEAKING OUT OF BOTTOM OF THE CAR AND PIECES WERE HANGING OUT OF THE BOTTOM OF THE ENGINE WHICH TURNED OUT TO BE PARTS OF A THROWN ROD. THANK GOD MY YOUNG NEPHEW WAS NOT IN THE AUTO AS THERE WAS LOTS OF SMOKE. *TR