2002 Toyota Tacoma

AS A NEW PRE OWNER OF THE 2002 TOYOTA TACOMA THAT I HAD PURCHASED IN AUGUST 2017. THE PREVIOUS OWNER HAVE COMPLETED ALL RECALL PER TOYOTA CUSTOMER CARE SERVICES AND MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. WHAT THEY TOLD ME WAS DURING THE INSPECTION, THEY SPRAY RUST PROOF ON THE FRAME TO PROTECT FROM CORROSION. IF WAS LUCKY THAT I HAVE BROUGHT MY TRUCK FOR SERVICES FOR NEW TIRES ON 1/30/18. WHILE THE MECHANIC TRY TO LEFT THE TRUCK FOR SERVICES, THEY NOTICE THAT THE FRAME WHERE RUSTED AND WOULD OF FALL APART IF THE LEFT THE CAR UP. THEY CALLED ME INTO THE WORK AREA AND POINTED OUT HOW DANGEROUS IT WAS. IT WAS BARELY HOLDING THE ENTIRE BACK OF THE TRUCK TOGETHER. IT RUSTED MORE THAN HALF WAY OF THE FRAME THAT SUPPORTED THE ENTIRE BACK OF THE BED TRUCK. THE MECHANIC RECOMMENDATION TO CONTACT TOYOTA. AND I DID BUT GOT NO WHERE. THEY ARE REFUSING TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. Q

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA TACOMA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH, THE BALL JOINT FRACTURED AND CAME APART. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE AND WAS LATER TOWED TO MIKE ERDMAN TOYOTA (1545 E MERRITT ISLAND CAUSEWAY, MERRITT ISLAND, FL 32952) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE BALL JOINT SEPARATED AND DAMAGED THE AXLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. ADDITIONALLY, THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 05V225000 (SUSPENSION). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 334,000. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

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

I PURCHASED THE TACOMA 10/9/2013, I NOTICED SOME OF THE RECALL REPAIRS HAD NOT BEEN MADE BY THE PREVIOUS OWNER, I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER, 10/29/2013 FOR THE NECESSARY REPAIRS. I WAS INFORMED BY THE SERVICE GUY, USING A HAMMER, THAT MY FRAME WAS CRUMBLING AND I WOULD BE NEEDING A NEW FRAME AS WELL. I CALLED TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE NUMEROUS TIMES AND ALL I EVER GOT WAS, I'M SORRY, AND HOW THEY WERE WELL AWARE OF THE CORROSION PROBLEM WITH THE FRAME ON THE 2002. THE RUST PROBLEM ON MY TACOMA IS SO SEVERE, THE TRUCK IS STARTING TO BUCKLE, NO SPACE BETWEEN THE CAB AND THE BED AT THE TOP. IT IS IN SUCH BAD SHAPE NO ONE WILL PUT IT ON A LIFT! IT WILL BE THE COMPLETE AND SINGLE CAUSE FOR THE DEMISE OF MY TRUCK, AND QUITE POSSIBLY MYSELF. I HAD JUST BOUGHT THE TRUCK. I WILL BE DRIVING THE TACOMA WHEN THE FRAME BREAKS APART AND I WILL PROBABLY DIE. 9/11/17 I WROTE JAMES LETZ, CEO OF TOYOTA, AND MANAGER OF TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING AND MANUFACTURING, I STATED, "I FOLLOWED THE CORROSION PREVENTION IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL. THE QUALITY OF THE FRAME ON THE 2002 TOYOTA TACOMA IS INFERIOR DUE TO INADEQUATE RUST PROTECTION AT THE FACTORY." 9/28/17 I RECEIVED A RESPONSE BY PHONE FROM GRAND PRAIRIE, TX. HE TOLD ME THERE WAS A RECALL LETTER SENT OUT TO THE OWNERS OF 2002 TACOMAS, INFORMING THE OWNERS TO CHECK FOR RUSTING AND CORROSION ON THE FRAME, AND THEY COULD BRING THE TRUCK IN FOR A RUST PREVENTION SPRAY; HOWEVER, IT EXPIRED 2011. THEY OBVIOUSLY KNOW HOW SEVERE THE PROBLEM IS. I TOLD HIM I WAS SCARED, AND HE ANSWERED, "I UNDERSTAND I WOULD BE TOO." HE LED ME TO THINK NOTHING WAS GOING TO BE DONE, BUT IT WAS UP TO THE ENGINEERING AND MANUFACTURING DEPARTMENT, ODDLY ENOUGH, THAT IS MR. LETZ!

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.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2002 TOYOTA TACOMA. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE COLLIDED WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE AND THEN LEFT THE ROAD AND COLLIDED WITH A TREE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AND DEEMED DESTROYED. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 336,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

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.