2004 Toyota Tacoma

ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS MY TRUCK HAS COMPLETELY LOST POWER. A FEW TIMES IT HAPPENED WHILE PULLING INTO TRAFFIC RESULTING IN ME ALMOST BEING HUNG OUT IN A BUSY INTERSECTION. WHEN I PUSH THE GAS PEDAL, IT STARTS TO MOVE FORWARD, THEN SUDDENLY LOSES POWER. I BELIEVE THE PROBLEM IS SOMEWHERE IN THE THROTTLE BODY. I ALSO GET SOME HESITATION WHEN LIGHTLY HITTING THE ACCELERATOR AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. *JB

I DON'T KNOW IF I AM IN THE RIGHT DEPT. BUT PLEASE GUIDE ME TO THE CORRECT DEPT. MY 2004 TACOMA TRUCK HAD A RECALL ON THE FRAME OF VEHICLE. IT IS RUSTING OR CORRODING AWAY. RECALL NOTICE WAS NEVER RECEIVED BY ME AS I HAVE HAD FINANCIAL PROBLEMS AND MOVED 3 TIMES. I ASKED TOYOTA IF THEY SENT NOTICE REGISTERED AND THEIR ANSWER IS NO. RECENTLY I HAVE PUT MY TRUCK FOR SALE AND ANYONE THAT LOOKED AT IT LOVED IT BUT ASKED ABOUT THE FRAME RECALL. I WAS DUMBFOUNDED AS THIS VEHICLE WAS GARAGE KEPT, NO BODY RUST, AND HAS 47,000 ORIG. MILES. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER. I HAVE SPOKEN TO TOYOTA DEALERS, TOYOTA CUSTOMER REPS. AND ALL SAY NOTHING CAN BE DONE AT THIS STAGE OF VEHICLE. HOW DO I NOW KNOWINGLY SELL THIS TRUCK TO ANYONE? WHAT IF THE NEW BUYER IS KILLED IN THIS VEHICLE BECAUSE OF A FRAME COLLAPSE WHILE DRIVING. WILL TOYOTA BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEATH? I HAVE FOUND A DEALER THAT IS REPLACING THESE FRAMES. WHY NOT MINE? *JS

DECEMBER 26, 2013- GOING EAST ON WARNER RD. AT 45 MILES PER HOUR FROM KYRENE AND WARNER. MINIMAL TRAFFIC ON THE ROAD. AT WARNER AND BULLMOOSE A CAR DID NOT STOP AT THE STOP SIGN AT BULLMOOSE TO PULL OUT ONTO WARNER. I HIT THE CAMARO, T-BONED HIM. MY AIR BAGS DID NOT GO OFF, MY SEAT BELT TIGHTENED, THEN POPPED OFF OF ME AT SOME POINT DURING THE CRASH. I JUST KNOW THAT WHEN I STOPPED AND PULLED OVER MY SEAT BELT WAS OFF. THAT CONCERNED ME A LOT. THAT WAS THE FIRST THING I NOTICED WHEN I CAME TO A STOP! THE GENTLEMAN THAT I HIT SAID IT WAS HIS FAULT AND HE HAD A BROKEN RIB, BUT OTHER THAN THAT SAID HE WAS OKAY. I HURT AND WAS BRUISED ACROSS MY SHOULDER BLADE, AND CHEST. I HAD MY TOYOTA TACOMA TOWED TO POWER COLLISION CENTER THAT TOYOTA USES. I WENT INTO TO THEM AND TOLD THEM MY CONCERNS ABOUT THE SEAT BELT POPPING. THEY SAID THEY DID NOT SEE ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT, THAT MAYBE MY SWEATER WAS CAUGHT UP IN IT. FIRST OF ALL, I WAS NOT WEARING A SWEATER! AND I AM VERY STRICT ABOUT MY SEAT BELT AND OTHERS IN MY VEHICLE THAT THEY ARE PROPERLY SEAT BELTED! AT TIMES THE SEAT BELT DID NOT TIGHTEN WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKES. I THINK JUST TO HUMOR ME THEY REPLACED THE DRIVER'S SEAT BELT. THEN HE SAID THEY GET WORN WITH BEING CONNECTED AND UNCONNECTED MANY TIMES. MY QUESTION IS WHY DO WE NOT KNOW THAT WE SHOULD REPLACE OUR SEAT BELTS, LIKE WE DO OUR TIRES. I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT MY SEAT BELTS IN MY TOYOTA TACOMA. *TR

YESTERDAY, I WENT TO MY MECHANIC FOR AN INSPECTION ON MY 2004 TOYOTA TACOMA. HE SAID IT WOULDN'T PASS BECAUSE HOLES WERE EVERYWHERE ALONG THE FRAME. I TOOK IT TO TOYOTA. THEY TOOK PICTURES AND DOCUMENTED THE FACT THAT MY CAR WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. THEY SAID IT WASN'T THEIR PROBLEM, AND THAT I HAD BEEN GIVEN FOUR YEARS TO FIX IT. WHEN I LOOKED UP MY VIN NUMBER ONLINE, IT MENTIONED ONLY THE RECALL FOR THE SPARE TIRE (WHICH I HAD ALREADY TAKEN OFF THREE YEARS AGO). I CALLED TOYOTA CENTRAL, AND THEY SAID IT WASN'T THEIR PROBLEM. APPARENTLY, I HAD RECEIVED A FIRST CLASS LETTER BETWEEN NOVEMBER OF 2010 AND DECEMBER OF 2011 WHICH STATED THAT I NEEDED TO HAVE MY FRAME SPRAYED. THEY SAID THAT THE CUTOFF FOR THIS "REMEDY" WAS DECEMBER, 2012. WHEN I ASKED IF, HAD I HAD THE FRAME SPRAYED SIX MONTHS AGO, WOULD THIS ROT HAVE MIRACULOUSLY NOT APPEARED, THEY SAID THEY DIDN'T KNOW. THEY APOLOGIZED FOR THE FACT THAT IT WAS NOT THEIR PROBLEM, AND THAT WAS THAT. I MAY HAVE RECEIVED A LETTER...I AM NOT SURE, AND CANNOT HONESTLY CLAIM I DIDN'T RECEIVE IT. WHAT I DO KNOW THAT I DO, THOUGH, IS REGULARLY CHECK ON LINE FOR RECALLS SO THAT I CAN MAKE SURE THAT I AM NOT MISSING ANYTHING. THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT THIS PARTICULAR RECALL WAS VOLUNTARY, AND THEREFORE IT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN POSTED IN NORMAL CHANNELS. TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, THE DEALER SPECIFICALLY SAID THAT SOMEONE HAD COME IN THE PREVIOUS WEEK WITH THE SAME ISSUE AND IT WAS "TOO BAD". HE ALSO SAID THAT TOYOTA WOULD PROBABLY BE DOING SOMETHING ABOUT THIS BECAUSE SO MANY PEOPLE WERE HAVING SUCH MAJOR SAFETY ISSUES. HE SAID THAT IF I WANTED TO HOLD ON TO THE TRUCK...MAYBE SOMETHING WOULD HAPPEN IN A YEAR. WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH A TRUCK I CAN'T DRIVE BECAUSE IT WON'T PASS INSPECTION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED UNSAFE? *TR

LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT REPORTED THAT THE ENGINE (V6 3.4) LEFT BANK HEAD GASKET IS LEAKING AND REQUIRES A REPLACEMENT OF THE CYLINDER HEAD GASKET, WITH A VALVE RECONFIGURATION, AT THE ESTIMATED COST OF $2,762.00. SINCE TOYOTA HAS HAD PREVIOUS VEHICLE RECALLS FOR V6 SERIES ENGINE/GASKET RELIABILITY ISSUES AND THE VEHICLE IN QUESTION ONLY HAS 51,559 MILES, WITH EXCELLENT MAINTENANCE AND SERVICE, THAT THE CYLINDER GASKET HEAD LEAK MAY BE A PRODUCTION DEFECT AND OTHER OWNERS ARE EXPERIENCING THIS SAME ISSUE. *TR

VEHICLE FRAME IS RUSTING, ROTTING, AND CRUMBLING FROM BENEATH THE TRUCK. I WAS UNAWARE OF THE CONDITION WHEN I WAS TOLD BY A MECHANIC DURING A PENNSYLVANIA STATE VEHICLE INSPECTION THAT THE FRAME WILL EVENTUALLY FAIL AND SPLIT APART AS I AM DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. I CONTACTED TOYOTA AND THEY TOLD ME THAT I MISSED THE RECALL WINDOW WHICH WOULD HAVE EXTENDED THE WARRANTY ON THE FRAME. WHEN I EXPLAINED TO THEM THAT I WAS NOT CONTACTED ABOUT SUCH AN IMPORTANT RECALL, AND IF I WERE I WOULD HAVE TO BE AN IDIOT NOT TO ACT ON IT, THEY REPLIED THAT THEIR RECORDS SHOW THAT A LETTER WAS SENT TO ME THEREFORE TOYOTA WILL NOT HONOR THE RECALL AND REPLACE MY CRUMBLING FRAME. *TR

AFTER THE TRUCK HAS REACHED OPERATING TEMPERATURE, OR AFTER RESTARTING THE VEHICLE AFTER IT HAS BEEN PARKED AND THE ENGINE IS STILL WARM, THE ENGINE LOSES POWER RANDOMLY WHEN PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR. IT HAPPENS EITHER FROM A STANDSTILL, IN TRAFFIC, OR REACCELERATING AFTER CRUISING. MOST PREVALENT IN 4TH AND 5TH GEAR. NEED TO JOCKEY THE THROTTLE TO GET IT MOVING AGAIN. FLOORING WILL CAUSE THE ENGINE TO "BUCK" WHEN ENGINE REGAINS POWER. IT'S NOT DRIVABLE FOR ANYONE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THIS ISSUE AND I'M THEREFORE THE ONLY DRIVER OF THE TRUCK. I'M ATTEMPTING A REPAIR AT THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP FOR THE SECOND TIME SINCE I COULDN'T RECREATE THE FIRST TIME. I SUSPECT WE TEST DROVE IT AND ENGINE DIAGNOSTICS WERE PERFORMED WITH A COLD ENGINE AND IT DOESN'T DO IT THEN. THE CONDITION IS GETTING WORSE SINCE IT STARTED DISPLAYING THESE SYMPTOMS TODAY WITH A COLD ENGINE FOR THE FIRST TIME. I CAN NO LONGER SIMPLY PULL OUT INTO TRAFFIC LIKE I USED TO AND CONSTANTLY HAVE TO JOCKEY THE THROTTLE TO NOT GET REAR ENDED, SINCE THE SPEED DECREASE IS SIGNIFICANT WHEN THIS HAPPENS. IT SEEMS CURIOUS TO ME THAT THE DEALERSHIP CLAIMS NOT TO HAVE HEARD OF THIS ISSUE BEFORE, YET IT SEEMS PRETTY COMMON SEARCHING FOR "TACOMA THROTTLE PROBLEMS." *TR

LEVER ASSEMBLY AND BRAKE DRUM FOR REAL WHEEL EMERGENCY BRAKES RUSTED TO THE POINT THAT THE EMERGENCY BRAKE IS INOPERABLE (SEIZED). CONDITION HAS CAUSED REAR BRAKE TO BE PARTIALLY ENGAGED WHETHER PARKING BRAKE IS PULLED OR NOT. THIS WEARS OUT THE REAR BRAKE PADS VERY FAST, AND MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE TO APPLY THE EMERGENCY BRAKE ON AN INCLINE. WILL NOT PREVENT THE VEHICLE FROM ROLLING DOWN HILL, NOR WILL IT STOP THE VEHICLE DURING AN EMERGENCY APPLICATION OF THE BRAKE. IT IS NO LONGER FUNCTIONING AS AN EMERGENCY BRAKE. *TR