2005 Toyota Tacoma

I TOOK MY TRUCK TO GET IT INSPECTED AND THEY SAID THERE ARE HOLES IN THE FRAME A LARGE AS MY HAND. IT WILL NOT PASS INSPECTION AND CANNOT BE DRIVEN. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING MY 2 LITTLE SONS AROUND IN THIS VEHICLE WHICH HAS BEEN UNSAFE FOR A LONG TIME. THE HOLES ARE BIG ENOUGH TO HAVE STARTED YEARS AGO AS A SMALL HOLE WHICH MAKE THE TRUCK UNDRIVABLE. I HAVE A NICE LOOKING TRUCK THAT CANNOT BE DRIVEN. THE 1ST GENERATION TACOMAS WERE RECALLED FOR THIS SAME REASON. WHAT IS TOYOTA GOING TO DO? *TR

THE FRAME ON MY 2005 TOYOTA TACOMA PRE RUNNER IS COMPLETELY RUSTED OUT DUE TO A FLAW IN THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS. THE RECALL WAS 3 MONTHS PAST THE DATE OF THE END OF THE RECALL. NOW MY VEHICLE HAS LARGE CRACKS IN THE FRAME AND IS NO LONGER SAFE. THIS ISSUE STILL EXISTS IN THE 2005 MODEL AND MUST BE ADDRESSED FOR PUBLIC SAFETY. THERE WAS A RECALL THAT COVERED THIS PROBLEM UP UNTIL THE END OF 2004. MINE WAS PURCHASED IN THE BEGINNING OF 2005. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THIS TRUCK AND IS BEING IGNORED BY TOYOTA. THEY ARE FAILING TO REPAIR THIS AND PICKING AND CHOOSING IF THEY INFACT WANT TO REPAIR SOME TRUCKS AND NOT OTHERS. TOYOTAS OPTIONS ON THE FACT THAT MY TRUCK HAS A MANUFACTURE DEFECT THAT IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. PLEASE HELP!! *TR

DURING A REPAIR VISIT TO TOYOTA SERVICE CENTER I WAS INFORMED THAT MY FRAME WAS RUSTING IN SEVERAL PLACES. I WAS TOLD THAT AT THE PRESENT TIME THE VEHICLE WAS SAFE TO DRIVE BUT THAT THE RUST WOULD CONTINUE AND LEAD TO AN UNSAFE CONDITION. TOYOTA IS AWARE OF RUSTING PROBLEMS WITH PREVIOUS MODEL YEARS. I SEE THAT THE 2004 AND EARLIER MODEL YEARS WERE RECALLED FOR RUSTING FRAMES. DEALERSHIPS WAS ALSO AWARE OF AN INCREASE IN FRAME RUSTING CASES IN 2005 TACOMA TRUCKS AS WELL. TRUCK ONLY HAS 66,000 MILES AND WAS NOT USED FOR HEAVY HAULING. REPAIR OR REINFORCEMENT IS NOT AN OPTION. ONLY REMEDY OFFERED BY TOYOTA WAS FOR ME TO REPLACE THE FRAME AT A COST OF $13,000. I FEEL THIS IS AN UNSAFE DESIGN FLAW THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. *TR

STARTED HEARING RUBBING/GRINDING TYPE NOISE COMING FROM FRONT END. INSPECTED AND FOUND LF CV AXLE LEAKING GREASE, SO THOUGHT THE NOISE WAS COMING FROM THERE. REPLACED LF CV AXLE, AND THE NOISE DID NOT GO AWAY. INSPECTED FURTHER AND FOUND DRIVERS SIDE FRAME WHERE THE MOTOR MOUNT BRACKET IS WELDED TO CRACKED, CAUSING THE MOTOR TO FLEX AND THE FAN TO RUB ON THE FAN SHROUD. CONTACTED TOYOTA, WHO INSTRUCTED ME TO GET IT INSPECTED AT A DEALERSHIP. TOOK TO TOYOTA DEALER, WHO TOLD ME THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF DRIVER ABUSE, NO RUST, NOT REALLY ANYTHING THAT SHOWED WHY THE WELD HAD BROKEN, BUT THAT TOYOTA DID NOT WANT TO DO ANYTHING DUE TO AFTERMARKET LIFT AND OVERSIZED TIRED. LIFT WAS ALREADY INSTALLED ON VEHICLE WHEN PURCHASED AT A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. TOYOTA CORPORATE TOLD ME THEY DID NOT WANT TO HELP BECAUSE VEHICLE IS OUT OF FACTORY WARRANTY. THE STEERING SHAFT IS DIRECTLY UNDER THE PART OF THE MOTOR THAT IS SAGGING DOWN, AND I AM AFRAID IF IT WERE TO BREAK COMPLETELY IT MIGHT STOP THE VEHICLE FROM BEING ABLE TO TURN. ALSO, IS THERE NOW EXTRA STRESS ON ANY OF THE WIRING? IS IT FLEXING AND POTENTIALLY BREAKING ANY FUEL LINES? I HAVE DONE SOME REASEARCH ON THIS, AND FOUND A LOT OF PEOLPLE HAVING THE SAME ISSUES WITH THEIR TRUCKS. TOYOTA HAS STARTED PUTTING UPDATED FRAMES WITH MORE SUPPORT FOR THE MOTOR MOUNTS ON THE 2007 MODELS, KNOWING THERE WERE ISSUES WITH THE 05/06S, BUT ARE REFUSING TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM AND FIX THE ONES THAT HAVE BROKEN. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA TACOMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR SUSPENSION SHOCKS HAD BEEN REPLACED MORE THAN EIGHT TIMES DUE TO A RECURRING FAILURE. THE CONTACT ALSO MENTIONED THAT WHEN THE VEHICLE HAD WARRANTY THE DEALER REPLACED THE COMPONENT EACH TIME UNTIL THE CONTACT'S FACTORY WARRANTY HAD BECOME EXPIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER AND THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT BOTH SHOCKS HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED FOR THE MOST RECENT FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 36,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 172,180.

TOOK VEHICLE IN FOR INSPECTION, NOTIFIED THAT THE FRAME HAS EXCESSIVE CORROSION (RUST) ON THE ENTIRE FRAME WITH SIGNS OF METAL SEPARATION. A CRACK WAS ALSO NOTED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE WHERE THE FRONT AND BACK PARTS OF THE C-FRAME ARE WELDED TOGETHER. WHEN THE SURFACE RUST WAS GROUND AWAY, THE CRACK WAS 5" LONG AND THE BOTTOM OF THE C-FRAME HAD TWO LARGE PERFORATIONS. WITH THIS CONDITION, THE VEHICLE WILL NOT PASS THE INSPECTION. THE DEALER CONTACTED REGIONAL REP AND OWNER CONTACTED TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE - BOTH ADVISED NO ASSISTANCE AND THE FRAMES WERE OF A DIFFERENT PRODUCTION LOT THEN THE PRIOR RECALL (2ND GEN VS 1ST GEN). ALSO CITED AGE AND MILEAGE BEING A FACTOR. OTHER THAN THE FRAME, THE VEHICLE IS IN VERY GOOD CONDITION. 2005 TACOMA WITH 131000 MILES SHOULD STILL BE A PASSABLE VEHICLE. *TR

AS I WAS LEAVING WORK I SLOWLY DROVE OVER A SPEED BUMP. THE REAR END OF MY TRUCK BEGAN TO BOUNCE LIKE A BOAT IN CHOPPY WATER. I GOT OUT AND LOOKED TO SEE IF I HAD A LOW TIRE. ALL FOUR TIRES WERE FINE SO I KEPT LOOKING. UPON CLOSER INSPECTION TO THE LEFT REAR WHEEL WELL, I NOTICED THAT THE SHOCK ROD HAD BROKEN OFF AT THE THEADED END AND SHOT STRAIGHT THROUGH THE BED OF MY TRUCK. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK THE TRUCK TO GLENN TOYOTA FOR INSPECTION. INITIALLY THEY TOOK GREAT INTEREST UNTIL AFTER THEY LEARNED THAT TOYOTA MANUFACTURING WOULD NOT COVER THE CATASTROPHIC FAILURE. NOW THE TRUCK RIDES LIKE A BOAT IN CHOPPY WATER AND EVEN THE SLIGHTEST BUMP IN THE ROAD CAUSES AN EXAGGERATED RESPONSE IN THE SUSPENSION MAKING IT DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. THERE IS NO PREVIOUS HISTORY OF DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE NOR HAS IT BEEN MISTREATED. *TR

THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED MY NEW 2005 TACOMA 7 YRS AGO, INFORMED ME MY TRUCK WILL NOT PASS STATE INSPECTION DUE TO HOLES RUSTED THROUGH THE FRAME. THE LARGEST OF THE HOLES WAS LOCATED UNDER THE DRIVER'S SIDE ON THE INSIDE OF THE MAIN BOX FRAME COMPONENT. THERE ARE SIMILAR HOLES ALONG OTHER BOX STYLE FRAME PARTS. THESE RUST HOLES ORIGINATED FROM THE INSIDE OF THE BOX FRAME AND NOT FROM WHERE ANY RUST PREVENTATIVE COULD BE APPLIED BY THE OWNER. ANY POST PRODUCTION APPLICATION OF UNDERCOATING OR UNDERBODY OIL BY THE OWNER TO THE INTERIOR OF THESE BOXED AREAS IS NOT POSSIBLE SINCE THEY ARE INACCESSIBLE. THE DEALERSHIP INFORMED ME THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THEY CAN DO WITHOUT TOYOTA HEADQUARTERS APPROVAL. I CALLED THE TOYOTA CUSTOMER RELATIONS LINE AT 1-800-331-4331 AND AFTER A LONG CONVERSATION WITH THE REPRESENTATIVE I WAS TOLD THAT MY TRUCK MODEL WAS NOT COVERED BY EITHER A VEHICLE WARRANTY OR A REMEDIAL ACTION BY TOYOTA. RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE ON THE INTERNET REVEALS THAT TOYOTA TACOMA MODELS HAVE HAD FRAME RUSTING PROBLEMS CONSISTENTLY SINCE THE MID 90'S. MY OPTIONS FROM TOYOTA, ALL AT MY OWN EXPENSE, ARE TO: 1. FIND A FRAME SHOP THAT CAN PATCH THESE HOLES BUT MOST LIKELY THE PATCH WILL ONLY LAST A YEAR. 2. HAVE THE FRAME REPLACED WHICH THE DEALERSHIP ROUGHLY ESTIMATED IT TO BE CLOSE TO $12,000. 3. JUNK THE TRUCK AND GET A NEW VEHICLE. I BOUGHT THIS TRUCK EXPECTING TO GET AT LEAST 300-400K MILES. THE TRUCK LOOKS NEW, THE BODY HAS NO RUST, IT HAS NO MECHANICAL PROBLEMS AND RUNS GREAT. I HAVE RELIGIOUSLY FOLLOWED THE RECOMMENDED SERVICE SCHEDULE. *TR