1998 Toyota Tacoma

The contact owns a 1998 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that while inspecting the subframe of the vehicle, he noticed that there was a hole in the rear passenger side wheel well. The contact stated that the failure had increased significantly. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as an unknown recall had expired. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

I RECENTLY BOUGHT MY 98 TOYOTA TACOMA EXTENDED CAB 44. I KNEW NOTHING OF ANY FRAME RUST PROBLEMS OR ANY OTHER PROBLEMS THAT TOYOTA'S HAD. NOW I AM THE PROUD OWNER OF A GOOD LOOKING TRUCK THAT I JUST FOUND OUT IS NOT ONLY UNSAFE TO DRIVE OFF ROAD BUT ON ROAD ALSO.YESTERDAY I FOUND THAT THE REAR SHOCK,WHERE IT MOUNTS ON TOP,HAD BROKE THROW THE FRAME AND AFTER INSPECTING AND DOING A QUICK WELDING REPAIR JUST TO MAKE IT HOME,THAT THE FRAME HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN REPAIRED IN OTHER PLACES BUT ONLY WELDED NEW METAL OVER THE EXISTING RUSTING FRAME.NO ONE HAS MADE ANY ATTEMY TO INFORM ME OF ANY PROBLEMS AND FROM WHAT I'M SEEING NOW IT'S PAST THE 15 YR DEADLINE. I BOUGHT A TOYOTA BECAUSE OF ITS DEPENDABILITY BUT WHAT GOOD IS IT TO HAVE A DEPENDABLE ENGINE WHEN THE FRAME WASN'T PREPARED TO HOLD UP TO NORMAL CONDITIONS WITHOUT RUSTING INTO.

PURCHASED 1998 TOYOTA TACOMA 4WD TRUCK OCTOBER 2012. VEHICLE HAD BEEN RECALLED FOR FRAME RUST AND WAS SERVICED BY A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP 05/25/2011 AND FRAME AND UNDER CARRIAGE WAS INSPECTED, CLEANED, PREPARED AND COATED WITH UNDERCOATING. DEALERSHIP ADVISED THE PROBLEM WAS CORRECTED. MILEAGE AT TIME WAS 161,757. IN LATE 2012 RUST SPOTS DEVELOPED AGAIN AND CONTINUED TO WORSEN UNTIL THE FRAME COMPLETELY RUSTED THROUGH AND BROKE ABOVE THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL IN THE VICINITY OF THE SHOCK ABSORB-ER BRACKET WHICH ALSO WAS RUSTED THROUGH. THERE ARE VARIOUS OTHER RUST PROBLEM AREAS ON THE FRAME AND SUSPENSION PARTS AND ANOTHER FRAME RUST THROUGH IS EVIDENT ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE ABOVE THE REAR TIRE AT THE SHOCK ABSORB-ERR BRACKET.. DECEMBER 2016, MILEAGE 211,927 THE VEHICLE WAS CONSIDERED TO BE UNSAFE FOR OPERATION AND TAKEN OFF THE PUBLIC ROADWAYS BY THE CURRENT OWNER AFTER THE FRAME BROKE INTO WHILE TURNING INTO THE DRIVEWAY. THE VEHICLE WAS PLACED OUT OF SERVICE DUE TO FEAR OF BEING HELD LIABLE FOR DEATH, INJURY OR DISMEMBERMENT TO SELF, PERSON OR PERSONS DUE TO KNOWINGLY CONTINUED OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE WOULD BE UNSAFE. AFTER EXTENSIVE RESEARCH OF FRAME RUST THROUGH PROBLEMS, THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP THAT HANDLED THE RECALL IN 2011 WAS CONTACTED IN PERSON BY THE CURRENT OWNER ON FEBRUARY 21, 2017 AT 1:30 PM AND WAS ADVISED BY THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAT THE ENHANCED WARRANTY WAS ONLY GOOD FOR 15 YEARS FROM THE DATE THE VEHICLE WAS FIRST PURCHASED NEW AND PLACED IN SERVICE WHICH WAS APRIL 1998 AND HAD EXPIRED IN APRIL 2013. AS THE CURRENT OWNER OF THE VEHICLE I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED BY TOYOTA THAT A WARRANTY HAD EVER EXISTED AND WOULD SOON EXPIRE AND NOR MYSELF OR THE PREVIOUS OWNER WAS EVER NOTIFIED TO HAVE THE VEHICLE REINSPECTED BY TOYOTA TO MAKE SURE THE PROBLEM HAD NOT REOCCURRED AND VEHICLE WAS SAFE FOR CONTINUED OPERATION.

THERE IS AN ACCELERATED AND ABNORMAL AMOUNT OF CORROSION AND RUST SHOWING UP ON UNDERCARRIAGE OF THE VEHICLE. REAR LEAF SPRINGS HAVE LOST RUBBER BUMPER DUE TO RUST, AND SUSPENSION/FRAME MAKE NOISES DUE TO STRESS ON FRAME WHICH IS THE RESULT OF RUST/CORROSION. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER TO THIS VEHICLE, HAVING PURCHASED IT NEW AND HAVING ALWAYS HAD IT IN COLORADO A MOSTLY DRY CLIMATE NOT CONDUCIVE TO RUST/CORROSION. I HAVE IT AT THE SAME DEALERSHIP I BOUGHT IT FROM MULTIPLE TIMES PER YEAR FOR SERVICE, AND IT IS STILL UNDER 150K ORIG MILES. I HAVE NEVER BEEN INFORMED BY THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP REPS. ABOUT CONCERNS WITH RUST/CORROSION ISSUES, NOR HAS ANY COMPANY STAFF EVER ACKNOWLEDGED ANY CONCERNS OVER THESE ISSUES, OR HAS THE COMPANY REACHED OUT TO INFORM ME OF POTENTIAL PROBLEMS. IN NO WAY, SHAPE OR FORM HAS TOYOTA EVER ADVISED ME OF ANY RECALL, CONCERNS OR PROBLEMS. I HAVE LIVED AT MY CURRENT RESIDENCE AND HAD THE SAME PHONE NUMBERS FOR THE LAST 15 YEARS AND THIS HAS BEEN IN THE STEVENSON TOYOTA DEALERSHIP RECORDS THIS WHOLE TIME. THIS IS EXTREMELY CONCERNING DUE TO THE MOUNTAIN DRIVING CONDITIONS HERE IN COLORADO, AND SPEED AT WHICH THIS RUST/CORROSION IS EXPANDING AND MAKING THE VEHICLE WEAK AND UNSAFE TO OPERATE. APPARENTLY MORE OWNERS OF THIS VEHICLE AND MODEL YEAR ARE EXPERIENCING THE VERY SAME ISSUES AND HAVE NOT BEEN NOTIFIED BY TOYOTA. THIS APPEARS TO BE A PROLIFIC ISSUE THAT NEEDS IMMEDIATE ATTENTION.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 TOYOTA TACOMA. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THERE WAS A LOUD ABNORMAL NOISE COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT OBSERVED THAT THE FRAME WAS COMPLETELY RUSTED AND FRACTURED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 200,000. UPDATED 8/31/15*CN THE CONSUMER STATED TOYOTA HAD NOT HONORED THE PROMISE TO REPLACE THE RUSTED FRAMES. UPDATED 10/14/2015*JS

MY VEHICLE'S FRAME IS DANGEROUSLY RUSTING OUT. I HEARD THERE WAS A RECALL AND WHEN I CALLED TOYOTA ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO THE SAID I HAD JUST MISSED THE CUT OFF. SINCE THEN IT HAD GOTTEN PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. THE BODY MOUNTS HAVE SEPARATED FROM THE FRAME AND WHERE THE LEAF SPRING IS ATTACHED IS GETTING READY TO SEPARATE. THESE ARE ALSO HOLES IN THE FRAME. IF ANYBODY HAS ANY ADVISE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. DOES NOT SEEM RIGHT THAT THEY COULD HAVE A RECALL AND I WAS NEVER CONTACTED AND WHEN I CONTACTED THEM THAT THEY TOLD ME I MISSED IT BY ONLY MONTHS?

WHEN CHECKING TO SEE IF MY SHOCKS NEED TO BE REPLACED I FIND I HAVE A RUSTED FRAME ABOVE RIGHT REAR WHEEL AND IN FRONT OF LEFT FRONT WHEEL. THIS WAS THE FIRST I HAD ANY KNOWLEDGE OF IT. A FRIEND ADVISED ME THERE WAS A RECALL SO I CALLED TOYOTA. I WAS ADVISED THEY STILL HAD THE PREVIOUS OWNERS INFORMATION EVEN THOUGH I PURCHASED IT FROM A DEALER ON 2/11/2005. I NEVER RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE AND NEVER HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT IT AND WAS TOLD THEY WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING TO FIX IT. IS THERE ANYTHING YOU CAN DO TO HELP. THE TRUCK IS STILL A GOOD 4WD TRUCK. *TR

DRIVING DOWN A BUSY BOULEVARD, MY WHEEL FELL OFF AND MY VEHICLE SLAMMED ON THE GROUND. I AM LUCKY TO NOT HAVE KILLED ANYONE, AND AM STILL AFRAID TO DRIVE MY VEHICLE. FAULTY BALL JOINTS + RUSTED FRAMES MAKE THIS VEHICLE POTENTIALLY VERY DANGEROUS. TOYOTA INITIATED A PROGRAM TO BUY TACOMAS BACK DIRECTLY FROM CONSUMERS, BUT I WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE PROGRAM. NOW I AM STUCK WITH A POTENTIALLY INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS TRUCK. *TR