1999 Toyota Tacoma

VEHICLE (1999 TOYOTA TACOMA) FRAME RUSTED OUT. FORWARD HANGER OF DRIVER'S SIDE REAR LEAF SPRING SEPARATED FROM FRAME. LEFT REAR WHEEL ABOUT 2" AFT OF CORRECT POSITION. FRAME FAILED WHILE DRIVING THROUGH "FUEL MOAT" AT TRUCK STOP. TRUCK SWAYED BADLY AFTER HITTING BUMPS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. PROBLEM WITH TRUCK WAS NOT IDENTIFIED IMMEDIATELY AS I WAS TOWING A BOAT TRAILER AND SUSPECTED TRAILER PROBLEM. FRAME PROBLEM DISCOVERED TWO DAYS LATER AND VEHICLE WAS PARKED. TRUCK RETURNED TO TOYOTA DEALER ON 5/8/08 FOR BUYBACK UNDER RUST PERFORATION WARRANTY EXTENSION. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 TOYOTA TACOMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE TOOK VEHICLE TO BE STATE-INSPECTED. HE WAS INFORMED THAT THE FRAME WAS RUSTED AND WOULD NOT PASS INSPECTION. HE NEVER NOTICED ANY FRAME-RELATED ISSUES WITH THE VEHICLE UNTIL IT WAS BROUGHT TO HIS ATTENTION DURING INSPECTION. TOYOTA INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THEY HAD A BUYBACK PROGRAM BASED ON THE BLUE BOOK VALUE OF THE VEHICLE. HE HAS BEEN WORKING WITH TOYOTA TO HAVE THE ISSUE RECTIFIED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 76,120 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 76,000. UPDATED 05/20/08. *LJ UPDATED 05/20/08

MY HUSBAND AND I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN BIG FANS OF TOYOTA'S. THEY SEEM TO LAST A LONG TIME, AND SINCE WE KNEW WE WOULD BE FOOTING THE BILL TO SEND OUR YOUNGEST TO A PRIVATE COLLEGE IN 2002, WE DECIDED THAT WE WOULD TRADE OUR 1991 TOYOTA 4 RUNNER IN FOR A BRAND NEW TOYOTA 1999 TACOMA, IN JULY 1999. WE THOUGHT THAT THIS WOULD ENSURE THAT WE WOULD HAVE A VEHICLE THAT WE COULD PUT A COUPLE OF HUNDRED THOUSAND MILES ON AND ONE THAT WOULD LAST FOR 15 YEARS EASY. THAT ALL CHANGED LESS THAN 8 YEARS LATER, WHEN WE HADN'T EVEN HIT THE 150,000 MILE MARK. ALL OF THE MILEAGE ON OUR PREVIOUS TOYOTA PICKUPS HAD TURNED OVER TWICE, BUT ONE DAY WHILE MY HUSBAND WAS ON HIS WAY TO WORK, HE HIT A BUMP AND HEARD A HUGE BANG. THE BED HAD SLAMMED UP AGAINST THE CAB. WHEN HE GOT OUT TO LOOK, HE WAS SURPRISED TO SEE A BIG CRACK AND THE FRAME SO RUSTED THAT HE COULD PUT HIS FINGER RIGHT THROUGH IT IN SEVERAL PLACES. I WAS NEVER SO SURPRISED WHEN HE CALLED ME AT WORK TO SAY THAT WE NEEDED TO TRADE HIS TRUCK IN FOR A NEW ONE. HE TOLD ME, "THIS FRAME IS GOING TO JUST DROP ON THE ROAD AND IT'S NOT SAFE FOR ME TO DRIVE, IT LOOKS LIKE SWISS CHEESE. I JUST HOPE I CAN MAKE IT TO THE DEALERSHIP TO TRADE IT IN BEFORE IT GOES." I WAS FLOORED. THIS SEEMED TO COME OUT OF THE BLUE, SINCE I KNEW WE TOOK CARE OF IT, DID OIL CHANGES EVERY 3,000 MILES AND KEPT UP WITH ALL OF THE MAINTENANCE THAT SHOULD HAVE MADE THIS LAST TWICE AS LONG AS IT DID. JUST LIKE ALL THE OTHER TOYOTA PICK UPS WE HAD OWNED OVER YEARS, SOME OF WHICH WE HAD PURCHASED WITH MORE MILES ON THEM THAN THIS ONE HAD NOW. WE TRADED IT IN FOR PEANUTS, BECAUSE OF THE RUST. *TR

CORRODED FRAME RAILS ON A 1999 TOYOTA TACOMA 4X4 WITH XTRACAB. PURCHASED USED FROM THE ORIGINAL OWNER IN 2000 WITH 40K MILES. MY LOCAL MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT HE NOTICED A SMALL RUST HOLE IN THE FRAME ON THE DRIVERS SIDE APPROXIMATELY 1 MONTHS AGO. THE MOST SEVERE LOCATION OF THE ROT WAS JUST IN FRONT OF THE REAR LEAF SPRINGS ON THE BOTTOM OF THE FRAME. THE MECHANIC SUGGESTED THAT I GET THE FRAME REPLACED FOR $5000. HE WOULD NOT GIVE ME AN INSPECTION STICKER BECAUSE THE TRUCK WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. *TR

160K MILES MY TRUCK FRAME, IN THE REAR AROUND THE LEAF SPRINGS AND BACK COMPLETELY RUSTED OUT. I HAD THIS TRUCK ON A LIFT 1.5 YEARS AGO AND INSPECTED IT WITH A MECHANIC AND IT WAS FINE. THIS FRAME RUST HAPPENED VERY QUICKLY. THE TRUCK IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE NOW. ONLY CHOICE IS TO PART IT OUT OR JUNKYARD. GETTING SOMEONE TO WELD THE FRAME IS NEAR IMPOSSIBLE. TRUCK IS FINE SHAPE OTHERWISE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 TOYOTA TACOMA. UPON HAVING AN ANNUAL STATE INSPECTION PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE FRAME HAD ROTTED FROM THE PASSENGER AND DRIVER SIDE DOORS BACK TO THE LEAF SPRING. THE VEHICLE COULD NOT PASS INSPECTION AND IS NOT ABLE TO BE DRIVEN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 130,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 TOYOTA TACOMA. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS AT A LOCAL AUTO SHOP FOR A ROUTINE SERVICE CHECK, THE PROFESSIONAL TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE FRAME WAS RUSTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AT THAT TIME. THE CONTACT NOTIFIED THE MANUFACTURER AND THEY STATED THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS AND COULD NOT ASSIST. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 199,000.