2003 Toyota Tacoma

SYNOPSIS OF PROBLEM: THE FRAME OF THE TACOMA WAS FABRICATED WITH INSUFFICIENT CORROSION PROTECTION, PARTICULARLY INSIDE THE BOXED SECTION OF FRAME UNDER THE MIDSECTION OF THE TRUCK. THE FRAME IS LITERALLY RUSTING FROM THE INSIDE OUT. WHAT HAPPENS IS, AS THE FRAME RUSTS ON THE INSIDE OF THE BOXED SECTION, THE RUST FLAKES DROP ONTO THE BOTTOM OF THE BOXED SECTION. THESE RUST FLAKES THEN PLUG THE WEEP HOLES IN THE FRAME SO THAT MOISTURE IS NOT ALLOWED TO DRAIN OUT THE INTERIOR OF THE BOXED SECTION, THEREBY EXACERBATING THE POTENTIAL FOR CORROSION. SO WHAT IS HAPPENING IS THE BOTTOM OF THE BOXED SECTION OF FRAME IS RUSTING OUT DUE TO THE BUILD-UP OF MOISTURE AND THE ACCUMULATION OF RUST FLAKES PLUGGING OFF THE WEEP HOLES. THE RUST FLAKES ARE 1/8? DEEP ON THE BOTTOM OF MY BOXED SECTION OF FRAME. BASICALLY THE BOTTOM 20% OF TACOMA FRAMES ARE RUSTING OUT. WHAT IS PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS ABOUT THE BOTTOM OF THE BOXED SECTION OF FRAME BECOMING COMPROMISED BY CORROSION, IS THE BOTTOM OF THE BOXED SECTION IS WHERE THE BRACKET FOR THE REAR LEAF SPRING IS ATTACHED. AS THE BOXED SECTION CORRODES, THERE IS LESS AND LESS MATERIAL SUPPORTING THIS MAJOR SUSPENSION BRACKET. THE DESIGN OF THIS BRACKET MUST BE ANALYZED BY YOUR NHTSA INDEPENDENT ENGINEER. I STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT IT DOESN?T TAKE MUCH FRAME CORROSION TO SEVERELY COMPROMISE THE INTEGRITY OF THIS WELDED LEAF SPRING BRACKET. IF THIS BRACKET FAILS, THEN THE FRONT OF THE LEAF SPRING COMES FREE, THE REAR AXLE COMES OUT OF ALIGNMENT, WHICH COULD CAUSE THE OPERATOR TO LOSE CONTROL. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE! I ALSO CAN'T HELP BUT WONDER THAT SINCE THE FRAME IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE VEHICLE'S SAFETY SYSTEM, WHAT DOES A SEVERELY CORRODED AND WEAKENED FRAME DO TO THE LEVEL OF CRASH PROTECTION OFFERED BY THE VEHICLE? IF NHTSA?S INDEPENDENT ENGINEER FINDS THAT THE FRAME DOES PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN THE CRASH PROTECTION OFFERED BY THE VEHICLE, THEN THE NHTSA WILL HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO FORCE TOYOTA TO DO A RECALL. *TR

PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG VIBRATION WHEN MOTOR IS RUNNING. RETURNED TO LOCAL DEALERSHIP DUE TO LOUD RATTLE IN DASH BOARD. DEALER INSPECTED AND REPORTED THAT A MAJORITY OF THE CLIPS HOLDING THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG IN PLACE WERE NOT THERE. DEALER ORDERED REPLACEMENT CLIPS AND DASHBOARD BOLTS AND REPAIR WAS MADE. IN OCTOBER 2003 RATTLE RETURNED AND A BOLT APPEARED ON THE PASSENGER FLOOR BOARD. RETURNED VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP WHERE INSPECTION TOOK PLACE. MECHANIC SUGGESTED THAT SOMEONE HAD HIT THE DASHBOARD TO LOOSEN BOLTS, NOT THE CASE, YET NO ATTEMPT TO REPAIR OR TIGHTEN EQUIPMENT WAS MADE. *NM

2 MONTHS AFTER I BOUGHT 03 TACOMA DOUBLE CAB W/ ONLY 3000 MILES ON IT I NOTICED THAT AROUND THE BOTTOM CORNERS OF BOTH REAR DRS AND THE FRONT BOTTOM CORNERS OF THE BED ALL THE PAINT HAD COME OFF ON A FAIRLY SMALL SECTION (BUT VERY NOTICABLE, EVEN FROM A DISTANCE).THE SERVICE WRITER THAT I WAS SPEAKING TO SAID THEIR WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE DOUBLE CABS DOING THIS. AT THIS POINT THE SERVICE MANAGER CAME TO US AND TOLD ME THAT IT WAS CUASED FROM ME NOT INSTALLING RUNNING BOARDS ON THE VEHICLE. NEXT HE SAID THAT HE WOULD HAVE TO GET IN CONTACT WITH THE REGIONAL MANAGER AND DISCUSS IT WITH HIM AND HAVE HIM TAKE A LOOK AT THE VEHICLE. AT THIS TIME I HAD A SCHEDULED APPOINTMENT AND ALL THEY DID WAS GO LOOK AT IT IN THE PARKING LOT REAL QUICK AND NO RO WAS MADE MONTHS WENT BY AND I STILL GOT NO RESPONCE WHEN I WOULD CALL THEY SAID THEY HAD TO WAIT FOR THE REGIONAL MANAGER TO MAKE IT UP HERE. AGAIN MONTHS WENT BY AND STILL NOTHING. CALLED AND GOT THE SAME RESPONCE. AGAIN MONTHS AND I CALLED AND WAS TOLD THAT THE RM WAS GOING TO BE THEIR ON A CERTAIN DATE AND THEY SET ME UP AN APPT. BUT TOLD ME I WOULD HAVE TO GO TO THEIR BODY SHOP FIRST TO GET A QUOTE TO FIX IT. I WENT TO THE BODY SHOP ON THE DAY OF MY APPT. AND GOT TO DEAL WITH THE MANAGER HIMSELF WHILE THEY DID UP THE QUOTE TO REPAIR THE MANAGER WAS TELLING ME THAT THEY HAD REPAIRED AT LEAST A DOZEN OF THESE SAME VEHICLES WITH THE SAME PROBLEM UNDER FACTORY WARRANTY. HE HAD SAID THAT DUE TO THE BODY CONFIGURATION AND THE PLACEMENT OF THE FACTORY MUD FLAPS THAT DEBRIS COMING OFF THE FRONT TIRES WEARS OFF THE PAINT CAUSING IT TO RUST AND ALSO RUINS THE FENDER FLARES WHICH HE LATER SHOWED ME. HE ALSO STATED THAT ALL OF THESE VEHICLES WERE DOING THIS. NEXT I WENT TO THE APPT. AND THE RM AND SERVICE MANAGER WENT TO LOOK AT THE VEHICLE AND I WAS TOLD TO WAIT IN THE SITTING AREA. THEY CAME BACK IN ABOUT TEN MINUTES LATER AND THE RM TOLD ME THAT IT WAS DUE TO ENVIROMENTAL CONDITIONS AND IT WOULD NOT BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. *NM

I PURCHASED A 2003 TOYOTA TACOMA AND FOUND A WATER LEAK ON MY FLOOR MAT IN THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE TRUCK. APPARENTLY THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING EVERY TIME I TAKE THE TRUCK TO THE CAR WASH. IT SEEMS TO BE COMING FROM UNDER THE DASH; MAYBE THE FRONT WINDOW. I TOOK MY TRUCK TO TOYOTA BUT AFTER A COUPLE OF ATTEMPTS TO FIND THE LEAK WITH THEIR WATER HOSE THE LEAK COULD NOT BE FOUND. I HAVE NOTICED THERE HAVE BEEN OTHERS COMPLAINING OF THE SAME PROBLEM. *JB

AFTER MY PURCHASE OF A NEW 2003 TOYOTA TACOMA PRE-RUNNER I QUICKLY DISCOVERED MY REAR CHROME BUMPER WAS RUSTING AT THE AREA WHERE THE LICENSE PLATE IS DISPLAYED. I TOOK MY NEW TRUCK TO MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT TOYOTA RECOGNIZED THIS WAS A PROBLEM BUT THERE WAS NO RECALL ISSUED ON THE PROBLEM AND THAT I COULD CONTINUALLY USE A TYPE OF STEEL WOOL TO KEEP UP WITH THE RUST AS IT WAS HAPPENING. UNACCEPTABLE. *JB

I OWN A 2003 TOYOTA TACOMA REGULAR CAB (2 DOOR) PICKUP TRUCK THAT I PURCHASED IN DECEMBER 2002. WATER LEAKS INTO THE INSIDE OF THE TRUCK ONTO THE SEALPLATE FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR. THIS OCCURS WHEN WASHING THE TRUCK OR DURING RAIN STORMS, ETC. I FIRST NOTICED THIS PROBLEM IN MARCH 2003. I HAVE TAKEN THE TRUCK INTO THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER TO HAVE IT REPAIRED A NUMBER OF TIMES, AND IT STILL LEAKS. I WOULD LIKE TO GET THIS PROBLEM RESOLVED.*AK