2003 Toyota Tacoma

I BOUGHT A 2003 TOYOTA TACOMA FROM A TOYOTA DEALER IN DECEMBER 2011 WITH 81,841 MILES ON IT. UPON DRIVING THE VEHICLE FROM TENNESSEE TO OREGON A LEAK IN THE OIL PAN APPEARED. I LOOKED UNDER THE VEHICLE AND TO MY SURPRISE THE WHOLE UNDERCARRIAGE OF THE VEHICLE WAS EXTREMELY RUSTING. THE LEAK WAS FROM THE OIL PAN THAT WAS CORRECTED BADLY. I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT FROM THERE TO MY HOME IN OREGON HAVING TO ADD ABOUT ONE QUART OF OIL. THE DISTANCE WAS ABOUT 700 MILES. I TOOK IT TO MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER AND HE INFORMED ME THAT I HAD MAJOR RUST PROBLEMS UNDER THE VEHICLE. THE GAS TANK SHIELD IS GONE DUE TO RUST. THE FRONT END SUSPENSION WAS SO RUSTY THEY COULDN,T GET SOME OF THE BOLTS OUT. THEY HAD TO REMOVE SOME OF THE FRONT END SUSPENSION TO REPLACE THE OIL PAN. BOTH FRONT BACKING PLATES FOR THE ROTORS WHERE RUSTED AWAY. NO ALIGNMENT COULD BE DONE BECAUSE OF THE RUST. I HAD THE FRONT END REPLACE WITH GOOD USED PARTS AND WHEN THEY ATTEMPTED TO ALIGN THE VEHICLE THE FRONT TIE ROD BROKE DUE TO RUST. THE WHOLE FRAME ASSEMBLY IS VERY RUSTY. I FIND OUT NOW THAT THERE WAS A VOLUNTARY RECALL OF FRAME WHICH I DID NOT KNOW ABOUT. THIS VEHICLE WAS BOUGHT FROM A TOYOTA DEALER IN TENNESSEE IN DECEMBER OF 2011. THEY NEVER SAID A WORD TO ME ABOUT THE RUST PROBLEM. THEY DID A OIL CHANGE AND THEY ALSO REPLACED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE CABLE SO THEY HAD TO BE AWARE OF THE RUST PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE A FIND OUT CAME FROM NEW YORK ORIGINALLY. THEY SAY THEY WILL HELP OUT WITH REPAIR COSTS SO FAR BUT WHAT ABOUT THE FRAME RUST. THIS DEALERSHIP WITHHELD VITAL INFORMATION FROM ME. TOYOTA OF AMERICA SAYS THE FRAME RECALL WAS VOLUNTARY AND HAS EXPIRED. I FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY PROBLEM THAT NEEDS TAKEN CARE OF. *TR

VERY LOOSE STEERING WHEEL. PROBLEM IS THE SLIP SHAFT IN THE STEERING COLUMN. OVER TIME THE LOVER SHAFT WEARS AND THE STEERING BECOMES LOOSE AND SLOPPY. PROBLEM FIRST SHOWS UP AS LOOSENESS IN THE WHEEL AND EVENTUALLY TURNS INTO A CLUNK WHEN DRIVING OVER MINOR ROUGH ROADS. FROM TALKING TO MECHANICS AND OTHER TACOMA OWNERS THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM THAT TOYOTA WILL NOT ADDRESS. PROBLEMS INCLUDE DIFFICULTY MAINTAINING CONTROL OVER ROUGH PAVEMENT. WANDERING AT ALL SPEEDS. MAJOR DIRECTION CHANGES WHEN BREAKING ON ALL ROADS. SMOOTH OR ROUGH. OVER ALL THE TRUCK IS VERY DIFFICULT TO DRIVE. I'VE HAD THE TRUCK ACTUALLY CHANGE LANES WHEN I HIT AN UNEXPECTED ROUGH PATCH OF ROAD AT APPOX 30 MPH. THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DUE BECAUSE OF THE SLOP IN THE STEERING WHEEL. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS TRUCK IS VERY WELL MAINTAINED AND I HAVE GONE THROUGH THE ENTIRE FRONT SUSPENSION AND STEERING TRYING TO FIX THIS PROBLEM WITH NO LUCK. I'M NOW FACED WITH SPENDING EVEN MORE MONEY TO REPLACE A STEERING COLUMN. *TR

2003 TOYOTA TACOMA 4WD CREW CAB PICKUP I WOULD LIKE TO RELATE A RECENT EXPERIENCE I HAD WITH MY 2003 TOYOTA PICKUP. I WAS DRIVING THE TRUCK THROUGH A PARKING LOT IN LARGO, MARYLAND ON JANUARY 29, 2009. SUDDENLY THERE WAS A LOUD NOISE AND THE VEHICLE DROPPED DOWN IN THE FRONT END AND I CAME TO A STOP. THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE WHEEL HAD DROPPED DOWN INTO THE WHEEL WELL. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED BY BOSWELL AUTO SERVICE OF WALDORF, MARYLAND NEAR WHERE I LIVE. I WAS TOLD BY THE MECHANIC THAT THE CASTLE NUT ON THE DRIVER SIDE BALL JOINT ASSEMBLY HAD COME OFF. I WAS TOLD THAT THIS WAS AN EXTRAORDINARY EVENT. THE BALL JOINT ASSEMBLY SEPARATED AND AS A CONSEQUENCE FRONT AXLE WAS BROKEN AS WELL. IN REVIEWING MY RECORDS I SAW THE RECALL FOR THE LOWER BALL JOINT FOR MY TOYOTA. I HAD THIS RECALL WORK COMPLETED AT WALDORF TOYOTA ON DECEMBER 29, 2005. I BROUGHT THIS TO THE ATTENTION OF THE MECHANIC WHO FIXED MY TRUCK. HE TOLD ME I SHOULD MAKE THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT AWARE OF THIS INCIDENT. IN HIS OPINION, THIS EVENT SHOULD NOT HAPPEN IF THE BALL JOINT CASTLE NUT IS INSTALLED CORRECTLY. I TOOK THE INFORMATION TO WALDORF TOYOTA ON FEBRUARY 3, 2009. I SPOKE WITH THE SERVICE MANAGER (MICHAEL PAVAN, 301-843-3700, MPAVAN@TOYOTAOFWALDORF.COM) AND A MAN I BELIEVE WAS A MECHANIC OR SERVICE SUPERVISOR. I SHOWED THEM PHOTOGRAPHS AND THE BROKEN BALL JOINT ASSEMBLY. THEY TOLD ME THAT THE REMNANTS OF THE COTTER PIN WERE STILL IN SO THAT THEY BELIEVE THEY HAD INSTALLED THE CASTLE NUT CORRECTLY. I LEFT THE BROKEN BALL JOINT ASSEMBLY WITH THEM. THE SERVICE MANAGER TOLD ME HE WOULD REPORT IT TO HIS REGIONAL MANAGER. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA TACOMA. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO CONTROL. THE CONTACT EXAMINED THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE TIRE HAD TURNED IN A 90 DEGREE ANGLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE LOWER BALL JOINT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 318,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 218,000. UPDATED 10/5/09 *CN UPDATED 10/07/09. *JB

IN JANUARY 2006, I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FROM TOYOTA RE: BALL JOINTS ON OUR 2003 TACOMA. I SCHEDULED WITH THE DEALER AND THEY WERE ALL REPLACED. CHRISTMAS DAY OF 2007, I EXPERIENCED A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE BALL JOINTS ON THE RIGHT SIDE. BOTH UPPER AND LOWER SEPARATED WHILE DRIVING AT ABOUT 30 MPH. AND, THE WHEEL PRETTY MUCH SEPARATED FROM THE VEHICLE. (VEHICLE STOPPED WITHOUT INJURY). VEHICLE WAS TOWED AND ALL FOUR BALL JOINTS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. VEHICLE IS A 2003 TOYOTA TACOMA WITH 74,0000 MILES. MILEAGE ON TOYOTA-REPLACED BALL JOINTS COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORE THAN ABOUT 20,000 MILES WHEN THEY FAILED. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA TACOMA. IN FEBRUARY OF 2007, THE CONTACT RECEIVED RECALL NOTICE # (SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT). THE DEALER STATED THAT THE PART FOR THE REPAIR WAS ON NATIONAL BACK ORDER AND WAS UNAVAILABLE. AS OF MAY 4, 2007, THE PART WAS STILL UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE WAIT TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR IS UNACCEPTABLE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 38,300 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

I RECEIVED A RECALL LETTER FOR MY 2003 TOYOTA TACOMA TO REPLACE THE FRONT SUSPENSION LOWER BALL JOINT SSC 50J A FEW MONTHS AGO. I HAVE CONTACTED THE DEALER MANY TIMES AND EACH TIME I CALL THEY TELL ME THE PARTS ARE IN BACK ORDER IN THE MEAN TIME I AM DRIVING ON THIS VEHICLE WITH MY BABY AND MY 6 YEAR OLD SON IN THE TRUCK I FEEL SOMETHING NEEDS TO HAPPEN ASAP I NEED TO GET MY PARTS REPLACED THE TREASON I AM TAKING IMMEDIATE ACTION RIGHT NOW BECAUSE FOR THE PAST DAYS THERE HAS BEEN NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT AND ALSO IT HAS BEEN VERY JUMPY AND I WAS TOLD THAT IS THE LOWER BALL JOINT. THIS IS THE ONLY VEHICLE WE HAVE AND I AM VERY UPSET WITH TOYOTA HOW THEY ARE GIVING ME THE RUN AROUND . I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE MY KIDS IN IT BUT I HAVE NO CHOICE SINCE IT IS OUR ONLY VEHICLE PLEASE HELP ME. I HAVE MENTIONED TO THEM TO LEND ME A LOANER AND I ALSO GET THE RUN AROUND I WILL TO TAKE CARE OF THIS BEFORE I PUT MY FAMILY IN DANGER. *JB

TL*- THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA TACOMA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A FOLLOW UP NOTICE FOR THE SUSPENSION, LOWER BALL JOINTS. HOWEVER, HE NEVER RECEIVED A PREVIOUS NOTICE. THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A CRASH WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH AND WAS UNABLE TO GAIN CONTROL OF THE STEERING WHEEL. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, THE CONTACT'S HEAD SHATTERED THE WINDSHIELD, AND ALSO SUSTAINEDE BRUISING TO THE FACE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE MADE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO CALL TOYOTA, AND WAS TOLD BY THE REPRESENTATIVE THAT HE WAS THE ONLY PERSON THAT HR EVER REACH AND WAS NOT ALLOWED TO SPEAK WITH A SUPERVISOR. TOYOTA SENT AN INVESTIGATOR TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE AFTER THE CRASH ,AND HE ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE REASON THAT THE AIR BAG DIDN'T DEPLOY WAS DUE TO THE LOCATION OF THE IMPACT. WHILE UNABLE TO GAIN CONTROL OF THE STEERING WHEEL THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A GUARD RAIL. THE CONTACT WAS VERY CONCERNED THAT THE RELATED RECALL WAS IDENTICAL TO THE FAILURE THAT OCCURRED WHILE HIS FAMILY MEMBER DROVE THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT WAS DISSATISFIED THAT THE TOYOTA REPRESENTATIVE FAILED TO MENTION THE RECALL THAT WAS EFFECTIVE A YEAR PRIOR WHICH CAUSED A COLLISION WHILE INSPECTING THE VEHICLE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 76,000 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 39,500. *AK

2003 TOYOTA TACOMA WOULD NOT STEER SAFELY. UPON INSPECTION MECHANIC DETERMINED THE VEHICLE NEEDED NEW TIRES DUE TO THE VEHICLE BEING OUT OF ALIGNMENT. CONSUMER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF A RECALL REGARDING THE BRAKES. *KB THE TOYOTA DEALER REFUSED TO REPLACE THE RIGHT AND LEFT BALL JOINT USELESS THE CONSUMER PAID FOR THE REPAIRS. *NM