2006 Toyota Tacoma

I OWN A 2006 TOYOTA TACOMA PRERUNNER, PURCHASED NEW FROM THE DEALER EIGHT YEARS AGO. IN LESS THAN SIX YEARS, THE CARS FRAME STARTED SHOWING DAMAGES AND TODAY IT SHOWS SEVERE RUST AND FLAKING. THE SEVERE RUST UNDER THE CAR IS WIDESPREAD AND IN CERTAIN AREAS THERE ARE PERFORATIONS THROUGH THE FRAME STRUCTURE. (SEE PICTURES ATTACHED). BECAUSE OF THIS UNEXPECTED CONDITION MY TACOMA HAS LOST CONSIDERABLE RESALE VALUE AND IS RESTING IN MY DRIVEWAY FOR FEAR OF FURTHER DAMAGE AND SAFETY ISSUES. (I HAVE TWO SMALL CHILDREN). AFTER SOME RESEARCH I BECAME AWARE THAT TOYOTA HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THIS EXCESSIVE RUSTING IS DUE TO A MANUFACTURING DEFECT AND ADDRESSED THE PROBLEM FOR SOME VEHICLE OWNERS BY EITHER REPLACING THE FRAME AT NO COST FOR THE OWNERS OR BUYING THE VEHICLES BACK. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE TOYOTA DEALER TO HAVE IT ASSESSED AND AFTER A FULL INSPECTION, THE TRUCK FAILED THE RUST FRAME INSPECTION. THE TOYOTA DEALER REPORT STATES AS FOLLOWS: ?FRAME WAS FOUND TO HAVE SEVERE CORROSION. FRAME NEED TO BE REPLACED? WITH AND ROUGH ESTIMATE COST OF $ 10,000.00. I CONSIDER THIS DEFECT TO BE A SERIOUS AND UNACCEPTABLE CONDITION FOR A 8 YEAR-OLD VEHICLE WITH TOYOTA?S REPUTATION. I HAVE INVESTED AND TRUSTED THE TOYOTA BRAND FOR OVER 20 YEARS AND FEEL VERY DISAPPOINTED AT HOW TOYOTA IS ADDRESSING MY CONCERNS. I AM ASKING YOUR TOYOTA CORPORATION TO TAKE MY CONCERNS SERIOUSLY AND TO ADDRESS THIS SEVERE RUST ISSUE THE SAME WAY YOU HAVE DONE WITH 1995-2000 TACOMA OWNERS, EITHER BY REPLACING MY FRAME AT NO COST OR BUYING BACK MY VEHICLE. *TR

I BOUGHT MY TOYOTA TACOMA NEW IN FEBUARY OF 2006.A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO I NOTICED THAT THE WHOLE FRAME ON MY TRUCK IS RUSTED PRETTY BAD.THE SPRINGS ARE RUSTED AS IS THE CLIPS THAT HOLD THEM TOGOETHER.WHEN I RUBBED MY FINGER OVER THE RUST ON THE FRAME CHUNKS OF RUST ABOUT 1 EIGHTH OF A INCH THICK JUST FELL OFF A YOU COULD STILL SEE RUST ON THE FRAME UNDER WHERE THE CHUNK CAME OFF.I ONLY HAVE 56000 MILES ON THIS TRUCK AND I AM WORRIED THAT MY FRAME WILL FAIL. *TR

WE LEFT OUR TRUCK AT A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR OF RATTLE IN FRONT END, STATE INSPECTION AND OIL CHANGE. THE VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO US WITHOUT REPAIR AS THERE IS AN ABNORMAL AMOUNT OF RUST ON THE FRAME AND HOLES THROUGH THE FRAME. WE WERE INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WILL NOT PASS INSPECTION. I CALLED TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE AND WAS INFORMED THAT OUR VEHICLE IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE PREVIOUS RECALL, BUT MAY BE INCLUDED IN THE UPCOMING RECALL. HOWEVER, I WAS NOT PROVIDED WITH A TIME FRAME AND IF OUR VEHICLE IS DEFINITELY INCLUDED. MY HUSBAND USES THIS VEHICLE TO COMMUTE TO AND FROM WORK DAILY AND I FEAR FOR HIS SAFETY. *TR

I HAD MY TRUCK INSPECTED BY TOYOTA OF BRISTOL FOR FRAME RUST. AT THAT TIME THEY SAID IT WAS SURFACE RUST AND TOYOTA WOULD NOT DO ANY THING ABOUT IT EVEN THOUGH IT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. NOW THE TRUCK HAS RUSTED TO THE POINT THAT I CAN NOT DRIVE IT AND IT ONLY HAS 63500 MILES ON IT. THE SPRING SHACKLES ON THE REAR OF THE TRUCK HAVE COMPLETELY RUSTED AWAY LEAVING THE REAR END OF THE TRUCK ALMOST COMPLETELY UNATTACHED TO THE TRUCK FRAME. EVEN THOUGH TOYOTA HAS A CAMPAIGN # SC-EOD TO REPAIR 2005-2008 TOYOTA TACOMA FRAMES THE SAID MINE WAS NOT COVERED. *TR

AS I WAS DRIVING HOME MY TRUCK STARTED MAKING A NOISE FROM THE BACK END. WHEN I GOT HOME I LOOKED AT THE UNDERSIDE OF THE TRUCK AND BOTH SPRING SHACKLES WERE RUSTED AWAY AND HOLES IN THE FRAME ABOVE THEM. THE FRAME IS COMPLETELY RUSTED AND I AM UNABLE TO DRIVE IT BECAUSE IT COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. I CALLED TOYOTA ABOUT IT AND THEY SAID WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE PROBLEM BUT WE AREN'T GOING TO FIX IT. *TR

RETURNING HOME WITH MY GRANDSON FROM VISITING A STATE UNIVERSITY I HEAD A KNOCKING SOUND IN THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. I THOUGHT A RUBBER BUSHING HAD FAILED BECAUSE PREVIOUS MODELS OF TOYOTAS (TERCELS) MADE THE SAME SOUND WHEN THE TORSION BAR BUSHINGS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. UPON RETURNING HOME I FOUND THE SWAY BAR HAD COME OUT OF THE LEFT BRACKET WHICH SECURES IT TO THE FRAME AND WAS STRIKING THE FRONT LEFT SPRING OF THE SPRING AND SHOCK ABSORBER ASSEMBLY. THE SWAY BAR BRACKET HAD BENT UNDER THE WEIGHT OF THE SWAY BAR BECAUSE THE FRAME HAD RUSTED OUT WHERE THE REAR SWAY BAY BRACKET MOUNTING BOLT CONNECTS TO THE FRAME. THERE IS NO FRAME MATERIAL ON THE BOTTOM OF THE FRAME TO REATTACH THE SWAY BAR BRACKET.THE BOTTOM OF THE FRAME HAS RUSTED OUT. LOOKING AT THE BOTTOM OF THE FRAME IT HAS EXCESSIVE RUST. I HAVE OWNED TOYOTAS SINCE 1977 OR 78. OWNING TERCELS, COROLLA, CAMRY, 1995 TOYOTA PICKUP AND A 4RUNNER. TOYOTA QUALITY THIS TACOMA IS NOT! *TR

MY 2006 TOYOTA TACOMA FRAME IS TERRIBLY RUSTED EVEN THOUGH I HAVE HAD IT CLEANED AND UNDERCOATED FOR BEGINNERS. BUT MY MAIN ISSUE IS THE FACT THAT MY LEAF SPRINGS ALREADY NEED REPLACED. THEY HAVE BEEN MAKING CREAKING NOISES FOR SEVERAL MONTHS BECAUSE THEY ARE JUNK ALREADY. BUT THEN, THE LEFT SIDE LEAF SPRING COMPLETELY CRACKED AND THAT'S NOT EVEN EFFECTED BY THE RUST. IT'S VERY FRUSTRATING TO PAY SO MUCH JUST TO TRY TO KEEP THE VEHICLE BODY IN WORKING ORDER. *TR

I DISCOVERED THAT THE FRAME ON MY TOYOTA TRUCK IS EXCESSIVELY RUSTED. IT IS ACTUALLY QUITE UNBELIEVABLE WHEN YOU COMPARE THE FRAME TO EVERYTHING ELSE ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE TRUCK. EVERY OTHER COMPONENT ON THE UNDERSIDE IS IN PRISTINE CONDITION BUT THERE IS HARDLY AN AREA OF THE FRAME THAT IS NOT RUSTED. THERE ARE SOME AREAS THAT HAVE THE CLASSIC "POTATO CHIP" SCALING THAT HAS EATEN THROUGH ABOUT 1/2 THE ORIGINAL THICKNESS OF THE METAL. THE RUST APPEARS ON BOTH FLAT SURFACES AND WELDS. A QUICK INTERNET SEARCH REVEALED THERE SEEMS TO BE HUNDREDS OF OTHERS WITH SIMILAR COMPLAINTS---MANY ARE EVEN NEWER, LOW MILEAGE SUNBELT TRUCKS. I GUESS IT'S OBVIOUS TOYOTA NEVER ADDRESSED THE ROOT CAUSE OF THEIR FRAME ISSUES THAT PROMPTED THE PREVIOUS RECALL ON THE 95-04 MODELS. I SURMISE THAT ROOT CAUSE IS USING CHEAP, INFERIOR, RECYCLED METAL TO SAVE MONEY. BTW, MY PREVIOUS TRUCK WAS A 1990 TOYOTA THAT I DROVE UNTIL THE BODY FELL OFF IN 2009. AFTER 19 YEARS (THAT'S 19 PENNSYLVANIA WINTERS), THAT FRAME WAS SPOTLESS WITH MOST OF THE ORIGINAL PAINT STILL REMAINING. IN EVERY OTHER RESPECT, I LOVE THIS TRUCK. HOWEVER, THIS FRAME RUST ISSUE IS A CONTINUING TOYOTA SAFETY PROBLEM --- NOT TO MENTION THE FINANCIAL ASPECT AS MY TRUCK WILL BE DEAD LONG BEFORE IT'S TIME. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME ANY AID YOU CAN LEND TO THIS MATTER. *TR