Is Toyota Still Doing Frame Repairs On 2004 Toyota Tundra

Photo by Enis Yavuz / Unsplash

Q. My 2009 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck has merely 130,000 kilometres on it and the body is in neat shape. While my mechanic was underneath the vehicle concluding week, he noticed a big hole and said it will be stock-still under retrieve. I chosen my Toyota dealer and they told me at that place was naught they could practise, as the recall has expired. I proceeded to telephone call corporate, who as well said in that location was nothing they could do. I knew there was a recollect on my frame, but I didn't know the recall had an expiration date. Please tell me what action I can take—it feels like only one more punch in the gut this twelvemonth.
–B.W.

A. It's not surprising you were unaware of the time limit for the Toyota Tacoma recall. That's almost always the case for the safety recalls that are subject to oversight by Send Canada. In this case, Transport Canada determined a long time ago that corrosion on the Tacoma takes years to develop and is clearly visible from underneath the truck years before the frame becomes unsafe. Consequently, Toyota's campaign is an in-business firm retrieve administered more like a warranty extension with a prescribed fourth dimension limit for the repair. Your truck's frame must have been corroding long before it was brought to your attention in order for the frame to develop such a large hole.

Hither are the applicable coverages for the Tacoma, which vary depending on the model yr:

1995 to 2000 (fifteen years)
2005 to 2010 (12 or 15 years)
2011 to 2022 (12 years)

Coverage is for unlimited mileage. The most contempo program is provisional on an inspection and awarding of additional rustproofing past a Toyota dealer earlier Dec 16, 2022.

This is a major repair. It requires xl to l hours of labour and involves the body of your truck being separated from the frame as a new frame and front end pause command artillery are installed. Along the way, other components may take been corroded, which will need to be removed and reinstalled, too. The retail price of a repair like this is virtually $15,000, which is often more than than the value of the truck itself. Fifty-fifty and then, most Tacoma owners are fanatics about their trucks and would rather encounter their vehicles repaired than bought back by Toyota.

At one time, Toyota Canada appeared to be more flexible with outlier cases, sometimes applying their warranty beyond the established parameters on a case-past-case basis. Since Toyota settled a grade-activity lawsuit, however, the limits appear to take become more formal, and coverage for the more recent programs was dropped to 12 years. The Machine Protection Association (APA) sees that if a vehicle has been inspected and the frame has been rustproofed, but it still corroded excessively, Toyota volition stand backside it. That said, Toyota appears to be more rigid than they have been in the past, limiting coverage to the terms of the form action settlement. For an automaker, ane of the master objectives of a class action settlement is to extinguish all other claims for the consequence one time the program is appear. Given that many people did not receive notices considering the trucks were already many years old (addresses may have changed, and trucks may have changed owners), could Toyota still have an obligation to provide the remedies existing nether the program to those affected by this outcome? Information technology feels like they should, only the respond is no; the settlement proposal is most ever accompanied past public notices that, in theory, volition notify all Toyota owners of the recall.

If you're a regular customer at a Toyota dealership, they should flag any problems with the frame before the warranty is over. Inspecting the undercarriage for defects is role of every general maintenance service. Notwithstanding, if yous asking an oil change, that is non considered a full maintenance service and it's possible the work was performed past junior staff, who were unaware of what to look for on the frame.

If the franchised Toyota dealership you lot frequent failed to notice issues with the frame, they could incur liability for not attending to a prophylactic recall or preventive program that a private possessor is unaware of. Dealers often fail to practise this. The APA's position is that a Tacoma possessor who has their pickup serviced at a Toyota dealership does non have to exist aware of Toyota's conditions for the call up, particularly if they did not receive a detect. When you rely on a specialist with expertise in your make of vehicle, they should meet a higher standard than a general repair store. A franchised dealership performing routine service which requires an inspection has a duty to disclose open safety recalls and other programs that apply to your vehicle.

Recently, the APA was made enlightened of a merits filed against a Toyota dealership in Montreal. The dealer flagged the corrosion six months after coverage ended and instructed the customer that his Tacoma was unsafe. The owner, a regular customer, is arguing that the dealership had a duty to flag the corroding frame years earlier and either ready it under Toyota's frame replacement program or the lifetime rustproofing warranty they sold him. It will be a couple of more years before the instance is heard.

Q. In August 2022, my 2022 Toyota Tacoma was inspected and serviced at my Toyota dealer. At that time, they classified rust on the frame as "normal surface rust." Accordingly, my dealer applied the Corrosion Resistant Compound (CRC).

Only recently, I noticed the corrosion has progressed since the frame inspection. In March 2022, I returned to my Toyota dealer. The explanation I was provided was that the deterioration is not in the area of the frame where rust is problematic. The managing director explained that the process involves striking the frame with a hammer, and if the hammer perforates the frame, the vehicle is no longer safe to drive and the frame needs to be replaced. If the hammer does not perforate the frame, information technology is considered drivable and is serviced with the CRC. Information technology concerns me that the frame becomes unsafe the exact moment afterward it'due south perforated with a hammer.

rust on Toyota for vehicle recall — Photo of underbody rust, supplied by B.W.

Subsequently, ii mechanics inspected my pickup. Ane mechanic grabbed a hammer and struck the frame. At times flakes of rust and dust fell to the flooring, but it did not perforate. The mechanic explained that all trucks rust and that his 2005 Tacoma looks the same. While I appreciate the mechanic trying to provide reassurance, having my 2022 Tacoma compared to a truck seven years older was no comfort. The dealership informed me that they haven't replaced any frames on 2022 models yet; all the replacements were at least a couple of years older.

Although the truck frame has not perforated, the extent of rusting appears much more meaning than normal surface rust. Information technology appears to me that, despite multiple applications of additional rustproofing from Krown Rust Control to help out, Toyota's CRC treatment is not fully constructive; the level of corrosion on the truck frame is more significant than normal. I left the date with many questions yet unanswered. The chief idea in my mind was: "Will my vehicle need a new frame a couple of years after Toyota's warranty enhancement program for 2022–2017 Tacoma pickups ends?"
— B.W.

A. Your case is interesting because the dealership was so forthcoming and diligent. Unfortunately, their hands are tied: they cannot do anything outside of what Toyota Canada has approved nether the recall program unless they obtain authorisation from Toyota Canada. Yous are absolutely right to worry that letting the problem slide for several years, until the frame fails the perforation test, is a gamble.

Nearly Toyota truck owners contacting the Automobile Protection Clan (APA) exercise and then merely after a dealer has condemned their vehicle. The APA has received virtually a dozen complaints from Toyota owners who believe their trucks take fallen through the cracks of the warranty extension program. We are also aware of many cases where worn, high-mileage trucks with over 250,000 kilometres were rejuvenated, almost completely on Toyota's dime; that'south far above and beyond what nearly manufacturers would do to embrace a factory defect.

Bluntly, the photos you lot provided of your frame don't await every bit bad as many I take seen. It appears that the additional rust treatments you accept been applying may accept helped. Have you considered getting in touch with Krown Rust Command, to determine if in that location is some guidance they tin provide? The Krown production is supposed to exist very effective in boxed areas of the frame, as long as there is admission for their spray wands to get within (the Tacoma's frame has holes in it, some of which are supposed to receive plugs nether the recall). And the Krown warranty should cover a preventive repair to your frame if one is indicated. For more than data, there is a folio on the APA website that illustrates the vulnerable areas needing additional protection.

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