Tundra frame recall, not sure what to think
 

About 2 months ago I got a letter from Toyota regarding a safety recall. It had something to do with rust perforations on the frame and I nearly threw it in the trash. My Tundra has 350k miles on it and a salvage title so I wasn't thinking it was worth looking into.

Then I replaced the shocks and struts a couple weeks back which was a major PIA due to rust which caused me to recall that letter and set I up an appointment. Sure enough, mine had perforations and they said the whole frame needed to be replaced. Not some, not most, but all of the frame! Yea that's right, everything unbolted from the old frame and replaced on a new one, craziness.

Needless to say I figured this greatly exceeded the value of the truck and looked into getting a buyout. No dice, unlike the Tacoma recall from a couple years ago these are either getting replaced or nothing (a few have fought for buyouts and gotten very small ones from what I've found in my research, but given my title status I figured I was better off not going that route). I value my truck at around $4k-6k and this repair figures to be about $10-12k plus they have given me a new Tundra to drive while they do it, gratis.

They are replacing all the fuel lines, brake lines, other ancillary items that break along the way, etc. It's gotta be a disgusting amount of work.

So anyway, I respect their fixing this and at the same time question their financial sense. I get that they have already had the frames made, but they could have handed me $6k and crushed that sumbytch.

I should get it back this week, I'll let you know how it goes. And Tim, if you read this get yours checked. I know you got the Taco buyout and this could make you 2 for 2. :)

Yeah... I heard about it. I am going to wait until this spring (right before the deadline) and hope I get some more rust on the frame this winter. I scored big time with my Tacoma getting bought back for 1.5x KBB retail value. My Tundra has about 160k+ mileage runs/drives perfect and I intend to hang onto it for a long time as my occasional use 4x4 truck.

I am sure that when they replace the frame (if mine ends up being bad enough), they will have to replace a bunch of other stuff that will get destroyed when removing (exhaust system, brake lines, fuel lines, spare tire hoist system, emergency brake cable, fuel tank straps, suspension joints etc). The V8 engine does not leak or burn any oil and the truck will be like new again. :)

I LOVE TOYOTA!!!!!!

Please let me know how all this goes Lendaddy. Any pics of your frame to compare with mine?

My RE partner had the frame replaced on his Tundra due to the same recall. He also inquired about a buy-back in lieu of the replacement as his truck had close to 200K on it at the time and is strictly a work-beater, heater fan broken, radio inop. interior beat to heck, --no dice. He took it to Toyota and they put a brand-new frame in--also replacing components which they broke during the swap. I couldn't believe the amount of $$$ they were spending.

I went by the dealership yesterday and my old frame was laying on the ground behind the workshop. It's rusty in spots but I never would have had a concern about actual integrity. Maybe I'll swing by and snap some pics.

Great jumping jeeze jehoesafats.

They are covering 11y.o. Michigan vehicles with a little rust!(13 if you include date of mfr and next year)
Toyota extends Tundra rust recall to include 2000-03 models, totalling 110,000 trucks

I had them inspect mine and they said no problem. But when I was under there last weekend fixing the brakes I noticed that the frame was rusty in places. I don't trust these guys. Six months ago they put a timing belt on it and did the "complimentary inspection." The only problem was two tires that were "trashed" (50% tread). Went in last week for a CO2 sensor and another complimentary inspection. They found that, in six months, the headlights had gotten so foggy as to be dangerous and needed polishing ($100) and the parking brake had rusted up ($200). I know the parking brake has been rusted for over a year, but it was OK with them 6 months ago and now it's bad. The lights haven't changed significantly in 6 months. I think they have a billing quota and find things wrong with the truck based on their work load and quota.

This is why I do ALL my own work on EVERY vehicle I own. As time marches on, the number of skilled mechanics continues to drop with kids playing video games instead of playing with cars. I am sure I could find small problems on nearly any 100k+ vehicle if I tried hard enough but as my own mechanic I can choose to only fix what I deem neccessary..... Most of the general public however is at the dealership's mercy. ;)

That said, I will have no problem allowing them to do a free frame replacement on my "old truck" as anything I find not done properly would likely be taken care of by the dealership under "warranty".

It's called standing behind your product and doing the right thing. Getting basically everything replaced on a high mileage truck except for the body and powertrain is a pretty sweet deal.

They stand behind their product, made a mistake and will fix it.

Compare that to the GM Atlas engines where the valves resonate, hit the seats skewed, wear the seats funny and it has to almost not run before they will fix it. They did reprogram it so it is less susceptible to setting the check engine light.

My brother runs the shop for a Toyota dealer.

According to him these types of recalls are great for business.

They sell a lot of new inventory to current owners and it gives them the opportunity to acquire repeat customers for the shop.

Keep in mind that the bulk of their work is warranty so they don't see the vehicles after warranty runs out or if the vehicle is on it's 2nd/3rd owner.

CO2 sensor? :D

He needs to make sure he's not pumping out life giving gasses to the flora out there, green plants thrive because of global warming, or something like that. There are huge government regulation movements out there that are, and have been put in place to cut down on making the atmosphere more plant friendly.

I know 2 people that have had their frame replaced and are completely satisfied. I brought my 02 Tundra to them and got a pass on the frame replacement, but got a rustproofing job valued @ $1000 for free!!!

What did they do to rust proof it?

How many guys have to buy a new truck after driving the loaner?

Yes, Toyota is standing behind their product. As they are REQUIRED BY LAW. This is a SAFETY RECALL, not a goodwill effort. If it were Ford, GM, Honda, or Porsche, the same efforts would be required.

ENGINES, like the GM engine Rick referenced, are rarley SAFETY issues under recall. If and when they are, the US Government will dictate their process.

Remember Ford's Explorer rollover recall? Replaced everyone's tires, free.

Remember Toyota's gas pedal recall? Brought 'em all in, free.

Remember Toyota's engine sludge epidemic? Not directed by the government to recall, thousands of customers felt screwed.

Easy to "do the right thing" when you are required by law to do so.

They removed the bed and wire-brushed, painted then rust-proofed, I believe. I had them put my truck on the lift to see what they did and I couldn't believe the detail. Since I didn't get the frame job, I really can't complain, after 10 years???

Did they pay any attention to the front of the frame also? My '02 has surface rust at most weld locations front to back on the main frame rails. The cab and bed remain rust free for the most part. (right rear passenger door has a spot at the trailing edge that I need to clean up and repaint)

From bumper to bumper..... They told me that the rust-proofing job was good for 5 years.

Won't be me, the new Tundra is a monster. Way too big for my tastes, maybe a Tcoma some day.