Toyota had begun receiving a few reports from customers that excessive corrosion was occurring on the frames of some older Tacoma pickups, specifically 1995 to 2000 models. The Japanese automaker determined that during this half decade of production, some Taco frames may not have received the kind of corrosion protection from the factory that's needed to withstand harsh climes, especially ones where salt is used to deice roadways. While there is no recall and Toyota says that the number of instances where it has found rust go beyond the surface of the frame to penetrate the metal is small, the automaker is pulling an unorthodox move and doing something about anyway.
Toyota is extending the rust perforation warranty on all 1995-2000 Tacoma pickups, some 813,000 units, to 15 years from the original date of purchase, AND you don't have to be the original owner, or the second or the third even. Anyone who owns a Tacoma from this era and finds rust perforation on the frame can have his or her truck officially inspected for rust damage, in which case Toyota will either repair or buy back the truck regardless of its condition. Owners will start receiving letters by mid-March, and those who don't can visit a dealership for a free inspection.
Now if you'd excuse us, we need to start shopping for a used 1995-2000 Toyota Tacoma in Syracuse, NY.
[Source: Toyota Open Road Blog]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Ken @ Mar 7th 2008 3:29PM
Step 1 - Buy old POS Tacoma
Step 2 - ???
Step 3 - Profit
oby @ Mar 7th 2008 3:41PM
Can you just imagine GM doing this for all the thousands of poor suckers who got stuck with V6 lower intake manifold problems.
tankd0g @ Mar 7th 2008 4:04PM
Or the ones who had their truck frames litterally rust in half above the rear wheels.
stratojet @ Mar 7th 2008 4:58PM
For your info, they did.
GM786 @ Mar 8th 2008 2:56PM
Do you have to bring GM into this? Goodness! This is Toyota's problem, not GM's.
Rob @ Mar 7th 2008 4:03PM
This definitely shows a difference in corporate culture between Toyota and GM. GM's attitude is to ignore the problem and hope it will go away. They hope the customer will sell the car before it becomes an issue. Their 3.8 V6 engines (otherwise great engines) produced between 1996 and 2003 had serious problems with the upper intake manifold that would lead to catastrophic failure when it would rupture and send coolant into the cylinders thereby hydro-locking it. Instead of issuing a recall or even fixing it after the first year or two when it became apparent, they kept producing them like that for eight years.
Another example is the fiasco they had with paint peeling in the late nineties. I personally have been touched by this one. It’s no wonder there are so many bitter ex-customers out there…
Ken @ Mar 7th 2008 4:25PM
They repainted our truck under warranty, couldn't ask for anything better.
AlexP @ Mar 7th 2008 4:13PM
You mean on the U-Body vans? Yeah.
God damn, GM's changed so much.
Anyway, it's somewhat hard for a regular corporation like GM to compete (on the 'care' and such side of things, I mean the objective of GM is rewarding its investors(AKA owners)) with Toyota (owned by a family and primarily run by the same family that owns the corp., where a consensus is much easier).
Rob @ Mar 7th 2008 4:28PM
Yeah, in corporate America, everything is for the short term - next quarter's earnings report. There's no thought for the future. That explains (at least partially) them going from 50 percent market share down to about 25.
K Prasad @ Mar 7th 2008 4:41PM
to alexp: toyota is public company and very little of it is still owned by the toyoda family.
AlexP @ Mar 7th 2008 4:51PM
I know it's public, but I was under the impression that the major shareholders have been, well, family and friends for some time.
stratojet @ Mar 7th 2008 5:20PM
The 3.8 l was the best engine ever as far as reliability goes. You are misinformed on this one.
The paint situation was due to a supplier who pretended that his paint could be apllied without primer. Ford, GM, Chrysler were all affected. GM repainted the vehicles no charge in most cases.
Rob @ Mar 7th 2008 5:01PM
For more info on the GM 3.8 V6 Upper Intake Manifold issue, go to:
http://www.bonnevilleclub.com/forum/kb.php?mode=article&k=38
PAT @ Mar 7th 2008 5:03PM
Toyota's "corporate culture"? This says nothing to their culture, they are just feeling the pressure from the decreasing reliability ratings, and with a minimal financial loss, they fool uneducated people into thinking they are taking the intiative, oh wait they made those trucks 10 years ago!
My Broken down Caddilac @ Mar 7th 2008 4:08PM
Geeze, I remember when Toyota picks would run forever, but the bodies (especially the cheap tin can 2-piece beds) would rot away around the thing! It wasn't uncommon to see a wooden box or flat bed in it's place either. But talk to the owners and they'll tell you the thing is still chugging along with a bazillion miles on it. Nissan Hardbodies of that era rusted away just as bad.
To be fair, I've seen rust on the bumpers of the last generaton Full size GM trucks already. My friends 2004 Silvy has rust on both the front and rear bumper already! Granted, his truck has a bout 70 thousand miles on it but still, rust should not be an issue on a 4 year old truck.
rar @ Mar 7th 2008 5:29PM
This artical is about rust on the frame not the body. A little rust on the body of an old truck is one thing, but a rusted out frame is a major problem. I also have a 2004 Chevy truck with about 70k. No rust at all.
Frankie Joe @ Mar 7th 2008 4:29PM
I know exactly what they mean.... heres the reason i took mine off the road.
http://img3.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/2619cef410.jpg
In fact, mine was a '92, which means this was a problem longer than they are saying....and i cant do a damn thing about it, since its long off the road. Ran like a champ too.
Frankie Joe @ Mar 7th 2008 4:34PM
whoops...
http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/5442/dsc02420eg8.jpg
Gardiner Westbound @ Mar 7th 2008 4:29PM
I don't know how many 1995 to 2000 Toyota Tacomas are affected. Regardless, this is a Toyota public and owner relations masterstroke. It will go a long way toward erasing recent Toyota quality concerns. You couldn't get a Detroit-3 manufacturer to do this for a car half that age.
stratojet @ Mar 7th 2008 4:56PM
This is what the industry call a warranty extension; they do this to avoid a recall, which would be way more expensive because they would have to do them all. Toyota does not do this to be beatified.