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REPORT: Toyota forced to submit data on Tundra frame rust to NHTSA
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) began a preliminary evaluation last month of rusting Tundra frames from the 2000 and 2001 model years. Around 200 complaints had been registered before the NHTSA commenced its investigation, with upwards of seventy more complaints coming in since then.
As with the rusting Tacoma frames, the Tundra members in question were made by Dana. Importantly, though, the Tundra examination is focused only on "the cross member that supports the spare tire -- not the entire frame." Still, that area has been blamed by consumers for the spare tire coming loose, and for brake system failures due to corrosion at the brake line mounting points.
Toyota ended up buying back Tacomas or extending warranties to settle the rust issue, but Tundra frames were built at different Dana plants and to different specifications, so the Tundra issue is not assumed to be the same as the Tacoma issue. Toyota had until last week to submit its information on the frames, now the NHTSA will need to decide what to do next.
[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
IOMTT 10:12AM (11/23/2009)
It seems kind of strange to farm out production of a component as vital as the frame! I guess I should not be. Anyway, I had a 2005 Tundra and did not have any type of corrosion over 5 yr and 80K while being kept outside in a salt happy state. As much as the Tundra is derided on AB, you would think I could not get over 50% of the original sticker when I unloaded it to buy the wife a new vehicle. I am going to miss it, the most trouble free vehicle I ever owned.
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dukeisduke 10:45AM (11/23/2009)
Well, frames are typically an item that's farmed out, to companies like Dana, and A.O. Smith. It's a question of who's primarily at fault - Dana for making bad frames, or Toyota for specifying bad frames?
alex 11:33AM (11/23/2009)
dana made frames for toyota and they rust to hell. dana made frames for the F-150 and they were fine. do the math. it's toyota being cheap and asking them to build crappy frames.
Kellman 12:35PM (11/23/2009)
The problem isn't so much the frame as it is the fact that they weren't undercoated during assembly to prevent rust.
daleam 1:54PM (11/23/2009)
It is true that frames are often outsourced. I do know that Ford and General Motors do this and I would assume that Chrysler does it as well. The thing is, it doesn't matter who is responsible for the issue, Toyota is ultimately responsible because Toyota built and sold the crappy truck to the consumer. Toyota must resolve the issue with their victims.
Avinash machado 10:13AM (11/23/2009)
Toyota's reputation for quality seems to be taking quite a hit these days.
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IOMTT 10:17AM (11/23/2009)
I agree. But to be fair, my personal experience with Toyota has been excellent.
Luis 10:20AM (11/23/2009)
As is the millions upon millions of other Toyota owners. Just compare the number of mid-90s Camrys STILL on the road to the last time you saw a 1995, or even 2000, Taurus.
Ducatinova 10:46AM (11/23/2009)
I know a person that still drives a 1986 Corolla, In St.Louis no less. It's brown and still shines.
zamafir 11:10AM (11/23/2009)
hasn't toyota always had a poor reputation for rust and trucks?
maz3o7 12:27PM (11/23/2009)
@ Luis,Ducatinova & RemusRM: The article is stating rusting Tundra frames and Tacoma frames. Yes there are still many Camrys and Corollas still running but the subject of the article is Toyota cutting costs and this has affected their Tundra and Tacoma trucks. It is rather surprising that this is happening to Toyota.
Steve B. 1:35PM (11/23/2009)
Toyota is the #1 automaker in the world, which makes it a large target for criticism, much like GM used to be. Consider other "top dogs" that are sources of criticism: McDonalds (nobody ever complains about the Burger-King-ization of America), Wal-Mart, Microsoft, Haliburton, California, NYC, AT&T, Harley-Davidson... the list goes on.
Americans love an underdog. Our country was, after all, founded by underdogs who stood no realistic chance of defeating the greatest military power on earth. It's in our blood. Notice that the Found-On-Road-Dead jokes have disappeared as of late? Ford is seen as having paid its pennance, and is on the rise as the new American underdog. Toyota has risen to the top and the honeymoon is over.
(I still don't like GM at all, but that's more from my experience owning one a few years back than anything else. You shouldn't have MULTIPLE warranty issues before 20,000 miles, period!)
Anyway, that's my take on it. Back to your regularly scheduled autoblogging.
John H. 3:21PM (11/23/2009)
When they can't do truck frames, and can't make non-sludging engines, what's the point?
Those are basic things to get right!
IOMTT 10:19AM (11/23/2009)
"It seems kind of strange to farm out production of a component as vital as the frame! I guess I should not be*suprised*.
Sorry for the omitted word!
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Mercennarius 10:25AM (11/23/2009)
Once again Toyotas quality proves its not all its cracked up to be...
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Ducatinova 10:42AM (11/23/2009)
Ok, what does this mean for Dana? what was the cause of the fault? did Dana use sub standard steel for that year or was there a change in production? Funny how no one is talking about Dana , who built the frames, and everyone is talking about Toyota,
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Serge 11:06AM (11/23/2009)
Did Dana build bad frames, or did they build them just like Toyota wanted? Probably a little bit of both and a whole lot of marketing BS about the greatest company in the world making the best stuff they could possibly make... in the end, all that matters to these guys are the revenues.
Tourian 11:27AM (11/23/2009)
It is bad for Dana, as it will probably meen the end of their relationship with Toyota - however, most of the time the press puts it all on the manufacturer of the whole product when it comes time to light torches and storm the castle. But we are talking Toyota here, they'll probably catch a break and more and more Americans will come to realize that car components mostly made by suppliers and not the name brand.
THEBlogAboutCars 11:04AM (11/23/2009)
Yet another complaint about Toyota, it would seem. The poor brand have been having a hard run these days, although I think they still have a reasonable reputation for quality even with this sort of thing happening.
Lauren
http://theblogaboutcars.com
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Frank 11:13AM (11/23/2009)
And the hits just keep coming! If Chrysler had all the recalls and investigations that Toyota has had the past two years everyone would say it's because they can't make a well-built a reliable car. But it's Toyota and many (not all) still make excuses for them.