FRAME REPLACEMENT DENIED??

My local Toyota dealer found frame perforation on my 2008 Tundra... but Toyota officially stated that it is not covered by the recall/customer-satisfaction-program because I purchased the vehicle after May 2017. My truck is essentially totaled out and deemed unsafe to drive - has this happened to anyone else??

 

Contact Toyota or file a complaint with your states attorney general on the stealership. My neighbor had a similar issue happen to him not Toyota though. He battled it out with the dealership. He contacted the PA attorney general and eventually the stealership had to purchase the vehicle back since they shouldn't have sold it in that condition. Keep documents on anything you receive, document phone calls.

 

I did contact Toyota Customer Care... after weeks of calling the dealer and Toyota trying to get an answer, I finally was told officially that Toyota will not cover my frame because the truck was purchased after May of 2017.

 

The frame may have been GOOD when inspected prior to MAY 2017 and deemed OK no new one needed.

 

When I was in CT and my wife still had her Yaris we dropped her car off at a dealership there where a High school friend of mine worked in SE CT. There was a guy who abandoned his truck there for the same issue my friend told me and this particular Tundra was an 07 and they denied him as well. Long story short the guy didn't owe anything on the truck and it was abandoned and the note said "It's yours now Toyota." The customer shut off insurance on it and and cancelled the reg on it and bought a new truck from sales. Not saying you should do that but the situation your in reminded me of this from few years ago.
EDIT: The reason I know about this was I was interested in that truck when we showed up there. Wasn't after my friend told me about the frame

 

I wonder if it was the same situation? Seems pretty insane that only the trucks covered are those who weren't sold after the settlement date.

 

Nope, they made it very clear, it was denied only because it was purchased after that date. It took them nearly 4 weeks to come to this conclusion, and the decision came from the "Legal Team".

 

Not sure if the date purchase was a factor or not but he was denied and then just left it on dealership property with no reg nor insurance. Apparently Tow companies in the area would not pick it up just to have it take space on their lot either. I kind of wonder what happened to it.

 

That seems silly to just leave the truck, or basically give it away. The truck still has valve, even if it’s just salvage.
Maybe he thought he was making a point.

 

I thought it was silly to just leave it too and yeah it was probably to make a point or he had a lot of money to the point where he wanted to make a point and it wouldn't hurt him financially. I will never know his thoughts on it though.

 

I am so surprised by this even if it was ok in 2017 it's not ok. Now so Toyota should stand behind it no matter what time it is. If this was me I would be contacting a lawyer quickly .

 

Well as it seems Toyota Corp. Wont do anything have a lawyer call the dealership you purchased it from.

 

Did you buy it from the dealership?
Taking mine in for the third time for the frame inspection. I know it won’t pass and am ready for a fight
I bought mine private sale July 2017

 

I purchased it from a different dealer, and while I could go back on them, I'd rather have this Tundra with a new frame than have to fight with the seller to get my money back, then go out and find another truck.

Leo, please keep me up-to-date... I need to know if I'm being singled-out or not

 

I'm not sure why you think that it's an unlimited warranty. Try getting Ford or GM to replace the frame on a 12 year old truck, lol, not going to happen. Around here 12 year old trucks are plow trucks that never see the highway again. In fact it's not uncommon to see pickups that have been sitting in the same place for so long that the frame is sitting on the ground because they's sunk that far. I'm sorry for your loss and maybe you can fight it. Most likely you are going to have to go to the dealer you bought it from and prove that it was unsafe when you bought it (which will be hard).

 

There does "appear" to be a cut off date when truck is purchased. Does suck.

 

I understand all of it completely but as a guy with an 08 with only 82k miles I personally would be so mad about the outcome of this. And I will be really upset if mine does rust after the " coating " they did to mine. And they say well sorry about ya.

 

Just to be clear, my truck meets every single stipulation mentioned in the Warranty Enhancement Program ZH7... but there is a loophole that they are using from the frame lawsuit settlement that defines the "class" as being those who have purchased their vehicles before the official settlement date. Other Tundra owners in this forum have received frames despite purchasing their trucks after this date.

 

Maybe if one of our members who wasn't in the settlement class can chime in as to what dealer still performed the swap for them. If even a couple hundred miles away contact that dealer to see if they will do the swap out for you.

 

I would consult a lawyer.

 

I'll be talking to one today... just thought I'd try to find some precedents of other Tundra owners in a similar situation who either were or weren't denied.

 

I'm no lawyer but once the "class" is determined and a settlement is reached it could cost a small fortune to go back and fight it. There is no loop hole. The "class" participants was agreed to by lawyers for both sides. Getting a lawyer to fight the class settlement after the party is over will be not easy.

 

Yes and no... the Warranty Enhancement Program doesn't mention anything about whether the truck was sold or not. And I've found other Tundra owners who in fact purchased their truck after the settlement date and still had their frames covered.

 

Agreed, but getting a lawyer to take on a class action settlement would be pretty slim. You need to find the closest dealer that will do the swap IMHO. There is a small window going for you. Why are some dealers doing the swap for individuals who purchased their Tundra after the settlement date and fall outside the "class".

 

I personally think the stealership should have done a thorough inspection prior to taking it in on trade. If they did and offered pennies on the dollar for it then turned around and sold it at full retail price knowing about the issue then that's grounds for lawsuit. That recall should have been divulged to the new buyer.

 

Have you run the VIN on the Toyota owner site to see if the warranty work has already been done? My understanding is the program was an either or affair. If the frame is considered 'good' they sprayed the CRC treatment, if it was 'bad' it got replaced. That fulfilled the terms of the settlement and if your frame rusted though after the CRC treatment you're out of luck. I don't think I've read anywhere of any Tundra/Sequoia/Tacoma getting a new frame after the treatment.

 

I have, the treatment was never done

 

Did you buy it from a Toyota dealer?
If you did I'd say you've got a decent case, since they should have known about it.

If not you're probably out of luck unless you you after the dealer itself.