2018 Paint Flake on Frame

I purchased a 2018 Tundra TRD Off-Road and replaced my 2017 TRD Off-Road with it. My 17 had the same issue, but I had the truck undercoated to protect it. I am the first owner of both of these trucks, the 17 had 14 miles on it when I got it last July, and the 18 had 240 miles because they had to drive it up from Missouri (I live in Iowa). I was hoping it was a one-off issue, but it definitely is not. Toyota has a quality issue with the manufacturing and/or paint (e-coat) process for the frames of their vehicles. I have also looked at 4Runners and they have the same issue. Every weld joint of the frame of any Tundra has paint flake. I have started a case (again) with Toyota and hopefully this time it goes somewhere. Last year it went nowhere so I got my truck undercoated to protect it from the salty winters. This issue needs to be resolved before Toyota has to replace frames on trucks in the next 5 to 10 years, again. Am I the only one who has this issue or does everyone have bare metal exposed at weld joints on their Tundras? Has anyone else pursued Toyota's service center for a resolution? Is there anyone with a 14, 15, or 16 that has had a couple years in salty winters or live near a saltwater beach that could check their frames and see if there is any detrimental rust shown around the weld joints? I can upload pictures later on if anyone wants to see.

 

I have a '17 TSS. I'll get under there and look over lunch. I haven't noticed anything when I was under there before, but I wasn't looking for it either. Were there specific trouble spots that always seemed to have flaking?

 

Anywhere there's a weld, you may see paint flake. Key parts are where control arm brackets are welded, along with around the bends under the front doors and you may be able to see it through the wheel wells on the back and front.

 

Toss up some pics when you get a few minutes if you don't mind.

 

I'm not sure it attached the first time.

 

It's errbody dude, My '07 has tons of it - it's only surface though. just scrape it and hit it with some undercoating if you're worried.

 

I think I'd probably just sand it and respray some undercoating on it TBH.

 

The crazy thing is I traded in an 04 Nissan Titan that had NO paint flake whatsoever. I was under it for 2 days before trading it in replacing the rear end on it. It's absurd to think a new truck would have this much flaking on Weld joints. I guess I see why they had to replace frames on trucks.

 

I've got a few on high-impact areas but they're not showing signs of rust. But this truck has been in OK its whole life and hasn't seen the salty roads that you see. The protected areas aren't flaking at all. I might put something thicker down on those high-impact areas at some point.

 

I think that's normal for undercarriage. You can sand them down and use something like this.

$7 Rust-Oleum 7776830 Stops Rust Spray Paint, 12 oz, Flat Black

https://www.amazon.com/Rust-Oleum-7...3144203&sr=1-2&keywords=rustoleum+spray+paint

 

Looks fairly normal. Maybe not normal for a near new vehicle. My 2010 is about the same as yours, so it shouldn't get any worse if you take corrosion control measures.

If you're specific about having the frame be immaculate, paint match and such, then use some satin rustoleum. I'm a believer that paint will always just come back off and rubberized undercoating (once compromised in any way) hides rust and traps water.

If I notice anything questionable on my frame or underside anywhere really, I wipe it with acetone, and then hit it with CRC SP-400.

 

Am i the only one that sees the irony that you're criticizing Toyota for a rust problem solved with a can of undercoat and you noticed this while replacing an entire rear end of another manufacturer's truck?

I know which problem i'd prefer to fix.

 

Huh? Why'd you quote me?

 

Oopsie... fixed.

Thanks

 

Good stuff. I'll likely end out hitting it with this after a quick wipe down.
https://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-heavy-duty-anti-rust-in-black.html

 

My Titan had over 266,000 miles on it, I had a sketchy person replace the pinion seal and didn't put a new crush washer in and it backed the pinion nut off within 3,000 miles. Trust me, I gave that Titan hell the 9 years I owned it. I just had to rebuild the rear end by putting new bushes and races and seals in and I drove it down and traded it in. I'm sure hauling a full size 86 bronco on a flat bed with a Harley in the bed of the truck 1,000 miles from Georgia with only stopping for fuel didn't help my case to tearing up the rear end either.

 

Reread the post you quoted. He was under the Titan, not the 1 year old Tundra................

 

Toyota's are notorious for this, but it's not something i'd worry about. I know you've got a brand new truck and all so just keep tabs on it and you should be fine.

POR-15 is amazing stuff that i've used in the past, many others on here rely on it as well.

$236 POR-15 Rust Preventive Coating, Stop Rust and Corrosion Permanently, Anti-rust, Non-porous Protective Barrier, 128 Fluid Ounces, Clear

https://www.amazon.com/POR-15-45101...ocphy=9028723&hvtargid=pla-315281190633&psc=1

 

The prevention measures I have taken is I have FinalCoat installed. It's an electronic rust deterrent system. Something about it sends pulses throughout the metal of the vehicle to keep bare metal from oxidizing. After looking into it and finding out independent labs such as Elite in Chicago did studies and proved it worked is what made me spend the $700 for it, they claim a 10 year warranty on it. Since I was using Elite for my testing I decided it was a good investment. I just do not feel like I should have to sand and paint a frame on a truck that I've owned less than a week that was brand new when I bought it.

I know E-Coat can be applied without it flaking off weld joints, but it may be a combination of getting the proper amount of shield gas during welding and then acid etching the bare metal before e-coating that needs to be done on Toyota's end. I just hope this bare metal doesn't rust out because overall I think Toyota is a great brand.

 

https://www.finalcoat.com/module.html

In case anyone is interested in the FinalCoat Electromagnetic system, here's a link to it.

 

Rub grease on all your joints. Better than paint! Or spray Fluid Film on everything and wipe it around with a cloth. Again, better than paint.

 

I have a similar issue with my 2021 Tundra. Two months old. Recently applied Blaster Surface Shield (similar to wolwax and fluid film) when I noticed the paint worn off or flaking off to various degrees on most of the welds of the frame and rear axel. At first I thought it might be a reaction to the Surface Shield since I noticed it about a week after first applying it. But having read this, maybe it's a defect from production? or maybe they're all like this? Going to take it to the dealer to look into this as well as the rear axel misalignment (right tire sticks out slightly more than left)