2016 Rear Bumper and Backup Monitor

This is my 3rd tundra, last one was a 2014. The rear bumper is a joke along with the BSM. Poor design. I just wrote off the dealer I bought it from with their BS response.

I had backed into the driver door of a Jeep Grand Cherokee into the plastic molding in a parking lot in Boston MA. A very gentle bump with the sun in my eyes which did no damage to the Cherokee, but my Tundra looked like a train wreck. It broke the underlying resin support damaging my side panel in the process. My own mechanic did the work and I bought a replacement part from the dealer I purchased the truck from. It cracked the plastic adaptor for the sonar in the middle section, which Toyota doen't sell separately. They want to sell you the whole deal for $ 150 plus. My guy unplugged the sonar to get the part number off of it, and I bought the whole thing on ebay for $ 20 or so, but when unplugged the 5 indicator on the dash went off. I asked the dealer to reset, and got no attempt to do same.

I was aggravated to say the least when the jr. service advisor wanted it to go to the body shop at my expense and then back for re-calibration taking 3 men and a boy all at my expense. Even thought there is now a recall, and it doesn't take a genius to recognize this is a bad design from the get-go, they are quick to recite that it was in an accident and I should be happy to pay the dealership for the time to fix Toyota's " Stupid Design".

I opened a complaint with Toyota and have a case number, but they seem to want you to work with the dealer. The same jr. bird man called back with the same BS and I am now done with that dealership. Going to talk to the dealer I bought my first tundra and who went to bat for me a number of times with the 2007.

We will see where this goes, but may be my last Toyota.

 

The resin corners on the rear bumper are a joke, a half baked idea at best. Trucks should have real bumpers IMO. The BSM is the primary culprit in this scenario since it doesn't work through metal. It's a lot like a boats depth finder and there are lots of interesting ways to install those without putting a hole in the boat. What would help me tremendously would be to know what the beam pattern that's projected from the sending unit. I have an idea that the unit could be mounted into the corner step of a bumper like the Go Rhino rear bumper and then covered (for protection) with a plastic similar to the outside of the OEM bumper end. However, testing this theory is a little expensive i.e. new bumper, some customization, and recalibration. I've been waiting for someone else to be the guinea pig. I really like the BSM when on the highway and don't wanna give it up but, I really want a solid bumper too. Who knows, maybe I'll end up being the canary in the coal mine.

 

Welcome BTW.

 

I realize this was back in February but I just bought a 16 TRD last month and was rear ended yesterday, go figure. I'm in the same boat as you. Any luck finding an aftermarket rear bumper with BSM compatibility? I've only found 1 from ICI "Magnum" but can't find many reviews on it other than the powder coat sucking. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

OEM parts can be way over priced. I think we all know that. I tore the trailer light hookup off my first Tacoma on the hunting ranch. #1 the mounting location sucks and #2 the OEM part with short wire harness was $200. I went to Wal Mart and bought aftermarket for just over $10. I had to strip wires and add connector but no biggie. A month ago I priced a replacement sway bar link and OEM was $100 more.

 

I'm in the same boat with the rear bumper, While in Asheville someone backed into my truck with what looks like a trailer hitch. punched a nice hole in the bumper, drivers side right where the outer sensor is. funny thing is, the sensor is still working. Took it in yesterday to have it appraised and it came back at $2,100. This is BS. Now looking for maybe an aftermarket bumper that will accept sensors and is a little more rugged than the factory bumper. I am still having the work done but would like to take it off afterwards and save since the rear bumper seems to be so delicate and expensive. Any suggestions on a good aftermarket bumper that will work with the 2017 and BSM. I realize I will probably have to replace both front and rear so the truck doesn't look hacked.