Just joined the Tundra bed rust community.....

Well, I just got my '08 back from body shop yesterday (towing incident back in November), and had a good news/bad news day.

Good news was the repair shop did a great job replacing right side fender and bumper on bed (along with other associated stuff). Also good news, they found a magnetic key box under bed that held spare valet key, which I didn't know was there. Previous owner must have hid it and dealer that sold it to me also wasn't aware of it. So, I now have all three original keys for truck.

Bad news: When they started to remove box to replace fender, they found extensive rust to the bed supports and mounting bolts areas I wasn't aware of. Truck came with factory bed liner, and I hadn't had the chance to remove it to check under it. There isn't a lot of surface rust visible inside the bed, all the damage is to the supporting elements underneath. Other 'good' news is they said the main frame rails are in good shape. Apparently the PO did have the frame undercoated.

The body shop was able to reinstall the box, but suggested that I not put any heavy loads in it. They said it is only a matter of time before the existing mounts will no longer be able to support the bed in place. Not what I wanted to hear.

They suggested I think about replacing the box, if I intend to keep the truck, with either a new one or try to find a good used one. They also indicated that trying to repair the damage to the bed supporting supports wouldn't be easy to do.

I did some quick searching, and there doesn't appear to be many used bed assemblies in my area.

I guess my question to the forum is, can the bed supports be replaced, or am I looking at a new bed? I haven't, because of current weather, been able to get underneath to look at the damage myself, so not sure how extensive it really is.

I really like the truck, and replacing it at this time is not financially feasible for me. I have owned two 4th gen 4Runners prior to the Tundra, and am fully aware of the frame rust issues they have. I had to take the last one off the road a year ago, when it would no longer pass a safety inspection because of the extensive frame rust.

Bummed out in NEPA.

 

Welcome from SoCal!

 

Pics?

Was it a drop-in liner?

I bought an old Dodge Dakota that was used as a service truck. It had a drop in liner. When I removed it I found both wheel arches rotted out. Kind of a bummer since the rest of the truck is relatively rust free. I plan to patch it with sheet metal and epoxy, then do a spray-in liner since there's only paint on there now.

On yours, are the bed supports part of the frame? Pics would help for sure.

 

Yes, it is a drop in bed liner. But from what I see, and from others reporting on their vehicles with same issues, the bed liner is not the problem. These beds and underneath supports are rotting from below. There are also multiple owners reporting that they had similar rust issues with spray-in liners. In my case, the PO installed a rigid bed cover which completely covers the bed, and the edges, so any rain just runs down the outside of the fenders and tailgate, not into the bed itself. I only have a few pics from the body shop, which are difficult to see the problem. I will take some pics of my own, once I get some decent weather.

 

You could put a newer body style bed on there! You could then even update your fenders and grill and hood and make it look like a brand new truck. Find a couple of donors in the junkyard.
I do imagine a good fabricator could remake the mounts underneath the bed. Not sure if they sell them separately.

 

Bummer, but welcome from CO

 

Yep...It's an issue. I had my box replaced on my 2008 under warranty several years ago. I live in MN, so it didn't take long for the rust to show up. It was a design flaw that rusted from the bottom up. If you use a bed liner or spray-in liner, you wouldn't catch it until it was too late. I believe it was redesigned for the 2011 model year. I have the new re-designed box now.

 

Welcome from TEXAS

 

I found a white used bed online and had it shipped from Texas to NY for around $2k. Had the bottom and bed shot with Line-X and installed. Quick polish and the paint was almost a perfect match so I didn’t incur paint costs. I also just had the frame replaced so it made sense to get rid of all of the cancer. If it makes sense replace it. If it doesn’t make sense, trade it in on something in better shape (if feasible) before it becomes a real problem.

 

It's posts like this that remind me how good it is to live in California, and not have to worry about rust as much.

Welcome from SoCal!

 

Welcome from Ohio

 

Welcome from Nevada

 

Ok, so when they replaced the box on your '08, they installed a newer 2011 box. Did they have to replace the tail lights along with the new bed, or did the ones from '08 fit the newer box? I also wonder about the fitment for the '08 tailgate on the newer box.

 

it all fits from 2007-2013.

 

I am not sure that a 12 year old truck would warrant that much work. And, except for the rust under the bed, the truck is in very good shape. From 20 ft, you would be hard pressed to find any imperfections in the body, it is that good.

 

Wow, I did not know that. I guess that will widen my search possibilities quite a bit.

Thanks.

 

I gotta say that I am very surprised, and glad to find the amount of participation from members in my short time here. When I first bought the truck, I searched for some Tundra specific forums, and joined a few, but none of them have come close to the level of activity that I see here. I, as I mentioned earlier, was a 4Runner owner since '03 when I bought an SR5 new. I tried several forums at that time, and finally settled on TR4.org. I have been an active member there since then, even after I traded my last 4Runner in on this Tundra, I still check in regularly. I liked TR4.org because the community was ready to welcome new members, and always ready to offer help and advice to those who asked. So far, I get the same feeling here, and i like it.

 

As long as I am on a roll, I have another question about the truck beds. While looking up parts to repair my bed, or replacement beds, I keep seeing two different bed options. One with a 'Sport Package' option, and one without. How does one know what you have? Since I didn't buy the truck new, I am not sure what options I actually have. All I know for sure is that it is an '08 SR5 Double Cab, with the 5.7 engine and the 6.5' bed, and a chrome trim rear bumper. Thee are TRD Off Road stickers on the rear bed fenders.

Is there a vin decode site that will give you the original equipment as delivered information based on the vin #?

Thanks again.

PS: I did a search for the '08 Tundra sales brochure, and now have the answer I was looking for. Thanks again.

 

Doesn’t matter. All of the beds are the same for Gen 2 Tundras

 

Welcome from Florida!

The truck bed are sold in section from the dealer, you can probably order just the bottom part and have the body shop remove and replace it from your old one. But it might still cost you the same as getting a used complete bed. But it will be new without the risk of getting shipped with a rusted mounting points.

 

My original '08 lights fit in the new box. As for the tailgate...I seem to remember that being new as well, but can't recall.

 

Thanks;

I gather, from what info others have posted, that the beds from '07-'13 are interchangable, as long as they are from the same model configuration.

 

I believe that is correct as they didn't redesign the box until 2014. Thanks!

 

My 08’ 5.7...current status

As you can see, severe rust issues in 3 spots all near bed mounting fasteners. Rust initiated from underside of the bed and started bubbling up under the Line-x which was applied when I bought the truck new. Started cutting away so damage could be viewed. This is just 1 of 3 problem area’s. Bed cross members are trashed and will be replaced with available kit or new ones will be engineered. Holes will be capped with new matching metal bed pans sectioned out and welded. New Rhino liner will then be applied including underside of bed.

As for the truck frame itself, I was fortunate. Mainly just surface corrosion with a couple of areas on the cross members suffering from more extensive damage but no perforations and structurally sound. Frame was cleaned up with some grinding and mostly wire brushed. A good quality industrial rust inhibitor was then applied. The frame and other various parts will also be getting Rhino lined. Approximately six weeks with truck being out of commission.

 

Super clean truck otherwise! Mine was the same situation except the frame was rotted bad enough to warrant a replacement care of Toyota. I footed the bill for the replacement bed and linexed everything top and bottom to hopefully mitigate or at least slow the rust looking forward.

 

Yep, Toyota "quality".
I didn't know about nor notice the rust in my bed until after I bought the truck. Not All of these trucks are bad but after spending so time here on the forum I've learned a lot. Tundra's have a serious rust issue that Toyota appears to not want to own up to at least if you're out of warranty. Buyers really need to be educated before buying a used one. I didn't think a truck that spent most of it's life in Portland Oregon could be so rusty.
I have some buyers remorse with my truck. I'm just hoping my bed won't collapse any time soon. I just can't justify putting any money into repairing the rust.
I'm really hoping for a class action law suit to address it.

 

New here... First post. Thank you all for great info and cjcanu01 for the picture update. I recently bought a 2011 dbl cab Rock Warrior. I took off the plastic Toyota bed liner yesterday and discovered massive rust at the joints similar to the pictures shared above. Looked under and it’s bad too.

Main question(s) is where can I find reliable info on TOYOTA warranty. Truck only has 64k miles but lived in upstate New York the past 9yrs. Rust is bad in other places near rear bumper.

Also looking for diy on removing the box so I can better assess undercarriage damage.

Cheers!

 

If you have any frame issues you may be covered for 12 years after date it was put in service.
The bed rust, AFAIK, is SOL after 5 years.

 

@TechWrench I'm also in NEPA, I will keep my eyes open for beds on Facebook and Craigslist for ya

 

Thanks, I took a quick look underneath, while working on installing a backup camera, the other day, and it doesn't look as bad as the body shop led me to believe. Once the weather warms up a bit more, I will get it up on jackstands, and take a closer look and see what is going on.