Piles of Tundra Frames!

Bought my truck just over a week ago and right after I did, I found a crap ton of Tundra rotted frames out behind my selling dealer from what appears to be 2007+ Tundras. What's the inside story on Tundra Frames???

 

There was a recall on the frames rusting through. I've never actually herd someone getting there whole frame replaced normally they would just cut and weld bad areas or apply undercoating to prevent it. Cool to see they actually do the recall the right way. If that is what's going on

 

That exactly what they do around me.

 

I'm thinking those are Tacoma frames.
My first truck was a 99 Tacoma I got it in 2003. It was bought back by toyota in 2008 for 110% KKB, which was only a couple grand less than what I paid for it originally. They also gave me $1500 cash towards a new Tacoma, so I got a 2008 that was a demo at a great price. You would think after buying back thousands of trucks at above blue book that toyota would be sure to rectify the frame issues right?....nope, in 2016 I got a letter saying my 08 was up for a frame recall/inspection. I took it in, they said it needed to be replaced and would take a few months to do the work and would give me a rental car....that's when I saw my 2015 tundra in the side lot, it was just traded in on a 2016 for the larger gas tank. I negotiated a trade for my rusted frame taco with 85k miles, they gave me $6k less than I paid for it 8 years earlier. Then they sold it a week later without replacing the frame first, which I still can not believe. I ended up seeing my truck at a store and talked to the guy. He bought the taco, got a letter a month later and ended up getting a new frame for it. Anyway what I'm trying to say is that toyota replaced thousands of frames on 2nd gen tacomas, while some just got an "undercoating" sprayed on. The 1st gens they just bought the whole truck back. I know tundras aren't immune to rust issues but they weren't getting frames replaced like the tacos were.

 

I thought the recall was on Tacoma’s not tundras. Sounds like @Pudge has the whole story

 

SON OF A......

 

Last month I was on I-40 between Memphis and Little Rock and saw a TON of 18wheelers hauling flatbeds full of painted frames headed northbound. Today I was on I-30 headed south out of Little Rock and met a few truckloads of frames headed northbound. Both times I've wondered if they were Toyota truck frames because they were coming south to north like they could possibly be from SA Texas, assuming that is where they make the replacement frames.

 

My 2008 frame has held up fine but I removed the rubberized undercoating applied by the previous owner and repainted it. More Tacoma frames were affected than Tundra frames were. If you're worried about your truck take a hammer and chisel to the frame and see if you can perforate it.

http://www.toyotaframesettlement.com/home/faqs/

 

Look at all that swiss cheese!!

 

My 07 Tundra had the frame recall, it was inspected, and just received the undercoating. They gave me a Tacoma as a rental for 4 days while they applied it. They wanted to give me a car, but it was deer season and I said I'd throw a deer in the trunk of that's what they have me. My buddies 05 got a full frame replacement, he got a corolla.

 

Any chance you could post a close picture up of a coated area? I've always wondered if it's a thick coating that would ultimately accelerate the problem underneath it, or, if it's a thin breathable material.

 

i traded in the 07 a year ago, never took a picture. It was a thick rubber/oily mess.

 

I had an 07 Tacoma and didnt receive the replacement notice until 2017. I had researched it back in 2011 and didnt see mine as part of it. I stupidly thought the notices didnt apply to me. Plus my frame had always looked good when changing the oil.

So I get ready to sell it to a buddy this past June for $8 500 (a little low but it had been wrecked pretty bad and repaired before) and he had a Toyota tech friend check the frame. It had a hole rusted through one side of the fat part of the frame where it climbs upward toward the engine area. He checked about replacement and it was 26 days past the cutoff date. I tried my best with Toyota but they were firm onnthe cutoff date.

So he backed out. I hit a couple body shops on the way home and they all said they dont weld on frames. The last shop said it wasnt that bad and he would clean it up with a needle tool then coat everything, put it up for sale (full disclosure of course) and wouldnt take less than $9k for it.

So I decided to take his advice. I never got to it because the next morning I hit a huge doe on the way to work and did $6,300 in damage. It was an 07 access cab with 161k on it and still wasn't totaled. Everything was smashed inward but it still ran and drove smoothly.

I took my insurance check for $5,860, put the truck up for sale on facebook as-is and I was shaking hands on the deal 6 hours later for $3,100. So, I essentially lost out on selling it for $8,500 and in the end got $8,960 out of it. A fortuitous deer strike, for sure.

Used part of the cash along with trade equity on my 16 Mustang GT to put 10k down on my 19 Tundra. Now spending most of the rest on accessories and mods. I have a pile of stuff ready to install once the bed liner arrives.
Pics or it didn't happen...




The day before the smashup..

 

There was also a frame rust recall on 1st Gen Tundras, they replaced any defective frame and applied some sort of protectant to others.

 

I have the under coating on my truck. Before they applied it there was not much rust at all. Not sure about now bit I hope not.

 

^^^ that coating looks good, not thick or rubber like ^^^

 

Nope its actually dry now after a summer and I feel it would take alot to get it off.

 

I really hope that coating works out for you Mike. Keep and eye for bubbling and internal cancer. Have seen a lot of "undercoating" sprays go south in a hurry because they can just mask the rust and even trap moisture and dirt between the spray and the metal. Hopefully yours was done right and it holds up.

 

It looks like a breathable material. Non-glossy. Not like the aftermarket companies that spray a permanent shiny hard coat on them. I thinks it is a positive thing here.

 

And if not I will be talking with Beck toyota

 

My 2004 tundra had the frame replaced.When i took it in for the inspection the service manager said it wasn't bad but found afew small pinholes so it would be replaced. I always took care of the frame,always power washed and then coated with used oil.Glad they replaced it tho