What's going on here?

First we have bad sun visors. Now rust?

I've also noticed my paint collects a lot of
dirt on the surface. After it rains, it really
gets spotty. I've tried washing it and it looks
good for a while. But then the dirt starts
showing up again.

Some of you guys really don't care if your frame has rust on it? It bugs the heck out of me, especially since it is on pretty much every weld under the 4runner. Sure it is fine now, but if i just leave it, it will just keep getting worse. If toyota would have just spent a few more bucks and put another coat on there or bothered completely covering it, we wouldn't be having so many frame rust issues. Nobody should be seeing rust on their 3 month old vehicle, and nobody should be ok with it, just accepting toyotas cheapness and lazyness.

I would say having a rusting frame after 3 months, in an environment that doesn't normally produce much rust, is a serious issue, and shouldn't be compared to that stupid sunvisor thread...

Dear Whiplash Willy,
If the rust bothers you that much, could you have a body shop look at it? Additionally, you could always wire brush it an hit it with paint. I understand you are concerned and obviously plan to keep your vehicle for a while. In my country, rust is not an issue, but I imagine you could get a third-party to spray some type of rust proofing on the affect areas?

I know I could fix it, I just need to spend time or money, neither of which I have much of anymore....The thing is, I shouldn't have to be fixing rust on a brand new vehicle. It should come with a decent chassis coat that doesn't need to be immediately treated, to make it as durable as it should have been when it left the factory line...

Am I really that insane for thinking a brand new $38k vehicle shouldn't be starting to rust after only 3 months of summer driving?

Considering Toyotas track record with frame rust, I would think others would be concerned as well at the first sight of frame rust.

I did not know Toyota had such a problem with rust, but based on your last comment, I performed a quick review. It appears the Tacoma and a couple other models have had some serious rust issues to the extent that there was a buyback. I guess I would be concerned myself.

Jeez I didn't think you were serious! The rust on my frame does not cause me any concern. I have owned BOF vehicles for many years and every single one of them rusts. If you want no rust underneath then get a unibody vehicle. They are made with HSLA steel that inhibits rust. Our frames and suspension components are made with mild steel and will rust at the first nick. Is this your first BOF vehicle? They are heavy duty but will rust. You need to worry if you start getting deep pitting. That little bit in your pictures is no big deal. I had my SR5 two winters (lots of salt) and even though some of the components were rusted none were abnormally so. You could get it painted but you run the risk of the paint chipping or cracking, which will cause pockets and trap moisture causing it to rust worse. Toyota frames and suspension are no different than any other vehicle (Dodge, GM, Ford, Nissan and my 1984 4Runner) with respect to rust that I have owned. I am confident these vehicles will be fine 15 years from now in respect to rust on the frame. OCD can be treated.

WW

#1) I find that some people look at minor problems w/ Toyota and Honda and scream bloody murder because the quality was talked up to them. As a result they seem to have the expectation that the vehicle will be perfect forever. If it's not, regardless of how much better than any other vehicle they've had it is, they scream bloody murder. Toyotas are supposed to be Perfect! Light rust on a new vehicle undercarriage is not uncommon at all, but some how Toyota is supposed to be perfect...


#2) I don't think your frame is rusting (yet). Please look at this picture of the door frame on my '12 Toyota Tacoma:




Notice the little spots of rust in the paint (sorry, I know its not the best picture). When I first started seeing these spots on my '07 Tacoma I got upset! WTF? The paint was rusting out already? Up high, away from the road? Then I realized it's not rusting through - it's dust sized speck of metal stuck in the paint. About 15min of work with a clay bar will completely remove it from the paint (I'm lazy and haven't clay barred my truck lately). I think this is what you are seeing in your frame paint.

So where are these metal specs coming from and why are they sticking in your paint?

Thank the EPA!

The EPA has put such stringent requirements on paint that all new car paints are noticeably thinner and softer than they used to be. As such specs of stuff stick in it a lot easier than paint that you may remember from even 20 years ago. There are lots sources of fine metal particulates, but one of the most common are the carbon metallic hybrid brake pads that are found on most automobiles today, driving in heavy traffic with everyone using their brakes over a long period of time theses little specs accumulate in the nooks and crannies of the paint on the welds. If you wanted to put the time in you could probably clay bar most of that rust out of the paint.

Now, that is NOT to say that running a season or two through bad winters and salted up roads isn't gonna put a coating of rust on your frame - it will. Again, Toyota is limited to the paint that they are allowed to use.

David

Nailed it!!!!

I have owned 3 Toyota BOF Vehicles.

1. 93 Toyota Pickup
When I owned it, it was close to 20 years old, and the frame was immaculate, the body actually ahd more rust on it then the frame. That must have been back when they used the good stuff.

2. 2001 4runner SR5
When I owned it, it was about 10 years old. It had mild rust around the welds and other parts of the frame, however it lived most of its life in Tacoma, which is by the coast and the rust was probley a result of 10 years of exposure to salty air. Hopefully my 5th gen will look like that in 10 years.

3. 2013 4runner

I know BOFs are prone to rusting, I just didn't think it would start so soon, especially where I live, where no salt is used the few times a year it snows. I am not by the coast, so it isn't exposed to salt air.

The parts of my frame that are rusting are the parts that the Chassis Coating didn't cover. I believe the rust came fro the exposure of those missed areas to the salty air during my 4nr's trip to the US, and maybe while it was sitting at the dock. There is a part of my frame that is missing paint, from the first and last time I let someone else put my 4nr on jack stands. That bare metal is clean.

I'm sorry, I just don't think it is too much to ask that Toyota coats the entire chassis when applying the chassis coat at the factory. If that makes me OCD, so be it.

I know this rust isn't from surface contamination that settled on the paint, and rusting on the surface. I am an amateur detailed and am pretty familiar with that.

Maybe you should buy an american built truck so it doesn't have to sail across the ocean and endure all that rusting

If it makes you feel any better I recall my welds looking pretty much how yours look when I was under there installing my sliders only a couple months after I picked up my 4runner from the dealer, which was fresh off the boat.

I'm pretty sure if the tiny chips of paint were not missing from the factory, you'd eventually chip it off yourself just by driving and having pebbles and other road debris bounce up.

Why worry about the uncontrollable? Why not just enjoy your vehicle and life and worry about it in 10-20 years, if/when it actually becomes an issue? There's more important things in life man

New to the forum, but I'm also having rust issue on my 2010 Limited. On my last trip to the dealer in July they noted that I was having rust issues on the under body frame (see pictures below). They recommended I take it to a body shop down the road where they install Rhino liners. After the guy at the body shop took a look at it, he said the rust issue was really only on the areas of the frame where it was welded and bolted together and suspected that they neglected to treat those areas during the manufacturing process. He said I should contact Toyota corporate. I contacted them, they sent me back to dealer where the head of the service department took some pictures of the frame and later discussed it with the regional service head. They said there was nothing they could do about it and recommended I treat it with POR-15. I'm pretty pissed off that a truck under 3yrs old and 30K miles would develop this type of a rust issue. I'm going to keep after it with Toyota corporate but wonder if anyone can provide some insight/recommendations.

Thanks,

-Dale

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I recently painted most of the rusting frame welds on my 2010. Seems like a fairly easy and cheap fix. I may have to touch it up now and then but it should do the trick. However, the rusting I had was just along the weld lines and no where as bad as yours.

Out of curiosity, do you rinse off your under carriage as soon as practical, after driving in the snow with all that road salt? I know it's not always possible due to the weather, but i try to give the under carriage a good rinse after I've driven out on the salted roads.

That's just not possible for me.

If I lived in a area where salt was being used in the winter and bought a new car. I would immediately put it on a lift and spray 4 bottles or so of 3M under coating under neath everything metal. Pretty easy to do when the car is new and has a clean under body.

I did this when I shipped a new car to Europe from the states.