Every vehicle I've ever owned, it stated right in the owner's manual that for the longest service life, the vehicle needs to be maintained. That not only includes preventive maintenance of the mechanical parts, but maintaining the body and frame by washing off corrosion inducing chemicals as necessary.

The manufacturers know that even with the best rustproofing methods available, if a vehicle is driven in highly corrosive conditions, and little to no effort is made by the owner to clean the vehicle as needed, it will eventually rust away. That's why they are only warranted for rust for a limited amount of time. They have determined that even with complete neglect, the vehicle can usually make it through the rust warranty period.

Look, I used to work on consumer cars for a living. I saw all makes and models rusted out due to neglect. I still have friends in the auto repair business that tell me the same thing today.

Some people do a better job than others of maintaining their vehicles. Some people just put gas in them and drive. Maybe they get the oil changed once in awhile. But wash the undercarriage in the middle of Winter?!?!, that would be cold and inconvenient..

Of course when the neglectful Owners vehicles do rust out, they blame the manufacturer. Instead of their own neglect.

Toyota's can last a long time, if they are maintained. If not, they will eventually reach the point of being beyond reasonable repair. As with any make or model.

The newest 3rd gen is now 13 years old. 13 years is well beyond Toyota's rust warranty period.

I'm not trying to piss in your Cheerios, I'm just explaining the reality of the situation. I'm guessing that you are probably not the first owner of your 4Runner, and that it was neglected by the previous Owner(s).

My advice if you don't want to have the rust fixed, is to buy the new 4Runner, and maintain it better than your current one was.

Good luck.

^^ I totally agree with you. A car can only be as reliable as its owner. Now most of us here are probably the most loving to our vehicles but the previous owners may not have been.

My mother is the perfect example of someone who bought a toyota with the plan of neglecting as much "preventative medicine" as possible. Toyota has a reputation who's coattail she plans to ride as long as possible.

I've had my 4Runner for about 6 weeks and have washed it 5 times...feeling borderline obsessive

Just joined this forum after doing a google search and it seems my control arm has just done the exact same thing last Friday. Advice was given to me to sue through small claims court. I just bought this truck not even a year ago and it looked just fine in that area before. Since this is known and/or becoming very common, maybe we all can do something about it.

Sue for WHAT?!

That vehicle is 15 years old, and driven in the rust belt! Should Toyota be expected to build vehicles that last forever in those conditions?

Washing and spraying your frame off to keep this under control isnt really a solution to this frame rust problem. These frames are rusting inside out in the same area. Salt is collecting in that area of those rear brackets. Not much you can do besides attempting to spray water through those little holes in the frame to move the buildup around. Unless you dumped oil down your frame since new or didnt drive it much in the winter months you too probably have rot...its just not through your frame for you to see yet

With over 100 of the same complaints filed with the NHTSA SOLELY for a single production year of 2000, and also with them recalling 01-02 4Runners for this problem even though the previous years have the same chassis, there is definitely grounds. When lives are put in danger because of carelessness, you can. Besides, Toyota would more than likely pay out the small claims maximum your state allows and then you would be ok. People have sued for worse things, such as depreciation. This is also an isolated rust incident, not a random corrosion of the frame. This is a design flaw.

The only way lives are put in danger is if you drive a vehicle that isn't serviceable. Take responsibility for your own actions and stop blaming everyone else. If there's any carelessness here it's on YOUR part.

100 complaints out of MILLIONS of vehicles sold. Toyota owes you absolutely nothing. You've been out of warranty for TEN YEARS!

And go ahead and try to sue for depreciation. 4Runners with 200k miles on them still bring good money if they're properly taken care of. You'd be laughed out of court trying to make that argument.

Just face reality for a change and accept the fact that you have a vehicle that was driven in a corrosive environment and wasn't properly cared for, and there's no one to blame but yourself. It's the equvilent of someone in FL backing into the ocean to launch a boat once a week and then *****ing because the bumper and rear brakes rust. NO SHIT!! Salt water is corrosive.

Sorry to hear such angry language directed towards someone else. You still seem to forget that this is a design flaw, rather than usual neglect. Sure if my frame rusted out from neglect it is on the previous owners, but to have other trucks that have zero surface rust, separate at that spot, that is a different story. You can act all high and mighty over in Florida where this isn't a problem for you, yet, but the fact remains that this is a design flaw that endangers consumers. I'd ask you to re-evaluate your opinion as sometimes you may not know who you are speaking with. You could be talking to a corrosion prevention engineer without knowing it.

Watching people take advantage of the courts make me angry. You cost us ALL money.

And you are speaking to an engineer with about 15 years in corrosive environments. I did salt water desalinization for several years, then designed products for the marine industry for 7, and spent the last 7 in automotive, so I honestly don't care who I'm speaking to.

Until manufacturers switch to aluminum for frames, trucks driven on salted roads WILL RUST if not taken care of.

So just let me ask...in your expert opinion, what would be the acceptable life of the frame? How long should Toyota be responsible for it? Obviously 15 years at least, but would 20 be enough? Maybe even 50?

They're legally responsible through the warranty period, and that's it. Anything beyond that is good will on the part of the company, and that's the cold hard reality of the matter.

And also, are you the original owner of your vehicle?

So then I would assume you should agree that the concentration of the fault is a design flaw? Why else would it so commonly fail there, and not anywhere else on the frame? The fact that Toyota knows about this internally could help. Yes I understand that it is 'my fault' for purchasing a bad vehicle, but I am not too sure many have the ability to look inside the frame for perforation. The reason this was not included in the original lawsuit with Dana is because it wasn't found. We now see it. Yes 15 years is past Toyota's design limitations (at that time) so you are correct in that fact, but when a part fails and endangers a consumer that is another thing. Not all of our 3rd Gens are 15 years old yet.

These frames weren't even made by Dana, not even on the same continent. 4Runners were built in Japan. The recalled vehicles had frames from Mexico and were assembled in the US. They weren't covered under the recall because they're not the same.

So how long is Toyota responsible for keeping consumers safe?

The youngest 3rd gen was built 13 years ago.

This is not true. The 3rd gen 4Runners were final assembled in Japan. The Dana Corp had nothing to do with the production.

Now, you may surmise that because the frame treatment was done by Toyota, and that another company could not be blamed, they may be a little more reluctant to offer this campaign. And, again, the Tacoma program was a customer satisfaction campaign, not a recall.

Let's keep the facts straight.

I live a little south of Milwaukee, as I have for most of my 50 - something years. Rust never sleeps. I wash my vehicles frequently, especially in winter. And, I treat the known weak areas annually. My Tacoma corroded and failed at a completely different rate than any other vehicle I have ever owned, with the exception of my '65 Mustang.

Again, I just stated at the time that 15 years was the limitation. What about the 4Runners that aren't 15 years old?

Just because they were built in Japan does not mean they weren't designed by the same contractor. I forgot to mention it gets even more convoluted when you involve Hino as well since they are legally separate from Toyota.

Although I am glad that your 4Runner is ok, and luckily I am in the financial situation where I am not bankrupted by this. You should have some sort of compassion for the hundreds of thousands of other 4Runner owners that don't have a 15 year old truck and are now out of a vehicle, possibly being put into financial jeopardy. This is not only about me.

Wow just wow. I feel like im back in the euro scene.

I would like to make it clear that I will survive regardless of compensation, but there are many that are in my spot that bankrupted themselves, injured themselves, or have a separated arm without any surface rust present. I was merely asking who else felt the same way, and if you don't care to help that's fine. Again, I was mistaken in thinking this the same problem as the Tacomas so I apologize. I realize that a Hino designed vehicle may need to be litigated differently. Also, Toyota internally knows about this. That speaks something to its effect? What's the problem with trying? You all can laugh when it does fail that is fine by me, but some people are on a lifeline because of this.