2005 4Runner Rim Corrosion

[aseenj]

I have a 2005 4Runner SR5 Sport Edition with the standard 17" 6 spoke Sport rims. The outside has a shiny aluminum finish in perfect condition, but the sides of the spokes appear to be a painted aluminum and the paint is bubbling up and chipping off in several areas on all 4 rims. I took it up with the Toyota dealer during my last oil change and he blamed it on possibly the car cleaner I use. To be honest I don't clean my truck that much and when I do I use the Meguiars Gold.

I had a flat this week and swapped the tire out with the spare which is also the matching rim. The spare that has never been exposed to car cleaner is the worst rim of all, so it can't be the car cleaner.

Is there anyone else out there with this problem and/or any recommendations for getting the dealer to replace my rims? The truck currently has 45,000 miles.

Thanks! Alex

 

[96dcmss]

Not sure what the corrosion warranty is, but if you are within the corrosion warranty the dealership should replace them. Might find this info in the owner's manual, or maybe someone here can chime in.(normally a set amount of time, not mileage) It's not uncommon to see, especially in the northern regions where they are exposed to salt.

Call Toyota if the dealership still doesn't want to cover the wheels, if you are still in corrosion warranty.

Good Luck!

 

[Uneek]

Is there anyone else out there with this problem and/or any recommendations for getting the dealer to replace my rims? The truck currently has 45,000 miles.

Thanks! Alex

Do they look similar to this?

Those are my Taco wheels. I took it to the dealer and their service director looked at it and said my Taco parked outside where the salt content and fog in the air are too much. So much for a vehicle built to last. (I seriously wonder how well it'll hold up off road, TuRD Off-Road package.) They also said, they never seen so much rust on the under carriage. In short, there's nothing they can do about it. (To their credit, they did replace the rear bumper about three months after I got it because the rear bumper was rusting near the license plate--water puddles.) I hate to bearer of bad news, but you're out of warranty, if you're thinking about the rust and body warranty, that's only applicable for perforation on the sheet metal. In other words, the metal has to completely rust through, bumpers (like the chrome one on my Taco) are not covered by that, only through the 3yr/36k warranty.

From this, Toyota may manufacture a good product, but their warranty is a complete POS. Depending how well my current three Toyotas are, they may no longer by the default brand I consider. As of now, Chrysler (lifetime warranty) and Hyundai (10 yr warranty) appears to be worthy considerations. It's possible, the vehicle might spend more time in the shop, but hell it's not on my dime, other than time. The Hyundai Genesis is sweet, as well as the Genesis coupe.

 

[wolfgang]

My 03 SE is doing same thing. I've lightly sanded off the corrosion bubbles and sprayed clear coat to keep it from happening again --- until I can come up with a better solution. After sanding it is shiny so doesn't look same. YUP my spare was worse too. I had assumed it was in open on deck of ship when it made its trip to US and then wasn't washed off at port. I've used NO wheel cleaner or solvents on rims and although there is salt/sand applied to roads in N. VA it isn't extensive and I do wash frequently. I'm thinking of sanding that silver area and spraying a gun metal color followed by clear coat when I'm ready for new tires (hate those DUNFLOPs with a passion!)

 

[aseenj]

Thanks for the replies and advise so far. I had a feeling I was out of warranty but I'm still going to try to complain to the dealership. I did first notice the problem around 20,000 miles and notified the dealer during my oil change and tire rotation and they said let's "keep an eye on it to see if the problem gets worse. I have attached a few pics of the corrosion and it looks even worse in the picture. I'm due for tires and I just can't see installing brand new tires on crappy rims. And I agree 100% the Dunlops SUCK! I'm leaning towards the Bridgestone A/T Revos.

 

[aseenj]

You can see in the far right of the image the paint is actually missing

 

[aseenj]

It is in the first image you can see the missing paint!

 

[96dcmss]

I did first notice the problem around 20,000 miles and notified the dealer during my oil change and tire rotation and they said let's "keep an eye on it to see if the problem gets worse.

If you have documentation of this, you should be able to get Toyota to cover wheel replacement, sine the truck was in warranty when you complained about the issue. If the service manager at that dealer won't help, go to another dealer that might. Or like I said, complain to Toyota. Tell them you are embarrassed to have a 35K SUV with pealing paint off the wheels are 20K miles.

Good Luck!

 

[aseenj]

2004 4Runner Rim Corrosion

Update: I visited the Toyota dealer last night and my fate is now in the hands of the Service Manager. The friendly service department technician couldn't believe how much corrosion there was and said he would lobby on my behalf to get them replaced. I'll keep you posted.

Now the next decision... what tires to buy!?!

 

[Even Steven]

From my experiences, that type of corrosion could be caused by using certain wheel cleaner products.

I never use anything but soap and water on my wheels for every vehicle that I've ever owned and I've never had a problem like that. On the other hand, my brother loves to use different spray-on wheel cleaners, and he almost always gets the same type of corrosion in the pictures. And if his wheels are clearcoated, they usually start to yellow and crack or peel after a few years.

That's why I stay away from that stuff!!

 

[96dcmss]

Well he was definitely not lowering the spare down for washing....and it is corroded the worst. It's the salt, and cheap, and poor adhering coatings.

 

[wolfgang]

Well - I've been good about lowering and washing mine (every 5-6k when I do tire rotation) and my spare was first to corrode. I use just car wash soap too. Although I have an '03 I only have 28k miles on it. I think the problem is most prevelent on the SE wheels. The corrosion starts in back shere you can't readily see from looking at the wheel --- until it is too late. My guess is not enough clear coat on that edge which lets water and road chemicals get in. Suspect NJ is worse with road chemicals that No. VA - VA DOT would rather close I-95 due to icing and wrecks than spread a little sand or salt!

 

[FOOP]

I purchased my '06 about 5 weeks ago and after reading about problems on this site I have been watching for them on my own T4R. I noticed that my rims are beginning to corrode. I have the 3 month 3,000 mile comprehensive warranty for my CPO vehicle. Will the dealer replace my rims??

 

[gizmopt2002]

Mine is from abrasives, wheel weights, and salt.

Our '95 Celica is the same way.

 

[Holomis]

Same thing

My 2003 4runner and no harsh cleaning products used