Serious Frame Rust Questoin

[rkuntz]

Welding and Coating Corroded Frames

As a CWI who used to run his own shop, my response to someone who asked me to fish-plate a corroded frame would be the same as if he'd asked me to repair a cracked rim by welding. I'd more or less politely show him the door, there is no way in hell I'd assume the liability for Toyota if and when a failure occurred.

The only solutions are the ones that Toyota uses - replace the frame or junk the vehicle - don't sell it you want a clean consconsis and no liability. (sorry about the spelling)

It's my understand that the Toyota uses high strength steels in their frames which permits the use of thinner and therefor lighter materials. Welding these materials is not recommended by anybody but a factory authorized shop that has approved welding procedures and knows and follows the proper preheat, inter-pass and Post weld heat treatment requirements.

Severe corrosion at joints, welded or bolted, is all it takes for failure the rest of the frame can be fine.

Coating the frame after it's seen dirt, mud and salt traps contaminants in crevasses creating corrosion cells inside the coating where it can't be seen. Coat the frame before it leaves the dealer or a half mile down the road or don't bother.

I came here looking for info on frame rust because I'm looking to buy and saw bad rust on an 05 Sequoia. I'm no longer in the market for a Yota, as from what you guys have documented, IMO Tacomas, Tundras, 4Runners and Sequoias in a northern environments that use salt on the roads have a 5 to 10 year frame life expectancy.

Drive careful out there.

 

[19963.4lsr5]

My frame rot

Here is my frame rot. I bought this 96 SR5 as a puppy hauler. Didn't see the rust Untill after I bought it.

 

[paddlenbike]

This thread is entirely confusing to me. I feel for those of you that do not frequent internet forums and were unaware that older vehicles rust, particularly in the midwest and Canada. But I can't figure out why people can't use the best-in-class ground clearance to crawl under there and do some rust touch-up. It takes no mechanical skill whatsoever.

The biggest problem location is the frame at the rear control arm. If it's rusty, do your best with taking it to bare metal, get some fresh paint on there and keep an eye on it. I also highly recommend buying the Eastwood Internal Frame Coating product and hitting the inside of the frame (even if just in that one location) so you don't have to worry about it rusting from the inside. Here's a video on the product.
Internal Frame Coating - Prevent Rust - from Eastwood - YouTube

It's much cheaper and easier to take a few hours away from your favorite TV program and do some vehicle maintenance, than it is to let it rust away while you think about lawsuits or have to buy a replacement vehicle due to rust.
:banplease:

I don't envy those of you that have rust issues, but it doesn't hurt to get in there and try and do something about it.

 

[DeckerKM]

1999 4Runner Limited Rusted Frame

Had similar issue. Just had four new tires put on and then went to a small auto repair shop(non Toyota) for the first time and has muffle put on. Mechanic cut pipe to put on new muffle to save me money without telling me. Job was awful! Noisy and smelled fumes. Took to Toyota Dealer to have done properly and was told that my car could not be fixed due to rusted out frame. Dealer told me that the car was unsafe to drive, but they would give me $500 as a trade! My car is in pretty good shape and looks great, but is now sitting in a driveway! I do much highway travel and this could have caused a serious accident. I did file a complaint and I do hope Toyota will offer their loyal customers the courtesy of a warning before someone gets killed.

 

[bac0701]

bumping this thread... how many have you guys have filed a complaint on sfegov? my truck is mint for the year. I came back from holiday for 4 weeks and come to find out she rusted from the inside out. Same spot like 3 feet or so rear passenger side... Toyota doing nothing. Its not just a problem with dana frames, its design. Ill take some pics tomorrow

 

[T4R2014]

LOL. I wish all of you good luck in convincing Toyota to cover the cost of a new frame and any required miscellaneous bolts or brackets as well as the labor rates on your 10+ year old 4Runner. Do you really think they are going to do that? Get over it; they will buy it back and scrap it.

 

[MStudt]

LOL. I wish all of you good luck in convincing Toyota to cover the cost of a new frame and any required miscellaneous bolts or brackets as well as the labor rates on your 10+ year old 4Runner. Do you really think they are going to do that? Get over it; they will buy it back and scrap it.

Why didn't Toyota scrap the 01-04 Tacoma's that they did a frame recall on? There is still a recall in effect for these 10+ year old Tacoma's. Not saying they're going to do a recall on the 4runners though.

 

[Pinion]

I have an 02 that has the same exact hole in the same place, hmm

 

[T4R2014]

Tacoma values have always been much higher. Add to the fact that Tacoma recalls began 5 years ago means that they had more value back then which justified the cost of replacing. They would have been replaced or undercoated at this point. Toyota isn't going to replace the frame on a rusty 3rd Gen that some dude bought off craigslist for $2500. The 01-02 owners might get lucky but otherwise the rest are screwed if they intend on keeping their truck.

 

[bac0701]

i don't expect them to replace frames. They bought back my tacoma. as they did with a those oter models. They should do the same. I dont care about getting 1.5kbb but id like to get something rather then the cost of parting it out and having to deal with that, i shouldnt have to

 

[bac0701]

to get an idea after poking through spots

 

[tre9er]

This thread has scared me silly. I'm getting some picklex and por15, rust bullet, etc. I have some rust but mostly surface on the frame. I had a Nissan Maxima once where the front cross member was eaten through badly. Your pictures give me nightmares, as well.

 

[sterbenlicht]

When Toyota replaces your frame, they only replace the frame. Some also include gas tank strap replacement. There are many other things that are often destroyed in when disassembling the truck that will fall on the customer. You can imagine a rusty frame bad enough to replace also has a lot of rust on everything else. Common expenses that fall on the customer are shocks/struts, and control arms. Anything considered a wearable item, whether it was worn out yet or not, won't be covered. It is pretty cool seeing the frames being replaced. I've seen many Tundras, a couple of Tacomas, and one Sequoia. Most Tacomas get bought back though.

 

[bac0701]

the thing is they're offering no support.

 

[02SE]

Another rusty frame thread brought back from the dead..

These were well made vehicles, that can last a long time, if properly maintained. Proper maintenance means washing the vehicle (including the undercarriage) frequently, if driven in conditions that promote corrosion. ESPECIALLY salt covered roads in winter.

My 4Runner has spent it's entire life in a State that salts roads heavily, all winter long. My frame is good inside and out, because I wash it several times a week when driving in those conditions.

It has taken some effort to do that, over the nearly 17 years I've had my 4Runner, but the pay-off is that my 4Runner is still in good condition.

My advice is to fix the rust (or have it fixed) if repair is feasible, and then wash any salt off as necessary in the future. Or take better care of your next vehicle.

 

[bac0701]

ive had a few cars / trucks all of which have been taken care of similar... none with frame issues.

 

[vic2000]

frame Rust

Everyone that owns a 4runner should contact Toyota and file a complaint with NHTSA and FTA. tacomas, tundras and sequias have recalls we are being screwed. these trucks are unsafe, I could've been killed when my frame cracked. file a complaint on line it onle takes a minute.

Yeah, spray your exhaust with WD-40. That will end well... :flamethrwoer2: Haha.

Yeah, I really don't think that you need to worry about it.

 

[Skinfaxi]

Wow. This thread makes me glad I flew 2000 miles to the desert to get buy a rust-free 4runner.

POR-15 is great for already rusted areas (after prepping them properly, of course.) It's tough as nails. It's sucks as a general top-coat for the undercarriage, though. Way too picky on application procedure.

The best method I've found is to spot-treat bad areas with POR, and then coat the entire undercarriage with Fluid Film twice per year. It's a wax-like oxygen barrier, you can blast it all over everything in 30 minutes.

 

[02SE]

Everyone that owns a 4runner should contact Toyota and file a complaint with NHTSA and FTA. tacomas, tundras and sequias have recalls we are being screwed. these trucks are unsafe, I could've been killed when my frame cracked. file a complaint on line it onle takes a minute.

Translation: I didn't take proper care of my 4Runner, and wash off salt as spelled out in the owners manual. Now I'm looking for someone to blame because of my own negligence..


The Tacoma, Tundra, and Sequoia frames were improperly made by Dana Corp. They are much more susceptible to rust.

4Runners have always been made in Japan. The frames are much more corrosion resistant. Of course when neglected by owners that didn't read their owners manual, or that apparently lack common sense, they can rust away given enough time and neglect, too.

My 4Runner has spent it's entire life in a State that heavily salts the roads, all winter long. If I had neglected to clean my 4Runner as needed (sometimes several times a week) during all those salt-encrusted Winter's, it would have rusted away long ago. As it is, it is in great shape, because I put in the effort to keep it that way.

 

[02SE]

Okay... I get that you are tired of people posting about their frames... but is it really necessary to revive every d@mn rust thread to post the same thing!? what does that accomplish? It doesn't matter, let them b!itch, they did it to themselves and nothing will come of it lets be honest.....

PAY ATTENTION!

I did not revive these frame rust threads.

An apparent troll, the user name I quoted, is reviving them.

I decided to reply to the troll in every frame rust thread he bumped back to the front page.