What's the real scoop about Toyota frame rust?

[brillo_76]

FWIW the craigslist here in Minnesota is full of 4runners needing frame repairs. I think they are like the tacos. Especially on the frame weld spot next to the muffler.

The rust belt is full of rotted out frames on 3rd gens.

Tocumas open their frames up to C channels from the front of the doors back to the tailgate in mid the 1990s and they still rust up.

4 runners run a box frame that needs to be cleaned and treated if in the rust belt.

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[brillo_76]

Nah. Everyone ends up looking like a fool.

Like T4R2014 says. There isnt any lawsuits on frames as they been rusting up since they were first imported over here in the 1970s.

The only reason you saw it on the American made Tocumas and Tundras was the frame mfg really screwed up. You never see a frame recall on 4 runners because they are true imports being made in Japan.

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[02SE]

Ahh yes, I remember this thread...

ANY vehicle that is neglected in a highly corrosive environment, will rust or corrode.

I recently sold my unicorn 3rd gen 4Runner. As I said previously in this thread, it was operated in a highly corrosive environment as long as I owned it from new.

The new owner was thrilled to get a rust-free '97 SR5, V6, 5-speed, rear diff E-locker, factory leather, moonroof, premium sound, bigger optional wheels, brakes, and tires 4Runner. And they paid well above book for it. They said it was the cleanest 3rd gen they had seen.

Do I miss it? Nah, I owned it for over 22 years. The new one is nice.

 

[Flighht2k]

FWIW the craigslist here in Minnesota is full of 4runners needing frame repairs. I think they are like the tacos. Especially on the frame weld spot next to the muffler.

I’d be willing to bet there are all brands that need frame repair.

 

[Reinout]

100% agreed that ANY vehicle that is neglected in a highly corrosive environment, will rust or corrode.

And if anyone goes looking for a 3rd gen (even a 4th) in the "rust belt" you're going to have frame rot, period.

Look for a Ford Explorer, same era, it's probably the same story.

 

[brillo_76]

I’d be willing to bet there are all brands that need frame repair.

All the ones neglected do actually most vehicles cant make it 20 years in the rust belt. Mostly the other mfg vehicles of the same years look worse underneath.

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[brillo_76]

100% agreed that ANY vehicle that is neglected in a highly corrosive environment, will rust or corrode.



And if anyone goes looking for a 3rd gen (even a 4th) in the "rust belt" you're going to have frame rot, period.



Look for a Ford Explorer, same era, it's probably the same story.

No they are worse. Most vehicles arent painted underneath. Toyota at least uses corrosive resistant panels on the bottom on there vehicles.

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[02SE]

100% agreed that ANY vehicle that is neglected in a highly corrosive environment, will rust or corrode.

And if anyone goes looking for a 3rd gen (even a 4th) in the "rust belt" you're going to have frame rot, period.

Look for a Ford Explorer, same era, it's probably the same story.

That's true in most cases. As most people just drive their cars, and don't pay attention to keeping them clean, when driven on salt encrusted roads all winter.

My old '97 was the exception to the rotted frame rule, because I took the considerable effort to keep it that way. It paid off when it came time to sell for top dollar.

 

[The_official_seppi]

It’s a issue

 

[ToyotaBrah]

Ahh yes, I remember this thread...

ANY vehicle that is neglected in a highly corrosive environment, will rust or corrode.

I recently sold my unicorn 3rd gen 4Runner. As I said previously in this thread, it was operated in a highly corrosive environment as long as I owned it from new.

The new owner was thrilled to get a rust-free '97 SR5, V6, 5-speed, rear diff E-locker, factory leather, moonroof, premium sound, bigger optional wheels, brakes, and tires 4Runner. And they paid well above book for it. They said it was the cleanest 3rd gen they had seen.

Do I miss it? Nah, I owned it for over 22 years. The new one is nice.

I'm curious to know of what was your method of keeping it rust-free?

 

[02SE]

Just getting the garden hose out and washing it (paying particular attention to the undercarriage, and the inside of the framerails) as often as necessary, which often meant daily. That's a real pain when it's below freezing. You have to drain the hose after, or the water in it will freeze. And it's cold and you get wet.

But that's what it took to keep any vehicle rust free, when driving on salty roads all winter.

And of course waxing it several times per year, keeping the interior clean, and conditioning the leather every couple of months.

 

[sleepydad]

I'm curious to know of what was your method of keeping it rust-free?

Just getting the garden hose out and washing it (paying particular attention to the undercarriage, and the inside of the framerails) as often as necessary, which often meant daily. That's a real pain when it's below freezing. You have to drain the hose after, or the water in it will freeze. And it's cold and you get wet.

But that's what it took to keep any vehicle rust free, when driving on salty roads all winter.

And of course waxing it several times per year, keeping the interior clean, and conditioning the leather every couple of months.

if you ever take a boat out fishing in the ocean you know how much of a pain it can be maintenance wise. you have to wash everything down immediately after you return and also flush the engine with fresh water as soon as possible.

living in the salt belt is like driving down the beach each day. Where I live they spray a concentrated salt solution out of a tanker truck.

 

[MStudt]

living in the salt belt is like driving down the beach each day. Where I live they spray a concentrated salt solution out of a tanker truck.

Brine spray is 10x harder on your frame than salt too.

Mike

 

[Riceye]

This is quoted from page one, a post I made over five years ago.

It is still the same story today.

Here's the poop on the Tacoma/4runner difference.

I also had a 98 Tacoma TRD that I purchased in Bozeman, MT in 2007. The frame was rust free. I live in SE WI where road salt is over-applied in an effort to compensate for poor drivers. After being involved in a rear-end/billiard ball/front-end collision on I-43 downtown Milwaukee last winter, I had my frame inspected prior to repair. The truck failed, and I also was compensated at 150% book value by Toyota.

Apparently, the final assembly for 1st generation Tacoma trucks was done in Fremont, CA. The frames were manufactured in Mexico by a subsidiary of the Dana Corp. There were steps skipped in the production that covered the corrosion protection of the metal. Toyota won a huge lawsuit with Dana a couple of years back relating to this quality error. As generous as Toyota appears with the buyback campaigns that followed, the money came out of Dana Corp's pocket (not that it shouldn't; They screwed up.).

The 3rd gen 4runners were assembled in Japan, and the necessary rustproofing was applied to the frames. Rust can still compromise the frames over time on our T4Rs, but it does not progress nearly so fast as the same vintage Tacoma trucks. My Tacoma went from clean to rusted through in four years!

I'm on my second 4runner since the truck. The first was totaled in a 50 mph sideswipe by a texting teenager. My current truck is a white 2000 SR5 five speed that began life in Vancouver, WA. It has been in Wisconsin for three or four winters, and is still pretty rust free. I purchased the truck last fall, and haven't had much of a chance to spend cleaning and protecting the underbody. Next summer it will get a thorough rust remediation with rust converter and Fluid Film.

I'll post some documentation of that when I get around to it!

 

[ToyotaBrah]

Just getting the garden hose out and washing it (paying particular attention to the undercarriage, and the inside of the framerails) as often as necessary, which often meant daily. That's a real pain when it's below freezing. You have to drain the hose after, or the water in it will freeze. And it's cold and you get wet.

But that's what it took to keep any vehicle rust free, when driving on salty roads all winter.

And of course waxing it several times per year, keeping the interior clean, and conditioning the leather every couple of months.

Thanks. Good to know. This is essentially the same regimen I follow on mine. Although I have Fluid Film on the frame inside and out, I still rinse the underbody on low pressure when temps get above freezing. When it's too cold for the spigot and hose, I'll use the DIY car wash bay and run it on spot-free rinse (uses little to no recycled water).

 

[Reinout]

No they are worse. Most vehicles arent painted underneath. Toyota at least uses corrosive resistant panels on the bottom on there vehicles.

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It almost proves my point more effectively. The Toyota is great!

 

[brillo_76]

It almost proves my point more effectively. The Toyota is great!

I have just seen vehicles 10 years old rotted worse then 20 year old Toyotas. Mfg all do things differently and Honda, Toyota and a few others use panels that have a few extra layers of rust inhibiting primer on them.

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[02SE]

Thanks. Good to know. This is essentially the same regimen I follow on mine. Although I have Fluid Film on the frame inside and out, I still rinse the underbody on low pressure when temps get above freezing. When it's too cold for the spigot and hose, I'll use the DIY car wash bay and run it on spot-free rinse (uses little to no recycled water).

Make sure all the drain holes in the frame are clear, and not plugged up with mud/sand or whatever.

I always flushed out the frame while parked on my sloped driveway, as it drained better.

My State has a love affair with Salt and Salt Brine sprayed on the roads all winter long. It takes a concerted effort to keep any vehicle from rotting away.

 

[jimmyrecluse]

I have a 99 in CA. No rust, but do take it off road. I inspect for chips in the coating. and whenever I do work under the car, I inspect and coat everything I can. Doing the trans filter this weekend or next and i will clean and paint the trans pan.

 

[VernySanders]

I live in Michigan and let me tell ya... Chevy's and Dodge's are piles crap. Those manufacturers don't give a rats but about the consumer. they only care about selling them a new car every 5 to 10 years. However, Nissan, Toyota, Subaru and Honda's look great out here. Especially the ones from the 2000 - current ranges. To agree with Brillo here every manufacturer treats their vehicles differently. Chevy Silverados that are 3 years old have rusted out beds already due to poor design and no metal treatment LOL!!! To disagree with anyone that says that frame rot is inevitable: all you need is the proper coating, don't be lazy, get under your vehicle in the spring, maybe once in the winter and spray the proper stuff on it and your fine. There are even products on the market now that ground to the frame and shoot frequencies in the frame that prevent it from rusting. No need to be so sure of yourselves lol. Plenty of rust free stuff lurking around here, usually only 5 months out of the year though. Many Detroit classics with no rust that guys drive around all summer.