Toyota Tacoma

I asked to trade it in but the dealer would only offer 37K which is 4k less than I paid for it. It has less than 2000 miles on it! I have now contacted a lemon law lawyer and I'm pursuing a full refund. The first attempt with Toyota was rejected which tells me that they do not stand by their product or take responsibility for own mistakes! I have lost all faith in Toyota and will never purchase another Toyota again because they don't take responsibility. What a shame. I am still pursuing a refund but I feel that I shouldn't have to do this as if Toyota was a stand up company they would have offered me my money back or a different truck of equal value but they decided to screw over a loyal Toyota owner which speaks volumes about how they don’t care about anyone, only $$!!

Our truck has extensive undercarriage rust corrosion and now has two cracks in the frame. We have been informed that if the frame were to break during transit, that it could potentially rupture the gas tank (besides falling apart at an potentially inopportune moment). It turns out that this a SEVERE problem for ALL Toyota Tacomas - EVEN NOW! There was a settlement from a class action lawsuit on the Frame due to rust, corrosion.

We did not receive written notification of the settlement (which expired in 2019), but we had inspections of our truck in 2014, 2016 and the rusted leaf springs replaced in 2017, and documented heavy rust damage in the undercarriage. However, because we moved to California, they initially claimed that these problems could only be addressed/resolved in 'cold weather states', even though we had purchased and used the vehicle in a cold weather state. They did not acknowledge that there was a settlement for the frame when we had the truck in for service/inspection during 2014 to 2019.

We have recently discovered that the frame is CRACKED in two places, so the vehicle is no longer safe to drive (especially off paved roads) and certainly not with any cargo. I have tried repeatedly to contact and discuss with Toyota corporate to resolve this problem. Today, I received the final word that they refuse to acknowledge any responsibility, saying that they had honored the settlement (for 1.5 MILLION vehicles) which expired in 2019, so they bear no further responsibility. This is now the owners' headache - but there no frames available to perform the repair ourselves (because so many vehicles have the problem and there are none in junkyards, either!). They will not compromise or provide any resolution to our loss of a truck.

We maintain that is another example of corporate negligence at Toyota. Their refusal to work with us plus continued reports of continuing frame damage for Tacomas and for 4Runners (and possibly other truck/SUV models) tarnishes their brand and suggests that there is an inherent problem with the construction. Buyer beware!!! You will need to monitor your frame and rust/corrosion. We welcome a new class action lawsuit or some other remedy to resolve (while recognizing that trucks made before 2018 are not considered worth the effort - or at least until more people die)

Shame on Toyota for their practices. They also treated me horribly with their customer service. They actually had the nerve to try to blame me for the trucks issues, and continually gaslighted me saying there was no issue. I will literally never buy another new Toyota for the rest of my life. They are not the same company they used to be. If you value your money, time, happiness, safety, or anything else related to vehicles, then please do not buy a Toyota for your own good.

I brought my truck in for inspection at my dealer of purchase Grand Blanc Motorcars in Grand Blanc Michigan. They installed plugs in the frame; however, there is heavy scaling in areas of the frame. There is heavy rust on every weld from the cab going forward. There is also rust on the lower control arms and various other parts. Grand Blanc Toyota said they would NOT clean and apply rust inhibitor to my frame because it was treated at the factory. The frame looks like a frame off a vehicle from the late 90's - it is 3 years old.

When I went to pick up my Tacoma after the inspection and installation of the frame plugs, I voiced my concern of Grand Blanc MotorCars's decision not to repair my frame. Brent the director of the service department came out to the parking lot to view my frame. While we were both looking up under my truck; using my fingernail, I chipped a chunk of rust scale off the frame. At this point I was furious. Brent assured my that he was an advocate for customers and would assist me any way he could. When I returned home Toyota Corp called me and they were pleasant. The representative elevated my case to a manager.

When I spoke with the manager he sounded rather indifferent to my problem. I told him the reason why I bought the Tacoma is because the high resale value and the reliability and that even with the warranty of 12 years from first use, which is 2028, this truck would have a lot of useful life remaining if it were not for the issue with the rusted frame. Further, that after the 12 year period is up, the resale value of this truck would be hurt very hard by the rusty frame. If you saw what it looked like after 3 years, you would understand. He seemed very indifferent to my issue. The manager then put me on hold and called Brent the service center director from Grand Blanc Motorcars in Michigan. I waited for about 15 minutes while they spoke.

When the manager from Toyota Corp returned on the line, he said Brent stated to him that my Tacoma did not meet the guidelines for repair. That is all he would say, no explanation as to why the determination. At this point I lost it with him and his indifference to Toyota selling me a defective frame. The frame has heavy RUST on every weld from the rear of the cab forward, some areas next to welds have bubbling frame paint and heavy scale, the crossmember is severely rusted. There are also numerous other spots on the frame and frame components that are also rusted.

I never wanted the frame replaced; I only wanted it repaired. After losing my temper with this manager, I stated that I would have to have the frame repaired myself; after further consideration I will not, because I fear Toyota will say that because I had my frame repaired, the 12 year frame warranty would be VOID. I mean at this point why should I trust Grand Blanc Motorcars or Toyota? I uploaded a few photos under Grand Blanc Motorcars G review in case there is any question to the validity of my review.

This was a total waste of time! Even after I told them this truck would be dangerous and that I ride my 2 1/2 year old granddaughter and 17 month old grand son in this truck they still insisted they couldn’t do anything to help me. I the second owner shouldn’t be punished for their faulty frames that I knew nothing about. They didn’t care that I had small babies riding in this vehicle and basically said they couldn’t do anything to help me. I have owned Toyota cars over the years and believe in Toyota products. Since Toyota seems to care more about lining their pockets and keeping all their profits and not care about the safety of my grand babies I will never buy another Toyota product as long as I live.

In my opinion they make the sale and then to hell with the customer. Even though this is a used truck by me being the second owner they should have been able to do something for me. I googled and read up on this bad frame issue Toyota had and it was bad and it shouldn’t matter if I was a second buyer. There should still been help available to me since the frame as been deemed dangerous with rust. After all, they do know why this frame issue happened in the first place. If a big corporation can’t help a second owner out of this mess clearly they don’t deserve to be in business. Just think how this will affect you as a Toyota Tacoma owner wanting to sell or trade your truck later.

If you don’t want to be stuck with a rusted out frame and no help from Toyota because you’re the second owner and the first owner missed the recall to get this taken care of you should stay away from the used Tacoma that’s on any lot! Stuck in Va! I do plan to go to my News Media 12 on your side about this dealer that assured me the truck was a winner, no issues. Toyota Motor Corporations you suck!