The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an investigation into whether there is a dangerous rust problem with the frames on about 218,000 Toyota Tundra pickups from the 2000-1 model years. ... This could be Toyota’s second major problem with frames. Last year, the automaker announced it would handle a rusting frame problem on about 813,000 1995-2000 Tacomas by extending the warranty to 15 years and unlimited mileage. The automaker said it would buy back rusted-out Tacomas for 1.5 times the suggested retail price for a vehicle in excellent condition as calculated by Kelley Blue Book.A friend of mine had a late `90s Toyota pickup; the truck was sold back to Toyota for the "1.5 times the retail price for one in excellent condition" price (which is roughly three times what the real value of the truck was) after the truck failed a safety inspection. The mechanic doing the inspection hit the frame with a hammer and it dented.
If you own one of those puppies, you ought to get it checked out. Toyota's buy-back program is a cash deal, you are free to buy any replacement vehicle that you want. And you may be able to get a free loaner car from Toyota inbetween the time you turn in your old truck and you take delivery on another vehicle.
2 comments:
Not a great deal for a '99 truck, cosmetically and otherwise mechanically perfect truck replaced for s rusted chassis and I got to pay full sales tax, excise tax, cost of insurance
and nearly 500$ in new car fees. That on top of buying a new more expensive truck in a weak employment market with a startup employer was in my mind nuts.
Feh!
The reality is likely heads were rolled back at Toyota as those guys decided to build the trucks in the USA. That was American steel, from American plants assembled by US workers that screwed up!
Why because it got too expensive to transport whole trucks over water.
I also bet local management really took QC to hell to save a buck and in a attempt to look better on paper.
The Tundra does not have a buy back program. Apparently they replaces the chassis with new. Also the Tacoma's after the buyback age (2000 or later)
are getting new chassis. Reason is the trucks older than 2000 they dont make that chassis anymore.
In all 814000 Tacomas are impacted and
another 600000 Tundras.
In all it sucks. People buy Toyota for predictable lifetimes and economy and this was a real screwup. I retired my
first Toyota pickup after 17 years and
was still on the road 3 years later.
The second a mostly US built was pulled from under me at 10 years. Hopefully
the latest one will last 10 years.
Toyota, You blew it big time. The only reason I didn't buy Ford or GM is I had their crap before and they were worse.
Eck!
Are you sure it's US steel? I work for a small mfg, and often we get Chinese steel, and sometimes it has problems. We have no problem with domestic steel when we can get it. Also you have to think about how the frame was finished; no doubt Toyota USA is to blame in the end. Toyota quality has fallen in the last decade.
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