Tacoma Frame Rust avoid altogether?

[CU]

Found a 4x4 03 Tacoma I like. Owner says it did have some rust damage but has been repaired. Never looked into Tacoma's before, but I have quickly found out they had lots of frame rot problems. If the frame hasn't been replaced should I just avoid it altogether. I can go look at it, but I am not a frame expert. In the pictures it looks fine. One spot does look like it has been replaced or patched. But, everything has painted / coated and is black. What should I look for? Right now it is located in the south east. Not sure where it has been though. I need to get the VIN and run a carfax report on it. Possibly enter it into Toyota's recall site and see what comes up. I heard the engine and transmission will run forever, but that doesn't do any good if the frame falls apart.

 

[pcgeek11]

If the Tacoma came from a rust belt state I wouldn't touch it. They all rot from those rust belt states Toyota or not.

I would not trust the owner that said it was repaired. Was it repaired properly is the big question.

 

[CU]

Hoping the carfax will tell me who fixed the frame. Apparently Toyota trucks around this time have more issues than others. They can actually break in half, or have mounts to the frame break off. They can and have broken while driving them. They provided an undercoating for some and then would replace the frame if you had problems within 15 years. But, lots of owners apparently didn't know about it, and it wasn't done. Now that the 15 year limit has passed Toyota doesn't seem to want to touch it. It wasn't a full recall. You won't find it in a recall list for the trucks. I don't know why it isn't listed as a recall. It is very much a safety issue and apparently very documented online. I have never owned a Toyota truck, so when I went looking I just ran across it.

 

[pcgeek11]

Carfax isn't worth the paper it is printed on.

Rustbelt states all frames will rot without adequate maintenance.

With the information you have why are you still considering this as an option?

 

[NutBucket]

Must be a good price. And it should be since it's missing a frame

 

[CU]

Well it was 8K with I think 214K miles on it. Seemed fair given the current market of wow it runs that will be $10K. I am tired of chip shortages. No cheap cars or gpu's. I have decide against it. Seems even protected they just rust out hence why Toyota would replace them if you knew about it and followed some steps. But, that time has past on that for this one.

I will look for a GM or Ford. Although I know GM better, so may stick with them.

 

[Johnny Ringo]

I owned a 2001 Toyota 4Runner from brand new until last year(20 years). 4Runner's share the same frame as Tacoma's of that era. It was a secondary vehicle for me, so it was lightly driven, and only had 80k miles on it. The body, interior, engine, and transmission all looked like a well maintained car...the frame...completely rusted, making the vehicle unsafe for operation. I took it to a repair shop hoping to save it, and no one would touch it as it was too much rust/liability to repair.

The vehicle frame began to rust within 2 years of purchase (back in 2003) when I was having an oil change done the mechanic asked me if I towed a boat. I said no...why?...he said it looked like the frame had been submerged in salt water and was rusting (I live near salt water). Toyota refused to repair any 4Runner frames under a recall, despite having the same issues as the Tacoma's. The problem for Toyota was that they sell alot more 4Runner's than they do Tacoma's, so would not pay the price to repair them all.

I sold the car to Carmax last Summer, and got more for it than I imagined, as it stood with a rotten frame the car was nearly worthless. They told me that the car would be pieced out, and the good parts (engine, transmission, body, interior) would be sent to California where this vehicle is in demand, as the frames do not rust in the drier desert. The engines/transmissions run forever.

I'll never buy another Toyota, despite having zero mechanical issues with the 4Runner over 20 years.

 

[CU]

The vehicle frame began to rust within 2 years of purchase (back in 2003) when I was having an oil change done the mechanic asked me if I towed a boat. I said no...why?...he said it looked like the frame had been submerged in salt water and was rusting (I live near salt water). Toyota refused to repair any 4Runner frames under a recall, despite having the same issues as the Tacoma's. The problem for Toyota was that they sell alot more 4Runner's than they do Tacoma's, so would not pay the price to repair them all.

That is what I keep reading and the reason I am avoiding them now.

 

[maluckey1]

I own two Tacomas (2003 and a 2004). The 2003 truck, I cleaned and rust-proofed it after purchase, and the other I bought after the factory installed a frame replacement. I coated both with Cosmoline, back in 2013. They look the same as the day I coated them....no rust.

Personally, I would avoid a Tacoma with frame rust that needed repair.

The Tacoma market is insane right now. Someone offered to buy my lightly -modded 2004 PreRunner. It wasn't / Isn't even for sale. I was just unloading my bike from the bed and the guy walks over and started asking about the truck. Next thing I know, he's offering to buy my ride.

There's a lot of posers and mall-crawlers driving up Tacoma prices right now. If you look in the Southwest, there's a lot of them without rust (but generally without paint), and they are mostly cheaper because they're not as popular as Ford and Chevy in some circles.

Mark