1997 Toyota Tacoma Body and structure Problems

“I have a 1997 Toyota Tacoma, I discovered frame rot in front of the rear spring shackles. There was still underbody paint on the frame in that area which when removed revealed the serious corrosion of the frame rail. After further inspection I found severe corrosion throughout the frame. The bumper brackets are barely holding up the bumper.”

“My truck was brought in for inspection after the frame rot recall at parkway Toyota at 50 sylvan ave englewood cliffs nj in july 2008. They inspected the vehicle and told us the frame was safe though there was some surface rust. It was deemed no repair necessary. Now in april of 2013 my truck needed a tune up and after that was done we were told they spotted potentially dangerous corrosion of the frame. I took the truck to a body mechanic who advised me not to drive this car because the frame is dangerously rotted and is not repairable. …”

“I bought the above mentioned truck new in 1997. For the past few years it's just been sitting in my driveway because the frame is so rusted it's not safe to drive. A mechanic friend of mine said there was a recall on that year of truck. My wife called Toyota and was told the recall was expired but they couldn't give a date. I called today and they said it wasn't a recall but an extension on the life of the frame for fifteen years (same thing). The body of the truck is in good shape for its age. The engine only has 126k miles which is nothing for a Toyota. …”

“The Toyota Tacoma I bought in 1997 is in excellent mechanical condition. How ever it is in horrible structural condition, with a frame that is almost completely rusted through, and no longer safe to drive. I took the truck to kings Toyota to get inspected and they told me that since the truck has passed the 15 yr warranty extension, that there is nothing they could do for me and allowed me to drive the truck off of their lot. I then called Toyota and they said that unfortunately I am out of luck, since the truck is a year past the extended warranty. …”

“My husband has a 1997 Toyota Tacoma. He bought it used from a dealership in 2004. Recently he saw that the frame underneath was rusted and rotting out. Someone told him that Toyota was taking care of this problem and their customers because it turns out that this is a manufacturer's defect in this year, make and model. Well, they told us tat we would have had to have the vehicle in by february to receive the 15 year extended warranty. We were never contacted by Toyota, they do not have us as the current owner and my husband could have had another 5 or so years with this vehicle. …”