NHTSA Complaint #10374435 — 2002 TOYOTA TUNDRA

TOOK MY 2002 TUNDRA TO A LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER FOR A SECOND TIME TO INSPECT FRAME AFTER BEING TOLD BY AN INDEPENDENT LICENSED MECHANIC THAT MY FRAME WAS PERFORATED/ROTTED, THE REAR END HOUSING WAS LEAKING, THE SPARE TIRE HANGER WAS BROKEN,(TIRE MISSING), ALL HEAT SHIELDS WERE EITHER BROKEN,LOOSE OR MISSING AND FRONT BRAKES WERE IN NEED OF BEING REPLACED AGAIN. FRONT BRAKE ROTORS, PADS AND CALIPERS WERE REPLACED 11/09/07. ALL OF THIS HAD OCCURRED SINCE 05/06/2010 WHEN THE TRUCK WAS LAST ON HIS LIFT. HARR TOYOTA PERFORMED A FRAME INSPECTION AND VERIFIED ALL OF THE ABOVE FAILURES. THEY ALSO DID THE FRAME CROSSMEMBER INSPECTION IN 01/10 AND THE TRUCK PASSED. THEY SPECIFIED THAT THE FRAME FAILURE WAS @LT RAIL/TRANS MT. THEY ALSO SAID THE RT FT SWAY BAR LINK WAS BROKEN, AND NOTICED AN EXHAUST LEAK. THEY DECLARED THAT IN SPITE OF THE FRAME FAILURE IT WAS SAFE TO DRIVE JUST DON'T DO ANY OFFROADING! SO I GUESS THAT HITTING A POTHOLE WOULD NOT BE ADVISED.! THEY TOLD ME THAT THE BRAKES WERE UNSAFE, AND NOT COVERED UNDER ANY RECALL. I AM VERY UPSET AT THE CONDITION/VALUE OF MY TRUCK. I AM ALSO VERY UPSET THAT NHTSA IS LETTING TOYOTA GET AWAY WITH THE "WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT" OF REPLACING THE FRAME ONLY OF THESE TRUCKS. TOYOTA AND ITS DEALERS DENIED THE RUST PROBLEM FOR YEARS. MY PROBLEM STARTED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY, AND I WAS BLAMED FOR THE FAILURE. IN THE YEARS THAT TOYOTA HAS DENIED A PROBLEM WITH THE TUNDRA, THE FRAME RUST HAS INFECTED, MOST IF NOT ALL, OF THE TRUCK. BOTH BUMPERS ARE ROTTING OFF. THE GAS TANK HAD TO BE PATCHED (05/2010) BECAUSE IT WAS LEAKING FUEL FROM A RUST SPOT UNDER ONE OF THE SUPPORT STRAPS. TOYOTA WILL REPLACE OTHER COMPROMISED PARTS AT THE OWNERS FULL EXPENSE. IN MY OPINION THEY ARE USING THE FRAME REPLACEMENT TO GENERATE PART SALES AND REPAIR BUSINESS TO HELP DEFER COSTS. NHTSA- PLEASE FORCE A MORE COMPREHENSIVE RECALL! !