NHTSA Complaint #11073198 — 2003 TOYOTA TACOMA

THE FRAME IS TOTALLY RUSTED OUT, AND THE VEHICLE IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. I KNEW IT HAD SOME RUST ISSUES BEFORE I PURCHASED THE TRUCK, BUT I CONTACTED TOYOTA CORPORATE TO SEE IF THIS VIN WAS PART OF THE RECALL IN WHICH TOYOTA REPLACES THE FRAME OR BUYS BACK THE TRUCK. THE REP I SPOKE TO SAID THAT IT WAS INDEED IN THE RECALL AND THAT, AFTER I PURCHASE I SHOULD TAKE TO LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND IF THE FRAME HAS PERFORATION THEN THEY WOULD REPLACE THE FRAME. SO IN GOOD FAITH I FLEW TO NJ, BOUGHT THE TRUCK, WHICH ONLY HAD 60K MILES ON IT AT THE TIME, AND DROVE IT BACK TO NC AND IMMEDIATELY TOOK TO OUR LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. THEY SAID THE FRAME INDEED HAD PERFORATION AND WAS ELIGIBLE FOR FRAME REPLACEMENT. I LEFT THE TRUCK THERE, BUT THEY CALLED ME THE NEXT DAY AND SAID THEY WERE SORRY BUT UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION, THEY HAD DISCOVERED THAT THE 2003 TACOMA WAS A "NORTHERN TRUCK" AND HAD NOT BEEN PROPERLY "UNDERCOATED" AND WAS THEREFORE EXEMPT FROM THE RECALL THAT WOULD FIX THE FRAME. I CALLED TOYOTA CORPORATE AND UPON FURTHER CHECKING, THEY SAID THAT IF THE 2003 TACOMA HAD BEEN UNDERCOATED BY THE ORIGINAL OWNER (AT NO COST TO OWNER--A SERVICE TOYOTA PROVIDED FOR FREE ONCE THEY DISCOVERED THAT THEY HAD USED BAD STEEL FOR THE FRAMES OF THESE TRUCKS) THEN IT WOULD BE COVERED IN RECALL. I EXPLAINED THAT I WOULD NOT HAVE BOUGHT THE TRUCK IS THEIR REP HADN'T TOLD ME THAT THE FRAME WOULD REPLACED. THEY SAID THE REP HAD NOT LOOKED FAR ENOUGH INTO THE MATTER AND HAD TOLD ME WRONG AND THAT I WAS BASICALLY STUCK WITH A TRUCK I COULD NOT DRIVE. I PAID $6500 FOR THIS TRUCK AND I CANNOT PUT $12,000 INTO IT TO FIX THE FRAME. AND I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO! TOYOTA NEEDS TO BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR USING BAD STEEL FOR THESE TRUCKS. SO DO I KEEP DRIVING IT UNTIL THE FRAME BREAKS AND INJURES MY, MY FAMILY, OR OTHER DRIVERS? THEN I WILL SUE TOYOTA! PLEASE HELP ME GET THIS RESOLVED!