NHTSA Complaint #11175888 — 2006 TOYOTA 4RUNNER

THE VEHICLE FRAME AS WELL AS OTHER STEEL COMPONENTS INCLUDING IN THE SUSPENSION SYSTEM ARE EXPERIENCING SEVERE, PROGRESSIVE DETERIORATION DUE TO RUSTING. THE FRAME RUST IS THE MOST PROBLEMATIC AND DANGEROUS BECAUSE IT IS OCCURRING ON THE INSIDE OF THE FRAME AND, THEREFORE, CAN NEITHER BE SEEN NOR REMEDIATED. THE ONLY INDICATION I HAD OF THE SEVERITY OF THE FRAME DETERIORATION IS FROM ISOLATED LOCATIONS WHERE THE FRAME HAD RUSTED ENTIRELY THROUGH ON THE PASSENGER SIDE FRAME RAIL IN THE VICINITY OF THE FRONT DOOR. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION, I DETERMINED THAT THE INSIDE OF THE LONGITUDINAL FRAME RAILS ON BOTH THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDES IS SIGNIFICANTLY DETERIORATED ON THE INSIDE. THE CORROSION APPEARS TO START ON THE BOTTOM OF THE RAIL AND THEN PROGRESS UPWARD ON THE SIDE WALLS OF THE RAIL OVER TIME. THE BOTTOM OF THE TWO FRAME RAILS ARE LITTERED WITH RUST CHIPS RANGING IN SIZE FOR FINGERNAIL-SIZED FLAKES TO CHIPS AS LARGE AS 10 SQ. CM. WITH THE THICKNESS OF THESE RANGING UP TO SEVERAL (3) MM. IT SHOULD ALSO BE NOTED THAT TIRE JACK FOR THE VEHICLE PUNCTURED THE BOTTOM OF THE PASSENGER SIDE FRAME RAIL WHEN IT WAS USED, THUS GIVING THE MOST GRAPHIC DEMONSTRATION THAT THE FRAME HAD DETERIORATED SIGNIFICANTLY FROM THE INSIDE. WITH RESPECT TO THE OTHER STEEL COMPONENTS OF THE UNDERSIDE OF THE VEHICLE, THERE IS WIDESPREAD RUST AND DETERIORATION, PARTICULAR FOR COMPONENTS OF THE SUSPENSION, BUT ALSO ON THE TUBING FOR STEERING AND THE TRANSMISSION COOLING. ALSO, FASTENERS (NUTS, BOLTS, AND BRACKETS) WHICH ATTACH THE MANY COMPONENTS TO THE FRAME OF THE VEHICLE ARE RUSTING TO THE POINT THAT THE INTEGRITY OF THESE FASTENERS HAS BEEN SIGNIFICANTLY DIMINISHED. THE VEH