NHTSA Complaint #11365078 — 2004 TOYOTA TACOMA

PURCHASED 2004 TACOMA IN 2016. DEALERSHIP OF PURCHASE SAID VEHICLE WAS NOT AFFECTED BY FRAME RECALL AND DID NOT INFORM ME THAT IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY FOR FRAME RELATED ISSUES. SINCE PURCHASING VEHICLE I'VE ENCOUNTERED COUNTLESS FRAME RELATED ISSUES AND HAVE PUT THOUSANDS INTO FRAME RELATED REPAIRS. I CONTACTED TOYOTA IN 2018 ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS TO ASK ABOUT FRAME WARRANTY. TOYOTA SAID VEHICLE WAS NOT COVERED. DID NOT LOOK UP VIN OR ANY OTHER INFORMATION RELATED TO VEHICLE. I CONTACTED TOYOTA AGAIN THIS YEAR TO SEE IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT CAN BE DONE AS FRAME ISSUES WERE BECOMING SIGNIFICANT AND BEYOND MY FINANCIAL MEANS TO KEEP FIXING. TOYOTA NOTIFIED ME AT THIS TIME THAT THE VEHICLE HAD IN FACT BEEN UNDER WARRANTY BUT THAT NOW THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED 6 MONTHS PRIOR (WHICH WAS WITHIN THE TIMEFRAME THAT I HAD INITIALLY CONTACTED TOYOTA). TOYOTA TOLD ME THAT FRAME HAD BEEN UNDERCOATED WITH CORROSION RESISTANCE TREATMENT IN 2010 AND WARRANTY WAS GOOD FOR 10 YEARS (UNTIL 2020). BECAUSE DEALERSHIP OF PURCHASE FAILED TO COMPLY WITH A WARRANTY LETTER AND TOYOTA ALSO FAILED TO NOTIFY ME AS I WAS NOT THE ORIGINAL OWNER, I WAS NOT AWARE THAT I COULD HAVE HAD THE FRAME FIXED. WHICH I WOULD HAVE IF I HAD KNOWN. NOW BECAUSE OF NO FAULT OF MY OWN, THE WARRANTY WINDOW HAS CLOSED AND TOYOTA IS NOT WILLING TO RECTIFY THE SITUATION. I STILL OWE OVER $3K ON A VEHICLE I PAID OVER $11K FOR AND HAVE PUT $4K-$8K INTO FOR REPAIRS. FRAME IS ROTTING FASTER THAN I CAN FIX IT AND IS NOW UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND INELIGIBLE FOR TRADE-IN OR SALE BECAUSE THE VEHICLE IS ESSENTIALLY WORTHLESS AT THIS POINT. FRAME BOLTS ARE NOW ROTTED, TAILPIPE AND EXHAUST FELL OFF JUST THIS MORNING DUE TO CORROSION, SUSPENSION IS CORRODED, BRACKETS ARE ROTTING OFF FRAME, FLAKES OF CORRODED METAL ARE IN PILES BENEATH VEHICLE- AND THESE ARE JUST THE MOST RECENT ISSUES.