Toyota Investigating 2000-01 Tundra Pickups With Rusty Frames - PickupTrucks.com News

Apparently 2000 and 2001 Tundra frames are suffering the same fate as the Tacoma frames did. The bad news is that the frames were incorrectly made right here in the USA by Dana.

I'll have to go see if my buddy's 04 Tacoma frame is rusting.

Mike

 

I wouldn't put the blame on DANA just yet.... any custom manufacturer builds to the customers specifications. Toyota became as successful as they are by making good cheap vehicles. Built here or not, I think this one is on Toyota's designers shoulders.

 

10years used to be an acceptable life span for a car in the rust belt. I guess they just aren't supposed to rust now that we're in "the future".
BTW, Toyotas are classically known for rust. I can't tell you how many I saw split in half in the junkyards of Maine and Connecticut.

 

Here's an excerpt from the article-

According to Lyons, 1995-2004 Tacoma pickups and 2000-01 Tundras shared the same frame supplier: Toledo, Ohio-based Dana Holding Corporation. In investigating the Tacoma’s rust complaints, Toyota discovered that Dana hadn’t properly prepped Tacoma frames to resist corrosion before they were shipped to Toyota’s NUMMI manufacturing plant, where the Tacoma is assembled.

I agree that things are built to a buyer's spec, but it sounds like Dana didn't do something right according to this article. We'll have to see.

10 years might have been acceptable in the past, but I'm not accepting it now especially on things like frames. IMO a frame should outlast the vehicle.

I know that Toyotas of the past are classically known for rust but so were Fords and Chevies. You could put money on rust over the rear wheel wells and rear cab corners of any pre 97 F150. About the only truck that didn't rust out was the Ram. My dad had an 83 that was almost totally rust free when he sold it in 02.

Mike

 

Says right in the link the rust-proofing issue is similar to the Taco and due to a problem at Dana.

On the other hand, the pics show everything rusting, like it sat in salt water for a year.....

Don't own one, not going to buy one, would have bought my brothers, but lucky me, he sold it after "forgetting" my request to have a shot at it. Just as well, given this and other developments.......

 

Worse- It sat in Boston for the better part of a decade. They salt the roads pretty heavily there, and it takes it's toll on vehicles. A lot of that would be prevented by washing after every storm, but people are lazy.
I remember this one car, a ~96 GM sedan in early 2000. I went to put it up on the lift, and all you could hear was crunching and popping. The underside was so destroyed from rust I didn't want to go under it, dropped it down and backed it out.

 

Oh the salt and crud is incredible up here. I do see that "Lyons" mentions that they shared the same frame supplier. Anyone know if Dana supplies frames to any other companies? I have to believe they do... I also have not heard of such issues out of the other makers.

 

...and I see Lyons is on the Toyota payroll. Take that side with a grain of salt too. Always two sides. It will be interesting to see where it pans out.

 

It is kinda funny, but true how Toyota builds cheap vehicles, both in affordability and quality. The old HiLux were not too shabby honestly but nowadays, Toyota has the ugliest, worst-built truck on the US market.

But I guess once you go Ford, you never go back!!!

 

Dana makes Ford's frames, or at least they used to.

 

...and you don't see the integrity degradation like on these 'yotas.

 

Very true, Ford's frames are holding up better, but there is always the possiblity that a manufacturer can screw up in the design process and there can be problems down the road.

The 80s Ford swiss-cheese frames come to mind.