Tacoma, Sequoia, Tundra Owners Take Note: Some Toyotas Lose Extended Frame Replacement Coverage Monday, May 21, 2018
About one year ago, Toyota entered into a formal agreement to extend warranty coverage on model year 2004 through 2005 through 2010 model year Tacomas, 2005-2008 Sequoias and 2007 and 2008 Tundras. Tacomas build during these years have proven to have significant rusting and corrosion issues with the frames of the trucks in certain climates. Toyota had been replacing frames on these trucks informally as a goodwill gesture, but on May 21, 2017 Toyota entered into a legal agreement with a class of customers to do the work. Toyota's official name for this is the "Warranty Enhancement Program." Many Tacoma owners just call it the "Frame rot recall."
One of the components of the Warranty Enhancement Program was the following: "The coverage offers the later of 12 years from the Date of First Use (DOFU) or one year from the date of Final Approval. (5/21/2017)." You will note that the expiration for vehicles that have 12 years of use is this coming Monday.
Any owner of a Toyota Tacoma, Sequoias, and Tundras built from 2004 through 2006 (model years 2005 through 2007) should look carefully at this program in the event that they will need it to cover their truck.The best step to take is to take the vehicle to a Toyota dealer for an inspection. At a minimum, e-mail a Toyota dealer if you think you may have any issues to date-stamp and document your request for help.
Torque News has reached out to Toyota to ask for clarification in the event we are mistaken about the dates. We will provide an update as soon as it is available, but we are posting this story now just to be safe.
The Toyota frame rot issue has affected thousands of owners. Torque News has tried to cover every aspect of the problem and has created three stories highlighting one owner's story. The comments under our stories from owners span many pages and run from "Great" to "Horrible" when it comes to how well they feel the program worked.
The Tacoma remains the top-selling vehicle in its class by a wide margin. It set another sales record recently, a reflection of the truck's ability to maintain a solid customer base in light of the quality defects it suffered in the past.
Related Stories and Background Materials:
Toyota's Internal Document To Dealers On The Tacoma Fram Warranty Enhancement Program
Toyota Agrees to $3 Billion Tacoma Frame Rot Settlement
Why Toyota Tacoma owners should not fear the frame recall