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2003 Toyota Tacoma body complaints

Page 2 of 7: complaints 11 to 40 of 181, newest first, as owners wrote them.

See the summary of 2003 Toyota Tacoma body problems: which part fails, at what mileage and related recalls.

Filed Jul 15, 2022 · Body, Suspension · 200,000 miles · WV

The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that the entire subframe of the vehicle was rusted due to severe corrosion. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who confirmed the subframe corrosion. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000. The VIN was not available. The contact stated that there was an opportunity to have the frame of the vehicle coated but that make the corrosion worse. The contact feels as though the vehicle is unsafe to drive.

Filed Jun 10, 2021 · Body · 140,000 miles · IN

The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated while changing the oil, he noticed that the undercarriage of the vehicle was rusted which resulted in the sub-frame being compromised. The vehicle was diagnosed but not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of failure of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

Filed Mar 12, 2021 · Body, Tires · 450,000 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota tacoma. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 12v542000 (tires) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while having a routine check up at lithia toyota of redding (250 e. Cypress ave, redding, ca 96002, (530) 250-3207) the technician informed him that the spare tire had severe corrosion, as well as the rear subframe. The vehicle was not repaired due to part not being available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the recall had expired. The failure mileage was approximately 450,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

Filed Feb 28, 2021 · Body, Seat belts · CA

I noticed a small hole underneath the passenger side of the frame just in front of the leaf spring and now the hole has grown to the size of a quarter. There is also quite alot of rust underneath the truck as well as the spare tire holder. I live in california and this truck was purchased from a toyota dealership in pennsylvania. Thanks for your cooperation. Sincerely,[xxx]. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Filed Feb 25, 2021 · Body · NY

When I went to the garage for the yearly inspection, I was informed by the mechanic that the frame on my tacoma was rusted severely with major holes and could not be inspected. I was told that there was a recall on the frame for such issues and that I should call the dealer who sold the truck. Being as the dealer was no longer open (retired), I was unable to speak to him. Ii called the toyota company, and was told that the recall was no longer in effect and that they could not help me. I asked why I was not informed about this recall as I was the registered owner of the vehicle, I was told that "everyone that owned one should have gotten a notice." I wrote a letter to the toyota company in january 2020 and did not receive a reply.

Filed Jan 8, 2021 · Body · 123,208 miles · PA

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota tacoma. The contact stated while the vehicle was at an independent mechanic for routine maintenance, it was discovered that the undercarriage was rusted and corroded. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure however, offered no assistance. The warranty was expired. The failure mileage was approximately 123,208.

Filed Oct 1, 2020 · Body · OH

Rust, corrosion, or other failure or detachment of exterior body and frame components, the vehicle is rotted underneath

Filed Aug 17, 2020 · Body · 143,000 miles · PA

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota tacoma. The contact stated that the vehicle's subframe had rusted through with five holes to the subframe. The vehicle was taken to bennett toyota (1951 lehigh st, allentown, pa 18103), where it was confirmed that there were five holes in the subframe and that the subframe needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact the vehicle was out of warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was out of warranty and offered no further assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 143,000.

Filed Jul 24, 2020 · Body, Suspension · 160,000 miles · ME

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota tacoma. The contact stated the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to independent mechanic, where she was informed that the driver?s and passenger?s side rear subframe and rear leaf spring were fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to berlin city toyota of portland located at 191 riverside st, portland, me 04103 (207) 618-6528, and the dealer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 160,000.*dt 8/14/2020 edit by [xxx]: I would also like to add that the tacoma was brought into the seashore tacoma dealership in new jersey back in 2013 for a different recall and the frame recall was never addressed or brought up to me while my tacoma was there. I would also like to note that in 2016 while I was stationed in alaska, I received a post card about the extended warranty. I promptly called the number and was advised that the warranty did not pertain to my tacoma. Otherwise, I would have put it on the ferry to juneau for the inspection. Lastly, I have owned this tacoma since 2009. It as been stationed with me for 4 york in fl, 4 york in nj, 4 york in sites, ak and 2 years in me. It also previously lived between in ky and fl prior to me. Had I been asked the right questions about the origin of the tacoma then I'm sure they would have told me the truck was eligible for the extended warranty. *dt information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).'

Filed Jun 19, 2020 · Body · KS

A lot of rust on the frame and rust underneath. Clean and well taken care but the rust still exist. I even have to replace the exhaust because it fall off due to the rust. The rust underneath are almost everywhere.

Filed Jun 9, 2020 · Body · 100,000 miles · MA

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota tacoma. The contact stated that the subframe and undercarriage of the vehicle was rusted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for inspection. The contact was informed that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not informed of the failure. The manufacturer was informed of failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Filed Jun 6, 2020 · Body, Suspension · HI

I purchased my 2003 tacoma second hand back in 2015 which serves as my primary vehicle to this day. After returning from a year long deployment overseas, I had a few friends over on 4jun of which one was admiring my truck until he looks underneath and notices all the frame rust. He advises that there is a recall on it and I should contact my toyota dealer to get it serviced. Feeling distraught, I go online and lookup recalls for my car which LED me to the "frame rust" safety issue on a many toyota models to include my own. The advisement suggests safety concerns with the frame rusting through due to factory negligence in sufficiently coating with anti-corrosion materials. Further research in other forums state other toyota owners describing it as frame rust altogether and not just on the spare tire plate. Issues described include the issue causing the leaf spring to snap and the frame itself rusting through. Inspection of my truck proves true to all accounts described. I contacted servco toyota in honolulu, hi the very next day and spoke to a nice lady. I explained how I became the owner of the vehicle since 2015 and was never made aware of this recall. She checked my VIN to confirm that I was affected by it, however the recall has expired as of 2018 so there is nothing they can do. She gave me the 1-800 number to toyota which LED me nowhere and kept diverting me back to servco toyota instead of their main office..... What frustrates me the most is that toyota provided me no notice or warning about this recall. So how can I react to something I was never made aware of. Safety recalls should never have expiration dates as it remains a safety issue until its properly remedied.

Filed Jan 16, 2020 · Body · 100,000 miles · TN

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota tacoma. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at the dealer being serviced at a dealer (cumberland toyota 1540 interstate dr, cookeville, tn 38501 (931) 272-3719) where it was discovered that the frame was discovered to be rusted out. The dealer stated that the vehicle was unsafe to drive and advised that the manufacturer did not offer any assistance. The manufacturer had extended the warranty but it had expired by 2018. The failure mileage was 100,000.

Filed Oct 25, 2019 · Body, Steering · WV · crash

Was driving down the road and the frame broke completely in half on the drivers side an caused the drive shaft to fall out and when it did it bounced up and knocked a hole in the gas tank causing me to wreck.and the bed of the truck has huge holes rusted through them.

Filed Sep 17, 2019 · Body · MD

On september 14 2019, I took my truck (2003 toyota tacoma) to jerry toyota dealer for a service. They found a crack on the frame of the truck and they told me it is unsafe to drive the truck, but they didn't offer any repair. I called toyota and they told me that the recalled for the frame was expired on 2018.

Filed Aug 31, 2019 · Body, Steering · WV · crash · 1 injury

Power steering pump having issues I can fill it up to the full line and it will go down to half empty everytime I've done it therefore steering is very tight and difficult, the truck bed has huge holes rusted/corrosion completely through it on both sides, the spare tire mechanism is rusted so badly it doesn't work and half of it is missing due to rust/corrosion an has fallen off, and the frame broke completely in half on the driver side of the truck while I was driving it an caused the drive shaft to hang on the ground and it knocked a hole in the gas tank before I could get the truck stopped, also the suspension on the rear of the truck is not attached to the frame on the top under the bed just attached to the frame on the bottom.

Filed Aug 6, 2019 · Body · NJ

Complete rust with the undercarriage. There was a volunitary recall by toyota but I never received this recall notice. This can be very dangerous because the vehicle can break if half. This is also why there is a recall on the spare tie holder. But can not get the spare tire holder fixed what to they fix it to a rusted undercarriage. I have called and complainted in the past.

Filed Jul 3, 2019 · Body, Suspension · 165,000 miles · FL

Bought the truck used, frame rusted, from cold weather state, heard lots of trucks did this, rust so bad afraid to drive it,everything else on truck good, from what I understand it's had 5 recalls, not one done by former owner, internet web site said frames were not coated right, factory defect, want toyota to fix issue as it's their fault this has happened, it's dangerous to drive.

Filed Jul 2, 2019 · Body · 46,733 miles · MA

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota tacoma. While driving approximately 35 MPH, a noise emerged from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the rear frame was severely rusted on both sides. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 46,733.

Filed Jul 1, 2019 · Body · 155,000 miles · MD

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota tacoma. While the vehicle was undergoing routine maintenance, it was discovered that the sub frame experienced extreme rusting. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was notified, but no assistance was offered. The local dealer was not notified. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 155,000.

Filed May 20, 2019 · Body, Suspension · 110,000 miles · NJ

Frame is rotten and broken, shocks ripped off of frame. Unsafe to drive and still need to use daily.

Filed May 18, 2019 · Body · 13,900 miles · MI

Frame is rusty and I am afraid that the part may break and cause injury or death to me or any other person in my vehicle.

Filed May 14, 2019 · Body · 115,000 miles · MD

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota tacoma. The contact stated that he inspected underneath the vehicle and noticed that the frame was completely rusted. The contact called the darcars located at 15625 frederick rd, rockville, md 20855 where it was informed that there was no recall for the frame. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that an unknown recall for frame corrosion expired, and referred the contact to the federal safety agency to file a complaint. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.

Filed May 14, 2019 · Body, Electrical · 250,000 miles · CT

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota tacoma. The contact stated that the ignition switch failed. The vehicle was towed to middletown toyota located at 634 newfield st, middletown, ct 06457 (860) 347-7294. The diagnostic testing stated that the rear frame was cracked. The ignition switch was repaired however the frame had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 250,000. *bf in march 2019 ignition failed towed it home. When tow truck picked it up we saw broken frame. Westbrook toyota repaired spare tire carrier recall (2016).

Filed May 10, 2019 · Body · 210,000 miles · MI

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota tacoma. The contact stated that the vehicle frame was rusted. There were cracks around the sub frame and the vehicle had an unstable body. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who confirmed the failure however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage 210,000.

Filed May 6, 2019 · Body · 180,000 miles · KY

Frame rusted resulting in structure failure (auto basically broke in half), call toyota headquarters and they provided no assistance. Said the truck should have been sprayed. Bought the truck from a dealership and feel as though the dealership should have provided inspection and spray if necessary prior to selling auto.

Filed Apr 15, 2019 · Body, Suspension · 107,000 miles · NC

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota tacoma. The contact stated that the rear frame was rusted and the passenger side wheel bearing detached. The hub for the wheel bearing was loose and deteriorated. The contact stated that the vehicle continued to rust and was taken to an independent mechanic who refused to service the vehicle because they did not have the correct certified parts. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and did not assist. The failure mileage was 107,000.

Filed Apr 2, 2019 · Body, Suspension · 146,000 miles · TN

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota tacoma. While driving various speeds, a popping noise was present from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who discovered that the rear driver's side spring hanger was rusted and detached from the vehicle. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 146,000 *bf.. Consumer stated while searching that toyota was aware that the frame was susceptable to corrision and there was a recall/ reeplacement program but has expired.

Filed Feb 4, 2019 · Body · 172,000 miles · WI

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota tacoma. While inspecting underneath the vehicle, the contact found a hole on the subframe. The contact stated that the front driver's side of the subframe was rusted and corroded and a 2 1/2 foot hole was present. The cause of the failure was not determined. The dealer was not notified. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 172,000.

Filed Jan 21, 2019 · Body · 156,059 miles · WI

Frame rusting from the inside out caused frame of truck to snap in half when lifted with a hydraulic lift at the mechanic's shop

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