2003 toyota tacoma. Consumer is having a number of issues with the vehicle. Front drive shaft broke due to rust, frame rusting, and transmission cooler was leaking.
2003 Toyota Tacoma body complaints
Page 7 of 7: complaints 161 to 181 of 181, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota tacoma. The vehicle was taken to the dealership where the it with a sprayed with a rust compound, however 3 months after the repair the contact stated that the compound would not dry. The vehicle was not diagnosed and there were no prior warnings. The current mileage was 30000 and the failure mileage was 29000.
Gas tank fell off, till it was 2 to 3 inches off ground.
Excessive rust has appeared on the frame and underbody components of my 2003 tacoma making me question the structural integrity as it ages. I am concerned for the safety of myself and passengers at highway speeds knowing that proper examination of the metal's strength requires more than just a visual inspection and the use of a hammer. I began noticing excessive rust approximately one year after purchase in january 2004.
Wednesday april 14,2010 at approximately 8:30 am while I was getting onto a highway (101 e/b in bedford nh) my spare tire broke off from the underbed carrier. There was a motorcyclist right behind me that had to make a evasive action to avoid being hit by my spare tire. The plate had rusted out.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota tacoma. The contact noticed severe rust and flaking on the front and rear passenger side frame on the vehicle. The dealer stated that there were no recalls associated with the VIN. The dealer also stated that the vehicle could be repaired at the owners expense. The manufacturer had not been contacted and no repairs were made to the vehicle. The current and failure mileages were approximately 158,000. Updated 05/06/10.*lj the consumer stated the frame was checked by the dealer. They used a ball pin hammer and tapped all over the frame and said it passed inspection. Updated 06/25/10
I am the owner of a 2003 toyota tacoma with approximately 29,000 miles, living in the northeast. The frame and the undercarriage of the vehicle have extensive rust from front to rear. I believe the frame is rusting from the inside out and will continue to do so. At this point, the transmission shield and the fuel tank shield are in danger of falling off of the vehicle. The leaf springs are so corroded that they no longer function properly. The exhaust system and muffler are completely rusted out.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota tacoma. While the contact was having his vehicle serviced, he was informed that the frame was rusting. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. The current and failure mileages were 53,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota tacoma. There were 14 miles on the vehicle at the time of purchase. The contact stated that the paint was chipping on the vehicle. He filed a complaint with the manufacturer and they declined any liability for the failure. The current and failure mileages were less than 36,461. The vehicle also had frame rust. Updated 09/09/09.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota tacoma. When entering the vehicle, the contact noticed rust on the frame. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they predicted that the frame would fail within the year. The contact received a recall notice from the manufacturer regarding the frame failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they conducted a test by taking a hammer and striking the rust spots to see if the hammer would go completely through. The failure could not be duplicated, which meant that the vehicle was not completely failing. The contact was informed to bring the vehicle back for inspection by a regional inspector. The contact feels that the issue needs to be remedied before a crash occurs. He called the manufacturer and was informed that a regional inspector would call him to schedule an appointment for further inspection. The failure mileage was 45,000 and current mileage was 61,200.
Synopsis of problem: the frame of the tacoma was fabricated with insufficient corrosion protection, particularly inside the boxed section of frame under the midsection of the truck. The frame is literally rusting from the inside out. What happens is, as the frame rusts on the inside of the boxed section, the rust flakes drop onto the bottom of the boxed section. These rust flakes then plug the weep holes in the frame so that moisture is not allowed to drain out the interior of the boxed section, thereby exacerbating the potential for corrosion. So what is happening is the bottom of the boxed section of frame is rusting out due to the build-up of moisture and the accumulation of rust flakes plugging off the weep holes. The rust flakes are 1/8? Deep on the bottom of my boxed section of frame. Basically the bottom 20% of tacoma frames are rusting out. What is particularly dangerous about the bottom of the boxed section of frame becoming compromised by corrosion, is the bottom of the boxed section is where the bracket for the rear leaf spring is attached. As the boxed section corrodes, there is less and less material supporting this major suspension bracket. The design of this bracket must be analyzed by your the federal safety agency independent engineer. I strongly believe that it doesn?t take much frame corrosion to severely compromise the integrity of this welded leaf spring bracket. If this bracket fails, then the front of the leaf spring comes free, the rear axle comes out of alignment, which could cause the operator to lose control. This is a major safety issue! I also can't help but wonder that since the frame is an integral part of the vehicle's safety system, what does a severely corroded and weakened frame do to the level of crash protection offered by the vehicle? If the federal safety agency?s independent engineer finds that the frame does play a major role in the crash protection offered by the vehicle, then the federal safety agency will have no choice but to force toyota to do a recall.
Excessive frame rust on 2003 toyota tacoma.
Passenger side air bag vibration when motor is running. Returned to local dealership due to loud rattle in dash board. Dealer inspected and reported that a majority of the clips holding the passenger side airbag in place were not there. Dealer ordered replacement clips and dashboard bolts and repair was made. In october 2003 rattle returned and a bolt appeared on the passenger floor board. Returned vehicle to dealership where inspection took place. Mechanic suggested that someone had hit the dashboard to loosen bolts, not the case, yet no attempt to repair or tighten equipment was made.
2 months after I bought 03 tacoma double cab w/ only 3000 miles on it I noticed that around the bottom corners of both rear drs and the front bottom corners of the bed all the paint had come off on a fairly small section (but very noticable, even from a distance).the service writer that I was speaking to said their was a problem with the double cabs doing this. At this point the service manager came to us and told me that it was cuased from me not installing running boards on the vehicle. Next he said that he would have to get in contact with the regional manager and discuss it with him and have him take a look at the vehicle. At this time I had a scheduled appointment and all they did was go look at it in the parking lot real quick and no ro was made months went by and I still got no responce when I would call they said they had to wait for the regional manager to make it up here. Again months went by and still nothing. Called and got the same responce. Again months and I called and was told that the rm was going to be their on a certain date and they set me up an appt. But told me I would have to go to their body shop first to get a quote to fix it. I went to the body shop on the day of my appt. And got to deal with the manager himself while they did up the quote to repair the manager was telling me that they had repaired at least a dozen of these same vehicles with the same problem under factory warranty. He had said that due to the body configuration and the placement of the factory mud flaps that debris coming off the front tires wears off the paint causing it to rust and also ruins the fender flares which he later showed me. He also stated that all of these vehicles were doing this. Next I went to the appt. And the rm and service manager went to look at the vehicle and I was told to wait in the sitting area. They came back in about ten minutes later and the rm told me that it was due to enviromental conditions and it would not be covered under warranty.
I purchased a 2003 toyota tacoma and found a water leak on my floor mat in the passenger side of the truck. Apparently this has been happening every time I take the truck to the car wash. It seems to be coming from under the dash; maybe the front window. I took my truck to toyota but after a couple of attempts to find the leak with their water hose the leak could not be found. I have noticed there have been others complaining of the same problem.
After my purchase of a new 2003 toyota tacoma pre-runner I quickly discovered my rear chrome bumper was rusting at the area where the license plate is displayed. I took my new truck to my local toyota dealer and was told that toyota recognized this was a problem but there was no recall issued on the problem and that I could continually use a type of steel wool to keep up with the rust as it was happening. Unacceptable.
Water is leaking into the passenger compartment. The dealership replaced a body seal pursuant to a tsb (they said), but problem is still occurring. I would like this repaired or for the vehicle to be replaced.
While driving in the rain, the vehicle splashed water from the front tires over the hood onto the windshield, causing consumer to lose visibility. The consumer stated water should splash to the side of vehicle not over the hood of vehicle. *ak toyota was aware of the problem. *scc
I own a 2003 toyota tacoma regular cab (2 door) pickup truck that I purchased in december 2002. Water leaks into the inside of the truck onto the sealplate from the passenger side door. This occurs when washing the truck or during rain storms, etc. I first noticed this problem in march 2003. I have taken the truck into the local toyota dealer to have it repaired a number of times, and it still leaks. I would like to get this problem resolved.
Pick-up roll over at 30mph due to unknown reason. Please investigate.
Purchased a new 2003 toyota tacoma sr5 trd p/u. The truck sways and pitches excessively at highway speeds. The dealer service department has verified that there is a defect in the frame. The steering rack bracket was welded at an angle. Toyota corporation says the truck is unsafe to drive and won't even let me take it off the lot. The proposed fix is to rebuild the truck on a new frame.
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