Brought my truck in with 4 wheel drive issues and broken leaf spring and they told me my frame was cracked.
2001 Toyota Tundra suspension complaints
Page 2 of 4: complaints 11 to 40 of 84, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 toyota tundra. The contact stated that he had taken his vehicle to toyota of grand rapids (2555 28th st se, grand rapids, mi 49512) for the federal safety agency campaign number: 09v444000(structure). The contact was then informed by the mechanic that there was severe corrosion on the vehicle and that he had to seek approval from the manufacturer to have the recall repair performed. The contact was later contacted by a service advisor who informed him that the dealer would not replace the frame and that front cross member was too corroded near the front driver's side to be placed on the lift to have the recall performed. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was unavailable.
My vehicle was supposed to have been repaired under a previous recall for frame rust, with a coating, but it is apparent that toyota did not repair all area's as today driving down the highway my shockmount completely rusted away, causing me to almost hit several cars, and pieces of the mount flew behind me into traffic. From the outside this truck looks to be in excellent shape, however the tow driver looked underneath and said he could not believe the rust damage. My vehicle has now been deemed unsafe and not roadworthy. My fear is how many unsuspecting owners are there that thought the recall repairs were done correctly, and could have an accident that could lead to serious injury or death if these go untreated, repaired or replaced. I was driving on the main outerbelt freeway in columbus, I-270 at 60-65 MPH when the part came off.
I was driving and I heard loud noise when I hit a bump in the road, pulled over to look and saw that the right rear shock rusted through the crossmember and hit the bottom of the bed.I was driving at 35 MPH when this occurred, I was able to make it home slowly,no injuries. The vehicle has 157,000 miles, now what do I do?
On 11-5-2019 I was driving my 2001 toyota tundra, down a city street at approximately 30 MPH when I heard a loud snapping, breaking noise and the right front of my truck collapsed and truck veered to the right. My first instinct was that I had a blowout. There was entrance to circle k approximately 40-50 feet away. Skidding along I was able to steer the truck into the driveway and off the street. When I got out to check I saw that the right front tire had collapsed under the vehicle had skidded on the tire and rim. The tire was still holding air but was scraped down to the cord. There were no potholes or any debris in the road. I had my vehicle towed to my mechanic, primarily japanese, and had it diagnosed. Ball joints were completely broken and also ruining ABS speed sensor and brake hose. See attached invoice. Mechanic also did a diagnosis on the entire front end. On 11-14-2019 per the advice of my mechanic I had them rebuild l ball joints and lower and upper control arm. See attached invoice. I still have not replaced the r control arms which they have advised I do asap. It was extremely fortunate that myself or no one else was seriously injured. *ln vehicle was towed.
My ball joints on the driver's side wheel catastrophically failed this morning without warning (no knocking/rattling/vibration/etc.). Luckily I was only going 15 MPH. I am concerned that toyota is aware of an issue with the ball joints that could cause this failure without warning. I am worried for future incidents that would not be so lucky and happen on a highway going 70mph or more (which I was doing 10 minutes prior to this happening). I understand normal wear and tear but this is a sudden, catastrophic failure that is highly dangerous and likely to kill people. Normal ball joint wear loosens the ball joint and makes a rattling noise, this issue binds the ball joint with no warning and breaks it off. I called toyota and was declined any information relating to trending and was told there is nothing they can do about wear and tear. This was in spite of knowledge I have of over 533,000 recalls of ball joints on similar models with similar suspensions. The toyota personnel I spoke with would not even admit to any recalls of such like incidents. Toyota seemed completely unconcerned and even worried that if they provided information like this to other tundra owners that they would be "liable" and expected to pay to have them fixed. It seemed toyota was happy to sit by and watch the next wheel go flying off their tundras/sequoias (and potential fatality) at the risk of having to communicate an issue to customers. I would have loved to know there could have been an existing ball joint issue, I would have performed a pm on mine!
Bought truck new in 8/2001. Brought truck to dealer when it was recalled for rust in 2012 and was told rust wasn't bad enough to do anything. Brought truck back to dealer multiple times after 2012 (last in 11/18) and was told everything was fine on each occasion. In 8/2019 I heard a squeak from undercarriage and when I looked, the spare tire crossmember was hanging down and the right side upper shock mount was completely rusted through and the top of the shock was rubbing against the bottom of the truck bed (top shock mount was completely rusted away). Local service center told me to remove the shock and spare tire for safety. This rust is limited to the upper shock mount and the crossmember holding the spare tire. Other crossmembers and frame rails are all stable with only the amount of surface rust expected on a 18 year old vehicle. I do not believe that the dealer did a thorough exam of the truck in 2012, 2018 or other visits I made when I prompted them to check the rust as it related to the recall. I was told that since the campaign for rust was over they couldn't do anything. Based on the fact of only 2-3 areas of catastrophic rust on the frame and components while the rest of the frame and chassis is wearing appropriately I believe that this is a safety issue that should be re-instated - obvious factory defect - no corrosion inhibited applied. The vehicle is still mechanically perfect but the falling spare tire and broken suspension can cause an accident or injury that could be prevented with a recall. I believe that the toyota dealer did not do a thorough inspection. I also question why I have seen multiple instances of individuals with similar problems who were given anti-corrosion treatment or other efforts made to stop the rust from getting worse - but nothing was done by toyota to mitigate this problem before it got to this catastrophic level.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 toyota tundra. While driving 50 MPH and making a right turn, the contact heard an abnormal noise and the front passenger side wheel detached from the vehicle and was stuck on the side. The contact depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle failed to stop. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The contact was able to park the vehicle on the side of road. The vehicle was towed to his residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified. The failure mileage was 270,000.
The lower ball joints on these first generation tundras are all prone to early failure when using any other brand than oem. I have talked to dozens of first gen owners and all agree the lower ball joints on the trucks are a huge weak point. I had my driver's side front wheel come off of my truck while turning down a street in a busy intersection, causing extensive damage to my tundra. The wheel went about 50 feet and stopped by colliding with a parked car. The suspension of my truck also caused damage to the road.
Front lower left ball joint broke at 40 MPH while crossing rr tracks.the tire/hub completely tore loose tearing off brake line.and just luckily avoided a deadly head-on collision.this is the most dangerous vehicle I have ever owned.this problem must be addressed.my problem is l also own a 2001 toyota sequoia which has the same front ball joints.this is total bull. I would had sent a picture,but the truck left the scene on a flat bed trailer.
2001 toyota tundra. Frame rusted out. 194,000 miles. Installed new exhaust system in fall 2017. Frame was ok had some surface rust. On memorial day I installed new caliper, rotor, & shoes. At that time I could see the frame was bad, I could put finger through the frame. Truck unsafe to drive.
December 2017 - shop informed me of serious frame corrosion/perforation, I called toyota corp. Was told to take to dealer for inspection. Dealer inspected march 2018 informed me not to drive vehicle as the frame was unsafe. Dealer would not release vehicle to me without me signing their form about unsafe vehicle. I phoned toyota corp. And was told no assistance was available. How is this possible / legit? The main frame has failed on the vehicle - and company not responsible for design and production/alloy errors?
2001 toyota tundra. Consumer writes in regards to excessive corrosion of the frame and suspension components. *ld
Lower drivers side ball joint popped out going down hyway. Tire ended up collapsing in on drivers fender door and broke cv shaft and twisted a arms. Very dangerous. No prior sign of clunking or popping.
I purchased this vehicle new in 2000 and had the entire unit undercoated for rust protection and sound proofing. The truck has been garaged since new and since I travel for business has low mileage. This is my personal vehicle not a work truck. As time went on I began noticing the rust under the chassis and then I received a recall notice for the spare tire bracket. I found out later that toyota used the spare tire recall to understand the magnitude of the chassis rust problem. A short time later I received the recall for the chassis exchange. When I picked up the truck there was something wrong with the steering, the wheel did not return to straight after a turn. I complained that night and was told it was normal. After a few hindered miles the linkage was worn and had to be replaced. My mechanic told me the cab was not aligned to the rack when they changed the chassis. My complaint is with the rot issue. The rear axle is now rotted to a point where it is leaking though the casing, not through a seal or fitting but through the rotted metal. I do not view a rear axle as a wear/replacement part unless it is abused through the working of the truck. I am 62 years old and have been driving sine 16 and have never ever had to replace a rear axle for rot. The fact that toyota acknowledged ownership for the chassis rust tells me that they should own the axle rot as well. I have called toyota corporate with no success and am looking for some relief on this repair. Toyota quoted me approximately $5000 for a new axle (parts and labor). Last month I sent $1500 at the dealership to rebuild my emergency brakes in order to pass our state safety inspection. Emergency brake linkage is not a wear/replacement part. Your thoughts? [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 toyota tundra. While driving 65 MPH, the driver side wheel detached from the vehicle. In addition, the vehicle slid 100 feet into the median after the failure. The failure occurred without warning. The vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the front driver side upper ball joint fractured, which resulted in the driver side wheel detaching. The a arm, rim, tire, calipers, and upper ball joint needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact referenced the federal safety agency campaign number: 05v22500 (suspension), but the VIN was excluded. The failure mileage was approximately 268,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 toyota tundra. While driving less than 5 MPH, there was an abnormal noise heard on the front driver side of the vehicle. The front driver side lower ball joint fractured without warning and caused the contact to coast the vehicle off the road. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 05v225000 (suspension). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided no remedy. The approximate failure mileage was 304,000.
The l/f lower ball joint broke while vehicle was being driven, causing a great deal of collateral damage to the following components which need to be repaired and replaced: l/f lower ball joint; l/f knuckle popped out from upper ball joint; rack pinion assembly bind and twisted when left front collapsed; l/f axle shaft popped out and grease out; l/f caliper hose broken; alignment needed as part of repair. Due to failure of l/f ball joint, service tech recommends replacing r/f lower ball joint to avoid another catastrophic failure and danger of injury due to auto crash. Fortunately, the ball joint and all other damage did not occur until driver had exited interstate and was just pulling into a parking lot, otherwise, a serious crash could have ensued with injury to driver. There was no warning with this ball joint failure, truck handled normally until abrupt failure in parking lot. Expense to repair nearly $5000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 toyota tundra. While driving at an unknown speed, an abnormal banging noise emitted from the rear of the vehicle. After inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the rear cross member was completely corroded and the rear shock was fractured. The contact mentioned that the vehicle was previously serviced under an unknown manufacturer customer satisfaction campaign in which the vehicle was treated for rust. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 164,000.
Took my 2001 tundra in for the frame recalls. I had 52616 miles on a garage kept truck. They said my frame would be fine and would have a crc compound applied apr 2012. After a few weeks I took it back in since the compound was falling off, may 2012. They reapplied the crc. I told them I had concerns over spraying over rust, but said they were sure toyota would stand behind it. Feb 2014 the technician made a comment about the rust and lack of compound visible. Feb 2015 the technician again said it was clear that the crc was almost gone. He made a note of it on the service report. I asked them to contact the corp office about it. A few weeks later the dealership said that corp wouldn't spray it again, but that the dealership would spray it. 27 june 2015 driving home from work on interstate 41, the front strap holding the gas tank broke, mileage 58325. I got the truck to the dealership and had new straps installed. The technician said they actually had to drill and tap and mount the front strap in a different location due to severe rotting of the frame. Afterwards I found out that the straps should have been replaced during phase 2 of ssc 90. I called toyota corp case# 1507131315. The first case manager george said right away toyota would do nothing for me. Then I took my truck to the gas station to fill it up for the first time. Gas started pouring out onto the ground. I basically called every day till I got jeffery moore as manager. He got my straps and tanks replaced but said corp wouldn't do anything about the frame. I sent pictures and everything. Now toyota will not respond to any of my e-mails or calls . My frame has holes that I can put my hand threw and has only 6000 miles on it since it was sprayed. I'm afraid that the gas will brake away or the frame will snap at any time. The govt needs to make them fix this safety issue that was in the recall, not mask it.
After having tires placed on 2001 tundra, the mechanic & his supervisor advised me to go to nearby toyota dealer due to concerns of rust compromising frame. [in april 2012, the frame received a corrosive resistant compound due to safety recall 90m as toyota did not feel the frame qualified for a full frame replacement. I was informed that crc would prevent the rusting that initiated the recall]. Upon arriving at the toy dealer, the staff immediately requested an inspection as they had several incidences of owners complaining of crc's failure to prevent rusting. The inspector located a hole on the frame's front passenger side. I was advised to contact toy headquarters asap as the frame could fold up upon myself & passengers in a collision. I contacted toy headquarters on 8/12/15 and spoke with shae and then adrina, who ultimately assigned me to case manager, autumn. When autumn contacted me 2 days later, she informed me that I "had participated in the campaign in april 2012 and this campaign expired in december 2012." she explained that "once the campaign has expired, the frame is not covered." she explained toyota would do nothing to assist further. I explained that toy's crc "remedy" had failed to stop the rust issue which initiated the odi investigation and subsequent recall. The crc had only managed to mask the problem until the "campaign" expired and toyota was no longer legally obligated to address the still-existing problem. Research informed me that myself and hundreds of other 2000-2003 tundra owners experienced continued frame deterioration despite the applied crc. Thus there are potentially thousands of tundras on the road which are risking the safety of owners and other drivers simply because toyota can say they "addressed" the problem even though the intervention failed to fix the issue. I hope the federal safety agency will consider re-opening an investigation.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 toyota tundra. The contact stated that the rear driver side subframe perforated due to excessive corrosion. In 2012, the vehicle was repaired under the federal safety agency campaign number: 09v444000 (suspension); however, the failure recurred. The remedy consisted of spraying a corrosion protector onto the entire frame, which failed to prevent the subframe corrosion. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 370,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 toyota tundra. While driving approximately 5 MPH, the front passenger side wheel detached from the axle and caused the vehicle to come to an abrupt stop without warning. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the lower ball joint on the front passenger side failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The dealer stated that the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 05v225000 (suspension). The approximate failure mileage was 127,000.
On april 11 2013 I purchased a 2001 toyota tundra. Months later while checking the tire pressures at a gas station, I was shocked to notice that there was a hole in the frame about two inches across. I called my nearest toyota dealer, woburn foreign motors, and spoke with nicole who ran the VIN number and told me that jaffarian toyota in haverhill had inspected the truck on 20 april 2012. Therefore, they would not look at my truck. Next, I called jaffarian and explained that the frame looked to me as if it could snap in half, and that I could not see how that much rust could occur from when they inspected it. The service technician then said that if they had inspected and passed the truck then they would have applied a preservative undercoating to the frame. I pointed out there was no such paint or undercoating anywhere to be seen on the frame. He tried to get me back on the recall list, but found out that he could not. Being my only vehicle for use to make a living, I continued to drive the truck until 11 april 2015, when the frame snapped in half as I was entering my driveway. I had been on interstate 95 at 65 MPH only minutes earlier, when I expect the vehicle would have lost control and probably rolled over had the frame snapped then. If the vehicle was indeed inspected, then it seems evident that the inspector was negligent in his duties and passed the vehicle knowing that it had severe and dangerous corrosion to its chassis. Under these circumstances, I have contacted toyota motor corporation and have asked them to cover the cost of towing my truck to a dealer, and repairing it to a safe, roadworthy condition under the terms of their original recall and they have refused. Any help you can give to resolve this issue would be greatly appreciated.
I purchased the vehicle in october 2014 and was informed about a frame corrosion issue causing failures and failure to pass vt state inspections by a family friend in january. I contacted toyota and provided [xxx], the customer service representative with all VIN information. He looked up service records and informed me that the vehicle had a corrosion application applied in 2010 under the previous owner and there was nothing further required. Under the recall action that was all required based I my VIN number. I did ask if it had issues discovered what was I to do, [xxx] told me to contact toyota again if that occurred. I took the vehicle to be inspected on 27 march, 2015 at groton garage, in groton vt and the owner [xxx]. Contacted me to inform me that it could not be inspected due to multiple frame corrosion issues that are failures. He also knew of the recall issue for frame corrosion and failure and told me to contact toyota again. On 30 march I spoke with [xxx] who took the information update the data under case # 1503303884 and told me a specialist dealing with this high profile issue would contact me within 1 business day. I was contacted the next day by thorn who pulled up my information and informed me that toyota had completed the frame application in 2010 and that is all that is required by toyota to be completed by recall action b0d. I informed him that the vehicle could not be inspected after just purchasing due to the frame being corroded and he stated toyota recall action was not responsible for this issue with my vehicle. I disagree and currently own a 2013 rav and would never had purchased a tundra if I would have known about this frame issue. As a recent retired active duty member, I feel that customer service and taking care of known issue is the responsibility of toyota not those who purchased the vehicles unknowingly. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 toyota tundra. The contact stated that the cross member was sprayed with a corrosion protection compound according to the federal safety agency campaign number: 09v444000 (structure); however, the coating was deteriorating. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the technician diagnosed that the frame needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 108,000. Updated 3/30/15*cn the consumer stated the crossmember was replaced and the frame was sprayed. Updated 7/8/2015
Accelerating on an on-ramp to go on the freeway, a massive bump was felt. I lost control of the car using momentum and difficult steering to get me to the side of the freeway. I discovered the wheel was disengaged and was only attached by the brake line. Mechanic inspected the damage and said the ball joint broke off causing the wheel to be disengaged.
My power steering blew out. It began squealing very loudly and losing fluid rapidly. I have had this truck 7-8 years and never had an issue with the steering. Today, a mechanic tells me it's rusted out and I need a new power steering rack, pressure line and bushings. This problem is very similar (identical...) to issues I've read before concerning the tundra and the recall of the rusted frame. On 1/4/2013 @ 158,495 miles, I had rohrich toyota address the recall for the frame rust corrosion. The current power steering issue may very well be related to the rust issue that lead to the 2012 recall.
While traveling very slowly down a smooth, dry dirt road my driver's side lower ball joint snapped. Luckily I wasn't going fast in traffic. The truck is at a repair shop right now. I contacted toyota's customer service, but haven't gotten a reply. On toyota's offical web site I entered my VIN to search for outstaning recalls and got this answer, " there are no open safety recalls or special service campaigns for your vehicle." after an internet search, I learned very quickly that this is common with first generation tundras. Why on earth hasn't toyota addressed this issue. I'm very thankful that I was going slow and nobody was hurt or killed. With the number driver's side lower ball joint failures being reported, there are surely that many more that are not being reported. How can toyota legally not admit there is a flaw and make these trucks safe for it's customers to drive?
Was driving home on a 2-lane rural highway when I heard a very loud bang and found my vehicle scraping and skidding down the road for approximately 100 ft. Fortunately, no one was coming from the other direction and no one was behind me. Wound up in the middle of the road. Managed to force the truck onto the left shoulder. After getting out, found the left front wheel flat on the road and jammed up inside the wheel well. Upon further inspection found that the left lower ball joint had snapped off at the bolt holding it onto the a-frame. Out of warranty. Toyota says they won't do anything to help. Looked on internet and found many, many similar experiences with 2001 tundras. Have scrupulously maintained this vehicle since I bought it new in 2001. This should not be allowed to happen. I could have been killed and I could have killed others. There should be a recall issued re. This problem as has occurred with later year tundras and toyota should be held responsible to pay for repairing my truck.
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