general problems of the 2003 Toyota Tacoma

I took my 2003 Toyota Tacoma and for a tire alignment and was told by an employee of the tire shop that my rack and pinion needed to be replaced and lower ball joints. I checked the VIN number and it said I have zero recalls, but there is a general recall on this make a model that I have what do I do? I also have the steering has a lot of play whenever I go for a bump in the road like the tires catch the road so I kind of swerve a little bit and I feel that it’s very unsafe to me and other drivers.

While driving at both high speeds (highway) and local road speed limits, Toyota Tacoma's rear passenger side frame split completely in half. While performing maneuvers such as right turns, vehicle wobbled and I, driver, lost temporary control of vehicle. Upon further inspection, rear driver side frame also contains stress fractures which are symmetric to the rear passenger side of truck. Potential for accident has increased exponentially. Pictures provided. Brought evidence of clear safety hazard to local metro detroit dealership at 773 s rochester rd unit b, rochester hills, mi 48307 on 04nov25, and called Toyota corporate on 05nov25. Toyota corporate neglected my concerns about safety hazard and potential harm to myself and family. Safety recall needs to be issued immediately. This issue stems from a well known recall from Toyota of Toyota Tacoma's, 1996-2004, which contained an oem defect of excessive corrasion to the frames, causing premature failure of the frames due to excessive rust build up which impacts frame integrity and increases probability of failures such as observed in my case.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? while driving over railroad tracks, the lower ball joint separated from its socket, which caused the cv axle shaft to break apart and led to the separation of the upper ball joint. As a result, the front driver's side tire folded under the fender, causing the truck to abruptly veer off the road and into the right shoulder all parts are available for inspection how was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? when the failure occurred, I was driving over a series of railroad tracks when the truck suddenly veered off the road onto the shoulder. This abrupt veering and stopping put my safety—and the safety of others—at risk, as the drivers behind me had to react suddenly to avoid a collision. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? the truck was serviced in 2006 in response to the recall, having the lower ball joints replaced, however the replacement parts may have failed has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? no were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? no.

I was driving home on March 10 2023 well out of no where my Toyota Tacoma something on the front end suspension broke it looks to me the recal that Toyota fixed before I even got the truck well sent me into 3 trees head on 55mph no airbag deployed I didn't have a chance to try and stop the vehicle I thought I was going to die I know the road I was on isn't the best shape I need help.

The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front driver’s side wheel had detached from the vehicle. The contact was able to navigate the vehicle to safety. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the front driver’s side ball joint had failed and needed to be replaced and informed that the VIN was included in the NHTSA campaign number: 05v225000 (suspension). The vehicle was then towed to the dealer where the vehicle remained and diagnosed that the rear frame was rusted and needed to be replaced and informed the contact the vehicle was included in an unknown warranty extension however, the vehicle had not yet been repaired. The manufacture was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 310,000.

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.

While driving, on the highway, the rear shock absorber support mount came loose, allowing the truck bed to come loose from the frame/chassis. Fortunately only the passenger side came loose, keeping the truck's bed attached to the rear of the truck I later found that this particular model has a problem with frame rot which generated a Toyota bulletin. I bought the truck from Toyota, as a used truck in 2011, but received no notifications of this potentially hazardous vehicle. If the bed had come loose at highway speed, any vehicle following the 2003 Toyota Tacoma truck would have been severely damaged or potentially resulted in the death of the people in the cars following behind me and the truck. There was a Toyota bulletin issued previously which was not disclosed to me at the time of purchase. The vehicle has been in Toyota shops regularly for inspections, maintenance and other repairs but the shop never mentioned anything about a "rusty" frame. Upon further research, I have found multiple Toyota Tacoma owners with similar issues with the frame. I believe Toyota knowingly manufactured and sold a defective product with serious potential safety issues. This vehicle either should be banned from the road for the safety of all drivers.

The frame is rotted and was never addressed to be fixed.

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 thier 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.

Tl-the contact owns a 2003 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that he had bought a used vehicle and had it checked out and the frame was discovered to be rusted out. The dealer that did the inspection was cumberland Toyota 1540 interstate dr, cookeville, TN 38501 (931) 272-3719 and they recommended that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. They advised that the manufacturer would not help out. The contact had researched the issue and saw a lot of complaints about the frames rusting out. The manufacturer had extended the warranty but it had expired by 2018. The mileage was 100,000. Tf.

Frame is rusting.

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.

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.

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.

Brought truck into body shop in June 2019 to have work done. They told me the frame on the truck was severely rusted in several places. They said it may be unsafe to drive. In 2016 (about 2. 5 yrs ago) I brought the truck into the local Toyota dealer to have frame inspected under a recall notice. At that time they told me that the frame was ok. In addition the truck was at the dealer in 2018 for another recall for leaf springs. At this time they replaced leaf springs but did not report any problems with frame rust. The original body shop and my local car repair shop told me that the severity of the rust damage on the truck indicated that this has been going on a long time and were surprised that it had passed Toyota dealer frame inspection. I called Toyota national line and they told me that for frame replacements for my truck the program ended in January 31 2019. Subsequently I tried to work with the local dealer and they have also told me that national Toyota will not help. Clearly the severity of the problem (see attached photos) indicates that the rust damage was happening over a long period of time and Toyota was negligent in reporting this to me. Toyota should take responsibility for repairing/replacing the frame since clearly the problem has existed long before the January 31 2019 date and I have followed up on all the recall notices for this truck.

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

The rear brake lines that connect over the rear axle rusted into and caused the brake fluid to leak from the braking system. When the truck was taken into a local service center for repair to the brakes the service center representative informed me that they could not repair the brake lines because the frame was rusted so severely that if put on a lift the frame would fall apart and the truck would break in half. The service center determined also the truck was not safe to drive. Service records at the dealership are on file where the truck was taken to the dealership for inspection of the frame and reported the truck did not have a rust issue as described in the letters I received and heeded the warning to have the truck inspected.

We bought our 2003 Tacoma brand new from the dealer in 2003, expecting this to be a 30-year investment. We have kept up all maintenance on this truck with our mechanic. He checked it last year and found no issues with the frame other than some normal rust. Last week we took it to him because the check engine indicator was on, and he discovered that our frame was completely rusted through with holes in the driver's side. He deemed it completely unsafe to drive and recommended that it be towed to the dealer because the frame was near the point of breaking in half. We never received any notices from Toyota. We performed all recalls they issued. After an online search, we discovered the extent of this frame rot problem over many Toyota trucks. When we called Toyota corporate, they dismissed us and told us that we were out of luck receiving any help or compensation for this defect because we had missed deadlines on a class action suit and also that there was an extended warranty issued only for some Tacomas in certain cold weather states. We were never notified of any of this information and have lived at this same address with the same contact information since the time of purchase. We went to the dealership where we purchased it and they also completely dismissed us, telling us that it was out of their hands and we could try to contact corporate to join all the other truck owners with this frame rot problem and try to see if they might help us. This truck has only 37,479 miles. As much as I'm devastated that we are now out many thousands of dollars because of Toyota's unscrupulous policies, I'm more angry that they knowingly have put millions of lives in jeopardy by covering up this dangerous problem. How many more vehicles are currently on the roads every day with the risk of ripping in half and killing innocent people? this problem must be fixed please!.

Frame corrosion, took Tacoma in for inspection while still under warranty, frame failed inspection but Toyota denied claim due to outside influences.

The frame on my 2003 Tacoma is rusting badly! the truck only has about 98k and im the second owner. I purchased the truck on 9/3/2011. The truck in getting to the point of being unsafe to drive. The mounting points for the leaf springs are almost completely rusted away. I have never received any type of notification from Toyota regarding the frame recall. Ive had it looked at by my local Toyota dealer and they are telling me I don't qualify for assistance because no corrosion treatment has applied. The problem with that is, I was never notified! if I had been, then they would replace the frame free of charge. Ive recieved at least three letters from Toyota for the spare tire holder rust issue, so they do know I own the truck and how to contact me. Ive lived at the same location for 14 years! from what ive read, the corrosion treatment they allegedly offered didn't help anyway. I don't understand why some people were notified and other were not. There are plenty of people just like me driving these unsafe trucks. I have to wonder how many of those people are clueless about the danger they are putting them selves into, not to mention their families. At any moment you could loose total control. . . After the truck collapes in half after you hit a bump while driving on the highway. Im sure if someone looked hard enough they could find examples of these unsafe Tacomas causing serious and possibly fatal accidents. They already know its a problem. How else could they have won a lawsuit against the vender that supplied them with these frames. They sued, and won because these frames are defective. That settlement should have been contingent upon the ongoing inspections and repairs for everyone affected.

Frame has rusted thru by the leaf spring and other places. Toyota has a recall/campaing that covers the frame thru 2018. But they will not replaced frame because they said it was not undercoated during a specific time. . . . They want $10,000 for new frame. . This is a known problem that should be fully recall.

So in December I took my Tacoma to the dealership for a regular frame inspection after learning upon the issue. The truck is in almost perfect condition, spotless inside and out. The frame failed inspection, and I was unable to drive the vehicle home. First off, a service rep at the dealership tried to send me off to a friend of his who could "patch" up the frame so that it would pass inspection (great idea, right?). Toyota has provided me with a rental, but the only rental they would give me is a corolla. I live in the mountains, and bought the truck so that I would be able to handle the rough winter weather. I have already had to call out of work as a result of being unable to drive through the snow. I am looking at a date of mid March at the earliest (most likely longer) until I am able to have my truck back, depleting the whole purpose of me having a truck. I have tried getting Toyota to buy the truck back. I love my truck, and I plan on continuing to drive Toyota due to the well-known reliability of these vehicles. I understand that this is a sort of bad luck incident, but considering that rust spreads, I already know that I am going to have to put more money into the vehicle to combat the rust corrosion that has already begun due to a faulty frame. This is obviously already occurring, considering that it is not just the frame that is corroded, but also the brake lines. I am not looking in any way to cheat Toyota, I am just attempting to have a safe vehicle to drive, and I worry that since this corrosion has already started, replacing the frame is only putting off the issue until it becomes noticeable on the rest of the vehicle. If anyone has been able to successfully have Toyota buy back a 2001-2004 model Tacoma, I would love to know how they accomplished this.

The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Tacoma. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign id number: 05v225000 (suspension) and stated that an independent mechanic before the notification of the recall sprayed the undercarriage. The dealer informed the contact that the recall repair would not be honored due to the coating of the undercarriage. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the entire frame was rusted and corroded and may fracture. A lift plate inspection was performed and it was diagnosed that the frame was covered with undercoating and the lift plate was unable to be repaired due to the rust. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 75,880.

A Toyota Tacoma pickup was taken to my mechanic for routine maintenance and frame rust was noted. I called Toyota and took the car to a local Toyota dealership. They replied they could do nothing as the cost of repairing the frame was not worth the value of the car. They instructed me to call Toyota directly and have been told I am on my own. There are 96,000 miles on the car and this was the first time rust was noted. We never received any notifications that there were problems as I am not the original owner. I am stuck with a valueless car with no help from the parent company.

Toyota has recalled my truck due to a rusted out frame. The Toyota dealership has elected to replace my frame with a new frame. This large procedure has left me insecure about the outcome. This truck is now 10 years old and as soon as the start wrenching on all the system components to disassemble and re assemble my truck I am afraid that they shorten the life of existing components due to added wear and tear. The dealer will need to remove and reinstall brake lines and gas lines that have been set in place and have extensive corrosion this will lead to premature failure and unsafe operation. Most mechanic know that a rusted and set bolt that has not been moved for 10 years has a 50% chance of removal. In order to remove such a "stuck" bolt they will need to apply heat and impact and may weaken the existing parts, steel, and bolts to lower levels out of tolerance that the vehicle as designed originally. Additionally, this service is completed in a location with out the controls, quality assurance and testing that is in place in a factory where new vehicles are built. There is uncertainty that this vehicle will be assembled, tested, and inspected according the the manufacturer's guidelines for a factory produced vehicle. This leads to uncertainty that the vehicle will not operate within the intended manufactures guidelines for safety, roll over protection, and crash performance. I propose that a total frame recall and replacement (or any large integral part that will impacted the vehicle operation) on any vehicle shall not be allowed given the uncertainty described.

Fame rusted/ cracked would not pass state inspection. Truck was taken to Toyota during the first recall and I was told it passed. Did not go back for subsequent recalls to have the frame sprayed. Called Toyota when the truck failed inspection and was told that because I didn't have the frame sprayed there was nothing they would do for me. The exhaust system outlasted the frame. This is not acceptable.

I bought a 2003 Toyota Tacoma from a Toyota dealer in December 2011 with 81,841 miles on it. Upon driving the vehicle from tennessee to oregon a leak in the oil pan appeared. I looked under the vehicle and to my surprise the whole undercarriage of the vehicle was extremely rusting. The leak was from the oil pan that was corrected badly. I was able to make it from there to my home in oregon having to add about one quart of oil. The distance was about 700 miles. I took it to my local Toyota dealer and he informed me that I had major rust problems under the vehicle. The gas tank shield is gone due to rust. The front end suspension was so rusty they couldn,t get some of the bolts out. They had to remove some of the front end suspension to replace the oil pan. Both front backing plates for the rotors where rusted away. No alignment could be done because of the rust. I had the front end replace with good used parts and when they attempted to align the vehicle the front tie rod broke due to rust. The whole frame assembly is very rusty. I find out now that there was a voluntary recall of frame which I did not know about. This vehicle was bought from a Toyota dealer in tennessee in December of 2011. They never said a word to me about the rust problem. They did a oil change and they also replaced the emergency brake cable so they had to be aware of the rust problem. The vehicle a find out came from new york originally. They say they will help out with repair costs so far but what about the frame rust. This dealership withheld vital information from me. Toyota of America says the frame recall was voluntary and has expired. I feel this is a safety problem that needs taken care of.

Frame recall for rust Toyota did undercoat the frame and it did not dry for several years now all the undercoat is falling off and the frame is rusting worse than when it originally was worked on I took it back and was told as long as there are no holes they will not fix the rustproofing.

Prior to July, 2010, I received a letter from Toyota stating my Tacoma frame was recalled. I wouldn’t have known otherwise. I set up an appointment with the orleans Toyota dealer and set up an appointment. They gave me a loaner and had my truck for two weeks. I thought my frame had been replaced. All this time went by and now my frame is dangerously rusted. Last year I spent $2500 getting it spot welded. This year the mechanic says he may not be able to pass it next time. This provoked me to research all my bills for the truck. What I found was unbelievable to me. I never looked at my billing receipt from orleans Toyota, but believed the frame was done. Not the case. They replaced the 83341 spare tire carrier 5092 wpt. Part=04002-11204. My Tacoma has 122,000 on it now. I’m [xxx]. I cannot afford a new car payment . From what I understand there are 100s of people with the same problem of seriously rusted frames. I need your help. Thank youl [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Invoice no. Xxx frame recall. I have a receipt stating…”j# 20tozfram,;cs fram inspection tecy(s):351 warrenty inspected frame, frame failed, perforation, replaced frame at dealer”. Except they did not replace the frame, I have a receipt stating they replaced the “ spare tire rack assembly. Now, my frame is so rusted it will not pass inspection next September. It has been welded already, at the tune of $2500. 00. This truck has 122,000 miles. I want the truck fixed. I’ve been in touch with the bbb and the attorney general, and others. The attorney general suggested I get a lawyer. This is a a gross deception from the orleans dealer in [xxx] . Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Very loose steering wheel. Problem is the slip shaft in the steering column. Over time the lover shaft wears and the steering becomes loose and sloppy. Problem first shows up as looseness in the wheel and eventually turns into a clunk when driving over minor rough roads. From talking to mechanics and other Tacoma owners this is a very common problem that Toyota will not address. Problems include difficulty maintaining control over rough pavement. Wandering at all speeds. Major direction changes when breaking on all roads. Smooth or rough. Over all the truck is very difficult to drive. I've had the truck actually change lanes when I hit an unexpected rough patch of road at appox 30 mph. There was nothing I could due because of the slop in the steering wheel. Please note that this truck is very well maintained and I have gone through the entire front suspension and steering trying to fix this problem with no luck. I'm now faced with spending even more money to replace a steering column.

The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that the axle, power steering lines and oil pan was severely rusted. The corrosion was so severe that it caused a fracture on the power steering line. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer to be repaired. The dealer replaced the frame and advised the contact that the failure was caused by environmental factors. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacture was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000. The current mileage was 118,000.