Will Kia Repair Rusted Frames
Photograph by Enis Yavuz / Unsplash
Q. My 2009 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck has but 130,000 kilometres on it and the trunk is in great shape. While my mechanic was underneath the vehicle concluding week, he noticed a large pigsty and said it will be fixed under recollect. I called my Toyota dealer and they told me there was nada they could do, as the recall has expired. I proceeded to phone call corporate, who besides said in that location was null they could do. I knew there was a recall on my frame, merely I didn't know the remember had an expiration appointment. Delight tell me what action I can have—it feels similar just one more punch in the gut this year.
–B.W.
A. Information technology'south not surprising you were unaware of the time limit for the Toyota Tacoma recall. That's almost always the case for the safety recalls that are subject to oversight by Transport Canada. In this example, Ship Canada determined a long fourth dimension agone that corrosion on the Tacoma takes years to develop and is clearly visible from underneath the truck years before the frame becomes unsafe. Consequently, Toyota's campaign is an in-house recollect administered more than like a warranty extension with a prescribed time limit for the repair. Your truck'south frame must take been corroding long earlier it was brought to your attention in order for the frame to develop such a large hole.
Here are the applicable coverages for the Tacoma, which vary depending on the model year:
- 1995 to 2000 (15 years)
- 2005 to 2010 (12 or 15 years)
- 2011 to 2022 (12 years)
Coverage is for unlimited mileage. The nigh recent program is conditional on an inspection and application of boosted rustproofing by a Toyota dealer earlier December 16, 2022.
This is a major repair. It requires forty to 50 hours of labour and involves the trunk of your truck being separated from the frame as a new frame and forepart interruption control arms are installed. Along the manner, other components may have been corroded, which will need to be removed and reinstalled, too. The retail cost of a repair like this is near $15,000, which is oft more than the value of the truck itself. Even so, most Tacoma owners are fanatics virtually their trucks and would rather run across their vehicles repaired than bought dorsum past Toyota.
At ane time, Toyota Canada appeared to be more flexible with outlier cases, sometimes applying their warranty beyond the established parameters on a instance-by-example basis. Since Toyota settled a class-activeness lawsuit, however, the limits appear to have become more formal, and coverage for the more recent programs was dropped to 12 years. The Automobile Protection Clan (APA) sees that if a vehicle has been inspected and the frame has been rustproofed, but information technology still corroded excessively, Toyota will stand backside it. That said, Toyota appears to be more rigid than they have been in the by, limiting coverage to the terms of the grade action settlement. For an automaker, one of the main objectives of a class action settlement is to extinguish all other claims for the issue once the programme is announced. Given that many people did not receive notices because the trucks were already many years erstwhile (addresses may accept changed, and trucks may have changed owners), could Toyota still have an obligation to provide the remedies existing nether the program to those affected past this issue? It feels like they should, but the answer is no; the settlement proposal is nigh ever accompanied past public notices that, in theory, volition notify all Toyota owners of the recall.
If yous're a regular customer at a Toyota dealership, they should flag any issues with the frame earlier the warranty is over. Inspecting the undercarriage for defects is part of every general maintenance service. However, if you asking an oil change, that is not considered a full maintenance service and it's possible the work was performed past junior staff, who were unaware of what to look for on the frame.
If the franchised Toyota dealership yous frequent failed to notice problems with the frame, they could incur liability for not attending to a safety retrieve or preventive programme that a individual owner is unaware of. Dealers frequently neglect to practise this. The APA's position is that a Tacoma owner who has their pickup serviced at a Toyota dealership does not have to exist enlightened of Toyota's weather condition for the recall, particularly if they did not receive a find. When you rely on a specialist with expertise in your brand of vehicle, they should meet a higher standard than a general repair shop. A franchised dealership performing routine service which requires an inspection has a duty to disclose open safety recalls and other programs that apply to your vehicle.
Recently, the APA was made aware of a claim filed against a Toyota dealership in Montreal. The dealer flagged the corrosion vi months afterwards coverage ended and instructed the customer that his Tacoma was dangerous. The possessor, a regular customer, is arguing that the dealership had a duty to flag the corroding frame years earlier and either ready it under Toyota'due south frame replacement program or the lifetime rustproofing warranty they sold him. Information technology will be a couple of more years before the case is heard.
Q. In Baronial 2022, my 2022 Toyota Tacoma was inspected and serviced at my Toyota dealer. At that time, they classified rust on the frame as "normal surface rust." Accordingly, my dealer applied the Corrosion Resistant Compound (CRC).
Just recently, I noticed the corrosion has progressed since the frame inspection. In March 2022, I returned to my Toyota dealer. The caption I was provided was that the deterioration is not in the area of the frame where rust is problematic. The director explained that the process involves hitting the frame with a hammer, and if the hammer perforates the frame, the vehicle is no longer safe to drive and the frame needs to be replaced. If the hammer does not perforate the frame, it is considered drivable and is serviced with the CRC. It concerns me that the frame becomes unsafe the exact moment afterwards it's perforated with a hammer.
Subsequently, two mechanics inspected my pickup. One mechanic grabbed a hammer and struck the frame. At times flakes of rust and grit fell to the floor, simply it did not perforate. The mechanic explained that all trucks rust and that his 2005 Tacoma looks the aforementioned. While I appreciate the mechanic trying to provide reassurance, having my 2022 Tacoma compared to a truck 7 years older was no condolement. The dealership informed me that they oasis't replaced any frames on 2022 models yet; all the replacements were at to the lowest degree a couple of years older.
Although the truck frame has not perforated, the extent of rusting appears much more significant than normal surface rust. It appears to me that, despite multiple applications of additional rustproofing from Krown Rust Control to assist out, Toyota's CRC handling is non fully effective; the level of corrosion on the truck frame is more meaning than normal. I left the appointment with many questions still unanswered. The primary thought in my mind was: "Volition my vehicle need a new frame a couple of years later on Toyota's warranty enhancement program for 2022–2017 Tacoma pickups ends?"
— B.Due west.
A. Your case is interesting because the dealership was and then forthcoming and diligent. Unfortunately, their easily are tied: they cannot do anything outside of what Toyota Canada has approved under the recall program unless they obtain potency from Toyota Canada. You lot are admittedly right to worry that letting the trouble slide for several years, until the frame fails the perforation test, is a gamble.
Most Toyota truck owners contacting the Auto Protection Association (APA) exercise and so only after a dealer has condemned their vehicle. The APA has received about a dozen complaints from Toyota owners who believe their trucks have fallen through the cracks of the warranty extension program. Nosotros are also aware of many cases where worn, loftier-mileage trucks with over 250,000 kilometres were rejuvenated, nigh completely on Toyota'south dime; that's far above and beyond what most manufacturers would practise to comprehend a factory defect.
Frankly, the photos you provided of your frame don't await as bad as many I have seen. It appears that the additional rust treatments you lot have been applying may have helped. Have yous considered getting in impact with Krown Rust Command, to determine if in that location is some guidance they tin can provide? The Krown product is supposed to exist very effective in boxed areas of the frame, as long as there is admission for their spray wands to go inside (the Tacoma'due south frame has holes in it, some of which are supposed to receive plugs under the call up). And the Krown warranty should comprehend a preventive repair to your frame if one is indicated. For more information, in that location is a page on the APA website that illustrates the vulnerable areas needing additional protection.
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