2003 TOYOTA TACOMA Complaints

Hello I Just wanted to check if my vehicle was ever in a crash. 2/29/24 VIN. [XXX] 03 Toyota Tacoma 2WD 4 cyl. EMail is [XXX] Thanks [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

This truck was sprayed for frame rust at Kern Toyota Winchester, Va 10/07/2010 a problem Toyota was very aware of and tried to put a band-aid on a known issue that would rust out and not pass inspection or worse yet cause a terrible accident or cause harm to driver/passengers or other drivers. We have had another vehicle in the family by Toyota that they replaced the entire frame and now they state that is not true. However, we had a rental for over a month while they did replace entire frame for same issue. Now our above truck that is in wonderful shape nothing else wrong but frame that is rusted did not pass inspection requiring parts that need welded. So we have a good truck that only thing wrong is the issue Toyota knew they used faulty equipment/parts for.

The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front driver’s side wheel 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. The contact was informed that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 05V225000 (Suspension). The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the vehicle remained and was diagnosed that the rear frame was rusted and needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle was included in an unknown warranty extension; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 310,000.

The DARCARS Toyota dealership in Rckville, MD has refused to repair an outstanding safety recall issue for my 2003 Toyota PreRunner truck. I had received a recall notice from Toyota for my 2003 Toyota PreRunner. On July 21, 2023, I arrived for my 7:30 a.m. appt at DARCARS to get the spare tire lift carrier repaired. Although it was still within the eligible recall period, a very annoyed service manager told me that DARCARS would not repair it. Although I had made the appt 1+ weeks earlier, he told me no repair parts had been ordered in preparation for repairing the hazard. After I insisted the safety recall issue created a dangerous hazard for me and other drivers since the spare tire located underneath the truck might fall down onto the roadway while driving, he became angry and said the spare tire lift carriage must first be inspected (a 5-10 min inspection) to determine if corrosion on the lift was present. Since I had expected the dangerous part was going to be replaced, I agreed to the inspection. A Toyota service rep drove the truck to the service bays for an inspection. Although my appt was scheduled as the first day of the day, I waited over an hour with no response from the manager or the service rep. During this hour wait, I asked on at two occasions if the inspection was completed and was told "No" with no details provided. I finally walked outside to the back of the DARCARS dealership and discovered my truck had been sitting in a parking lot. No no one had bothered to inspect it. Due to the attitude of the DARCARS service manager, service rep, lack of communication, and the failure to have ordered any parts to repair the safety hazard, it became obvious that DARCARS had no intention of correcting the safety hazard. They intended to stall and make receiving the recall repairs as difficult as possible -- and requiring a second service visit. (Afterward, a non-Toyota mechanic performed a inspection and confirmed the lift carrier are severely corroded.)

We bought the truck used from a dealer about 10 -12 years ago. We've always taken good care of it, and kept it in a garage. It always passed inspection with no problems, and there is nothing wrong with the truck, except at the last inspection about 2 weeks ago the mechanic said the frame has completed rusted through and the truck is not safe to drive. We can't get it fixed. I called Toyota and they said since it was no longer under warranty, too bad. They did "open a case" for us and I'm supposed to hear back from them next week, but I don't have much hope that they will do anything. The truck only has about 90,000 miles on it, despite being 20 years old. It is in good shape in every other way.

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 owned a 2003 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that while driving up the driveway at 5 MPH and turning into the garage, the accelerator pedal was depressed but went down to the floorboard and became stuck. The contact lost control of the vehicle, and the vehicle crashed into the fence gate and the corner of the neighbor's residence. The air bags did not deploy. There was no injury sustained. There was no police report filed. The vehicle was towed to a salvage yard, where it was totaled. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 09V388000 (Vehicle Speed Control). The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 230,000.

The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Tacoma. The contact received notification of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V542000 (Tires) and the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair; however, the dealer declined to perform the recall repair due to rust on the subframe, and the spare tire carrier needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the issue and the contact was advised to call the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 236,000.

frame. We did have the frame checked a few times since we were made aware of the issue with rusted frames. Terrible noise. Technician says frame is being held to cap by two inches of rusted frame on both side just above rear wheel. Our repair person says of there was a recall, he can fix it. It thought there was a recall. He said otherwise the truck looks perfect. We are original owers. have kept truck in perfect condition. This is our second toyota truck and fourth toyota car. I can't imagine you would not authorize/pay for frame replacement, new/used. we are crushed. please advise if you can authorize/pay for repair/replacement. Our repair person advised we should not drive for fear of truck splitting in half.

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.