2003 TOYOTA TACOMA Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA TACOMA. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR AN INSPECTION AND THE DEALER STATED THAT THE FRAME WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO CORROSION. THE DEALER WOULD NOT ASSIST THE CONTACT WITH ANY REPAIRS OUTSIDE OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED, BUT AGREED WITH THE DEALER'S DECISION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 116,000.

I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE REAR AXLE HOUSING ON MY 2003 TOYOTA TACOMA. THE METAL ON THE REWARD SIDE OF THE RING GEAR HOUSING IS VERY THIN AND WILL RUST OUT AND BEGIN TO LEAK. I HAVE PERSONALLY SEEN GEAR OIL LEAKING THROUGH PINHOLES IN THE REAR AXLE ON TWO OTHER TOYOTA TRUCKS. THE THIN METAL AND LACK OF ANTI-CORROSION TREATMENT ON THE AXLE HOUSING CREATES SEVERAL SIGNIFICANT HAZARDS. 1. EVENTUAL FAILURE OF THE MECHANICAL COMPONENTS IF LEAK IS NOT DETECTED. IF THE FAILURE OCCURS WHILE IN MOTION THIS CAN CAUSE AN ACCIDENT IF IT IS A SEVERE FAILURE THAT LOCKS UP THE REAR WHEELS. 2. STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE REAR AXLE HOUSING. THE METAL IS WEAKENED DUE TO THE CORROSION AND CAN POSSIBLE CAUSE THE HOUSING TO BEND OR BREAK. AGAIN CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. 3. POLLUTION. THE LEAKING GEAR OIL THROUGH THE RUSTED AXLE HOUSING CAUSES POLLUTION OF GROUND WATER AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS. *TT

RUST OUT OF THE DIFFERENTIAL COVER. ALL OF THE OIL IN THE DIFFERENTIAL LEAKED OUT. NO PARTS ARE AVAILABLE FROM TOYOTA. THE COMPLETE DIFFERENTIAL MUST BE REPLACED AT A COST OF OVER $ 1,000.00. THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM AS PER MANY TOYOTA FORUMS ON THE NET. TOYOTA WILL NOT STAND BY THIS REPAIR AND WILL NOT ADMIT TO ANY PROBLEM ABOUT RUST.

LETTER TO THE SECRETARY FROM RE COMPLAINT REGARDING THE SAFETY OF THE 2003 TOYOTA TACOMA *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED WHILE DRIVING, ANOTHER VEHICLE SLID INTO HIS VEHICLE AND HE HIT THE PASSENGER FRONT TIRE OF THE OTHER VEHICLE AT 40 MPH. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE CONSUMER ALSO STATED THE TIRES AND FRONT FENDER RATIO HAD A DESIGN DEFECT. THE CONSUMER WAS INJURED IN THE ACCIDENT. *JB..UPDATED 01/31/12..UPDATED 11/19/13 *BF

I BOUGHT THIS TRUCK BRAND NEW IN MARCH 2003 AND HAVE HAD MANY PROBLEMS, BUT NOTHING YOU DON'T EXPECT WITH VEHICLES TODAY OR ANYTHING TOYOTA DID NOT EVENTUALLY FIX, UNTIL NOW. ABOUT A YEAR AGO WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AT ABOUT 45 THE TRUCK JUST LOST POWER AND STALLED ON ME. I WAS ALMOST NOT ABLE TO GET IT OFF THE ROAD AND OF COURSE THE PERSON BEHIND ME ALMOST REAR ENDED ME AND WAS HIGHLY AGITATED I HAD STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC AND APPEARED TO BE DRIVING LIKE A TEENAGER LEARING TO DRIVE A MANUAL SHIFT TRANSMISSION. WHEN I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER I WAS TOLD IT WAS A BAD MAF SENSOR WHICH WAS REPLACED ALONG WITH OTHER ITEMS WHICH COST $400. THIS DID NOT FIX IT AND AFTER MUCH TRIAL AND ERROR AND RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND IT WAS THE THROTTLE BODY AND ONE OF IT'S SENSORS THAT CAN'T BE REPLACED. WHEN I MENTIONED THIS TO TOYOTA, THEY DISAGREED AND SAID THIS WAS IMPOSSIBLE. IT IS FUNNY HOW MANY COMPLAINTS ARE HERE AND HOW MANY MORE ARE HAVING THIS ISSUE WHO DON'T EVEN KNOW TO FILE A COMPLAINT HERE. MY LOCAL TOYOTA SPECIALIST (NOT THE DEALERSHIP), WHO I TRUST AND HAS SPENT A WEEK WITH MY TRUCK DRIVING IT AND TESTING IT AND STILL ONLY CHARGED ME $80, HAS ALSO CONFIRMED THE PROBLEM, A BAD SENSOR AND THE ONLY FIX IS TO COMPLETELY REPLACE THE THROTTLE BODY ASSEMBLY AT A COST OF ABOUT $1,000 OR SO DEPENDING ON AVAILABLITY OF PARTS. THIS IS AN OBVIOUS PROBLEM WITH THE 2003 AND 2004 MODELS ONLY AND HAVE HEARD CLAIMS FROM TOYOTA MECHANICS "OFF THE RECORD" THAT TOYOTA KNOWS ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE IT. IT HAS COME TO THE POINT THAT I DON'T LET ANYONE IN MY FAMILY DRIVE THIS TRUCK BUT ME, IT IS TOO DANGEROUS. MY KIDS DON'T RIDE IN IT WITH ME EITHER BECAUSE IT COULD STALL AS I AM TRYING TO CROSS TRAFFIC AND THE RESULTS COULD BE DEADLY. PLEASE, PLEASE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS, I AM GOING TO HAVE TO SPEND THE MONEY BECAUSE I CAN'T WAIT TO FIX THIS, BUT MAYBE, JUST MAYBE YOU CAN SAVE OTHERS THE MONEY AND POSSIBLY THEIR FAMILES LIVES! *TT

VEHICLE LOSES POWER UNEXPECTEDLY AND IS INCONSISTENT. HAS HAPPENED BEFORE TO ME AND MANY, MANY TIMES BY OTHERS WITH THE SAME VEHICLE. A POORLY DESIGNED/ENGINEERED ACCELERATOR PEDAL POSITION SENSOR APPEARS TO BE THE ISSUE. TOYOTA HAS BEEN NOTIFIED BY ME MULTIPLE TIMES BUT REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS SERIOUS FLAW IN THEIR VEHICLE. MOST RECENTLY, I WAS NEARLY REAR ENDED WHEN ON THE FREEWAY, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST POWER. FORTUNATELY THE DRIVER BEHIND ME WAS CONSCIOUS AND WAS ABLE TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY MANEUVER TO THE OTHER LANE. SOMEONE WILL DIE FROM THESE PROBLEMS! THIS HAS BEEN WELL DOCUMENTED BY MANY AT HTTP://WWW.TTORA.COM/FORUM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=13283&HIGHLIGHT=APPS+FIX I ASK THAT THE NTHSA PLEASE INVESTIGATE AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS. IT APPEARS MANY OF US, INCLUDING MYSELF, HAVE SUBMITTED COMPLAINTS ON THIS ISSUE AND NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE. ONE MAY ARGUE THAT THIS IS AN 8 YEAR OLD VEHICLE SO NO REASON TO INVESTIGATE. THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO YOUR'S AND TOYOTA'S ATTENTION SINCE 2005. IT NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED! PLEASE. *KB

RUST PERFORATION ON 1998 TO 2004 TOYOTA TACOMA FRAMES AND UNDERCARRIAGES, THE DEALER STATED WAS DUE TO IMPROPERLY MANUFACTURED FRAMES. TOYOTA CUSTOMER CARE TOLD ME THAT THE VOLUNTARY FRAME RECALL ON MY 2003 TACOMA FOR FRAME RUST EXPIRED IN MARCH OF 2011 AND THEY WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THE FRAMES OF CERTAIN YEAR TOYOTA TACOMA ARE DEFECTIVE AND WERE NOT PROPERLY MADE AND ARE SUBJECT TO RAPID RUST PERFORATION. TOYOTA SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THEIR VOLUNTARY PROGRAM SHOULD BE MADE MANDATORY. *TR

2003 TOYOTA TACOMA WAS RECALLED IN APRIL 2010 FOR FRAME REPLACEMENT. THE TRUCK FAILED AND THE "ENTIRE" FRAME WAS REPLACED. JULY 18, 2011, WHILE DRIVING THIS TRUCK THE SPARE TIRE FALLS OUT FROM BENEATH THE VEHICLE. THANKFULLY I WAS ON A SIDE ROAD GOING ABOUT 35 MPH AND THE OTHER VEHICLES ON THE ROAD WERE ABLE TO AVOID ANY IMPACT. THE NEXT DAY I TOOK THE PLATE THAT WAS " HOLDING" THE SPARE TIRE TO THE TOYOTA SERVICE CENTER THAT REPLACED THE FRAME. DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE PLATE LOOKED LIKE IT COULD HAVE BEEN A PIECE FROM THE TITANIC, I WAS TOLD THAT THIS PARTICULAR PART WAS NOT PART OF THE TACOMA RECALL. I ASKED IF THEY HAD TO REMOVE THIS PART WHILE REPLACING THE FRAME, WHICH THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THEY DID, AND THEN I ASKED WHY THEY WOULD PUT A WORN PIECE BACK ON... THE RESPONSE WAS "IT PROBABLY DIDN'T LOOK THAT BAD A YEAR AGO"....!!! I CALLED THE TOYOTA 800 PHONE NUMBER AND OPENED A CASE. AS A RESULT, I HAVE LEARNED THAT THIS PART WAS RECALLED ON THE 2003 TUNDRA, BUT NOT THE TACOMA... TOYOTA WILL HOWEVER REIMBURSE ME THE COST $233 IF I WISH TO HAVE THE PIECE REPLACED. I AM DISGUSTED AND SHOCKED AT THE FACT THAT SOMETHING LIKE THIS COULD HAPPEN. THANKFULLY NO ONE WAS INJURED...HOWEVER I COULD NOT GET THIS VERY SAME TRUCK INSPECTED IN THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS IN APRIL OF THIS YEAR UNTIL I REPLACED THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER ($1600)...YET IT IS OKAY TO PUT SAFETY INSPECTION STICKER ON A VEHICLE THAT IS A HAZARD TO OTHERS DUE TO A SPARE TIRE PROJECTILE THAT COULD OCCUR AT ANY MOMENT. THIS IS INSANITY TO ME. I ALSO HAVE A 1994 TOYOTA WHICH WOULD NOT PASS DUE TO RUST ON THE EXTERIOR "BUMPER"... EXTERIOR RUST WAS CONSIDERED A HAZARD.. AND I HAD TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE BUMPER "OR REMOVE IT" BEFORE IT WOULD PASS. PERHAPS THE "INSPECTION" REQUIREMENTS SHOULD BE ENHANCED TO INCLUDE TRUE LIFE THREATENING PROBLEMS... I HAVE NEVER HAD ANYONE HARM THEMSELVES ON MY RUSTY BUMPER....BUT I NEARLY TOOK OUT 4 VEHICLES WITH MY FAULTY SPARE TIRE MOUNT.. *TT

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA TACOMA. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING OUT IN AN INTERSECTION WHEN A VEHICLE CRASHED INTO HIM AT 45 MPH. THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACTS HOME AND HAD NOT BEEN INSPECTED. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED THAT THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 80,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA TACOMA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH THE CONTACT FELT A BUMP AND NOTICED THE SPARE TIRE DETACHED FROM UNDER THE VEHICLE ONTO THE GROUND. THE VEHICLE WAS PULLED OVER AND THE CONTACT NOTICED THE CHAIN WHICH HELD THE SPARE TIRE UNDER THE VEHICLE WAS SEVERELY CORRODED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 85,036.