2005 TOYOTA TACOMA Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA TACOMA. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE RECEIVING A STATE INSPECTION, THE MECHANIC NOTICED THAT THERE WAS CORROSION ON THE FRAME. PRIOR TO THE INSPECTION THE DEALER HAD ALSO REPLACED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE LINE BECAUSE CORROSION WAS PRESENT AS WELL THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 125,000.

FELT AS IF POWER STEERING QUIT. GOING AROUND CORNERS THE STEERING WHEEL DID NOT RETURN TO STRAIGHT POSITION, BUT REQUIRED ME TO MANUALLY PULL THE WHEEL BACK. WE FOUND IT LOW ON PS FLUID. THAT WAS FILLED AND IT APPEARED THAT TO PRETTY MUCH SOLVE THE PROBLEM, THOUGH NOT COMPLETELY. TWO WEEKS LATER THE PROBLEM IS BACK AND THE PS FLUID LEVEL IS FINE. IT IS VERY HARD TO TURN INTO CORNERS AND ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE PARK IN REASONABLE TIGHT SPOTS DUE TO DIFFICULT TURNING THE WHEEL. *TR

DURING PA STATE INSPECTION FRAME IS TOTALLY RUSTED AND FAILED. HOLES IN FRAME BY ENGINE BUT ENTIRE FRAME IS RUSTED. THOUGHT IT WAS JUST SURFACE RUST BUT NOT THAT LUCKY. ONLY 47775 MILES. *TR

TOOK OUR 2005 TOYOTA TRUCK INTO THE TOYOTA DEALER FOR A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT P0333. THEY SAID THAT IT WAS A CABLE THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY REPLACED BY ANOTHER TOYOTA DEALER DUE TO RODENT DAMAGE. SINCE THE CAR ONLY HAS 2000 MILES SINCE THAT REPAIR AND A TOTAL MILEAGE OF 12,000 MILES WE FOUND IT UNBELIEVABLE THAT THEY WOULD QUOTE US A "DISCOUNTED" RATE OF 2,318.00 TO REPAIR THE CABLE AGAIN. WE TOLD THEM THAT WE DID NOT WANT TO SPEND THIS MUCH MONEY ON A CAR THAT ONLY HAD 12,000 MILES.THE CAR GOT REPAIRED AT A FRACTION OF THE COST THEY WANTED AND IT TURNED OUT THAT THEY HAD NOT TIGHTENED DOWN THE INTAKE MANIFOLD AND UNPLUGGED A SENSOR ON STARTUP. THEIR COST TO REPAIR WITH A SUPPOSED 8 HOUR DISCOUNT WAS 2318.00. THE EVENTUAL COST FROM A NORMAL MECHANIC WAS 374.00. IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN LESS BUT THE EXTRA TIME TO CORRECT THEIR ERRORS COST MORE MONEY. ON THE INTERNET THERE ARE MANY OWNERS OF THIS SAME TYPE OF VEHICLE COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS TYPE OF DAMAGE BEING CAUSED BY RODENTS EATING INTO CRITICAL WIRING. WIRING THAT CANNOT BE REPAIRED WITHOUT THE TOYOTA DEALER CHARGING 3000.00 PLUS FOR LABOR. THIS IS A SCAM. IT WOULD BE EASY FOR THE TOYOTA ENGINEERS TO FIX THIS CABLE SO THAT IT COULD NEVER BE EATEN BY ANYTHING AGAIN. ALSO MY MECHANIC AND OTHERS HAVE ASKED "WHY DO THEY EAT THIS CABLE AND NO OTHERS IN THE SAME AREA"? THEY ARE OBVIOUSLY MAKING THE WIRE COATING OUT OF MATERIALS THAT ATTRACT THE RODENTS TO IT. THIS IS A CASH COW REPAIR FOR THEM AND THEY ARE NOT ABOUT TO MAKE IT SO THAT THE RODENTS DO NOT EAT IT. A NORMAL MECHANIC CHARGES 374.00 TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM VERSUS 3000.00 FOR THE DEALER! THIS IS PROFESSIONAL ROBBERY THROUGH DESIGN AND SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED FROM A FEDERAL STAND POINT. I HAVE ALL OF THE PAPERWORK AND THE CABLE THAT IS IN PRISTINE CONDITION EXCEPT FOR THE EATEN AWAY END IF YOUR DEPARTMENT WOULD LIKE TO EXAMINE IT. *TR

I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO KOONS TOYOTA ON SATURDAY, AUG 2ND FOR AN OIL CHANGE. THE DEALER CONTACTED ME AND ADVISED THE VEHICLE HAD A FRAME CONDITION THAT MADE IT TOO DANGEROUS TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE. WHEN I GOT THERE THE VEHICLE WAS ON THE LIFT AND THE FRAME HAD EXTREME RUST AND A LARGE HOLE IN IT AND THE EXACT SAME HOLE WAS DEVELOPING ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE. I CONTACTED TOYOTA AND FILED A COMPLAINT AND RECEIVED THIS RESPONSE FROM THEM: [XXX], WE APOLOGIZE FOR YOUR CONCERN WITH THE FRAME ON YOUR 2005 TACOMA. AT THIS TIME, YOUR TACOMA IS NOT INVOLVED IN ANY RECALLS OR WARRANTY ENHANCEMENTS FOR THE FRAME. UNTIL A RECALL OR WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT IS ANNOUNCED FOR YOUR TACOMA, THERE IS NOTHING THAT WE CAN DO AT THIS TIME. YOUR EMAIL HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED AT OUR NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS UNDER FILE #1408052561. IF WE CAN BE OF FURTHER ASSISTANCE, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT US. SINCERELY, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

WITHIN A YEAR OF PURCHASE, THE REAR LEAF SPRINGS BECAME SOFT AND THE TRUCK BOTTOMED OUT ON BUMPS. I TOOK IT TO A LOCAL DEALER (HADDADS, PITTSFIELD, MA) AND THEY REFUSED TO SERVICE IT CLAIMING NOTHING WAS WRONG. I LATER TOOK IT TO A SPRINGFIELD DEALERSHIP AND RECEIVED THE SAME ANSWER. I THEN TOOK IT TO SUPERIOR SPRING IN PITTSFIELD. THEY FOUND BOTH SPRINGS WERE BROKEN AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. I CALLED TOYOTA AND THEY REFUSED TO HONOR THE WARRANTY, CLAIMING I HAD OVER LOADED THE TRUCK. I HAD NOT EVER CARRIED MORE THAN A FEW HUNDRED LBS IN THE BED OF THIS 1/2 TON TRUCK. I HAVE OWNED THE TRUCK SINCE NEW AND BEEN THE SOLE OPERATOR. A FEW WEEKS AGO THE STEERING BECAME STICKY. MY MECHANIC REPLACED THE STEERING SHAFT AT A COST OF $400. HE STATED THAT TOYOTA SHOULD RECALL THE VEHICLE FOR THIS BECAUSE HE SEES THIS PART FAIL OFTEN DUE TO POOR CONSTRUCTION. ALSO, THE FRAME ON THIS TRUCK HAS SIGNIFICANT RUST ALREADY AND DOES NOT LOOK LIKE IT WILL OUTLAST THE BODY AND DRIVE TRAIN. I'M NOT PLEASED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA TACOMA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE CLUTCH FAILED TO SHIFT AND CAUSED AN ABNORMAL ODOR. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER REPLACED THE CLUTCH, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 4,000.

I TOOK MY 2005 TOYOTA TACOMA ACCESS CAB 4X4 IN FOR SERVICE WHEN I WAS TOLD BY THE THAT I HAD TWO RUST HOLES IN MY FRAME NEAR THE FRONT SUSPENSION ON BOTH SIDES. ONE IS APPROXIMATELY 1 INCH ROUND ON THE PASSENGER SIDE, THE OTHER IS APPROX. 4 INCHES ROUND ON THE DRIVERS SIDE. I HAVE HAD THE TRUCK MAINTAINED BY THE SAME DEALERSHIP SINCE WE BOUGHT THE TRUCK. I HAVE NOTICED THAT THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS NONE OF THE WORK I HAVE HAD DONE AND THAT INCLUDES ASKING HOW THE FRAME IS DOING AS TOYOTA HAS A HISTORY OF RUST ISSUES WITH THESE TRUCKS. I CONTACTED TOYOTA AND OPENED A CASE WITH THEM. THEY DID COME OUT WITH A LIMITED SERVICE CAMPAIGN (LSC - E0D TO ADDRESS THIS KNOWN RUST ISSUE FOR CERTAIN TRUCK IN 20 NORTHERN STATES. AFTER FOLLOWING UP, I WAS TOLD YES TOYOTA KNOWS I HAVE THE ISSUE BUT MY VIN ISN'T PART OF THE LSC. I WAS TOLD TO CONTACT A DEALERSHIP AND THE FRAME COULD BE FIXED AS LONG AS I PAID FOR IT. I HAVE CONTACTED SEVERAL LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIPS AND THEY ALL TELL ME THEY DON'T FIX FRAMES WITH THIS ISSUE. THE TRUCK ONLY HAS 72K ON IT AND IT HAS NEVER BEEN DRIVEN ON THE BEACH OR TAKEN OFF ROAD. I USE THE TRUCK TO GET TO WORK IN SNOW STORMS AND WEEKEND PROJECTS. I ALWAYS GET THE TRUCK WASHED AS I KNOW HOW BAD SALT CAN DAMAGE A VEHICLE. I FIND IT AMAZING THAT THERE IS A LSC BUT TOYOTA IS UNABLE TO TELL ME HOW MANY VEHICLES ARE BEING FIXED UNDER IT AND THEY ARE ALSO UNWILLING TO ASSIST IN GETTING THE ISSUE FIXED OR THAT REFERRING ME TO LOCAL DEALERSHIPS ISN'T HELPING AT ALL SINCE THEY DON'T FIX THIS ISSUE.. I ALSO FIND IT SUSPECT THAT UP UNTIL A FEW YEARS AGO ALL OF MY MAINTENANCE WORK WAS COPIED TO MY TOYOTA ACCOUNT BUT NOTHING FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS. I HAVE MY RECEIPTS BUT AGAIN IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE TO TOYOTA. IF NOTHING ELSE I AM GOING ON RECORD AS I HAVE SEARCHED SEVERAL WEBSITES DEDICATED TO 2005 - 2008 TACOMA TRUCKS AND THIS IS A VERY HEAVILY REPORTED ISSUE. *TR

TOYOTA HAS RECEIVED REPORTS THAT CERTAIN 2005-2008 MODEL YEAR TACOMA VEHICLES OPERATED IN SPECIFIC COLD CLIMATE AREAS (COLD CLIMATE STATES) WITH HIGH ROAD SALT USAGE MAY EXHIBIT MORE-THAN-NORMAL CORROSION TO THE VEHICLE'S FRAME. TOYOTA INVESTIGATED THESE REPORTS AND DETERMINED THAT THE FRAMES IN SOME VEHICLES MAY NOT HAVE CORROSION-RESISTANT PROTECTION SUFFICIENT FOR USE IN THESE AREAS. THIS COMBINED WITH PROLOGED EXPOSURE TO ROAD SALTS AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, MAY CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF MORE-THAN-NORMAL RUST IN THE FRAME OF SOME VEHICLES. THIS CONDITION IS UNRELATED TO AND SEPARATE FROM NORMAL SURFACE RUST WHICH IS COMMONLY FOUND ON METALLIC SURFACES AFTER SOME YEARS OF USAGE AND/OR EXPOSURE TO THE ENVIRONMENT. TOYOTA HAS ISSUED A LIMITED SERVICE CAMPAIGN, BUT ONLY IN SELECTED STATES. MY VIN# FALLS WITHIN THE RANGE ON THE LIMITED SERVICE CAMPAIGN, BUT MY STATE IS TBD ACCORDING TO TOYOTA. MY COMPLAINT IS THAT TOYOTA IS AWARE OF THIS SAFETY ISSUE AND IS REFUSING TO REPAIR MY VEHICLE. MY TRUCK WILL NOT PASS INSPECTION DUE TO THIS SAFETY ISSUE AND IS CURRENTLY SITTING UNLICENSED. *TR

THE SUN VISORS, FIRST ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE, THEN ON THE PASSENGER SIDE, MADE A CRUNCHING SOUND WHEN PULLED DOWN TO BLOCK THE SUN AND, AFTERWARD, WOULD NOT HOLD ITSELF IN ITS UPWARD POSITION. AT FIRST, IT WAS MERELY ANNOYING, SINCE IT DIDN'T BLOCK MUCH OF MY VIEW OUT OF THE WINDSHIELD, BUT WITHIN A MONTH IT WOULD NOT HOLD ITSELF UP AT ALL, WHICH BLOCKED A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MY FORWARD VIEW OUT OF THE WINDSHIELD. THE 2 LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIPS WERE NOT INTERESTED IN REPLACING THEM, AS MY TACOMA HAD 50,000 MILES ON IT (STANDARD WARRANTY EXPIRED AT 36,000). I EVENTUALLY REMOVED BOTH SUN VISORS, SINCE IT WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE WITH THEM BLOCKING 50% OR MORE OF MY FORWARD VIEW. REPLACEMENTS FROM TOYOTA COST $100 EACH, I DID NOT REPLACE THEM, MAINLY BECAUSE THEY WERE OF THE SAME DESIGN AND I HAVE NO CONFIDENCE THEY WOULD LAST ANY LONGER. I DISASSEMBLED (DESTRUCTIVELY IS THE ONLY WAY TO DO SO) ONE OF THE BROKEN VISORS AND DISCOVERED THAT THE VISOR PIVOTS ON A SHORT METAL SHAFT. ON THIS SHAFT IS A, ROUGHLY, C-SHAPED METAL CLIP INSIDE A PLASTIC HOUSING. THE CLIP APPEARS TO HOLD THE TENSION NECESSARY TO KEEP THE VISOR IN PLACE. THE PLASTIC HOUSING, IN TURN, CONNECTS THE METAL CLIP TO THE REST OF THE VISOR. HOWEVER, THE PLASTIC HOUSING AROUND THE CLIP WAS BROKEN, ALLOWING THE CLIP TO ROTATE WITHIN AND THE VISOR TO DROOP. THERE IS NO FIX TO REPAIR THIS PLASTIC HOUSING AS THE FABRIC TRIM HAS TO BE REMOVED TO ACCESS IT. REPLACEMENT OF THE VISOR ASSEMBLY IS THE ONLY OPTION. *TR