2003 TOYOTA TUNDRA Complaints

I TOOK MY 2003 TUNDRA TO A TRANSMISSION REPAIR SHOP, INDEPENDENT, TO HAVE THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL EVALUATED DUE TO CRUNCHING SOUND WHICH OCCURRED WHEN TAKING OFF FROM A STOP AND LEAKING OF FLUID DUE TO CORROSION ON HOUSING. THE SHOP CALLED ME THAT DAY TWO HOURS LATER AND INFORMED ME THAT MY FRAME WAS COMPLETELY RUSTED OUT NEAR THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE ON BOTH SIDES MAKING IT UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND NOT WORTH PROCEEDING IN ANY REPAIRS OF THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL AT THIS POINT. THEY CONTACTED THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP WHICH TOLD THEM THAT THE FRAME PERFORATION RECALL, NHTSA # 09V444 HAD EXPIRED 7/31/2015 SIX DAYS PRIOR. I WAS INSTRUCTED TO CALL TOYOTA, WHICH I DID. THE LADY INFORMED ME THAT THE RECALL WAS STILL ONGOING. I TOOK THE TUNDRA TO THAT SAME DEALERSHIP FOR THEM TO INSPECT THE FRAME. THE NEXT DAY THEY CALL ME AND INFORM ME THAT I NEED TO CONTACT TOYOTA AGAIN MYSELF. THIS IS A TOYOTA GARAGE TELLING ME THIS. TONIGHT I GET ON TOYOTA'S WEBSITE AND FIND TWO RECALLS IN REGARDS TO THE FRAME PERFORATION. ACCORDING TO THE TOY WEBSITE BOTH STATUS' OF RECALLS OFFER REMEDIES AVAILABLE AND THIS SITE IS UPDATED 8/7/2015. I CAN SEE THAT MY NEAREST DEALER ISN'T GOING TO BE VERY HELPFUL. MY TRUCK HAS 112,000. I'M THE 2ND OWNER AND HAVE BEEN DILIGENT WITH MAINTENANCE. I DO NO OFF ROADING AND USE IF TO TRANSPORT MY MOTORCYCLE TO RACES HUNDREDS OF MILES FROM HOME.

RECEIVED SAFETY RECALL NOTICE APPROXIMATELY SOMETIME NOVEMBER 2013, WHILE LIVING IN ROSEBURG, OR, REGARDING "FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG INFLATER MODULE" DEFECT IN MY 2003 TOYOTA TUNDRA . I HAVE MADE SEVERAL CALLS TO DEALERSHIPS ON A REGULAR BASIS TO INQUIRE WHEN I WOULD BE ABLE TO GET THIS RECALL COMPLETED. I RECEIVED THIS NOTICE WELL BEFORE THE THOUSANDS OF OTHER VEHICLES WERE RECALLED FOR AIR BAG ISSUES. I WAS TOLD I MUST WAIT FOR A SECOND NOTICE BEFORE REPAIRS COULD TAKE PLACE. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT MY RIGHTS ARE OR WHAT I CAN DO TO GET MY VEHICLE FIXED. I AM CONCERNED FOR MY SAFETY AND THE SAFETY OF OTHERS. THANK YOU, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA TUNDRA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V286000 (AIR BAGS) HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED TO PERFORM THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. UPDATED 09/09/15*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE RECALL REPAIRS WERE NOT RECTIFIED. HOWEVER, HE WAS BILLED FOR OTHER REPAIRS. UPDATED 01/16/16.*JB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA TUNDRA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V285000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.

THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL HOUSING OF THE TRUCK IS RUSTED THROUGH AND LEAKING GEAR LUBE, IF IT GOES UNNOTICED THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL COULD LOCK UP CAUSING THE REAR WHEELS TO LOCK UP AND CAUSE A CRASH. THIS A VERY COMMON ISSUE WITH THE 2000-2003 TUNDRAS AND IS VERY UNSAFE, THERE IS NO REASON THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL HOUSING SHOULD RUST THROUGH THIS QUICK, 30 YEAR OLD TRUCKS DO HAVE THIS ISSUE BUT A WHOLE LOT OF TOYOTA TRUCKS DO, IF YOU DO A SEARCH ON GOOGLE FOR RUSTED THROUGH DIFFERENTIALS ITS ALL TOYOTA TRUCKS, AND ITS NOT JUST A DIFFERENTIAL COVER ITS THE ENTIRE HOUSING, I WOULD NOT BE WRITING THIS IF IT HAD A COVER I WOULD HAVE REPLACED IT IN AN HOUR AND CALLED IT A DAY. THE FRAME OF THE TRUCK WAS ALREADY REPLACED BECAUSE IT RUSTED THROUGH AND NOW THE DIFFERENTIAL HOUSING IS RUSTED THROUGH DUE TO SUBSTANDARD MATERIALS USED IN ITS CONSTRUCTION. THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE JUST LIKE THE FRAME THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED.

FRAME RECALLED, TOYOTA REPLACED TIRE CARRIER, SPRAYED FRAME. BUT THE CROSS MEMBER AND EVERYTHING ATTACHED TO IT HAS RUSTED COMPLETELY THROUGH. MAKING TRUCK UNSAFE TO DRIVE. I HAVE A 1991 FORD F-150 WITH MORE FRAME INTEGRITY.

IN NOVEMBER 2011, OUR 2003 TOYOTA TUNDRA WAS TAKEN IN TO SHEPARDS TOYOTA IN ROCKLAND, ME WHERE THEY SPRAYED "CORROSION TREATMENT" ONTO THE FRAME TO TRY AND ADDRESS THEIR DEFECTIVE FRAME ISSUES ON THIS PRODUCT (THIS WAS DONE UNDER WARRANTY). THIS "CORROSION TREATMENT" PRODUCT FAILED AND FLAKED OFF WITHIN A YEAR. WHEN WE TOOK THE TRUCK BACK TO SHEPARDS, WE WERE TOLD THAT TOYOTA HAD CHANGED TO A DIFFERENT PRODUCT, AS THEY HAD FOUND THAT THE ORIGINAL "CORROSION TREATMENT" PRODUCT THEY WERE USING WAS FAILING. HOWEVER, THEY WOULD NOT RE-DO OUR TRUCK, SAYING THAT THEY HAD MET THE "MINIMUM FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS" BY DOING THE TREATMENT IN 2011. WE HAVE RECENTLY BEEN TOLD BY OUR MECHANIC THAT THE FRAME WILL LIKELY NOT PASS INSPECTION NEXT YEAR, DUE TO THE AMOUNT OF RUSTING ON THE FRAME. WE ONLY HAVE 100,670 MILES ON THIS TRUCK, AND HAD HOPED TO HAVE A USABLE TRUCK FOR MANY MORE MILES TO COME. I CONTACTED TOYOTA SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE PAST TWO WEEKS, TRYING TO GET THEM TO HELP FIX THIS ISSUE. TOYOTA IS TELLING US THAT BECAUSE THEY DID THE "CORROSION TREATMENT" IN 2011, THAT THEY "MET THE MINIMUM FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS" TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE, ARE UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO HELP US ANY FURTHER, AND WILL NOT DO SO. IF THE TREATMENT HAD WORKED, THEN I WOULD HAVE NO ARGUMENT. THEIR "FIX" WAS NOT A FIX - IN FACT, WITHIN A YEAR, THEY HAD SWITCHED OVER TO USING A DIFFERENT PRODUCT, AS THEY'D DISCOVERED THAT THIS ORIGINAL PRODUCT WAS FAILING. THINK OF ALL OF US WHO WERE BEING RESPONSIBLE CONSUMERS AND GETTING OUR TRUCKS IN EARLY FOR TREATMENT ONCE WORD GOT OUT ABOUT THE FRAME ISSUES, AND WHO WERE GIVEN THE TREATMENT THAT WAS DOOMED TO FAIL. IT IS SO NOT FAIR. OUR CASE NUMBER WITH THEM IS [XXX]. DURING THE WORK DAY, I'M MOST EASILY REACHED BY E-MAIL. I AM NOT AT THE HOME PHONE UNTIL AFTER 4PM MOST DAYS. SINCERELY, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).? *JB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA TUNDRA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14312000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART WAS UNAVAILABLE TO PERFORM THE REPAIR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA TUNDRA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBERS: 14V312000 (AIR BAGS) AND 05V254000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PARTS NEEDED TO DO THE REPAIRS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT BELIEVED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME TO PERFORM THE RECALL REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE DELAY. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA TUNDRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE UNDERCARRIAGE OF THE VEHICLE WAS CORRODED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 136,000.