It was the love for my 2005 Toyota Tacoma that led me into this quagmire, a journey mired in confusion, high costs, and a prolonged tussle with Toyota Corporate over an issue that should have been straightforward: excessive frame rust. This is a tale of a Limited Service Campaign that turned into a burdensome challenge.
The Heart of the Matter
My Tacoma is currently a scattered jigsaw puzzle, strewn across a Seattle-area dealership. The reason? A supposed Toyota Tacoma frame recall to address the excessive rust that has led to frame perforation.
The hitch in this supposedly straightforward process lies in the need for additional part replacements, ones that will be – or already have been – damaged during the frame replacement process. The catch? These parts aren’t included in the recall, which leads us to the burning question: Why is a recall costing $5,380?
The Recall Runaround
Despite my refusal to bear any additional expenses tied to the recall, Toyota Corporate remains unyielding. They refuse to cover any parts outside the frame recall “policy.” If I don’t agree to the additional expenses, I’ll be handed back my truck in its current state – disassembled, with its old, rusty frame intact.
An Ongoing Battle
This battle started in late March/April of last year. An overwhelming demand for new frames has stretched Toyota thin, leaving numerous Tacoma owners in a protracted waiting period. My truck has been in limbo for 218 days, sitting disassembled at the dealership for over a month.
Despite exhaustive negotiations with the dealer and Toyota Corporate, no solutions have been offered. All I wanted was the completed recall and my truck back. However, the dealers maintain that some parts will unavoidably be damaged and need to be replaced during the process. The cost, initially quoted as $3,500, has now escalated to $5,380.
The Struggle Continues
Frustrated and cornered, I turned to the court of public opinion. Using Twitter and other social platforms, I’ve been bringing attention to the Toyota Tacoma frame rust issue and Toyota’s uncooperative stance. It seems to be making an impact – I received a call from my case manager, notifying me that Toyota had reduced the price to $2,800, but they’re still unwilling to cover the remainder.
That’s not acceptable. I’m adamant – I won’t pay for a recall.
The next steps? A few more strategies are in line, but ultimately, all I want is my truck back, recall completed, without a hefty price tag attached.
As for those incessant Twitter posts? Yes, I have 5,380 of them scheduled – one for each dollar I’m being asked to pay. And they’ll continue to pop up every hour until July.