Tacoma Frame Recall - Please educate me

Hello everyone,
I am new to the forum - first post.
Family needs a 3rd vehicle; daughter will earn her license in a couple of weeks.
I thought of a Manual Trans Tacoma w/ the 4 cylinder - would be super handy and none of her friends would drive it being manual.
Started looking - man these are sought after trucks.
I noticed alot of frame replaced by dealer which concerns me.
- what year tacoma's have the frame failure issue?
- I assume it is rust / rot - is that correct ?
- Where are the typical failure points ?
- Anything else I need to know before buying a used 2nd Gen Stick Tacoma?
Thanks
Nvr-enuf

 

Welcome to TW

Google any question with tacomaworld in the title, tons to read..

 

AMD, a Toyota Master Diagnostic Technician in Chicagoland (the Rust Belt) posts frequently on The Car Care Nut YouTube channel. He often speaks to the rust on frame concerns for body on frame truck models, while observing that the unibody vehicles are well sealed underneath. That can be a problem and why it was often said (in Missoula, MT) in the 1970s that the best place to buy a used vehicle was the SW US. Arizona, for example, where dry desert air prevents those problems. After I bought the last truck Dad ever ordered (and spec'd out as I would have), I had Glacier Undercoating of Kalispell, MT give it a NHOU treatment. nhoilundercoating.com This is a sideline to their construction business so they've been through the week-long training course, and practice with the materials on their own equipment. Crawling under the truck, the products are non-hazardous, so I simply wiped it off my skin with a paper towel. Other than avoiding pressure washing the bottom of the truck, there are few considerations other than say, an annual check.

 

Toyota frames have been rusting in half since the first pickup left the line. I suspect the 3rd gen is no different but only time will tell.

Hopefully they have learned and the 4th Gen will have a different steel composition with a bit of chromium and the frame coatings are improved.

 

...And technically, it's not a recall. That has specific legal requirements. IIRC, Toyota issued a "Limited Service Campaign" for frame corrosion on the Gen 2 trucks and a "Customer Support Program" for the Gen 1 trucks.

 

Where are you located? Only trucks originally sold in rust belt states qualified for the customer satisfaction program, they are covered for 12 years from date of first use although I believe there are some other stipulations as well.

That being said any vehicle that is operated in an area where the roads are treated in the winter or in or near saltwater will rot out pretty quickly without regular washing and undercoating, it's up to you as a buyer to inspect the vehicle carefully or have it inspected by a reputable shop before purchasing.

 

https://desmoines.craigslist.org/ctd/d/norwalk-2008-toyota-tacoma-4x4-v6-manual/7585972841.html

Helluva deal.

 

I know this might be extreme but buy one from the southwest