Frame rot....

Brendan

Well-Known Member
So, I just spent the past three hours reading about, watching videos on, and hearing people btch to high hell about "frame rot"... I own a new 13' tacoma, first toyota ever... Stuffs starting to freak me out a bit... Should I be worried? Is there stuff I can do now while its only 4 months out of the assembly line to avoid it?
 
Frame rot was a big issue in the 1st gen models. I have read that not many people have had a big issue in the (05-13) 2nd gen models. I just picked my 2013 truck up about a month ago. I'm not too worried about it just yet. I am gonna let the weather elements hit it hard for a good year or so before I start peeking under to see what's up.
 
Frame rot was a big issue in the 1st gen models. I have read that not many people have had a big issue in the (05-13) 2nd gen models. I just picked my 2013 truck up about a month ago. I'm not too worried about it just yet. I am gonna let the weather elements hit it hard for a good year or so before I start peeking under to see what's up.

Give it a few years and your frame will look like mine, nothing crazy but definitely have some rust. I am also is southish jersey (southern ocean county).
 
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Give it a few years and your frame will look like man, nothing crazy but definitely have some rust. I am also is southish jersey (southern ocean county).

Think being costal maybe adds to it with higher salt content in the air/water?.. Or is that not as serious as some
people make it out to be? I'm in pa but only 30-35 miles from the jersey beaches, and according to some people thats close enough to the coast to see certain wear/tear effects from it...Im not too sure Id buy into all that though...
 
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Think being costal maybe adds to it with higher salt content in the air/water?.. Or is that not as serious as some
people make it out to be? I'm in pa but only 30-35 miles from the jersey beaches, and according to some people thats close enough to the coast to see certain wear/tear effects from it...Im not too sure Id buy into all that though...

I live in RI, about a mile from narragansett bay...and a half hour drive to the south coast, and no vehicles in my family ever had that problem. My dad's had 5 diff trucks (nissan, 2 chevys and a gmc), my brother had a first gen taco and now has a 07 4runner and none of them ever had frame rot. I'd use mine too but this is my first real truck. I had a grand cherokee back in the day and never had a prob w/ that either.
 
The only reason the frame can rust enough for it cause failure is if it didn't get enough of that corrosion spray at the factory, or if its just very very old and just sits. You have nothing to worry about living close to the ocean. At the end of every year I go under my truck and get rid of any rust, right now it is almost rust free (just the frame).
 
Think being costal maybe adds to it with higher salt content in the air/water?.. Or is that not as serious as some
people make it out to be? I'm in pa but only 30-35 miles from the jersey beaches, and according to some people thats close enough to the coast to see certain wear/tear effects from it...Im not too sure Id buy into all that though...

I live in the middle of the country, 1500~2000 miles from any sea water and I lost my 2000 PreRunner to frame rot.

The only reason the frame can rust enough for it cause failure is if it didn't get enough of that corrosion spray at the factory,

^^^# 1 Reason, Dana Company fail!
facepalm.gif
 
Think being costal maybe adds to it with higher salt content in the air/water?.. Or is that not as serious as some
people make it out to be? I'm in pa but only 30-35 miles from the jersey beaches, and according to some people thats close enough to the coast to see certain wear/tear effects from it...Im not too sure Id buy into all that though...

I think the road salt would be more of problem then the salt air. My truck just has surface rust nothing to crazy, but I am def going to keep an eye on it.
 
Yeaa I guess no matter what, its eventually gonna start rusting in places... its just sad to see it all pretty and brand new now... and know that one day it'll be all beat up looking underneath and in the wheel wells... Maybe ill just but 50 gal drums of WD and hose the undercarriage down once a week ... But in all seriousness, I was just a bit freaked reading and seeing what some of the early 2000 models looked like after a few years with the extreme rot... Thanks for the info though dudes.
 
Also long as you don't drive through the ocean regularly should should be fine :)

Yeaaa I learned that lesson the hard way with a dodge I had...four wheelin on the beach one summer... 7 trips later and it looked like I had sprayed my frame and entire engine bay with "rust colored spray paint"... Ocean water is some corrosive assss ish...Wasn't happy about that... thing went from super clean to super beat lookin in a matter of a few weeks...
 
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