Owner-reported complaints naming the body or structure system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2008 Toyota Tacoma submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 76 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 76, in the owner's own words
I have major rust on the frame of the truck and I was told by Toyota the warranty period is over. I just gave Toyota the Vin number and was told it was not covered. The rust is major and a safety issue.
The brakes on my 2008 Toyota Tacoma were failing so I took it to a mechanic, who said that the brake lines had failed and needed to be replaced. However, he said that it wasn't worth putting any money into the truck, as the leaf springs were corroded along with the frame, which could crack apart at any time. As we only purchased the truck one year ago, he advised us to take it to the dealership where we purchased it, and informed us of the recalls on both of these issues. I spoke with the mechanic at the dealership because when we purchased the vehicle, they did the inspection and said that everything was fine. When I asked the mechanic about this, he said that he didn't have anything to do with sales and we needed to speak to the owner (who is out on medical leave). The mechanic said that when the dealership purchased the vehicle at auction, the frame must have been undercoated and so they missed it. When I mentioned the recall, he told me to call Toyota. I have checked the VIN and it is not showing an open recall for this vehicle. However, it is experiencing the exact same safety issues as the recalls for leaf spring corrosion and frame rust and cracking. I have only had this truck for a little over one year and do not know what to do. It is too dangerous to drive as it could cause a serious accident. Neither the dealership nor Toyota want to take responsibility and offer a solution.
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that while his wife was entering the vehicle on the passenger’s side, the sidestep was stepped on, and there was an abnormal crunching sound coming from the step. The contact went to the passenger’s side front door and yanked on the sidestep, which caused the sidestep to almost separate from the sub frame. The contact looked underneath the vehicle and observed severe corrosion extending the length of the passenger’s and driver's side. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic due to the extent of the corrosion. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 173,807.
report a paint defect on my 2008 Toyota Tacoma, painted in Super White (040). Over time, I have noticed significant paint peeling on multiple areas of the truck, including the roof, hood, and door frames. The paint is deteriorating down to the primer, and in some places, the metal is now exposed. I am aware of Toyota’s Customer Support Program T-SB-0162-19, which extends warranty coverage for similar paint issues on various Toyota models using the same Super White (040) and Blizzard Pearl (070) paints. However, I am disappointed to learn that the Tacoma—despite having identical paint and similar defects—was excluded from the original program. This paint failure is clearly not due to age or wear, but rather a manufacturing defect that has been documented by thousands of Tacoma owners nationwid
I have a 2008 Tacoma with a severely rusted frame. I just bought it a few months ago but didn’t know the frame was this bad. It’s unsafe to drive in its current state. Toyota will not honor their now expired recall for their faulty frames. Their frames were not coated properly from the factory and almost all tacomas had this issues that were in the cooler states of the US, and around the world for that matter.
Toyota has had a long history of excessive frame rust. This truck has excessive frame rust. There was a recall to fix this frame rust and my truck has not been fixed. Toyota will not fix the current recall for the spring replacement because of the frame rust. My life and my children’s lives are in danger due to the possible leaf suspension failure that may puncture the gas tank.
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that during a routine oil change, he was advised that the sub frame had extensive corrosion on the rear and front passenger’s side of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was informed that the sub frame needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 139,950.
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated while receiving an oil change, an independent mechanic discovered severe corrosion with the subframe of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the contact was informed that there were no recalls on the VIN and the contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 130,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that while inspecting the vehicle, it was discovered that underneath the vehicle there was an abnormal amount of rust on the frame. The front passenger side frame was deteriorating. The dealer was called and made aware of the failure however the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact mentioned that the vehicle was parked and driven when necessary as they feared for their safety when the vehicle was driven. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and confirmed that the failure was a known issue. The approximate failure mileage was 106,000.
Some of the interior door light switches don't light @ night. I can probably take the door panel off & fix it... (buy bulbs)...? Door hinge on the gas cap breaks way to easily. Could fly off & hit someone\thing... Clunking sound coming from the rear end & I can't find where it's coming from... Gas cap gets loose & throws a p0333 code knock sensor bank 1 or 2 or both. Who put them under the manifold... ? Scary to get the code. That's a hr+ job that's doing it myself.$ Expensive from a shop $ Nothing to serious. 2nd Owner. Runs strong for the miles on it. Thank you, [XXX] , INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle to the dealer for the State inspection, the dealer informed the contact that the subframe was severely corroded, and there was a large hole in the front leaf spring shackles. The dealer determined that the subframe needed to be reinforced at an auto body shop. The dealer provided an estimate for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that two extended warranty letters related to the failure were sent to the vehicle owners. The manufacturer informed the contact that the Extended Warranties had expired; however, the contact never received the letters. The failure mileage was approximately 107,811.
The brakes completely failed on the vehicle. When inspected the main brake line was found damaged due to the frame of the car being totally corroded and shifting of the mechanical structure. If I were not quick in getting the emergency brake applied, we would have had an uncontrolled crash in traffic and could have potentially been killed. There were no warnings or lights that came on in the vehicle prior to the complete brake failure. The car is currently at a local repair shop and can be inspected if necessary. The frame corrosion was so bad on this car that the repair shop was not comfortable even putting it on a lift as they felt the car frame would break.
Frame is rusted. Lancaster Toyota Mazda body shop recommended the frame be replaced. They will not repair it.
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that the subframe of the vehicle was significantly corroded. The contact stated that the passenger's side of the vehicle was warped, which made the vehicle unsafe to drive. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle had passed inspection when an unknown recall repair was previously performed on the vehicle in 2016. The failure mileage was approximately 243,000.
I purchased this vehicle used several years ago. I recently took it in for an oil change and my mechanic advised me that the underside was rusting out. There was a recall for this issue but it has expired and Toyota has refused to do anything.
While driving at unknown low speed on 2 lane road, contact observed bed of truck rise vertically in the air, within the frame of rearview mirror. Upon pulling over, further investigation indicated that indeed, while adding body weight to the truck bumper, rear of bed, was more than sufficient to cause the front of the bed to rise. Truck was later moved to dealer location, Courtesy Toyota, Brandon, FL, for inspection. Inspection by Toyota indicated both frame rails were completely severed by corrosion. Truck was tagged out of service and not safe to operate by the OEM. This unit was inspected by same Toyota dealership in Jan 2019, for extended frame corrosion warranty program, and was passed for frame rail replacement as it did not meet the failure criteria of the incorrectly written test. This criteria DOES NOT address all failure modes, nor a normal population of "most likely" failure modes, thus allowing the OEM to side-step responsibility. placing consumers at great risk for bodily harm for both vehicle owners/operators, and the general public in proximity to the traveling vehicle. Known Quality issue. Known Safety issue. Harm is imminent. Financial damage imminent.
Red paint peeling off
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated while driving at unknown speeds and turning the steering wheel, there was an abnormal rattling sound heard. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that frame was rusted after removing the heat shield. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 109,151.
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer for a wheel bearing replacement however, upon inspection, the contact was informed that the sub frame was extremely corroded. The contact was informed that the sub frame needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,808. The contact stated she was told find a shop to weld a metal piece but Marquardt Toyota but was informed there is nothing to weld.
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that that there was corrosion underneath the front end of the vehicle. The dealer was contacted and stated that the vehicle had corrosion but that the vehicle was out of warranty and provided no further assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was out of warranty and advised the contact to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 109,000.
1. Some years ago Toyota recalled the vehicle for inspection of the frame. Since it was relatively new, it did not need a frame replacement at that time. They claimed to have enhanced protection with some kind of coating. 2. Warrantee for frame corrosion was extended for 12 years but I did not receive a notice for reinspection when that was nearing the end for my vehicle. 3. Although my vehicle just passed inspection, I have been informed that corrosion is progressing, and I will not pass inspection in one two or three years. 4. My vehicle which has low mileage and is otherwise perfectly serviceable for my purposes, will have to be junked because Toyota refuses to take responsibility for shoddy manufacturing (or at least shoddy steel fabrication).
2008 TOYOTA TACOMA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO FAULTY FRAMES ON TRUCK. THE CONSUMER STATED THE REPAIRS WOULD COST $12,000 TO FIX THE PROBLEM.
We were experiencing a loud rattling noise under the passenger side steer tire and when we hit bumps, it was hard to control the steering and bouncing. When inspected by our mechanic, we found that the frame had rusted through and broke near the passenger side wheel and will no longer pass inspection due to safety. The entire frame has extensive rust issues, even though under costed at time of purchase and two other times during our ownership and was last inspected by Toyota in April 2018 and told all was ok, even though there was an open extension on replacing rusted frames for the 2008 Toyota Tacomas.
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated while reversing at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle struck the curb. The contact heard an abnormally loud sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the subframe was fractured due to extreme rust. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure mileage was 113,000.
Toyota Tacoma has excessive rust throughout the frame and suspension.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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