Problems with 2002 Toyota Tundra SUSPENSION

I purchased this truck used in 2015 and was unaware of any recalls due to frame rust. i have replaced tailpipe, muffler, many brake components due to rust problems. the frame now rusted more and i am being told that it may be unsafe to drive. a mechanic told me about this frame rust recall and i took it to fred anderson toyota in raleigh,nc. the found that all recall items had been completed by the dealer in boone,nc. i find this hard to believe since the rusting issue is much more severe. i just want a fair evaluation of what can or should be done. fred anderson toyota in raleigh did have the truck but not sure how far they took the investigation of rust.

My tundra was recently diagnosed with critical frame damage that will not pass pa. state inspection. the vehicle was serviced by toyota for most of it,s life and all frame recalls were completed. the truck has 136,078 miles and is in very good condition. my recent claim with toyota was rejected based on the their interruptation that all required recalls were done and there is nothing toyota can due for me. there are numerous problems with toyotas response. the first beginning that when i picked the truck up after the frame recall treatment i asked the tech how the frame looked, he said good but there is a separation starting at the driver side rear leaf spring. that is exactly where my problem lies today. i believe toyota covered up the problem by treating the frames rather then replacing them in an attempt to save money. how many vehicles covered under this warranty were treated in the same manner and are still currently driving on the roads today? how many of the recalled vehicles now pose a problem to all motorist. please look into this

Toyota has a recall on the truck frame that they won't do anything about. this truck has only 70000 miles on it. we took it to the dealership and they told us to call toyota. we contacted toyota and opened a claim and they told us there not doing anything at this time for that recall. the whole frame is rotten and is not safe to drive. we've done all the recalls they had for the frame and it still rotted out. not sure how i can get this resolved with toyota. the frame snapped on the front driver side. the frame snapped while driving around town.

Vehicle was recalled for frame rust. it was recorded in 2012 that the frame was coated with crc to prevent /stop the rust. had it inspected by the dealer and found the frame had rusted around the rear leaf spring and was recommended that i should not drive the vehicle in with this problem. toyota cannot verify how long this crc coating would last. is this a just a fix to show that toyota has fulfilled its obligation as required by nhtsa?

Had to replace all 4 oxygen sensors. the front two were faulty before 50000 miles and less than 7 years old. the rear differential cover is rotting and leaking fluid. the only way to repair it is to weld over the hole.

Frist time comeing down my road going 30 miles per hr l right upper and lower ball joint broke tire went under the truck. second time the left upper and lower ball joint broke turning a corner. third time it happen i just got off of the hwy and the lower ball joint broke. i am afied to drive it .

I had the frame rust under coating 'band aid' applied to my 2002 toyota tundra by a toyota dealer in lynchburg va in 2011. the frame rust has reappeared so i took it back to the dealer asking for a new band aid to fix this problem and was told there was no warranty on the first fix and toyota will do nothing. i feel like it is toyota's responceability to repair or fix the underbody rust problem because they knew about this and are trying not to fulfill their obligation under the rust recall agreemeent with the court.

Took the truck in for recall inspection of rear as per recall notice #bxd ssc. was told by sunnyside toyota that the rear part was fine but the other part of frame is badly corroded. they/and the toyota manufacturer said that this portion of frame is not covered under recall. estimate of repair cost $15,000. remarks on vehicle inspection report: 99 front section of frame has a large hole that we feel is getting to the point of being dangerous/not part of bxd campaign

Holes rusted through frame

I would like to report an unsafe condition discovered on my 2002 tundra. with 158000 it was discovered that the front half of the frame has rotted out/ several large perforations make the vehicle unsafe to drive. this is even though the vehicle had gone through a previous recall campaign in which the frame was inspected and rust inhibitor applied to rear of frame. *tr

While traveling on a city road at about 25 mph, the right front wheel came off. i was towed to my mechanic for repair. both the tow driver and my mechanic told me they had seen this previously in toyota tundra's. i later found that there was a recall (ssc 50 j) and, after email correspondence with toyota and dealership approval of the workmanship performed by my mechanic, applied for a refund of my expenses. when i was denied the first time, the service manager at hollywood toyota said that he would resubmit by fax, saying that he saw nothing more that the office could want and that he had submitted the toyota service order for his inspection of my truck, a service order which the office claimed they did not have. the claim was denied again, this time because i had no records of maintenance on or inspection of the faulty ball joints. (there is no way to maintain the ball joints, and there is no way to inspect them, as they are inside a rubber boot.) the denial also stated that my mechanic's invoice was missing detail, although did not state what detail was missing, even upon written request. hollywood toyota's service manager said the detail on my invoice was greater than toyota itself provides and called someone up the line to find out what the issue was. he called more than once. no response. and, when there was no answer after two weeks, called again. nothing. note: if there is a way to attach, i would like to attach the full complaint i have written up and will be mailing to your offices.

I recently took my 2002 toyota tundra to the ralph hayes toyota dealership in anderson, sc for a repair on the power steering system. while i was there, i was notified that my truck was on recall due to corrosion of the frame. i was told that due to the recall i will be given a rental car, at no cost to me, while my truck was to have the frame inspected and repaired. i agreed to the inspection and was given a rental for the time my truck was at the shop. i received a call on 9/25/14 from the toyota dealership and was presented with 3 options. my first option was to have the new frame installed at no cost however, if any extra parts attached to the frame need to be replaced i was to go ahead and replace them. i was then presented with the price of around $9,500 that i was going to have to pay if i chose this option. my second option was to have the new frame installed at no cost and attempt to install my current parts onto the new frame. the toyota representative expressed with the current condition of those parts i will need to have them replaced with the cost still at $9,500. my third option was to decline the recall and drive the truck as is with the truck deemed unsafe to drive by the toyota dealership. the time frame i was given to make a decision was short of nothing. i had to make a decision by the end of the phone call that meant spending $9,500 or drive with an unsafe vehicle that at any given moment could cause a serious or fatal accident. i was forced into declining the recall because i do not have $9,500 in my bank account. also, after i concluded my business with the dealership, i proceeded to ask them what the trade in value on my truck was to see if buying another vehicle was an option. their response was $500 due to the recalled frame thus trading in and purchasing a new vehicle is not a viable option. would you mind reviewing my case? *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota tundra. the contact stated while driving approximately 65 mph, the front driver's side strut sheared off. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. the manufacturer had not been made aware of the problem. the vin was not available.the approximate mileage at the time of failure was 118,000.

I was driving on the interstate at 70 mph when the lower control arm came apart from my ball joint on the driver side. my wife and i spun uncontrollably with sparks shooting everywhere. we were able to come to a stop once the vehicle dug itself into the dirt of the median. it was such an embarrassment for myself as i have held the name "toyota" to the highest standard before all other auto maker. after the incident, i am now doing research and there had been a similar recall in 2005. i moved to a different state during this time and did not receive or know of a recall notice. i service all of my vehicles myself and very seldom take them into the dealership. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota tundra. the contact stated that while driving 5 mph, the vehicle suddenly dropped to the ground. the vehicle was towed to dealer where it was stated that the lower ball joint was fractured and the cv joint was damaged. the manufacturer was alerted of the failure and stated that the contact's vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 05v225000 (suspension). the driver and passenger suffered mild back pain from the incident. the vehicle was repaired. the failure mileage was 53,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota tundra. the contact stated that while driving approximately 15 mph, the front driver's side of the vehicle leaned over the front driver's side tire. the vehicle was towed to the contacts residence, where the contact inspected the vehicle and noticed that the front driver's side lower ball joint nut was sheered. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was previously included in and repaired under nhtsa campaign number: 05v225000 (suspension). the approximate failure mileage was 135,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota tundra. the contact stated that while driving various speeds, the front passenger's side tire became detached unexpectedly from the vehicle. there was a loss of steering control and the vehicle began to skid 35-40 feet before proceeding to stop. the vehicle then collapsed to the ground. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and an authorized dealer, in which both informed the contact that the brake lines and the frame was corroded. in addition, the front passenger's side ball joint was defective. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign id numbers: 09v444000 (structure) and 05v225000 (suspension) however, the vehicle was not included in either. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 250,000. the vin was unavailable.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota tundra. the contact stated that while driving 65 mph, a loud noise dragging noise was heard. after inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the fuel tank was dragging on the ground. the vehicle was towed to a dealer and diagnosed that the universal joint had become fractured and as result, the drive shaft and fuel tank were dropped. the contact decided to take the vehicle to a second dealer for and the technician stated that the frame was cracked. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 170,000.

Vehicle inspected by dealer leak in rack and pinion. very early at 72,500 miles. loose lower ball joints. lower ball joints replaced under recall 10/11/2005 at 28,000 miles. if they are going bad again at 72,500 miles, there is a major problem. *tr

I have a 2002 toyota tundra that i bought from del toyota in thorndale pa. i bought this truck new from this dealer. toyota sent me a letter for the recall of the frame. i took my truck to del toyota to have the frame looked at in 2012 and they said the frame just needed sprayed. i was fine with that. the problem is now my frame has 4 inch holes in it up by the engine on both sides. there is not whey my frame would have rusted out that fast since the dealer looked at it in 2012. so i took my tundra back to the dealer to have them inspect the holes and they told me they would call toyota to get a new frame on it because i had the truck in during the recall period the first time. little did i know toyota said they will not replace my frame because the recall period is over. then del toyota told me to call toyota corp and talk to a case manager. so i called toyota corp and talked to [xxx] (the case manager) and she told me toyota would not replace the frame because the recall period is over. i told her my truck was in for the recall and they sprayed it when the frame should have been replaced. she told me again toyota will not replace my frame. so now i am stuck with a unsafe vehicle that i feel unsafe driving and will not pass inspection anymore. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota tundra. while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a loud noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. the contact was informed that the driver's side rear shock tower was rusted and fractured, which caused the strut housing to fail. boch toyota (277 providence hwy, norwood, ma 02062, (781) 769-8100) was contacted to purchase the shock support. the contact was informed that the shock support was part of the subframe and could not be purchased separately. in april of 2012, the vehicle was repaired per nhtsa campaign number: 09v444000 (structure); however, the remedy failed to repair the vehicle. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not contacted. the approximate failure mileage was 133,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota tundra. the contact stated that the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for a repair associated with nhtsa campaign id number 09v444000 (structure: frame and members: underbody shields). while the technician performed the repair, he noticed both stabilizer links and the parking brake rear wheel mechanism were fractured as a result of excessive rust corrosion. in addition, the rack and pinion was corroded. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 74,000. updated 4/3/12 *cn the consumer stated the front stabilizer links broke off, due to them being rusted. the driver side emergency brake seized. the steering shaft u-joint was badly rusted. updated 05/17/12

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota tundra. the contact stated that while driving 50 mph, the front passenger wheel detached front the vehicle. the vehicle was towed to a local mechanic who diagnosed that the upper and lower bolt joints separated and as a result, the bolt joints and steering assembly needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 240,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota tundra. the contact stated that while driving 30 mph, the front driver side bolt joint broke off. the vehicle was taken to a dealer who verified the failure and stated that it needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 170,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota tundra. the contact stated that while driving 10 mph, the front driver side tire and wheel fractured from the vehicle causing the front end to collapse. the vehicle was towed to a dealer where the contact was advised that the upper and lower control arms had malfunctioned and caused the wheel to fracture. there were no recalls on the vehicle pertaining to the upper control arm. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 150,000.

I have owned a 2002 toyota tundra 4x4 since 2002. in july of this year i experienced a near wreck when i hydroplaned and was unable to regain control. when i tried to gain control i felt as if the truck was going to roll and i was forced to drive off the highway. although i did not collide with anything i did have some damage to the rear axel with noises coming from it. the next day i took the truck to a local garage to inspect the vehicle and they found nothing. not stopping there i crawled under and i found a broken link bolt on the right front sway bar. upon inspection of the link bolt i found that the link had rusted to less than half of it's original diameter which lead to its failure. taking this issue up with a toyota dealer i had them repair both sides of the sway bar links. when the left link was removed it too was found to be broken. the design of the links are such that water and road salt can settle in the bushings causing them to rust. the broken links are likely why i was unable to regain control of my vehicle and caused damage to the rear end gears and axle. i have had this vehicle in for safety inspections on numerous occasions and nothing was found to be wrong. if professional technicians can't detect this problem than how can an owner and how can these owner's feel safe with these undetectable problems. i have saved these parts and feel that they are worthy of closer inspections. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota tundra. while driving at approximately 15 mph the front passenger side ball joint failed and the front passenger side wheel broke off. the vehicle was towed to his home and had not been examined for the cause of failure. the manufacturer was notified and informed the contact his vehicle was not included in the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 05v225000. the vehicle had not been repaired. the failure and current mileages were 149,000.

Severe corrosion of vehicle frame and frame cross members, front end parts, and attachment hangers to frame of 2002 toyota tundra which will result in eventually weakening and failure of the above mentioned items causing a possible accident, injuries and possibly death. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota tundra. while changing the oil, the contact noticed that the sway bar in the front of the vehicle had rusted and broken. the contact called the dealership and was told that there was nothing that could be done as there were no recalls for the vehicle. the contact had not called the manufacturer at the time of the complaint. the current and failure mileages were approximately 157,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota tundra. the contact stated that when making a turn at approximately 4 mph, he began to hear a loud noise in the rear of the vehicle. he also stated that when driving around a curve, the doors would unlock involuntarily. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the ball joints needed to be replaced and would be done at no charge according to recall 05v225000 (suspension, front control arm, lower ball joint). he was also informed that the oxygen sensors needed to be replaced. the dealer stated that the remedy was to extend the warranty for seven years or 90,000 miles but the contact had owned the vehicle for eight years. the manufacturer informed him that with a recall in effect, because the warranty was no longer valid, they would not honor it. the current and failure mileages were approximately 60,300.

2002 toyota tundra sr5 has significant rust damage to undercarriage of vehicle. the damage is located on frame components including cross members, brake lines, spare tire holder, suspension parts, front & rear bumpers where they attach to the frame, etc. the bottom of the vehicle is totally covered in rust. *tr

Upper ball joints, rear springs, brakes front & back, and manual transmission, and o2 sensors too! this is what i have been repairing and was not aware of all of the recalls on my truck! so far i have just repairing it until today, after hearing about the newest recall! i will be calling my dealer monday.... *tr

Front drivers side sway bar link is corroded through. no accident or injury but only because i knew what was going on after i saw the broken link and drove accordingly. after further investigation we find that the brake calipers are corroded beyond salvage and the frame has heavy rust in a number of areas. it is clear that this truck will be worthless in a few years due to the heavy corrosion and we will all be lucky if someone is not killed due to corrosion damage causing something to fall off and cause a wreck. *tr

Yesterday, had $1300.00 work done on my 2002 toyota tundra. mechanic advised me that my springs need replacement as they are completely rusted. this evening, susan wornick of channel 5 investigative team, did a report on toyota tundras rusting out. specifically springs and frame. ms. wornick informed any owners of tundras (2000-2001 and possibly 2002) to file complaint with nhtsa. hence this email. *tr

While the contact was driving 10 mph she noticed that the front driver side tire had fell under the vehicle causing the vehicle to drop on the driver side causing the vehicle to slide for an additional 50 feet. the vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealership and the contact did not notice any differences beforehand. the current and failure mileage was at 125000. updated 09/18/09. *lj the consumer was informed a recall had been issued regarding the lower ball joint. the consumer stated she was not notified of a recall. updated 09/21/09. *jb

Toyota tundra 2002 the left lower ball joint broke while driving approx 30 mph. the truck lost all steering control and veered to the right immediately. *tr

I received this info sometime ago. i called my local toyota dealer i kauai on 2/15/08 . they said the would call me when the parts came in. they have yet to do that. should i be concerned? or is this not a very important recall? *tr

Tl*- the contact owns a 2002 toyota tundra/sr5. the contact stated that while driving approximately 65 mph the lower ball joints separated from the knuckle, which caused him to crash into a ditch. as a result of the crash, he sustained moderate injuries. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, and repaired according to recall# 05v225000 (suspension: front: control arm: lower ball joint). the manufacturer was notified. the current and the failure mileage were 50,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota tundra. he received a recall notice for the suspension: front: control arm: lower ball joint (nhtsa campaign id 05v225000). the dealer stated that they were unable to repair the recall because of an aftermarket front end lift installed on the vehicle. as of march 21, 200, the dealer had not repaired the vehicle. the current mileage was 48,782 and there had been no failure to date.

Recall was not completed because they said vehicle was not in a repairable condition which it definitely was. *tr

Front suspension lower ball joint failure on 2002 toyota tundra. i have not had any problems with the ball joints leading up to this event. they have been checked off in routine maintanence of the vehicle every 3000-4000 miles as being in good condition! for this reason and for the recall (special service campaign 50j lower ball joint) that was issued on the same exact part that failed on my vehicle. after reading the recall i would like to know why this same part on my truck was not covered when it appeared in good condition to the service technicians, but then failed while driving under normal road conditions? " in extreme cases, the front suspension lower ball joint may separate from the knuckle causing a loss of steering control, thus increasing a possibility of a crash." quoted from (special service campaign 50j) this is exactly what failed on my truck and i was lucky that i was going slow when it happened because the entire passenger side front end slammed down to the tire hitting the pavement locking up the tire pulling the axle shaft out of the axle and pushing the fender into the passenger side door! there is no doubt, if this would have happened at a higher rate of speed, the vehicle would have rolled causing serious injuries! this vehicle has never been driven hard or has it gone off road into a hole, or that anything, that would cause that type of wear. for these reasons i believe that this is a manufacturer defect of some kind whether it was the scratched surface of the ball prior to assembly as in the recall or some other type i don't know! i would appreciate an investigation into the parts! thank you *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota tundra. while driving approximately 10 mph, the front passenger side of the vehicle collapsed to the ground. the vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the lower ball joints failed. the failure was repaired under nhtsa campaign id number 05v225000 (suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint). the contact stated that he never received a recall notice, which was issued in 2005. he notified the manufacturer, but received no assistance. the current and failure mileages were 110,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota tundra. she stated that she received a recall notice for the lower ball joints (nhtsa campaign id#05v225000). she has been on the waiting list for a year. the dealer was unable provide a date when they would receive the parts. there had been no failure to date. the current mileage was 70,000.

Front suspension lower ball joint failure . *nm

The check engine light of our new toyota tundra truck turned on. i brought it back to the dealer for inspection/repair/replacement. its representative wrote in its evaluation that my son had abused its use and did not repair/replace the part. one evening, while my son and his girlfriend were on their way to a class field trip, the left lower ball joint of the truck broke off while traveling within the speed limit on a public road causing the left front tire to come off. traffic stopped behind and allowed my son to maneuver it safely on three tires to the side of the road where the truck flipped on its left side. my son and his girlfriend were very fortunate to survive this horrible accident with moderate injuries. some witnesses stopped to help them out of the truck. the paramedics and the sheriff came to the scene and had our truck towed to their impound facility. we towed our truck from the impound garage to a storage facility. my son filed a complaint with the bureau of auto repair and one of their technicians came to thoroughly inspect the truck for about a week and informed us of an impending recall on the lower ball joint. that same week, we got a recall notice in the mail from toyota corporation regarding the defective lower ball joint. about a month and a half later, we towed our truck and met with their representative at one of their orange county dealerships to inspect the defective part and the extent of damage to our truck. we received a call from their claims department regarding our case, i called the person back and left a message with him. i placed another call to him. up to now no action has been taken by toyota corporation regarding our case. *tr updated 09/30/08. *jb

Dt: contact stated while driving his vehicle the front left ball joint spindle came undone. the front left tire dislodged and the vehicle dropped speed. he had no control. this, in turn, caused an accident. the truck went off the road and into a ditch. the vehicle was towed to a dealership. there was nhtsa recall 05v225000, but he never received a recall notice. the dealership told him this vehicle wa snot included in the recall due to vin. *ak

2002 toyota tundra front drivers side ball joint and spindle failed. *ts as a result of the failure the consumer lost control of the vehicle and the vehicle landed in a culvert. the vehicle was towed to the dealer who explained that a recall had been issued for lower ball joint failures (05v225000). the consumer never received the recall notice. *nm

Office of attorney general-toyota recall on ball joints. *ts the ball joint and spindle on the front drier's side failed and as a result the driver lost control of the vehicle and ended up in a culvert. the vehicle was towed to a toyota service facility who informed the consumer that the ball joint had been recalled. the consumer never received the recall notice from the manufacturer. *nm

2002 toyota tundra front drivers side ball joint and spindle failed. *ts when the ball joint and spindle failed it caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle and crash into culvert. the consumer was told that the faulty components had been recalled. the consumer never received the recall notice. *nm

Dt: the consumer was making a right hand turn about 2 mph when the truck started making a strange noise. the consumer got out of the truck and discovered that the wheel was off the truck, and the rest of the truck was sitting on where the wheel used to be. the wheel was face down on the road and the fender was on top of it. also, it caused body damage to the rest of the truck on the right fender. the location was the right front wheel. the consumer the dealer has been contacted, and they said that they could not do anything until they hear from toyota. this vehicle has not been in any accident that would have caused this to happen. the dealership said that they had a recall on the ball joints, and they would take care of all expenses at that time. they have not taken care of anything. *ak