Corrosion/Rust

Just wanted to see if anyone else is having these issues. 2011 4runner sr5 Blizzard Pearl

 

Are you perhaps from New England or Michigan?

If the skid is that rusted, I’m guessing some crossmembers and maybe the radiator mount may be eaten through as well.

I would really be concerned that your frame is about to fail catastrophically from rust damage.

Toyotas rusting to hell is nothing new, and Toyota doesn’t want to admit that it’s a problem with the fifth generation as well.

Looks like you added some more pictures, that is a terrible rust bucket, but not outside the range of normal what you see in New York, New England, the rust belt, and the maritime Canadian provinces.

That’s still ridiculous for a modern vehicle. Good luck getting Toyota to honor any of it.

 

Yes, I'm from the Northeast. I've called Toyota corporate to complain, but they don't care.

 

I would get on your back and take some pictures of the undercarriage, because I guarantee you that there are some serious issues if the body looks like that.

 

That is scary bad rust! I feel for you. What a shame.

 

Sorry to see this man that is awful...this is why I do not plan to drive mine in the salt/snow and winter crap.

I have some spots on my weld on my 21 ORP that I am going to have a guy put POR 15 on and then fluid film whole underside. For kicks I crawled under a new GMC Canyon that happened to be at a dealer and this new truck with a sticker in had rust developing on welds also and around the drain holes on the frame. It is unreal how much we spend and getting stuff like this.

 

Curious. Are you the original owner? Did you find any debris inside the hatch where the rust was? Any plugged drain holes?

im trying to avoid a fate like this.

 

I am not the original owner. I bought it used w almost 70k miles in june 2015. Once the paint started blistering beside the hatch release cover, I sanded it down to find the hole. I took the panel off the hatch(not hard to do) and found the rust inside . There was a little bit of rust debris, but not much. The drain holes are clear. I took it into a dealership last July to have them look at it and the service manager told me that other customers have come in w the same issue.

 

Ungood.

 

I lived in Iowa for a few years and was horrified to see what extensive salt use did to vehicles. When I lived out there, I learned that both extensive washing and ironically, leaving your vehicle outside, mitigated rust issues. If your car sits in a nice warm garage overnight after a day of driving through salt slurry, then all the ice and snow melts and increases rust. Leaving it outside means it doesn't thaw out and slows the corrosion process, If it's cold enough. And in Iowa, it was usually cold enough.

I hate rust and hate to see such a great vehicle getting destroyed like that.

It's like in Arizona, the sun and heat destroys batteries, tires, paint, and interior items. I'd rather deal with those than with rust.

 

I spent last 7 years representing manufacture of corrosion protection chemicals. Unfortunately, US Northeast area uses the most amount of salt in the entire world. Vehicle manufacture considers those as not normal driving condition. Any undercoating is just cover up the steel for any further penetration of salt, air. Important thing is to attack rust when it is still surface rust, not multi layer rust. Corrosion protection film will be inserted to the inner part of vehicle body to create film cover and also continue to be working through any space between two sheet metals. Using non-solvent based corrosion protection film will be highly recommended. then, undercoat or protection coating. Once multi-layer corrosion is formed, it will be body shop repair.

 

Ironic that you are located in LA, lol.

 

I spent most of my time in Northeast and Midwest territories....

 

sorry to read about your rust issues...wondering about some class action suit, against Toyota ..good luck

 

Darn. That does look like serious rust issues developing. Please keep us updated if you can.

I took my 2021 ORP to Krown Rust Proofing as soon as I turned 600 miles. The 4R just now turned 5K and the undercarriage still looks new. Of course, it hasn't been through it's first Midwest Winter yet. But I will report back here next Spring on my findings with the Krown process, which I will repeat once a year as recommended.

I half to thank fellow Forum members for the heads-up on the tendency of the 4R frame to develop rust early on. Shows how the value of a Forum like this can be so useful even before taking delivery of a vehicle.

 

Sorry I havent responded to everyone. Here's my latest rust issue..fuel tank strap rusted thru and broke off.

 

Seems like you should inspect the frame if you havent already. I cant imagine things being much different with the rest of the frame.

 

So on this topic - i'm picking up mine tomorrow. Since i live in Indiana the chemicals and salt coming this winter aren't even a question - it will happen... so to prepare while it's new and clean going to put the money into some corrosion protection. I'm a total DIY guy who strives for professional results and don't cut corners. My background is very technical and find that most, not all, things i do a better job myself than when i pay somebody to do the work. However i also recognize that sometimes given the process or materials and combination of both it only makes sense to pay somebody else to do it.

So is there any definitive success stories and recommended brand of materials a DIY'er for this can lean on?

OR

Is this something that i'd be sick sad and sorry down the road that i didn't pay somebody else to do.


The the thick rubber coating stuff is DEFINATELY out.

Doing it myself is where i'm leaning after doing some research and several youtubes (man it's nice to have such a tool). It appears if one pays attention, uses good product there is no reason i can do it myself which also sets me up for being able to do it every year to keep it sound and working.

 

I've been spraying the frame/undercarriage w the rubberized undercoating pretty much every year since I bought it. The frame does have surface rust, but it's not eating thru the metal like it did on the skid plate and hatch.

 

My 2000 Tacoma had a rust recall. I took it in and it didn’t qualify they said I took to good of care. I was looking for a new one to buy and they were only going to give me as a trade $3200. It had 245000 on it at that time. So I decided to keep it the salesman said not to wash it all winter because Toyota was paying big money for a buy back. So I finally took it in. In 2009 it had 301100 miles on it they said it qualified for the buy back and was unsafe for the road they found a pin hole where by the hangers for the rear leaf spring. Toyota paid me $13,265 for that Tacoma Im glad I held on to it. My 2009 had a recall for rust also. I lived in Iowa at that time. Now in Arizona.

 

Are you parking under a drainage gutter beside a wheelbarrough of salt for 6 months out of the year? How does this happen to a 5th gen?

 

It's a Toyota thing, you wouldn't understand.