Less than 6 months and 7500 miles and hitch is already rusting

You are an exactly correct. Reliability means nothing if it rusts so quickly. I love it nonetheless and many of us do.

Look at the new Taco frame even. Do you really think that is any more corrosion resistant? All the hype and bullshit on the videos and you don’t hear one peep about how the frame is more rust resistant You hear everything else but nothing about the frame being less resistant to rust. It’s a ground up new truck and you ignore that ?

 

^Toyota added drain holes on the bottom of the frame rails and spray cavity wax inside, so it's at least improved in that regard:



The new frame however has more welds for weight optimization (so-called Dejima technology). As the welds historically rusted first, that may work against it.

As an end user there isn't much you can do to enhance mechanical reliability (aside from just doing maintenance on time), while you can enhance the frame and body's corrosion resistance.

 

My 4Runners were the only vehicles I ever had with a hitch, and every one of them did what the OP's did within a few months. But I shoved a metal bike rack into each of them, and I don't see how any painted surface would withstand that. Purely anecdotal, but while walking the dog this morning I took a look at other hitches in my 'hood, and with the exception of a BMW's that I doubt was ever used, they all had some form of similar surface rust. Has anyone had a hitch that didn't?

 

I agree with this. I wish dealers didn’t make warranty claims such a gauntlet as matter of standard procedure. Toyota dealers, and it seems most brands of vehicles, appear to have the standard practice of charging you one hour of diagnostic time for a warranty claim that is denied (however, it’s charged to toyota if they do a repair under warranty).

This was a bit if a shock to me since I’ve never had that to happen to me. I took mine in for the needle bearing noise, they blamed my “loud off-road tires” (KO2s), then charged me for their time and expertise. If that’s not telling the client “so sue me”, I don’t know what is.

Gone are the days of good-will towards the customer, if they ever existed. And I’m talking about problems within the warranty period.

You might be successful with a warranty claim with the hitch rust since it will take them only a few moments of their time to wipe it down and put some paint on it. They might even do it right where you pull in. But I can also see the potential for a busy dealer to tell you it will cost one hour labor to diagnose, make you wait a few hours, deny warranty, then charge you and send you on your way to start writing letters and making calls to management.

You may be better than I am in verbally engaging them to avoid that, but I only see red and have to walk away. To me, the greater failure is not the hitch paint, or the needle bearing, or a squeaky seat… but the biggest failure is Toyota’s abject disregard and loathsome attitude towards their customers.

And I wouldn’t even consider another make or model because the 4runner has no equivalent in terms of quality, reliability, or design. Even with its faults.

 

That is a good video thanks for sharing maybe some hope then

 

Steel rusts, frames rust, it's just how steel interacts with the elements even if its painted. If i had an issue with rust i would just get a unibody maverick or Ridgeline.

There are also types of steel that's designed to rust as a protectant: https://www.john-steel.com/en/blog/...brown,the influence of atmospheric conditions.

 

I wonder why they don’t galvanize frames like a trailer for a boat. $250 option in 1990 and no rust in 2023

 

I had some rust on my 2008, 2012 FJ's, 2015 Tacoma TRD Sport & my 2018 4R TRD OR OEM Trailer hitches. I touched up the last FJ & Tacoma hitches W/Rustoleum. No big woo I was gonna on the 2018 4R TRD OR but traded it. I always buy everything new too & like to keep my stuff nice, not fanatical, but nice.

 

No. But I don't view my vehicles like a Maserati with $3k optional paint color...

My 4Runner's hitch was touched up by the previous owner or the used car dealer before I bought it a year ago. I sprayed cosmoline over it before putting in the DD hitch pod light. It's still holding up fine.

 

If you daily towed your boat trailer through the winter road salt, it would last maybe 5 years. Here are 1/2" dia. galvanized grade 8 bolts used to hold up the All-Pro bumper on my previous Tacoma, 3 winters later:



Galvanized parts still need an appropriate primer and top coat to survive winters here. That top coat needs to be maintained and touched up.

 

I think this discussion is touching on two arguably different topics.

Tow hitch surface rust is one, and frame failure due to rust is the other.

The hitch is exposed to the elements. It has an extremely sharp edge all the way around. And there are several weld beads on it. I know I mentioned it was paint failure, but surface
preparation is the cause. If that sharp edge was not there, the paint would not fail immediately. If anyone wants to cut to the chase and solve this problem, taking a file around those sharp edges, cleaning it well, then painting it with almost anything will keep it from wicking moisture through a chip, and the resulting surface rust pushing the paint off.

Why didn’t toyota do this? They should have if you ask me, because it’s an immediately visible cosmetic problem a new owner doesn’t want to see. They lose style points on this. But I guarantee that this was a calculation that was made considering how much customers would care, the cost of the extra manufacturing operation (an extra machine/time/operator), and the likelyhood the extra operation would make a a difference if the hitch is actually used for it’s intended purpose (no paint survives getting bumped during hitch-up, and the inside of the receiver tube will lose it’s paint no matter what).

Regarding frame rot that leads to structural failure…Again, Toyota is hedging its bets. Compared to the typical BOF vehicle, they know they will do no worse in similar conditions. If there calculations net a usable life of 12 to 15 years in corrosive environments, I doubt they will put extra effort to double the frame life. If somebody wants 30 years out of a vehicle, toyota is probably expecting the owners will take the extra step to make that happen. They probably wouldn’t even have OE parts available at that point anyways. Even something easy like hot dip galvanizing is a huge expense now a days (to do legally).

The reality is, people get upset at rusted frames because the 4runner is one of a few vehicles perceived to be worth keeping 15 or 20 years. I’ve heard enough dodge ram, ford, nissan, etc stories of expensive, sometimes undiagnosable mechanical problems from new that essentially makes them throw away vehicles compared to 4runners. If their frames last longer, I doubt anybody cares much, since everything attached to the frame is unlikely to have any value by then. The chances other *modern* trucks survive to an age where frame rot becomes a factor are much less than a 4runner.

Basically, it reasonable to argue that 4runner frames are a victim of the good reliability/durability of the rest vehicle. The only sob stories regarding rot Ive seen are on vehicles getting near 15 years after multiple owners. Which is why I think it’s nuts what people will pay for these used, sight unseen.

 

That’s a good point in terms of identifying where the problem might originate. But my window sticker lists the hitch as standard equipment under the mechanical and performance section, not as an additional aftermarket accessory. So basically, it’s just one of many supplier-provided OE parts. To the customer, Toyota presents this as an OE part. I doubt whoever makes these hitches will make a change to production specs without Toyota initiating that change.

 

I don't know about that, Ive seen pictures of TRD pro models sitting at port before their wheels, roof racks, etc. are installed, and the hitch is always there.

 

Now that I think about it, if the hitch is a supplier provided item (most likely is), it’s even easier for Toyota to improve it. A quick email to tell the supplier to stop making toyota look like shit on one of the most visible surfaces of the vehicle. Just tell them to radius the edges and eat their costs if they wish to continue their “relationship” lol.

 

I'm pretty confident the hitch is apart of assembly at Tahara. Here are two items to prove this thought.


Screen cap from this video shows the hitch as the body is placed onto the frame:

Video Link: https://youtu.be/ikKByP6H_58?t=815

Another screen cap from an older video:

Video Link: https://youtu.be/hC-li_WG3jI?t=403

 

Toyota's "improvement" is to cover the hitch with a plastic codpiece (with probably molded-in color), so you won't see the hitching rusting if you don't use the hitch

 

Well they do have to add the "Tow Package " on assembly i.e. wire harness at the less that comes W/Tow Package. Regardless that small amount of rust & having to touch up W/Rustolem (It's the fish oil) is NO big woo for me! If that's an issue W/a 4Runner What the ..... would there be W/all the other mfg.'s??? I know Lexus(Hi$ Toyota) has always been one of the #1 for engineering & reliability. From what I have seen online Lexus & 4Runner's are made in same plant. Again ONLY what I've seen online videos that there is a test track @ the plant & supposedly every Lexus goes on the track every 5-7 4Runners do. I know my 2023 TRD Pro didn't make the track because it only had 3 miles on it when they brought into delivery room. Again this is only my opinion & what I have seen online, I did NO real research

 

It's a factory part on the Lexus GX550. Actually the hitch installation looks pretty unsightly without the plastic codpiece on:

 

Yuck! It looks like the bumper is wearing a diaper!

I'd rather look at a rusty trailer hitch.

 

You got it backwards. Black plastic fender moldings are a longstanding design element for off-road trucks. Subaru is guilty of stealing this design element in a poor attempt at making its station wagon appear rugged to the lesbian customer base.

 

^Not joking
https://priceonomics.com/how-an-ad-campaign-made-lesbians-fall-in-love-with/
https://www.cartalk.com/content/ultimate-gay-and-lesbian-cars-all-time-1 (click on the "and the winner is" balloon)

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BuBHYMWrN4