Hilux early chassis fail: rust perforation after 7 years and just 44k miles of road use in U.K.

[Otto68]

put it this way .. since I got the snip 12years ago there definitely a different shape - lie at a different angle and one is bigger than the other .. I asked the doctor did they run out of cable ties and had some jubilee clips left over ..

Wow, too much information here, remember I’ve seen u & now have a horrible image in my mind

 

[Tim.243]

I did that today.

Shortly thereafter the dealership called. A long conversation ensued.

The service manager is good/solid. He had spoken to their MOT&service team re not flagging the rust sooner. The response was it was hard to know whether to worry a customer with news of some rust as its rate of development is unknowable.

The problem with that answer is that the suspension hanger limb was perforated front and back and the manager declared "it has corroded from the inside out".

That suggests poor chassis prep rather than external conditions I suggested. Anyhoop, he will now try to get an area QC adjudicator in to check the rest of the chassis...TBC.

Why don't you get underneath and have a look yourself...
Do you grease the main prop and front one ? Mine get a 3 month visit from the grease gun...
The world is turning into a tick box clipboard void in this universe ffs

 

[zambezi]

Why don't you get underneath and have a look yourself...

I did. [when it was up on the stand at the dealership last week. And hopefully will again if/when the Toyota QC chap and I do a joint inspection. The hammer tap test suggests the frame is ok...but I do not have the gear to inspect the insides of the chassis box sections, and the dealership declare the failed section "rusted from the inside out"]

I did all my own maintenance on the Surf that preceded the Hilux including exhaust and brake replacement, periodic lube throughout and cambelt change at 60k mark. I am no stranger to vehicle maintenance.

But...the Hilux was a from-new purchase and, as such, I had both paid for and believed I received appropriate care and maintenance for my money.

With hindsight, that chequebook approach now seems a little naive.

 

[Tim.243]

I did. [when it was up on the stand at the dealership last week. And hopefully will again if/when the Toyota QC chap and I do a joint inspection. The hammer tap test suggests the frame is ok...but I do not have the gear to inspect the insides of the chassis box sections, and the dealership declare the failed section "rusted from the inside out"]

I did all my own maintenance on the Surf that preceded the Hilux including exhaust and brake replacement, periodic lube throughout and cambelt change at 60k mark. I am no stranger to vehicle maintenance.

But...the Hilux was a from-new purchase and, as such, I had both paid for and believed I received appropriate care and maintenance for my money.

With hindsight, that chequebook approach now seems a little naive.

You missed the other part of the question. It takes under ten mins as that is why they have grease nipples

Do you grease the main prop and front one ? Mine get a 3 month visit from the grease gun...

 

[Otto68]

Some pics of 12 plate that has never been off road, although that’s what they are made for so should make no difference

 

[Ali]

Haven owned various Hi-Lux`s over the years and most recently with my new one I drove straight from the showroom to get it undersealed and will continue with yearly touch ups.

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[Bavarianbrit]

Some pics of 12 plate that has never been off road, although that’s what they are made for so should make no difference

Were they built by Fiat?

 

[zambezi]

Some pics of 12 plate that has never been off road, although that’s what they are made for so should make no difference

That is just horrific.

Half an hour ago the dealership have requested another opportunity to review the totality of the chassis with me present. Date to be agreed.

Will update.

 

[Bugsy]

Wow, too much information here, remember I’ve seen u & now have a horrible image in my mind

And there was you thinking I had a gamy leg when in fact it was the jubilee clips rubbing on my sack .

 

[Bugsy]

Some pics of 12 plate that has never been off road, although that’s what they are made for so should make no difference

Jesusthat’s worse than my old ranger and it had been pulling boat trailers oot the water . Serious

 

[zambezi]

that’s worse than my old ranger and it had been pulling boat trailers oot the water

I had an old Ford Fiesta in the 80s that had completed 4 times as many miles as this Hilux on the same roads. Never failed an MOT due to rust...

On the upside: 20 mins ago the dealership and Toyota GB requested that that the dealership review and photograph the chassis tomorrow. Feels like progress.

 

[User00033]

The issue with your vehicle is the current quality of the South African steel + poor Toyota SA QAQC + salted roads + not washing out the rails properly + what @Tim.243 says.

I have a fleet of Thai built Hilux 2011-22 here - 43 vehicles - not one has so much as a hint of rust in the chassis. And they do exceptionally hard mileage in corrosive mining conditions.

Back in the day I drove SA made Hilux all over southern and eastern Africa, when steel was made by Yscor and the vehicles were under-powered and over-engineered. What you guys get from South Africa these days is very different unfortunately and that is a battle that you must have with Toyota, because let’s face it the brand remains the same.

 

[lincolnjefferies]

The poor chassis quality began with the independant front suspension model Hilux's. The Japanese manufactured old leaf sprung ones were made out of much better metal. I sold my last leaf sprung one in 2018 when it was 24 years old, with a perfect chassis bar minor surface corrosion. That was a 275,000 mile vehicle that had been worked all its life, often off road and cleaned once a year. At least the engines and transmissions are still bulletproof

 

[CookM]

Yes, I live in a coastal town in North Devon. But the Hilux has never been near the water and I do not own or launch boats.

I am certain there are Dacias on the roads of North Devon that have not suffered this failure.

I live in the East of the county,mine is starting to corrode.
Pants.

 

[zambezi]

The Toyota dealership that sold me the Hilux new in 2016 and who have serviced and MOT'd ever since, today undertook a detailed inspection of chassis with me present.

The good: much of the chassis retains original paint and looks structurally sound. Most of the chassis rust looks like it could be wire-brushed off and chassis could then be treated.

Not so good: there isn't a sustained section of chassis with zero rust. [My old Surf's chassis looked way better at 20 years old than does this 7 year old Hilux chassis]

The bad: the OSR chassis bracket that supports the rear tub looks to have the same type of rust as the failed section: serious delamination on both inner and outer surfaces. This bracket sits on top of the area that caused the MOT fail and is perhaps 10cm away.

The dealership have been thorough in capturing my complaint and have submitted all images to Toyota GB. Wait and see...

 

[@theroedeerguy]

Thanks for posting, I also have a 2016 Hilux and following your experience I’ll be having a good look at the chassis to see if I have any similar issues.
The extent of the corrosion on yours is very concerning.

 

[zambezi]

A few more pics to supply a general feel for how this 44k miles, 7 year old Hilux chassis looks in 2023:



The one at right shows the repaired area at left and the chassis behind that.

 

[User00033]

Those pictures are alarming.

In all honesty that vehicle looks like it’s been driven regularly on the beach. That’s not an accusation, that is just exactly what it looks like.

If you were to survey a random selection of 100 of the exact same vehicle from all over the UK, same age and similar mileage, it would be very interesting to see the relative conditions of their chassis. I’d bet on your vehicle being an outlier.

The clue to me is in the condition of that yellow suspension strut. I’ve conducted hundreds (thousands?) of routine daily pre-start and weekly Light Vehicle safety checks on KUN & GUN series Hilux that are not run in corrosive conditions. They do not look anything like the one you’ve got there. But the ones that are run underground where mine water pH is ~3-5, they look exactly like that.

Salt, dairy effluent, peat bogs. If I was a Toyota technician I would be thinking the vehicle has spent long periods of time covered in something corrosive.

 

[addjunkie]

The bad bit looks well quite bad, but the other bits still showing some original coating and only bits of surface rust pretty good for uk salty roads. Its hard to tell from the pictures but is the really bad bits in the spray line from the tyres, therefore getting blasted regularly, or not in the spray line when the new chassis goes through the paint booth.

Maybe time to trade it in so it becomes someone else's problem, sure the dealer will give you a really good price for it! Low milage and service history etc etc

 

[Julian S]

I've had Toyotas for years and that is shocking,I bet if you got onto a big consumer group like Which,(it would be worth joining before you mention your problem) their legal team would back you up.If toyota uk boss gets named publicly as washing his hands of your prob ,or you threaten to post pics on all motoring organisations enough ,toyota will buy it back at a fair price to keep you quiet. YOU HAVE TO BE SEEN TO BE A BIG POTENTIAL ISSUE TO FUTURE SALES ,and your pics are.
Good luck