Why is it that Toyota is leaps and bounds better than most with its engines, trannies, initial frame strength, components, etc but even newer Toys can't hold a candle to other car manufacturers' rust proofing. It makes my head spin how a truck designed by, say, Jeep can fair better after 20 yrs on the road than a Toyota after 15...

What I'm getting at is, why do Toyotas rust worse than other manufacturers when otherwise they are usually better-engineered. The inconsistency there doesn't make sense to me.


Toyota use cheap steal? Cheap rust paint?

 

I guess it depends on what climate you are in also but Toyota has made leaps and bounds of rust proofing since the '80s and my truck has been on the road for almost 12 years and no body rust and very minimal surface rust underneath when compared to an east coast 3rd gen and probably plenty of 4th gens. Other cars suffer more rust on the coast too no matter what brand.

 

remember the recall on frames rusting. That was just stupid. trucks get shipped from over seas. To there great wisdom they never figured sea spray. When trucks came over they coated the surface rust with black paint. There quality problems started long ago!!!! Also the metal thickness isn't the same as like chevy or ford

 

the frames that were rusting out were made by Dana I believe which is an american company. As to the OP's original question, I think a lot of the rust issues have to do with salt on the roads for those of us that live in area's that do that. When I lived in California all the Toyota's I owned were rust free. Out here, I had to search for one that "Wasn't that bad". Also, my buddy has a 96 jeep and the bottoms of his doors are rusted out pretty terribly.

I think a lot has to do with, if people take care of their trucks, i.e. washing them in the winter and maybe keeping them in a garage as opposed to out in the elements. Some people just drive around all winter with road salt just caked on their vehicles.

And yes, I think they used cheap steel as well.

 

The 84-88 pickup beds were made by ford iirc, so i wouldnt say that none of the domestics rust.
I've seen plenty of jeeps with massive rust-holes.

 

Mines not rusty. What years/models are you referring to?

 

Japanese Steel is the best...

Notice how anything related to america doesn't fare as well, or is in stark contrast...

Back when Toyota's had prayer cards in them is when Toyota was at it's best.

Now flash forward to economics, and vehicles built for consumers, to consume... Toyota hands over control to americans and looky what happens... Frames rust and carpets kill...

"Toyota built'em right when they gave you what you need, not want" Unknown...



And please get your fax straight, Sea Spray...

 

I live in IL where everything rusts out, and no matter what you have, depending on where you are, it will rust. Yota's just tend to be thought of as rusty because they are more likely to....

Go for more miles.
Get beat on.
Go for more miles.
Not be taken care of because they are uber-reliable
Did I say go for more miles?

 

I dont know of hardley any Toyotas around here that have rust. a friend of mine has 3. an 83 truck, and 86 truck, and an 88 Tercel. none of them have a spot of rust on them. also, the metal thickness is great. the bodies of Toyotas are way stronger than any ford or chevy I've ever seen. the only reason they appear to be rustier or weaker is because they are usually driven way harder for a lot longer.

 

all of the CJ5's and CJ7's around here are rusted all to hell..as well as anything else that gets beat on..lol

 

my 80 is relativily rust free the bed is rusted out but the rest of the truck practically spotless! lol so idk i think depends on area u live!

 

^^^Like I said. They last out west, but in area's where salt is used on the road's they tend to rust out pretty terribly. I lived in California for years and you don't see any rusty Toyota's out there ever. Come to the east coast and it's a different story. It's probably a combination of salty roads/neglect and crappy metal that makes them rust.

It does make sense that people would say that they rust out faster than other manufacturers because they are on the road longer than most and do see more abuse. But try telling a jeep owner that, it's a waste of breath.

 

I bought my truck 3 years ago, back then I didn´t know anything about Toyotas... But I was really surprised that this 86, 182,000 miles truck was 90% rust free... I believed this was due to the good care of the original owner, I love this truck and I´m trying to keep it that way...Paint that here, paint that there... One spot at a time...

 

my frame is pretty mint, cant say that about my rear 1/4s

 

pre-80 series Land Cruisers have brutal frame and body rust
Taco frames were a disaster (yeah, I know they were made by Dana, but presumably, the metal is Toyota spec)
Rumours of Tundra frame rot and bumper rusting

Take your average American engineering disaster of the same vintage your Toyota and more often than not, the Toyota will be worst of rust-wise. The disparity I see is that while Toy stuff is leaps and bounds better engineered, domestic stuff (Nissan too for that matter) doesn't seem to rust as bad. Toyota clearly had the brains and made some amazing stuff, but when it came to rust protection, what happened???

Possibilities I see:

steel alloy type selected for strength, not corrosion resistance
thin body metal to save weight shows holes faster than thicker domestic body panels
thin paint to save $/weight
bad drainage to limit dust intrusion
????

 

ya i see what you all are saying but even then i guess it comes down to really how u take care of them. Like if u say have a yota and the front fender has a rust hole in it even the size of a pencil tip. If you dont acknowledge that and do something about it it willl get worse over time. So imo i think its partly the types of metal they use and partly how people take care of them.

 

Sure, apples to apples (ie: Toyota to Toyota), the better maintained vehicle will be better off for rust. BUT that's not the point, Toyota's rust faster and just as Jeep axles are weak, Land Rover electricals are a nightmare, its just a fact of life. Repeating that your truck is rust free is analogy, not reason, and saying that your truck is rust free as you've maintained fastidiously is irrelevant to the question.

As I've repeated, why are Toys more susceptible to rust?

 

I believe pre 1988 or 89 trucks had the double metal bedsides. Once water got trapped between those two pieces of metal, it just sat there and rusted out the bed. I know they switched to a single metal bedsides and the problem did go away. May be a case of over engineering???

I also believe that how a truck is cared for is the biggest determining factor in rust issues. I see Toyotas all the time with caked on mud or road salt. I guess for some, the look of the truck is more important then the sustainability of the truck.

I would have bought a Tacoma a few years back, but the frame was just in a state of total disrepair, even though the body was perfect. I hope with the newer generation of Tacomas they fix this problem.

 

well ur question as to why do they're more susceptable to rust is not just one answer obvoiusluy. Maybe askin a Toyota manufacture would be a better bet. Its most likely the type of metal they use for all the various parts.

 

I'd be curious to know the difference between pre and post 1995.5 trucks/4Runners the former rusts like mad, and I don;t think I've ever seen a Taco/3rd gen 4Runner have any body rust.

What would also be interesting, is the difference between Taco frames and 4Runner frames of the same era, the former rusts, the latter doesn't.

PS- enough about the care and attention being a factor for rust... but that's an outside factor, not one inherent to the design of the truck which is what i'm interested in.