Cracks in bed of 2004 toyota tacoma from fleet model

[Alley-Kat]

When I moved my camper to a T100 it moved more and assumed it was the bed flexing so I had a fabricator weld attachment points to my frame to attach the hooks to and it doesn’t move at all. It’s even better than bolting to the bed IMO. That’s what I would recommend.

I agree. When I purchased my ATC Bobcat shell I initially thought that bolting the eye bolts in the bed of the truck to the thin metal, even when it could be done through two layers of of the truck bed thin metal was not the way I wanted it mounted. I knew what kind of places I was going to go.

Here is one of the brackets I made for all four corners (showing just one of them).
Wish I could weld as good as Hodakaguy's Dad. But, it's held together for about 7 years, so, I'm OK with the welds.
Angle iron with the open side facing down for less trapping of dirt and mud on top of the bracket and easy washing, plus extra strength assembled this way, no flexing of the angle iron.

 

[klahanie]

I bought the model fleet and as a customer I figure four wheel camper should put the correct camper on my Toyota truck. I wouldn't know. They are the experts.

Maybe, but it's your money, your truck, your life. You are the best person to take care of those things. If you are overloaded (as you said) you are taking that risk whether you know it or not.

I got recalls notices but didnt do anything. I have never paid attention to recalls but I will moving forward.

Good idea.
I'd expect normally there will be other rust on a 14 year old vehicle. Good to keep an eye on it. Again, if you are driving an unsafe vehicle you are taking that risk.

Good luck with the repair.

 

[PaulT]

Washington uses salt on roads. This is second year that Portland has experimented with salt for ice removal.

My old Chevy S10 was originally from New England and the Oregon mechanics complained about rusted bolts & nuts every time they had to work underneath the truck.

Paul

 

[PackRat]

Please keep posting photos and results from talking to Toyota and FWC. Here is what I can see for now...
1) You said it was overloaded. I fully expect the Toyota Service Rep to take the truck to a set of scales and weigh both axles and compare that to what the VIN tag says the truck is rated for.
2) If in fact it is overloaded, I think you voided any responsibility on their behalf.
3) I don't know what the FWC guys will say, but there are an awful lot of posts on WTW that indicate suspension tune-ups are needed/required for overloaded trucks.
4) However...While I am not that familiar with the FWC installation methods, check inside for some metal gusset plates that the eye-bolts pass through before bolting down inside the camper. They are strongly suggested for older rigs as plywood ages and gets wet/soft.
5) If you noticed an inordinate amount of SWAYING of the camper in the rear of the truck, then that swaying movement is transferred to the bed of the truck. That would tend to work the attaching points of the bed to the frame. If subjected to enough of that working on the metal over time it would fail/crack as your photos show.
6) I don't remember if you bought the truck new, so if not....check CARFAX to see if there are records of damage that would account for the overspray under there.
7) Before going to Toyota, I suggest you weigh the front and the rear and both axles and compare the results to the VIN tag.

In the end, I think Toyota won't be of any assistance. The damage is not due to rust unless you can show that the rust is a widespread problem on the truck bed which from the pics does not seem to be the problem. FWC may point out that all models like yours installed in Toyotas like yours have been OK but that many owners did beef up suspension to AVOID the sway which in my opinion is what caused this failure.

You may be left with having to remove the bed and have a qualified welder fix the problems and add some substantial gusset plates where the eyebolts come through. Then you need to address the causes of SWAY....that may be as simple as slowing down or doing suspension upgrades and tire upgrades to your truck.

Another option is to buy a truck with GVRW and axel ratings that can handle the camper....

 

[Traveler_fleet]

The fleet was manufactured in 2017. Four wheel camper installed the camper in woodland ca. I went to Toyota service today for inspecting for rust and why I have cracks. They said there is no rust at this time and did find that the right rear frame is twisted may be to over loading. The shipping weight of my fleet is 1395 lbs, that doesn’t include the passengers, water, stuff, so this camper is over the specs. Toyota said that the 2018 Tacoma is the wrong truck for the fleet camper I have. The camper is tall and when going around corners. The truck needs to be bigger. The pay load of my truck is 1,395 to 1585lbs. The pay load is what’s in the truck bed and in the cabin.
Putting fleets in Tacoma and the truck isn’t the correct truck. So, when I drove off with my camper/ truck after the installation it’s over Toyota’s pay load. That seem wrong to me. I can’t drive the truck now and the specs on 4wc shows Toyota 2004 , Toyota 2005 to 2018. However, 2018 Tacoma 4x4 pay load is 1155 lbs. this seems wrong to me. This is messed up to me.

 

[Traveler_fleet]

I bought this truck new, I am the original owner. I think the fleet is heavier then the esgle model that was before the fleet. The fleet I have has the storage under the bed area. That makes it taller. It is dangerous now to drive the truck. Everyone says that I need to go back to 4wc. I sent them photos last week and they said they would look at them Monday. I will post more photos but kind is too sad right now.

 

[klahanie]

Send the Toyota service report and a quote for repairs to FWC to support your complaint.

Sorry for your troubles. Hopefully the truck can be repaired.

 

[Portercassidy]

That is a bummer for you and your truck. 2004 is the last year of the first gen Tacoma’s. Hoping for the best.

 

[Traveler_fleet]

Well, 4wc didn’t put the metal across the truck bed as they do on the newer Toyota Tacoma and I am not sure why they didn’t for my truck. The higher profile due to the storage under the bed area and heavier weight then the eagle I think is too much for my truck. 3 car repairs says I need a 1500 or 2500 and Toyota said tundra. I need a bigger truck for the camper I have. I am the customer so I was the tester of the camper. I hope 4wc does the right thing and correct this. Otherwise, what do I do...

 

[camper rich]

it looks like you have the front dinette model which, if it's anything like my Grandby front dinette model has a lot of the heavy things in the camper shifted to the rear, namely the batteries, the refer and the kitchen cabinets. My Grandby also has the cassette toilet and the water for it at the back of the camper. It's on a shortbed Dodge 2500, hanging out over the tailgate. I have Timbrens on all four corners and Pro Comp Shocks. I didn't expect it at the time I bought it but there is an awlful lot of weight back over my tailgate. If it weren't for the fact that I'm on a 3/4 ton truck I would say it borders on being unsafe. I also added a lot of weight to the front (winch, pull pal, H/L jack).

 

[Traveler_fleet]

I do have the front dinette model, and Porti poddy. It has shower inside / out side, solar on top, freezer/ frigerator, and the hot water and heater. I would think this camper needs a 2500 truck because the ram pay load is like 2300 lbs. the tundra looks to have a pay load around 1600 and I think that too low.

 

[bimmeryota]

Washington uses salt on roads. This is second year that Portland has experimented with salt for ice removal.

My old Chevy S10 was originally from New England and the Oregon mechanics complained about rusted bolts & nuts every time they had to work underneath the truck.

Paul

I worry about this moving my cars from San Diego to WA. They don’t use it nearly as much as on the east coast where I grew up but I wonder if what they use here is any different. I know they resisted it for a long time. I’m investigating how to preserve my old Toyota’s now. My hope is all the rain the rest of the time washes it off haha!

On the overspray I didn’t realize there was paint on the frame. I agree that’s not oe. My mistake. The issue still doesn’t appear to be the frame and I think most of the recall was related to frame rot.

 

[Jeromelo]

Isn't this just the natural conquenses of overloading a 14yr old truck and not FWC or Toyotas fault.

 

[Traveler_fleet]

Its fwc that placed a camper on my truck that Toyota says the camper is too big. Fwc has this camper for the selection of my truck. Even if my truck was a 2018 toyota tacoma the camper is too heavy. How is the customer at fault. It's not about how old the truck is it's about for the camper I have there needs to be a bigger truck. I didn't over load my truck. 4wc website is saying that the toyota tacoma fits the fleet camper. They are the experts. 4wc fleet is about 1000 lbs without any add on , the toyota tacoma 2018 pay load is around 1100 lbs. If you add a driver, then when you drive away with your new camper it's over the specs of Toyota. My year 2004 they don't place metal inside the bed of truck yet 4wc does it for the newer Toyotas. 3 car places including Toyota service says it's the wrong truck for this camper. How is this my fault? These 3 companies are saying it's 4wc fault and they need to resolve this.

 

[klahanie]

Good that the truck can be repaired and that presumably the estimate is below the write off value. On your side, I'd talk to the auto insurer about possible coverage.

Did your camper come with a mark on it's side indicating centre of gravity or were you given this info? and if so where is it in relation to the rear axle/wheel ?

I know you are in discussion with the manufacturer so won't say any more. They are prob reading this anyway...

 

[Karlton]

This is an interesting question and it comes down to whose responsibility is it to make sure the truck can accommodate the load of the camper. Should FWC install a camper that is well over the load capacity of the truck that could potentially result in serious injury if the camper breaks off the truck? Or is it the customer's responsibility to understand the load and address deficiencies through upgrades?

I once had a tow bar installed at a Uhaul place on what turned out to be a rusted Jeep. I took the Jeep to my mechanic to have the oil changed and the mechanic alerted me to rust and said the tow bar should have never been installed and could break off. I went back to Uhaul and asked them why they would install a tow bar on a rusted bumper. They said...'you asked us to.'. I then told them they needed to remove it, refund me the cost of the part and labor as I could have caused a serious accident if the trailer broke off. They agreed.

 

[klahanie]

Isn't this just the natural conquenses of overloading a 14yr old truck and not FWC or Toyotas fault.

I also have a concern about an aging vehicle, in my case specifically for road trips for travelling in the bush with my family. I don't plan on keeping mine "forever" like some say. More concerned about decreasing reliability than outright breakage but my vehicles tend to rust and wear. The plan is to use it, maintain it, retire it.

As for overloading, definitely not an expert here, but I think it's pretty common. From what I've read, much more common than reported breakage. Sacred cows notwithstanding, a bit of payload wiggle room is being relied upon. Now, whether you want to be say, 500lbs over in a 1/2 ton or a 1 ton dually, that's a personal choice, same as brand choice. It appears though that most seem to get away it regardless. I guess the thinking is it's ok unless there is a problem.

Excellent that weight distribution was mentioned early on and tie down system. I think overcab length can be a factor for rocking also.

Sucks for the OP but good "food for thought" thread for us.

 

[PackRat]

There will be finger pointing on this but it is better than everyone going to court because of a roll-over and fatality.

It seems few people even understand the difference between what the truck CAN carry and how much the rear axel CAN carry. Just because a truck GVWR is close to what the rig weighs on the scales, your problem seems to be mostly related to overloading the rear axel and a high center of gravity as well.

Like I say, load up that camper and go over a set of scales. Weigh the front axel, the rear axel and both axels and then look at the VIN tag and you will have answered your question about overloading the truck. The under-camper storage area that raises the center of gravity makes it lean on turns and being overloaded only exacerbates that problem. No wonder the bed was torn up.

Now....whose fault is that? Well....it isn't Toyota's fault. It is something to discuss with FWC, but even if they assumed some responsibility and fixed the truck...the problem remains....you ain't got "enough truck" for that camper. You put it back on the truck and you still are probably overloaded with a too-high center of gravity.

No offense....but a buyer who does not have at least a 3/4 ton truck to mount a slide-in camper on has to have that conversation with the mfger BEFORE signing the contract. Which means you need to fully understand if you don't HAVE enough truck or if the mfger is simply mounting what you ordered. In addition, the mfger has no control over how much "stuff" you carry and since the VIN tags reflect what each vehicle was ordered with, the GVWR and axle limits will vary, there isn't a "standard" for them either. If you had the truck ordered with special bumpers, or added a winch or carry 500 lbs or more of people/stuff that all adds up against what the truck can SAFELY handle.

Yes...you see guys here with 100-200 lbs over weight on the GVWR but what about the rear axle? The combination of GVWR, axle maximums, camper weight and the stuff you carry AND how much is on each axle as well as a higher center of gravity can all work against you and it seems this is what caused the problem.

 

[Traveler_fleet]

Does anyone know what bigger truck I could put my camper on? I am thinking a 2500 , 4x4,and access cab.

 

[Traveler_fleet]

The truck is stock and didn't add any weight to the truck. I think the problem is the height / weight over the cab. All the other fleets don't have this on the tacoma / camper. I think I am the only one with this. It's a great camper. I bought it because I wanted to take my animals with me. I am so happy no one got hurt and the camper didnt brake off. I hear you about weighing the Front and back axle. I will do all the weighing if I have to. I didn't know about pay loads until recently. To be honest, I didnt know about pay loads until last week. I started investigating due to what car places was telling me. I put money in the truck for maintenance such as timing belts, water pump, spark plugs ect...because the toyota tacoma seems to last. I was planning on driving it for many more years. Its been a great truck. Toyota service didnt charge me the 190 dollars for checking the cracks because I asked them to check for rust. Thank you to the poster that mentioned rust on the tacomas. I did learn that if you get a recall notice that you need to take it for repairs because there is an end date. I found that toyota provided an extended warrentee 15 yrs and unlimited miles which starts after the 3 yrs the new truck comes with. Meaning a total of 18 years. I told Toyota the name of the extended warrentee and how my truck should be covered. So, if anyone wants that information let me know and I'll paste it.