The paint is chipping off VERY badly on the Roof and Hood and Passenger Quarter Panel. It looks like complete crap. This reflects very badly on the Toyota product.
There is a recall from Toyota for peeling paint. it is only for white paint. unfortunately, your vehicle is not listed under the recall from what I can see. you might try calling Toyota headquarters to see if they will help. the number is in your owner’s manual.
Toyota Extends Paint Warranty up to 14 Years to Fix Peeling Issue - The Car Guide (guideautoweb.com)
1 Like
Over the course of its 12 year lifespan, has the truck been parked outside in the sun? What has been done in the way of periodic cleaning and wax jobs on the finish?
I’d talk to a local paint shop and see what they suggest. We’ve had a Blizzard Pearl 2010 Prius in the family that’s been driven on a dirt and gravel road it’s entire 13yr life with a few odd chips in the paint but it really isn’t any worse than the1990 Mazda before it was at the same point.
Well since you are way out of warranty, you have 3 choices. Repaint it, live with it, or get rid of it. Pretty simple isn’t it.
No, it actually reflects badly on your expectations that a 12 year old vehicle won’t have any problems.
6 Likes
No, it doesnt reflect badly on Toyota quality. It reflects your somewhat unrealistic expectations that a vehicle should last 12 years without needing to be repainted.
1 Like
That is the reason Toyota offered a warranty extension on millions of vehicles with peeling paint, but not yours. The peeling white paint problem was believed to be limited to certain assembly factories.
Does this reflect badly on the product? When I see a Chevrolet Express in traffic, I don’t know how old it is, but I am glad I didn’t buy a Chevrolet.
2 Likes
Surely you jest. A reasonable person expects the paint on their car to last for the life of the car, which should be at least 15 years. Unless external damage has occurred, the paint itself should not fall apart before that. Sure, it might fade somewhat, but if the paint starts flaking/peeling off, that is a defect, even if the manufacturer is under no legal obligation to fix it.
There used to be a national-chain outfit that would paint a car for cheap. Really , a very low price. They didn’t claim to do a good prep job, or a good masking job, but they did apply pretty good paint. The paint went everywhere was the problem. Folks wanting a good job would prep and mask it themselves, then tow/truck it to the place for painting. Tom and Ray would sometimes tell a caller on the show “don’t worry about it, just take your car to so-and-so and have it painted for $99” or some similar low price … Is this business still going and painting cars?
You’re thinking of Earl Scheib, better known as Earl Slob for the poor quality job that they did. But, nobody could argue with his prices.
I962:
1970s:
1980s:
2 Likes
That was Earl Scheib. Paint any car for $39.99. Our colleague @VDCdriver probably has one of their ads in the old magazines he has (that i am envious of).
I’m a mechanic by trade and I drive a 15 year old car. But none of my friends or family expect to or would be happy to have a 15 year old reliable daily driver. In fact, I’m not happy about it! I want a new car. 
1 Like
15 years old is nothing really. I drive a 21-year old Daewoo, and the silver paint has held up reasonably well, even with the harsh desert sun. Sure, the paint has faded, but it isn’t peeling or flaking off. And this was literally the cheapest new car you could buy back in 2002.
So no, I do not find it acceptable that the paint is falling off of a 12-year old Toyota, and the Tacoma is one of the most expensive vehicles for what you get. If this vehicle has never been repainted or had any body work done, I’d suggest asking the manufacturer to see if they will cover any portion of the cost. Maybe they will, given that there have been issues with the OEM paints.
I can understand that sentiment. I’d guess it would apply to most urban drivers. Even though an aged car has proved reliable, almost single part is 15 years old. Something critical to maintaining forward motion is bound to fail sooner or later, and that could easily happen in a location where such a thing would be , or at least perceived to be, unsafe, too much risk. Diy’er drivers might be willing to take on more risk because they naturally monitor the condition of the car on a regular basis, and would often be able to effect a field repair good enough to at least get back back to safe location. As an example, my 50 year old quite well maintained truck has been pretty reliable over the years, other than a few flat tires never left me stranded. but one day not too long ago, the engine refused to start & run. Fortunately this happened at a hardware store parking lot, and I was able, with a bit of a struggle, to get it running again b/c I was able to purchase the needed tools at the same hardware store.
1 Like