One Toyota Sequoia Please – Hold the Alligator

Picture this: You’re in the market for a Toyota Sequoia. You’re at the dealership. The salesperson throws you the keys and says “take it for a spin.” You go to open the front door and you notice something moving at your feet. Startled, you lean forward to take a look and BOOM! An 8 and a half foot alligator!

Toyota Sequoia with an alligator, courtesy Tampa Bay Online (TBO.com).

“I’d like to see the Sequoia *without* the alligator option please.” Read more…

Truck Beadlock Wheels – What They Are and Why You Probably Don’t Want Them

When getting more involved in off-roading your truck, it quickly becomes clear that there is a whole world of specialized off-road equipment that exists solely to serve those who are intent on exploring their local wilderness trails. While some of this gear is readily apparent when installed on a truck – like roll bars, nerf bars, and lift kits – there are other items that have a more hidden, mechanical aspect to them, even those which might appear decorative at first.

Anyone interested in off-roading will eventually hear someone talk about beadlock wheels, or perhaps see beadlock wheels installed on a truck. Beadlock wheels are fairly distinctive, as they resemble a standard wheel with a raised steel or polished edge all along the rim which overlaps some of the rubber on the tire. This edge or lip will feature many bolts or rivets.

An example of a simple beadlock rim.

It is easy to mistake this accessory as a fashion statement – indeed, since the look is quite distinctive, many companies offer faux beadlock wheels. However, beadlock wheels are actually a specially designed safety device that is designed to protect drivers from having the bead of their tires separate from their rims while driving. Read more…

Toyota Seems To Admit First Generation Tundra’s Suffer From Frame Rust

UPDATE: As of May 2010, Toyota has extended the warranty on 2000-2003 Tundra frames. Please see Toyota Tundra Frame Replacement Program for more details.

Investigative reporting by Boston’s WCVB (channel 5) seems to have uncovered evidence that 2000 and 2001 Tundras may be susceptible to the same type of frame rust that plagues same model year Tacomas. They’ve uncovered more than 2 dozen NHTSA complaints against Toyota from 00′ and 01′ Tundra owners.

Toyota statement indicates 2000 and 2001 Tundra has frame rust issue.

UPDATE (10/7/09) – NHTSA has begun investigating Tundra frame rust issues.

Perhaps most importantly a statement from Toyota seems to admit some level of culpability:

It is important to understand that “manufacturing defect” is a generic term that globally defines an issue’s root cause, whether it is design, assembly, process, or manufacturing….Toyota’s Customer First approach dictates that using the information obtained from the Tacoma, we pro-actively investigate other vehicles of similar design and production elements. In doing so, our investigations have indicated that there are a small number of complaints for a similar condition on 2000 and 2001 Tundras. We are currently investigating each incident.

Translation: The 00′ and 01′ Tacoma and same model year Tundra shared many of the same design and production elements. According to the statement above, Toyota seems to have anticipated the fact that 2000 and 2001 Tundras could have the same frame rust issues as 00′ and 01′ Taco’s. The above statement (taken from WCVB’s website) also seems to indicate that Toyota is laying the groundwork for a warranty enhancement for the Tundra. Read more…

TundraHeadquarters April 25th Meet-Up

Our first-ever TundraHeadquarters meet-up took place yesterday, and while turn-out wasn’t as high as we had hoped, it was a good first effort. Read more…

Clever Modification – Tundra With A Sequoia Front End

Everyone knows that the 2007+ Tundra and 2008+ Sequoia are both based on the same basic platform. Same engine and transmission options, essentially the same suspension and frame (with some minor but important differences), same interiors (at least from the 2nd row forward), etc. Automakers strive to share parts between vehicles because it keeps costs down with larger economies of scale, and quality is often improved on shared parts because automakers can afford to invest in more engineering and R&D on a part that’s shared by multiple vehicles. But who cares, right? “Show us the featured truck already!”

Since so many parts are shared between the Tundra and Sequoia, it’s fun to mix and match. Everyone has probably seen a Tundra with Sequoia door handles, and some people have modified a chrome Sequoia grill to fit onto their Tundra, but how many people have seen this?

2008 Toyota Tundra with a Sequoia Front Clip

A Tundra with a Sequoia front bumper. Read more…