Toyota said they're dent resistant, not indestructable... It woud be pretty arrogant to think you can't break it don't you think? The original poster can't even recall what exactly was the point of breakage... All we know is that the truck probably took a hit sometime between the camper install and deinstall...
I personally aren't too happy to see this unfold also, but hey, you KNOW it was bound to happen!!! I know for fact I won't crack my bed for what I plan to do with it, so I'm fine...
You can't know for a fact that you won't crack your bed if you don't know what exactly was the cause. And these new commercials with the Tacoma make the beds look 'virtually' indestructible. I cannot fathom any possible 'user error' putting on a shell that would warrant a cracked bed, that's totally unacceptable. I too hope this is an isolated incident, but situations like this don't give me much confidence.
And do we really think Toyota has done sufficient cold weather testing on these beds? Funny thing, I was just talking to a co-worker who just took his Sienna in for it's 2nd recall. Seems the radiator hose has a tendency to 'pop off' in cold weather. The fix is a new radiator with a better flange. This makes me even more leary of these new beds.
I may be a bit in the dark here. Are these beds fully composite? Why not just line a metal bed with a composite piece like a bedliner?
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2005 Silver Sienna LE with 12" Overhead DVD
better idea, just buy the line-x company and coat the steel beds from factory.
I really think that this is probably an isolated case, keep in mind that this material that we are talking about is for the most part a plastic designed to take a moderate amount of abuse. We all know that your not going to hauling more than double the trucks max payload, which is what this stuff is suposed to be capable of. Cracks will happen due to a number of reasons and depending on what caused this One crack on One taco why should we condemn the whole product line. There will come a time where the whole vehicle will be made of a composite material, if you dont believe that then look at the Saturns and other cars and trucks that have large portions of the vehicle made of plastic.
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There will come a time where the whole vehicle will be made of a composite material, if you dont believe that then look at the Saturns and other cars and trucks that have large portions of the vehicle made of plastic.
I hope not. Saturn is the only manufacturer that I know of that has extensively used plasic for its body panels. I have heard their use of plastic panels is one of the main reasons why their body panel tolerances are not up to par. I have heard that the panels expand a lot more than steel in hot climates.
Sorry to hear about this, but lets not get carried away here.
First of all, it is a brand new model. Will their be minor defects? Of course, that is why I'm waiting another year or two before I buy one. (trading in a Dodge Ram probably).
Toyota is top notch quality, period. Doesn't mean they are indestructable. Toyota went out on a dangerous limb with thos commercials and you know someone is bound to break one. Toyota doesn't cut corners like the rest of the automakers.
I have a 2004 Ram. My door needed to be realigned(huge gap from windshield to door and the door molding was torn up) and the transmission has already been flashed for an upgrade (TSB). I'm sure these Tacos are just fine. But hey, your right to some degree, they should have really tested this before going out and bragging about it.
And these new commercials with the Tacoma make the beds look 'virtually' indestructible.
If anyone actually takes Tacoma commercials seriously I pity the foo
Lets not all try to park our trucks in the line of a monster truck and hope that it flips the monster truck instead...
Over time, steel beds will be more PITA, however compared to what is still a mystery... These composite beds are still too new, I'd say if we're going to have anything else to look forward to, we better stick this one out or else we'll always be stuck with steel... If you ask me, I'd rather have aluminum Just recycle it when it dents and it won't rust
Metal dents, of course, but that is what prevents it from cracking. I think the reason why metals in general are stronger is because of their melting point,
I see what you mean, but it's not because of melting point... it's because of a couple other factors:
- Thermal expansion
- Hardness (resistance of metal to plastic deformation)
That "plastic" deformation is not the same as the material plastic.
Thermal expansion is the same reason why concrete is reinforced with rebar (steel). They have the same coefficient of thermal expansion, thus, they expand and contract nearly the same amount during changes in temperature.
Hardness is a materials ability to remain undistorted.
The reason why plastic and steel don't have a great marriage is because of differences in expansion and contraction. Spray on bedliners are much more malleable and forgiving that regular plastic... that's why they work.
I really hope this is an isolated incident for Toyota's sake, but I would never buy a truck with a plastic bed. Why fix what ain't broke? You can't beat steel, even with aluminum.
Ryan
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The beatings will continue until morale improves.
I finally took the truck to my dealership this morning. I have been getting advice and opinions from everyone I know in the business so I wouldn't make any mistakes and cause myself any more trouble.
The service manager was there to meet me, along with the assistant manager and a couple of service writers. I think they were all surprised that this was a "real" crack, maybe they thought I was exaggerating. Anyhow they took a lot of pictures, asked me in detail how the shell was mounted, and what kind of roads I was driving on. They had already contacted Toyota, who is waiting for the pictures. Big surprise, Toyota is VERY interested in this. I was told to expect that they might want to come take the truck to inspect the bed later this week.
I am aware that by mounting the shell, I probably either caused the crack or made it worse. But this same camper shell was installed on my '02 Taco, with no problems over 2 years of use. Is it unreasonable to expect that it would also work on a new Tacoma? If campers or weight can't be mounted to the bed (other than the Snugtop, which weighs half as much), they need to disclose that up front. I was happy that the dealer backed me up in these thoughts. The service manager even said "They're not going to sell many more of these if you can't mount shells on them."
Yes, the truck as a whole is something like 5" wider. But the interior bed dimensions only grew about 1-1/2". Any my camper shell has a really wide mounting base so it just barely fits.
It's good to hear that the service manager isn't taking the "business" side of things. It's common sense that a new vehicle shouldn't have anything cracking after one trip.
I'm still in the dark as to what these beds are actually composed of... is it:
- plastic on top of steel?
- plastic sandwiched by steel?
- steel sandwiched by plastic?
- all plastic?
Ryan
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The beatings will continue until morale improves.
It's good to hear that the service manager isn't taking the "business" side of things. It's common sense that a new vehicle shouldn't have anything cracking after one trip.
I'm still in the dark as to what these beds are actually composed of... is it:
- plastic on top of steel?
- plastic sandwiched by steel?
- steel sandwiched by plastic?
- all plastic?
Ryan
it is a plactic composite that is made up of several high grade materials that I wouldn't begin to understand, but the simplest answer to your question is its plastic no steel at all.
__________________ HAVE YOU DRIVEN OVER A FORD LATELY?
Team West SAWS (cranked up to 3.25")
Total Chaos UCA
ORS Manual hub kit
reese front receiver hitch
10,000 lb. winch on receiver hitch
Warn Quick connects front and rear
rear brake porportioning valve mod
3" perfomance products body lift
skyjacker AAL
wheelers urithane kit for front swaybar and steering rack
BFG AT's
Eagle101 wheels
CB radio W/ dual fiberglass 48" ant.
I finally took the truck to my dealership this morning. I have been getting advice and opinions from everyone I know in the business so I wouldn't make any mistakes and cause myself any more trouble.
The service manager was there to meet me, along with the assistant manager and a couple of service writers. I think they were all surprised that this was a "real" crack, maybe they thought I was exaggerating. Anyhow they took a lot of pictures, asked me in detail how the shell was mounted, and what kind of roads I was driving on. They had already contacted Toyota, who is waiting for the pictures. Big surprise, Toyota is VERY interested in this. I was told to expect that they might want to come take the truck to inspect the bed later this week.
I am aware that by mounting the shell, I probably either caused the crack or made it worse. But this same camper shell was installed on my '02 Taco, with no problems over 2 years of use. Is it unreasonable to expect that it would also work on a new Tacoma? If campers or weight can't be mounted to the bed (other than the Snugtop, which weighs half as much), they need to disclose that up front. I was happy that the dealer backed me up in these thoughts. The service manager even said "They're not going to sell many more of these if you can't mount shells on them."
I'll keep you all updated...
-Chris
Hey Crhis,
Well... as the old saying goes... "so far... so good"! I'm pleased... to say the least... that Toyota is... "interested"... at least... in helping you for the time being. I'm ALSO...very interested... in what the final out-come will end up being!
I... for one... am glad you posted this thread, as it stands to offer... "every"... potenial Tacoma buyer... some very good "insight" with what... "could be"... a rather SERIOUS issue with the new Tacoma. I hope I'm wrong on that... but I'll have to... "wait-n-see"... like the rest of us on that.
Thanks for keeping us updated...
Dave
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The plastic is SMC (sheet molded compound) that is fiber reinforced. It is the "inner layer" of the truck bed. The outer layer is steel.
Now, most SMC is glass fiber reinforced. I heard, but have not confirmed, that Toyota's SMC is carbon fiber reinforced which is MUCH better than glass fiber. As you know, carbon fiber is very expensive. I'll look into this and let you know.
EDIT: Well, after some research, I think the only carbon fiber SMC made by ThyssenKrupp Budd (the company that makes the Tacoma SMC) was the hood for the 2006 Corvette. I'll keep looking........
The original poster can't even recall what exactly was the point of breakage... All we know is that the truck probably took a hit sometime between the camper install and deinstall...
I'm pleased... to say the least... that Toyota is... "interested" 
... at least... in helping you for the time being. I'm ALSO...very interested... in what the final out-come will end up being! 
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