Toyota Announces Tacoma Buyback Program For Severe Rust Corrosion

con_fakerustytacoma.jpgIf you own a Tacoma made between 1995 and 2000, Toyota would like to inspect it free of charge—and if the rust corrosion is severe enough, they will either repair the truck on their dime or buy it back as a vehicle in "excellent condition" no matter what state it's really in. Toyota announced this a little over a month ago and said thy would start sending letters to Tacoma owners in the weeks to come, so if you haven't received yours yet, be on the lookout for it.

It looks like Toyota is attempting to avoid both an official recall and any sort of class-action suit by being pro-active in dealing with the problem vehicles, which is not a bad thing. The opportunity to make a profit off the purchase of your vehicle hassle-free is likely PR and not standard operating procedure, but it's a smart way to lure Tacoma owners in for the free inspection. "This is not a recall," writes the Toyota exec on their blog. "What's important is that we take care of our owners. We just thought you should know that.