TRD Running Boards Defective Coating

I have had the cast iron aluminum TRD running boards on my MY22 tundra for about a year and a half. Just started to notice that the bedliner material that coats the running board is starting to flake off and shows quite a bit of corrosion to the aluminum underneath.

Talked to my LD where I purchased them from and since I installed them myself they are claiming that they aren't covered under warranty.

However per Toyota's website "For accessories purchased after the new vehicle purchase, the coverage is 12 months, regardless of mileage, from the date the accessory was installed on the vehicle, or the remainder of the Basic coverage of the Toyota New Vehicle Limited Warranty, whichever provides greater coverage."

Anyone else run into the peeling issue and or warranty issue?

 

No issue with mine, but I believe they are aluminum? And the early bed liner was crap too. Maybe it was coated with that batch of liner.

And not being pedantic, just sayin, if they were cast iron, they would way many hundreds of pounds. That would be insane.

 

Cast iron was a misspeak, I originally bought these cause I figured the aluminum wouldn't corrode as bad like I see with some of the steel ones rust up.

Even though these are aluminum they still have some pretty good heft to them.

 

That’s faulty coating. Mine are ok so far but I’ve been worried about that happening and if it dose or when it dose, I’ll take it to lineX locally.

 

Not exactly the same, but the Predator steps on my '21 had a spot peel off or flake off....About the same size as yours in your picture but the coating is different.

 

Yep, looks like the crap factory liner coating.

 

Update…Toyota says the boards are out of warranty and I’m SOL, under 36k and boards just over a year on the road.

Issue I see is the top of the boards are bed liner material and the bottom are painted. The two coatings come together at a sharp point at the bottom edge of the board where they get pelted with rocks while on gravel road. On top of that they may not have been surfaced prepped right, looking at the corrosion the bed liner is coming off in flakes.

 

toyota is probably going by purchase date (of the boards) and 1 year after that since its was purchased after the fact and DIY. the 3yr/36k only applies if its on the window sticker.

 

1. Where do you live? (coastal, salt belt, desert?)
2. What is your use of the truck like? (pavement princess, forest road warrior, rock crawling?)

Buy a can of the DIY liner and touch up as needed. They're running boards/steps.

FWIW, that aluminum appears to be media blasted, which would indicate they were prepped somewhat properly. I'd guess its crappy coating or wear and tear depending on your answer to #1, #2; It sucks getting your first nick/scratch, dent, but it's a truck. Enjoy it and enjoy the patina.

 

Getting two different responses from two different dealers. Either way pretty sad $1k boards only made it through one winter.

90% pavement 10% gravel, live in a snow state but don't typically use much salt on the roads. Not media blasted its corrosion in the picture, like I said could have been poor surface prep by Toyota. Either way these aren't 5 year old steps they are just over a year, and like I said above, expect more for the price and the age.

I think I have a plan going forward, just need to stop by Line-X to confirm it.

 

Yes, the corrosion is on top of the media blasted aluminum. White stuff that is very visible is the residue of sodium bromide/choloride solution that is applied to the roads. (it's on your rocker panels too). Regardless, these are semantics. If you have a plan with LineX (I hope it's removal of the boards from the truck, removing existing product, and re-prepping, then re-applying the coating - to do it properly), I hope you are getting some sort of warranty help or something. The labor involved will likely cost more than new boards.

Good luck

 

Keep in mind that these are in the line of fire from your front tires. If the running boards weren't there, the rockers would be exposed to the rocks that fly off the tires.

I have tube style running boards that get hit with rocks all the time. Mine are powder coated stainless steel and I expect that the coating will chip and fail over time. I am happy to save the rocker panels and doors and mirrors from rock chips.

I think I would try to get a replacement set and if that didn't work, I would rough/clean it up and put some plasti dip on them. They are going to see more rocks over their life so better to treat them like a mud flap that you can step on, just my thought on this.

In the aftermarket world of running boards and sliders, the manufacturers are seeing corrosion on them very early on even after coating them. Those are steel so they start to rust and the mess begins!