lifted Tacomas getting insurance cancelled Torque News reports

[Will721]

In my mind, they have no argument. Does a lift make it more tippy? Sure. Is it already more prone to that than say a Corolla or Camry in its stock form? Yes it is. Do big tires increase stop distance? Sure, is it still gonna stop faster than say an F350? Still yes. State farm is just a trash insurance company run by morons who think constantly pissing in their customers cheerios makes good business sense. Which is why they are losing ground.

Meanwhile my insurance company doesn't even ask about modifications. I have sat down and discussed them with my agent. Really the only thing they care about is whether or not I want to get paid out extra for them in the event I file a claim.

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[LincolnSixAlpha]

You're arguing over semantics, when at the end of the day State Farm is just trying to maximize its profits, while ripping the consumer off at all costs. But then again, that's our world today, all about marginalizing the wallets of middle-class and extracting as much as possible out of you.

Good news, there's other insurance providers who will want your business.

I would think that arguing over your property taxes, and why you'll never own the land your house is built on is a better conversation piece. My 2 cents worth.

 

[bitflogger]

Posts are missing how insurance works, the laws carriers operate under, and most of the consumers.

I'm sure someone with a heavily modified or purpose built for off-road use could buy insurance as we (trail building and ski area operations) buy, and it's same for my unrelated small business. That lets one have lower cost liability coverage for both types of use, more choice, and lower costs overall. I can choose just liability or additionally have coverage for damage and loss of use for an off road vehicle.

The beauty of that is we have all the vehicles covered for liability, some for what they need beyond that, and my Tacoma plus pickup trucks at the ski area that also do road use have lower rates. The change or enforcement also makes some sense to me for how expensive insurance has become. Some vehicles are not in that risk pool of the ones doing general purpose use on the roads.

It is really important to know your coverage and what modifications as well as use might be problems. If you are in a bad situation where you have to use your own or pursue the other party's insurance they'll do all possible to minimize any payout.

Good luck.

 

[OldmanTaco]

For good sake! Will you have a look at the initial post and the truck picture? Does this look like something wrong?

yes the offset of the rims is completely wrong and tires that go past the fenders are a hazard to pedestrians and flinging debris and yes the offset over time does stress the bearings and joints and yes people will drive it till they completely fail. I live in the land of lifted Tacos and it is common to see lifted truck failures on the side of the road. Lastly and if you need to know that type of offset makes the suspension lever arm longer meaning the truck will have a strong tendency to tuck-in the outside tire on turns which has a habit of flipping the truck long end over long end, especially during heavy breaking into turns down hill which is common here hence the plethora of Tacos with rebuilt titles on the Big Island of Hawaii. Since you asked. I won't go into caster camber angles, cg and the like, not to mention real issues such as inner needle bearing wear and driveshaft u joint wear. Nutshell the offset is more of an issue but lift even say 3" can and do lead to issues and safety.


I have two modified cars, a supercharged Miata and a supercharged 6th gen Camaro. Every insurance company has dined coverage for both cars. The Miata is now insured via Haggarty and the Camaro I basically have to take the supercharger off for most of my driving and install it for car shows etc. Sure I could lie but I have had a part-time job as an insurance adjuster and it would take me all of 2 seconds to spot most vehicle modifications. I can assure you, your company has asked if the vehicle is modified and will deny claims on modified vehicles in accidents. Remember it was not smog controls that killed the muscle car era it was the insurance companies. My Taco is also modified but not lifted.

 

[TimC.]

Clearly delusional. Let's put this in safety perspective. Your Taco vs a loaded 34ton dump truck. It's not possible whatsoever for that in spec dump truck to be any hazard, it's not possible, it can't be because it has EVERY component in spec. Unbelievable. This type of thinking is why big insurance can do whatever that want and you will gladly open the wallet. This guy has done nothing wrong to get his insurance canceled. Have a real look around on the road and tell me the offset and this tiny lift warrants complete and utter danger. Offset, are you kidding me? Offset? This is not a monster truck. It's a tiny truck that will operate just fine. I can drive in a 5 mile radius and find multiple insured vehicles with solid safety issues, like the full size trucks that are squatted in the back and the driver looking at the sky. Fully insured here! Offset? I can't wrap my head around that idiot detail. The man was canceled for Offset?

 

[oxi]

Well, if you have one of those lifted trucks, way out of stock issued tire sizes, and you hit me, I can assure you I would investigate thourally and see if there was evidence that out-of-stock truck was hindered from just a factory truck in performance.

Factory performance numbers are posted for legal reasons, so altering a truck to the point that it impacted its braking or avoidance systems (including jerking the wheel) led to greater chance of impact rather than avoidance, I would have a stronger case in a court of law.

Mods come with a price. I have had a modded truck since the early 1990's with no issues. But with today's Karen's and soy's out there, they will come after us like they do with guns and stuff. States have laws in place regarding mods, lifts and stuff and do not be a jerk on the roads. Know your vehicle limits before mods, and after mods.

And anybody can deny you insurance, just find another that will take your cash like the government.

 

[oxi]

My modded truck urban Karen hit list over the years I drove on the street:

 

[Will721]

Regardless of whether or not a vehicles mods hinder or improve performance the only factor that should have is the price at which it costs to insure. If you are at fault for an accident, that is simply the end of it. I would love to hear an example where a lifted truck ran a stop sign/traffic light or rear ended another vehicle in which the modifications were blamed rather than carelessness or following to closely. If any adjuster is going to sit there and argue that their client in their Civic blowing through an intersection and colliding with a lifted truck is not at fault because the truck is lifted, they would have had to achieved a level of stupidity in which Charles Darwin may have to rethink their entire career choice.

The only time any other factor typically comes into play is in the event of a death. Then if the mods that you made to the truck can be proven to be the cause of the accident then the owner can be charged with the wrongful death under the law. But even then there is the burden of proof as to whether or not the modification was the direct cause, and if that is the case the burden still may shift to the installer or manufacturers.

Which is a case that has been observed with faulty or improperly installed braking components. That is what caused a shift in the automotive industry away from resurfacing of brake rotors and the use of certain hydraulic components. I.e. Brake rotors having been machined too thin and collapsing or compression fittings failing under pressure.



All state farm is doing is getting greedy. They are looking to maximize profits by minimizing payouts and screwing their customers. Like how they dropped California residents just before wild fire season, or how health insurance providers delay life saving treatment with extra screenings and PT trying to wait out their customers. The entire purpose of insurance is to pool from everyone to cover everyone, including those at high risk which is why the law requires it. Choosing not to cover or pay out to high risk individuals defeats their entire purpose of existence.

 

[maxx075]

Hard to have sympathy when people are literally paying to give insurance companies their driving information via the Connected services.

 

[ridetime]

Those who feel it is unfair to cancel your policy based on modifications don't need to convince others on the forum that you are justified in your position. You just need to convince the insurance companies. Let me be the first to congratulate you when you change their minds.

Here is a pretty informative article on the matter. TLDR, you are on the losing side of this argument.

Modified Car Insurance Blacklist 2025

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