Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TIRES - TEMPORARY/EMERGENCY SPARE TIRE | |||||
| PG00503 | 08/19/2003 | 10003563 | Spare tire carrier operation. various modlels including the 2004 landcruiser and 4 runner. *tt | 10/23/2003 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TIRES - TEMPORARY/EMERGENCY SPARE TIRE | ||||||
| PE09049 | TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC. | 10/06/2009 | 01/26/2010 | FRAME CORROSION | 09V444000 | |
| This investigation was opened based on 20 reports of model year (my) 2000 and 2001 vehicles experiencing severe corrosion of the frame, resulting in either under-body mounted spare tire separation or rear brake failure.the failure report counts shown above are for my 2000 and 2001 vehicles only.by letter of november 16, 2009 toyota has notified the agency that it will conduct a safety recall (09v-444) of approximately 110,000 model year (my) 2000 through 2003 tundra vehicles.the affected recalled vehicles were sold or are currently registered in the district of columbia and the states of ct, de, il, in, ky, ma, md, me, mi, mn, nh, nj, ny, oh, pa, ri, va, vt, wi, wv.toyota alleges high amounts of road salts are used in these areas and excessive corrosion of the rear cross-member (to which the spare tire is mounted) can occur and cause the spare tire to separate from the vehicle and can also lead to rear brake failure.toyota stated: toyota has tentatively concluded that the root cause is a combination of factors, including usage in areas where road salt is applied, inadequate vehicle maintenance (i.e., not following the recommendations in the owner's manual), the design of the rear cross-member, and manufacturing issues.the design of the rear cross-member is such that it is open on the top side and susceptible to accumulation of dirt, water and road salt.manufacturing issues of the rear cross-member related to the coating process also affect its corrosion resistance.toyota also states that owners of my 2000 through 2003 vehicles in states not covered by the recall will be notified on how to obtain the same inspection and repair as the recalled vehicles, free of charge.further toyota states: please note that while toyota has not determined a defect exists in 2004 through 2006 my tundra vehicles, toyota plans on initiating a field action in the near future to prevent future corrosion on those vehicles originally sold or currently registered in the affected region at no cost to the owner.by letter of january 8, 2010 toyota has notified the agency that it amended its defect information report for safety recall 09v-444 to include the fuel tank mounting system (i.e., fuel tank support straps and fuel tank mounting cross-members) in the safety recall.toyota states: toyota has not decided that the fuel tank mounting system in those vehicles contains a safety-related defect within the meaning of federal motor vehicle safety law.rather, toyota is taking this action at odi's request and to avoid future disagreement with odi with respect to this issue.my 2007 and newer tundra vehicles are not included in any of toyota's actions as the rear cross-member in those vehicles have been redesigned so that it is open on the bottom.the actions taken by toyota are sufficient to resolve the issues raised by this investigation.accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist in the subject vehicles.the agency will take further action if warranted by the circumstances. | ||||||
| PE09049 | TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION | 10/06/2009 | 01/26/2010 | FRAME CORROSION | 09V444000 | |
| This investigation was opened based on 20 reports of model year (my) 2000 and 2001 vehicles experiencing severe corrosion of the frame, resulting in either under-body mounted spare tire separation or rear brake failure.the failure report counts shown above are for my 2000 and 2001 vehicles only.by letter of november 16, 2009 toyota has notified the agency that it will conduct a safety recall (09v-444) of approximately 110,000 model year (my) 2000 through 2003 tundra vehicles.the affected recalled vehicles were sold or are currently registered in the district of columbia and the states of ct, de, il, in, ky, ma, md, me, mi, mn, nh, nj, ny, oh, pa, ri, va, vt, wi, wv.toyota alleges high amounts of road salts are used in these areas and excessive corrosion of the rear cross-member (to which the spare tire is mounted) can occur and cause the spare tire to separate from the vehicle and can also lead to rear brake failure.toyota stated: toyota has tentatively concluded that the root cause is a combination of factors, including usage in areas where road salt is applied, inadequate vehicle maintenance (i.e., not following the recommendations in the owner's manual), the design of the rear cross-member, and manufacturing issues.the design of the rear cross-member is such that it is open on the top side and susceptible to accumulation of dirt, water and road salt.manufacturing issues of the rear cross-member related to the coating process also affect its corrosion resistance.toyota also states that owners of my 2000 through 2003 vehicles in states not covered by the recall will be notified on how to obtain the same inspection and repair as the recalled vehicles, free of charge.further toyota states: please note that while toyota has not determined a defect exists in 2004 through 2006 my tundra vehicles, toyota plans on initiating a field action in the near future to prevent future corrosion on those vehicles originally sold or currently registered in the affected region at no cost to the owner.by letter of january 8, 2010 toyota has notified the agency that it amended its defect information report for safety recall 09v-444 to include the fuel tank mounting system (i.e., fuel tank support straps and fuel tank mounting cross-members) in the safety recall.toyota states: toyota has not decided that the fuel tank mounting system in those vehicles contains a safety-related defect within the meaning of federal motor vehicle safety law.rather, toyota is taking this action at odi's request and to avoid future disagreement with odi with respect to this issue.my 2007 and newer tundra vehicles are not included in any of toyota's actions as the rear cross-member in those vehicles have been redesigned so that it is open on the bottom.the actions taken by toyota are sufficient to resolve the issues raised by this investigation.accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist in the subject vehicles.the agency will take further action if warranted by the circumstances. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| TIRES | |||
| 07/14/2008 | 95000 | 1 | |
| Was driving at 65 mph on the highway and my spare tire that is mounted beneath the truck fell off and fortunately bounced off the road instead of into oncoming traffic. i inspected the frame in the area of the tire mount and found it to be almost entirely corroded. there is similar corrosion on the frame in the vicinity of the rear axle, however it is not quite as bad.*tr | |||
| 08/02/2008 | 180000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2000 toyota tundra. the vehicle has cooper discoverer radial lt tires. while driving 70 mph, the contact heard a thumping sound from the rear driver's side tire. the vehicle fishtailed, spun around towards the right side of the road, and rolled over. the driver sustained facial fractures as well as neck and back injuries. a police report was filed. the investigating officer stated that the tire still had 30 lbs. of pressure remaining; however, the tread was wrapped around the hub and caused the vehicle to fishtail. the dealer and manufacturer were not notified. the tire size and dot number were unavailable. the current and failure mileages were approximately 180,000. | |||
| 06/12/2000 | 0 | 06/12/2000 | |
| Vehicle steering wheel vibrated since the day we purchased. numerous attempts to fix have failed. dealer(s) said wheels or brakes or tires were the problem. replaced wheels and brakes, problem still exists. told consumer to replace tires. we said we would if they prove this is the problem by putting tires on to check it. one dealer would not. we found one that would. new, high quality tires resulted in same vibration. went to arbitration and lost. this is a complete waste of time and resources. dealer was able to lie and say they didn't put new tires on (at the insistance of the 'district rep'. the front right tire was worn completely down on the outer edge, and other three were ok. documented within alignment and balance the entire life of vehicle. toyota 'recommends' 26 psi in front tires to dampen known vibration. tires designed for 35 psi. this substantially affects value of vehicle, as after arbitration loss we tried to trade, but dealer said he knew of defect in front end of 2000 tundra's and would not even give us wholesale trade value. his test drive confirmed vibration. in addition, we need to replace tires often due to defect. will never buy another toyota!*ak | |||
| 08/01/2000 | |||
| Vibration in front ent 55-64 mph tires and rims repaced at least 3 times. dealer and toyota unable to correct problem. vibration in steering wheel varies with temperature conditions. worse in temperatures above 70 f. dealer and toyota representative refuse to acknowledge problem. this vibration was evident during initial road test and appeared to be tire balancing issue. additionally, toyota is requiring under inflated pressurization of tires against manufacturers recommendation which may be hiding a more significant issue with the frontend condition of this model truck. when dealer representative from toyaota test drove my vehicle this week, he stated that the vibration was within toyaotas specification. but he was unable to produce the details of such specification. i urge you to investigate this issue with these tires and toyotas recommendation for underinflation. i think it is only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured. *ak (dot number: db72g14 tiresize: p265/70r16) | |||
| 11/28/2000 | 2 | 09/01/2000 | |
| This truck has defects in the steeing,tires,brakes, airbags,and hadling.at 6244 miles,steer tires were at 6/32(12/32 new)coplained to deler they said normal tire wear,needs rotated! this front end slid, sqeeled,jumps around corners!two eng. tom superitts&lee hammler from k.c. corp. says nothing wrong with truck!there boss steve eisbamrth will now buy me tires but won't admit the is a problem. this offer didn't happen untill i told them i was turing this in to nhtsa, then they wanted to keep me quiet. i am ready to turn this truck back to them because of there bad customer service and bad product. bottom line on safety corners on wet pavement like on patches of ice when i was involved in accident, brakes vibrated, tires slid, and on impact rt. bumper bent in to tire rt. fender creased both air bags did not come out. this truck should go in for further testing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*ak (dot number: ap72ew1123 tiresize: p265/70r16) | |||
| Was driving vehicle on gravel road when tires started hissing. stopped vehicle and exchanged tire. 2 other tires were having same problem. each tire would become flat while driving in woods. contacted dealershipand informed consumer it was not their problem. didn't know cause of tires becoming flat.*ak | |||
| 09/09/2000 | |||
| Rack and pinion steering failure, causing front tires to wear excessively. front brakes would grab/vibrate when vehicle got hot, and brakes were applied. vehicle been in dealer shop on several occasions, and informed consumer that nothing was wrong. vehicle taken to an independent repair shop, and it informed consumer of rack and pinion steering problem. please feel free to provide any further details on this matter. *ak | |||
| 7 | 09/05/1999 | ||
| Consumer has replaced 3 sets of dunlop gt tires (p265 70 r16) every 12000 miles due to wear, vehicle vibrates when driven, possibly a suspension problem or tire problem. *slc | |||
| 10/18/2000 | 3 | 01/01/2000 | |
| Have had 3 flats in 1 week, dealer refuses to warranty tires, dealer says tires not meant for off road use. ??? 4x4 vehicle??? tires are 2 ply tread, 1 ply sidewall, passenger car tires. toyaota won't replace tires. tire dealers reporting similiar vehicles with same problems. *ak (tiresize: p26570r16)( dot number: tire size: p26570r16 ) | |||
| 04/01/2000 | |||
| This v-8 powered four-wheel-drive vehicle has p265/16 dunlop tires which are only inflated to only 26 p.s.i. on the front axle. i complained to the dealership that i thought they had put the wrong tire inflation sticker on my truck (the sticker states the pressure for p245/16 tires). living in hot florida and riding around on tires that are half-flat has me really concerned about a blow-out due to an underinflated, hot tire. the reason toyota has recommended such a low tire pressure is because they are having vibration problems with this truck - when the tire pressure is raised to the proper (tire manufacturers recommended inflation of 35 p.s.i.), they vehicle vibrates like crazy at highway speeds. no amount of balancing or replacement has solved the problem - toyota's answer is a dangerous lowering of the tire pressure to a ridiculous 26p.s.i. on a v-8 full-sized pick-up with a heavy four-wheel-drive driveline. also, the tire information sticker placed on the vehicle doesn't even have the inflation recommendation for the tires on the vehicle. i'm afraid of a serious accident due to a tire blow-out. | |||
| 1 | 04/03/2000 | ||
| Toyota recommended an incorrect tire pressure. it was different from what michelin recomended. this was confirmed by the tire manufacturer, and could cause tire failure. *ak the vehicle had vibration problem and toyota says to run the tires at 26 pst to keep the front end from vibrating. toyota was unable to fix it. *yh | |||
| 11/01/1999 | 25 | 10/01/1999 | |
| We bought a 2000 toyota tundra, 4x4, extra cab. at 800 klms we noticed there was no paint left on the front bottom corners of the box. at 5800 klms there is no paint left on the whole undercarage of the truck, large chunks of metal gone from the rockerpanels, rock chips all over the vehicle including the roof. this truck has factory tires, mudflaps, and fender flares and still throws rocks so extensively to the rear, centre and front of the vehicle you actually drive right into them therefore damageing the windshield as well. it is dangerous for any mortorist behind it. we are currently heading into a dispute with toyota canada via canvap as toyota canada's position on this matter is that nothing is covered under warrenty as it is owner abuse due to driving on abnormal road conditions!! we drive 2 klms a day on a government maintained gravel road, and 60 klms a day on a major highway. we have seen two other tundra's with the same problem so far and are looking for any other tundra owners who have this problem. our truck looks like it has been sandblasted. we have reports from independent body specialist who can't believe what this truck is doing. *ak | |||
| TIRES - SIDEWALL | |||
| 11/16/2004 | 2 | ||
| I have continental contitrac suv tires. they have lumps in sidewalls that concern me.*ak | |||
| TIRES - TEMPORARY/EMERGENCY SPARE TIRE | |||
| 03/05/2010 | 1 | ||
| A co-worker sent me a rear photo of my 2000 toyota tundra in the parking lot showing the spare on the ground. after removing the spare i notice that the cross member which supports the spare was broken in half. where the cross member attaches to the frame has rotted away. the driver side shock is broken and detached. the exhaust is also questionable as it is attached to the broken cross member. rear brake line and proportioning valve are also in question as they also are partially supported by the cross member and rotting frame. as of t his writing i have a case number assigned with toyota but like many others we are getting nothing but lip service. my local dealer has determined that my truck is unsafe to drive and has yet to do anything to remedy the situation. i can provide further details and photos upon request. *tr | |||
| 08/25/2009 | 140000 | 1 | |
| I have a 2000 toyota tundra. i was recently stopped by another motorist who stated that my spare tire was hanging down under the truck. i looked under the truck to find this was true. i jiggled the tire and it fell completely out from under the truck. the winch assembly was still attached to the wheel, but i can see that the crossmember that the winch would be attached to is completely rotted away. my truck is maintained at a toyota dealer and is current on its annual state inspection. i had never used the spare tire before, so i had never had a chance to see what the crossmember looked like behind the tire. i have closely checked the rest of the frame on the truck and it is in good condition. the rim on the spare tire is painted steel and was in contact with the crossmember since the truck was manufactured, yet the rim is in new condition with no rust. i have looked on line and it seems that many people are having similar problems with the crossmembers on these truck frames. i believe this is a potentialy very dangerous condition for other motorists and tundra truck owners who are unaware of the rust hidden behind their spare tire. if they have never used their spare tire, then they will not be able to see this condition developing. just prior to being stopped by the motorist who alerted me to the problem, i had been on the highway traveling at 65 mph! imagine if the spare tire had fallen out at that speed and was tumbling or bouncing into the path of other motorists! someone could have been seriously injured or killed. i did go to the toyota website and try to make contact. the person who called me back was polite, but seemed to miss the point i was trying to make about this being a possibly serious safety issue. they only stated that toyota accepts no responsibility, that this is probably due to living in the northeast and that repairs are at my own expense. please investigate. i think there may be more tundras like mine. i can supply photos. *tr | |||
| 08/24/2000 | 1 | ||
| Spare tire released while vehicle was in motion at approximately 55 mph and towing 5th wheel, causing damage to rv truck. complete assembly that holds spare tire has also fallen out, the only part left was crank. therefore dealer could not determine cause. *ak | |||
| TIRES - TREAD/BELT | |||
| 12/01/2003 | 1 | ||
| Tread separation in my firestone, wilderness at iii, lt 265/75r16 tires.*ak | |||