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 | |||
| 09/23/2008 | 75000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota tundra. after taking the vehicle to the dealer to be repaired for the ball joint recall, the vehicle began pulling to the right while driving between 25-65 mph. the dealer stated that the tires were the cause of the failure. the failure mileage was 75,000. | |||
| 04/06/2007 | 1 | ||
| Below you will read my complaint to michelin about the quality. the sidewall blew completely off the rim while traveling at a legal speed of 70 mph. this should not happen with a premium tire made by the above company. it only had a puncture which caused it to lose air. this was verified by the dealer of discount tire in santa fe. he did tell me that now tires fail immediately when they lose pressure and blow apart. this should not happen! you should at least be able to slow the car down to examine the tire. with this happening, they are exempt from replacing the tire as a failure and get away with selling you a new tire pro rated!! how convenient!! these tires will kill someone if they haven't already. see below my response to michelin and discount tire. it had half it's tread left!! ok.............so i am under the 6 year limit and the tire did have a puncture as told to me by the selling manager. the fact that the tire blew apart signifies to me that it was a defective tire. i have had many flats in my 66 years and never saw a tire come apart like this one. by the way, it was in a matter of seconds. i have attached photos of the tire for you to see and i will contact the dealer to see what he has to say. i can tell you this..............if this is the best explanation you have for a premium tire, i will not put another set of you tires on any of my vehicles. i will also do my best to inform the general public of your policies. i would expect more from a company that i have had a long standing relationship. too bad...........i see it as a sign of the times!! *tr | |||
| 07/01/2002 | 6000 | 5 | 07/01/2002 |
| I have had multiple problems with my 2002 tundra trd 4wd. i have had it in more than 4 times for the brakes vibrating/pulsating and looks like i will be taking it in again as they are starting to vibrate again!! reno toyota has always done all the maintenance on it and keep trying to say it is my fault the brakes are bad and the rotors are warping. they replaced the rear axles a couple of months ago but i had to pay the $50 deductible. they also had to install a gasket on the crossover for the engine coolant as the factory never installed it. the ac doesn't get cool enough to cool the interior. whistling noise but don't know where it is coming from...sounds like coming from side mirrors??? i replace the wheels recently because of vibration because the wheels were warped. always have excessive brake dust on front wheels. transmission feels and sounds like it is slipping all the time. rough idle after warm up. i bought it new in july 2002 and now have 69400 miles on it. most of which are highway miles with no towing ever...no heavy hauling ever. am too afraid to drive it off-road because of all the brake problems...nevada=mountains=cliffs=death...i am not ready to risk my life or my grandchildren so will not even let me ride with me anywhere. *nm | |||
| 06/02/2004 | 1 | ||
| Consumer stated tire pressure sticker provided wrong information. it indicated the following: 26 psi at the front tires, and 29 psi on the rear tires. at 26 psi the tire experienced tread separation, consumer already replaced two front tires. *ak | |||
| 07/20/2002 | 500 | 1 | 07/20/2002 |
| Consumer states when driving in the rain the tire will not channel water out correctly, so tires can stay on the road. they are experiencing severe hydroplane. contacted dealer/manufacturer, they were of no help to consumer. size p275/55 r18. dot# b715fmwx1902.orginal tires.*jb | |||
| 01/30/2002 | 1 | 10/19/2001 | |
| Consumer noticed the right front bridgestone ,#p265/70r16, dot#7x72pdd3301, tire had a crack, the tire had only been used for three months, had contacted dealer, but firestone nor toyota would take responsibility for the defective tire, consumer is requesting toyota to replace the defective tire. toyota, tundra, 2002. *ak *yd | |||
| TIRES - SIDEWALL | |||
| 05/20/2004 | 46000 | 10 | |
| The two front tires wore prematurely. as a result there were cracks on the side wall of the tire. the consumer was concerned that a blowout will occur. please provide additional information. *jb | |||
| TIRES - TEMPORARY/EMERGENCY SPARE TIRE | |||
| 11/18/2009 | 155800 | 1 | |
| The spare wheel/tire fell off my 2002 toyota tundra as i passed over a speed bump (at a very low speed) whilst leaving an apartment complex. i was unaware of having lost the wheel but my son, who lives in the complex, saw the incident & called me - by the time he called i was on the highway driving at high speed - if the wheel had fallen off whilst i was on the highway the consequences could have been catastrophic. i submitted a report (case # 208366) to nhtsa 11/25/09 after going on line & discovering that corrosion was an issue with the frame of this vehicle & that other incidents of a similar nature had been reported & that toyota were preparing a remedy. on 01/10/10 i contacted my local toyota sealer & was advised to bring in the vehicle at my convenience when the spare wheel would be safely secured within the truck bed pending a permanent fix for the problem. *tr | |||
| 09/13/2009 | 57500 | 1 | |
| I have had the tundra and 5th wheel trailer combination since they were both new in 2002 and towing has been excellent. this trip however, i hit a 'bump' on rt. 93 southbound (heavy traffic) in medford, ma and the spare tire broke off of the holder. it proceeded to bounce up into the front compartment of the trailer and then dropped down and lodged between the trailer's axles. at least no one was injured except the vehicles. i had about $5,000 in repair bills relating to the 'accident'. my concern is that the spare tire/wheel had never been off of the tundra and they were 'new' except for their age. it appears that the amount of rust on the tire hanger bracket was a major cause of the wheel dropping. i have pictures and the replaced parts for your inspection if desired; you can see rust-out holes right through the bracket! i am concerned that this could be happening to many other tundra's of a similar age. i would like to at least offer some form of warning to other owners. after toyota's email response, basically saying this was never heard of before and calling the holder bracket a 'cover', i sent a second email: my concern now is that you have referred to the rusted-out bracket that holds the tire under the truck's bed (part # 51900-0c010 on my repair invoice.) as a 'cover'; i'm hoping that we are speaking of the same piece of equipment. my suggestion involves safety more than warranty or money. if other tundra's have the same rotting out of that bracket, other tires will fall off of those trucks. by the way, my tundra looks like new and is in excellent condition; so i'm presuming that others may be even worse and that my vehicle is likely in average or better condition. if this truly is a potential issue for others, at least warning them to evaluate it would be appropriate; i surely would have appreciated it! *tr updated 03/25/10 *bf | |||
| TIRES - VALVE | |||
| 03/06/2007 | 1 | 03/01/2002 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota tundra. the contact was rotating his b.f.goodrich tires and noticed that the left right tire had a faulty valve. the correct tire line (p265-70r16) was not available in the drop down menu. no other tire or mileage information was available. spoke with consumer 10/16/07 , need to resend complaint form. *lj | |||