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 | |||
| 09/24/2011 | 30000 | ||
| Tire was losing air and when i tried to replace it with the spare tire, i noticed a large bulge in the sidewall next to the wheel rim. this is the second tire of this manufacture that this has happened within the past year. | |||
| 01/10/2005 | 6 | 03/22/2004 | |
| Gas tank defect, sometimes it indicates empty tank but it is not empty, sometimes it indicate full tank but it is not full. this tank is unpredictable possibly a manufacturing defect. also the tires wears faster on the outer surface uneven. sometimes the vehicle veers off to left and sometimes to the right may be related to ball joints defect or sloppy toyota technician work or both. *tr updated 02/01/08 *tr | |||
| 04/28/2007 | 80000 | 4 | 04/29/2004 |
| Tl*the contact owns 2004 toyota tundra. the contact stated that he heard a noise while driving 45 mph and suspected failure with the lower ball joint. the vehicle was towed to the dealer, and the ball joint was replaced at the contact's expense. also, the dealer stated that the contact would have to pay for the tires, battery, and power steering fluid flush. he stated that he should not have to pay for these expenses because the vehicle was included in the recall. the manufacturer stated that this vehicle was included in the rcall and would mail him the notice. the current and failure mileages were 80,000.*ak left message 10/16/2007 . *lj | |||
| TIRES - TREAD/BELT | |||
| 04/21/2004 | 1 | 02/01/2002 | |
| Hi, i have (5) original equipment bf goodrich rugged trail,(p265/70r16), radial tires on my 2002 toyota tundra pickup truck that have 6,700 miles on them. at approximately 4,500 miles the tires started developeing cracks between the tread of each tire and only got considerably worse with passing time and miles. i contacted bf goodrich which told me to take the vehicle for inspection to a dealer that told me it would cost me almost $200 dollars to have the tires replaced and the other dealer said it would cost well over two hundred dollars for replacement.this second dealer told me i should not have to operate my vehicle with the current and deteriorating condition of these tires. i called bf goodrich back with the results of my dealer inspections, and basically they said what the delaler says, stands. these tires were obviously defective from the bf goodrich factory and i feel that it is only a matter of time before one fails, and blows out while i am traveling down the highway. i do not want to have another firestone atx situation affecting my safety or my passengers safety. i also believe that there are several other owners of these tires that may be subjected to the same tire failure risks that i am under. thanks in advance, john m. melnick. *ak | |||