Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STRUCTURE - FRAME AND MEMBERS | ||||||
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| STRUCTURE | |||
| 07/01/2009 | 40000 | 1 | |
| 2006 toyota tundra sr-5 46k miles todate. rain, everytime precipitation is experienced, vehicle has not been repaired. rain leaks into passenger compartment around windshield. complaints all over the internet for tundra's tacoma's and rav4's. my problem began aprox 7/09 40,k miles. windows fog, instruments possibly rusting, and other electrical components in passenger console/compartment subjected to h-2-0. potential rust and mildew problem on floor and carpet respectively. *tr | |||
| 12/01/2008 | 20000 | 1 | |
| 2006 toyota tundra front end rusting out. 20,000. miles on it. no salting on roads during winter in our area. *tr | |||
| 06/22/2006 | 800 | 1 | |
| Rattling noise (like a loose washer around a bolt) under the firewall. loudest at 1200-1800 rpms. vehicle has been brought to the dealership 15 times before a mechanic actually heard it. mechanic could not find the problem and it is still happening. *tr | |||
| 04/27/2006 | 10000 | 1 | |
| Paint on front bumper came off when washing at carwash. a friend has a toyota car that had the same thing happen. the dealer will not fix under warranty. this is clearly a defect. they offered to have the local guy fix while he is on the lot. *tr | |||
| 02/10/2008 | 15000 | 1 | |
| Plastic cover on radio shattered and i am told i try to pry it off anyone can look at it and see that no marks to indicate it being pried it has shattered at first i thought it was tighten to tight and vibration caused it after learning how it is installed it is a defect in the material used. *tr | |||
| 02/16/2007 | 300 | 8 | 12/21/2006 |
| I noticed power outlets were loose info dealership, panel was loose as well, dealership replaced a pin and fix pwr outlets. this was in feb.. a month later power outlet panel loose again, dealership replaced pin, this has been happening so many times now, this time power outlet panel as fell to the floor board, i can't brake to well or accelerate with a panel by my feet. i have use the power outlet to run a dvd player and cell phone charger, panel has not drop after pulling the charger out, of power outlets.. just when i'm driven down the road it falls, i have had another dealership look at thee problem and was info that thee panel was bad. i took it to another shop other than toyota also got panel is worn and vibrations is making thee panel to fall...so i only know i have a panel laying on my floor board its hard to brake or to accelerate. *tr | |||
| STRUCTURE - FRAME AND MEMBERS | |||
| 12/18/2009 | 46207 | 1 | |
| In december 2009 while driving our 2006 toyota tundra, my wife and i began to feel a strange motion coming from the rear end of the truck; whenever we came to a full stop, it felt as if we someone hit us in the rear of our vehicle. december 18, 2009 i took the vehicle the toyota dealer, i was told this is a problem with some toyota vehicles and they adjusted center support bearing, replaced trans mount and cross member. after picking up my vehicle on january 8, 2010 the problem still existed, i took my vehicle back to the dealer on january 12, 2010 for repairs. the dealer contacted technical support and on february 1, 2010, again, i was told there was nothing else that could be done to my vehicle; this is something that happens to some vehicles. the is yet to be corrected. *tr | |||
| 12/06/2009 | 39097 | 1 | |
| 2006 toyota tundra sr5 v8 4x4 showing early signs of excessive rust on the under side of the vehicle. the welds are showing excessive rust, as is the rear differential and axle. the truck only has 39,000 miles on it and i emailed photos to 3 friends who are mechanics and much more knowledgeable than i am. *tr | |||
| 09/15/2009 | 1 | ||
| My 2006 toyota tundra has frame rust issues. truck is less than 3 years old. took delivery of brand new truck on january 27, 2007. now where my truck is parked in the drive way there are major rust stains on the driveway. again, truck is driven in northern kentucky area, is less than 3 years old, has less than 40,000 miles and is showing signs of rust on frame that are so bad that it is staining the driveway. notified toyota today, and will get the truck inspected by a toyota dealership in the area soon. *tr | |||
| 04/26/2009 | 1 | ||
| 06 tundra seen very little mud, mud never sat on for over 24 hrs. only 21k miles on it n rusting greatly... *tr | |||
| 12/27/2006 | 10000 | 1 | 03/26/2006 |
| This filing is in reference to my 2006 toyota tundra sr5 v8 4.7 ltr 10,000 miles. for the past few weeks of driving the above referenced vehicle i started to notice a knocking metal sound under the center console when accelerating and braking... i took no immediate action as i found it to be a very light sound. after a few more days of driving the knock became more noticeable i was more alarmed, when i got home i got under my truck with a flashlight and started to take a look around, after careful inspection i found that 3 of 4 12mm hex bolts on the automatic transmission mount/ crossmember were missing further more the case was that the rear transmission mount located near the driveshaft were loose enough that could be moved with minimal strength with my hand i was able to recover 1 bolt that fell into the crossmember along with a plastic retainer. i quickly tightened the loose bolts and realigned the mount took the truck out for a quick test drive and the sound stopped totally, the next morning i contacted my local toyota dealer and purchased 2 new hex bolts that came out to $ 3.40. after this u can say that all is now well, i believe this should be looked into as there maybe other similar units out there with the same issue, this could cause major damage to the vehicle and also possible inflict an accident. *nm | |||