Toyota Problems and News Tagged #recall

Toyota is recalling the 1st generation Venza because its driver-side airbags might not work anymore.

The wires connecting crash sensors to the airbag control unit (ACU) can break. When that happens, the driver-side curtain shield and side airbags won't deploy in a crash.…

Someone at Toyota forgot to make sure the new RAV4 Prime's headlights are only adjustable by a certified mechanic.

And that's a no-no under federal law. So here we are, less than six months from when they were first made available for sale and 700 owners of the PHEV SUV are already dealing with their first recall. At least they were able to get their hands one.

The recall is expected to begin in early January 2021 and will make sure the headlight's aiming caps are properly closed.

Some Toyota hybrid sedans have fuel filler pipes that were never reconnected to the gas tank during assembly.

Does that make them fuel spiller pipes? (Hold for applause). A small number of 2019 Avalon Hybrid and Camry Hybrid sedans will be recalled to have those pipes inspected and possibly replaced.

Someday the Takata Recalls will end. Today is not that day.

Toyota has recalled the passenger-side inflators in 1.7 million vehicles across North America.

The airbags currently in the vehicles have metal inflators that contain ammonium nitrate without a drying agent added to protect the chemical from moisture. The moisture can destabilize the ammonium nitrate and turn the metal inflator into a grenade full of shrapnel.

The affected vehicles include the 2010-2016 4Runner, 2010-2013 Corolla, 2010-2013 Matrix, and 2011-2014 Sienna. Toyota plans on sending out recall notices towards the end of January.

It’s pretty rare for a car that’s less than a year old to need a new transmission, and yet … here we are.

Toyota has recalled the 2019 Corolla Hatchback because at least 3,400 of them have CVTs that are expected to fail. The problem is the torque converter that can fail in the CVT and cause the car to lose motive power at any speed. Because there’s no fix, Toyota needs to replace the whole transmission and let’s just say they were not prepared for that situation. To buy some time, the automaker isn’t planning on sending recall notices until mid-February.

Usually a car’s first recall is for a missing tire label or a loose connection somewhere. If this is any indication of future problems with the Corolla Hatchback then batten down the hatches.

Toyota is recalling 65,000 vehicles to replace the front passenger airbag inflators … again.

Although the previous recall used new replacement Takata airbag inflators, this latest recall will use inflators supplied by a company other than Takata. Those previous replacements were still using ammonium nitrate, a propellant that breaks down and explodes unpredictably when exposed to humidity and moisture.

Takata's inflators has been a long-running nightmare for millions of owners, hopefully this is the last time you'll have to bring your car in for service related to these exploding chunks of metal.

Defective master cylinders are being recalled in the 2018-2019 Tacoma to fix spongy brakes and longer stopping distances.

About 44,000 model year 2018-2019 Tacoma master cylinder seals are defective due to manufacturing problems with the supplier. The master cylinder takes force from the pedal and converts it into hydraulic pressure that can be distributed to the brakes. But it needs brake fluid to build that pressure.

No fluid, no pressure → no pressure, no brakes → no brakes, no fun.

There’s a good chance the seatbelt tension sensor is going to fail in the 2008-2019 Land Cruiser.

And when it goes to the big scrapyard in the sky, multiple airbags that rely on information from that sensor will fail along with it. But more serious trouble arises when the knee airbags, front passenger airbags and passenger seat-mounted side airbags deactivate. Toyota will recall the issue, but because they don’t have fix in place they don’t plan on notifying owners until February 2019.

Maybe they’re buying time to come up with enough replacement sensors. The trouble is you might see an airbag warning light pop up while waiting around. The problem also affects the Lexus LX 570.

Toyota is going to recall about 70 C-HR SUVs to stop the rear wheels from falling off.

The automakers says the problem could result in “reduced brake performance or a potential loss of vehicle stability.” Ya don’t say.

The government hasn't released recall details and Toyota didn't say more, other than dealers will check the bearing bolts for the rear axle hubs and replace the hub bearing assemblies if loose bolts are discovered.

If the rear axle carrier sub-assemblies are loose, dealers will install new ones.

Poorly programmed control units have led to a Toyota airbag recall for 188,000 vehicles from the 2018-2019 model years.

The automaker says the airbag electronic control units weren't programmed correctly, causing problems when the vehicles are started and the airbag sensors are disabled.

Every airbag is attached to a control unit that monitors data from sensors and determines when the airbag should deploy. You can imagine how important it is that these control units are dialed in. Toyota forgot that whole part.

Toyota is recalling 2.4 million Prius and Prius v vehicles worldwide to fix a problem with the hybrid system’s “limp home” mode.

The Prius and Prius v are designed to enter limp mode, also called fail-safe mode, when the hybrid systems have faults. Toyota says the recall is necessary because the cars can fail to enter limp mode as intended when the hybrid systems have problems. Instead of limping home the cars will suddenly lose power and stall out. Toyota insists that power steering and braking will still work, but even with those systems on a stall at high speeds can be very dangerous.

If “limp home” problems sound familiar, you may be thinking of recalls made in 2014 and 2015 for similar problems. Toyota says previous recalls did not anticipate this new condition remedied with this recall. Geez. The fix is a simple software update. Let’s hope it’s the last one needed.

The threat of electrical fires has led Toyota to recall a million Prius cars worldwide

, with 192,000 of those vehicles in the United States. An exposed portion of one of the engine’s wiring harnesses is likely to wear down and short-circuit in the 2016-2018 model years. A short circuit can create a spark → a spark can create a flame → a flame can created a charred mass where your Prius once stood.…

Toyota. Takata. Recall.

Those are three words that I'm tired of typing and you're sick of hearing about. Yet here we are with another recall of 543,000 Toyota and Lexus vehicles that have ticking time-bombs for airbags. Some vehicles are being recalled for the second time. You probably know the script by now.…

Watch your step, Tundra owners!

Toyota is recalling 73,000 Tundra trucks for step bumpers that may break when stepped on. Affected are 2016-2017 Toyota Tundra trucks equipped with rear step bumpers made of resin, with resin reinforcement brackets at the corners. This only applies to trucks with resin bumpers, not chrome. The recall was expected to begin last month.

This just in from the team at Toyota: sensors work much better when they're connected during manufacturing.

Toyota says federal safety standards require a vehicle to activate a warning light if there is a drop in the brake fluid level. However, the automaker says there is a possibility the wire harness that attaches to the brake fluid reservoir sensor was never connected during manufacturing.

In other news: the sun is hot, traffic is the worst, and I can't believe this actually went unchecked. There's no word on when the recall will begin.

Toyota is being skimpy on the details, but they did announce a parking brake recall for the 2016 and 2017 Prius.

Toyota is recalling about 340,000 Prius cars worldwide, including about 92,000 located in the U.S. The 2016-2017 Toyota Prius sedans have parking brakes that could fail, leading to a higher chance of rollaway incidents. Dealers will add some clips to the top of the brake cable dust boots to hold things in place. Owners should start getting notices in November 2016.

The rear suspensions in some Toyota SUVs have been recalled a third time for the same exact problem.

The automaker thinks it's time to try something different. Gee Toyota, you think? Rear suspension arm failures first popped up four years ago in the 2006-2011 Toyota RAV4 and 2010 Lexus HS 250h. Toyota issued a recall and blamed the problem on some nuts that weren't tightened to spec. Cool, seems like an easy fix.

About a year later the same vehicles were recalled again for, you guessed it, rear suspension issues. This time dealers were told to inspect the tie rods for corrosion and slap some epoxy on there to prevent future damage.…

The curtain shield airbags in your car have two chambers that are welded together.

That weld keeps those chambers hugging and happy. The only problem is, someone did a really bad job welding 1.4 million Toyota vehicles worldwide. The bad welds are cracking and letting those chambers loosen their embrace in the Prius, Prius Plug-in, and Lexus CT 200h. If they pull too far apart and you get in an accident:…

A minor label issue is about to become a major pain in the butt for 2,500 Toyota and Scion owners.

Why do automakers bother with recalls about stickers? Because of federal law. Based on federal regulations, a load carrying modification label must be added to a vehicle if weight exceeding the lesser of 1.5 percent of 100 pounds is added to a vehicle between final vehicle certification and the first retail sale of the vehicle. Any corrected values must be accurate to within 1 percent of the actual added weight.…

How hot do you like your seat heater in the winter?

If you like it really toasty — as in, with an actual flame — you’ll probably love one of 7,700 Toyota vehicles with seat heaters that catch on fire. The vehicles have been recalled because fire and cars don’t get along, what with their tanks of highly flammable liquids and all. All the affected vehicles are equipped with aftermarket accessory seat heaters that contain copper strand heating elements. The recall is being handled by Southeast Toyota Distributors (SET) which is the world’s largest distributor of Toyota and Scion vehicles.

The recall is expected to begin on July 14, 2016 and the seat heaters will need to be disconnected. Owners will be reimbursed.