Recalls Of The Day, November 27, 2012

Recalls sometimes make a person wonder how a company that has been making vehicles since before there were seat belts or exhaust emission standards could produce a pickup truck that has a spare tire that might fall from its mount and fall on a roadway.  This has potential to cause a serious situation for other motorists.

The National Highway Traffic Administration announced this issue yesterday.  If your vehicle is affected please have the trouble corrected before the spare tire bounces along a road causing a serious hazard.    

Vehicle Make / Model: Model Year(s): TOYOTA / TACOMA 2001-2004 Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing Report Receipt Date: NOV 23, 2012 NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 12V542000 N/A NHTSA Action Number: N/A

Component: TIRES:TEMPORARY/EMERGENCY SPARE TIRE

Potential Number of Units Affected: 150,000

Summary: Toyota is recalling certain model year 2001 through 2004 Tacoma light trucks manufactured from August 28, 2000, through August 27, 2004, and originally sold, or currently registered, in the following cold climate states with high road salt usage: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. The spare tire in the subject vehicles is located underneath the rear of the vehicle and held by a spare tire carrier. A lift plate on the carrier is used to help raise, lower and retain the tire. During its manufacture, the lift plate may not have been sufficiently coated with anti-corrosion materials. If the plate is insufficiently coated and the vehicle is operated in cold climate regions where road salts are frequently used, road spray can reach the carrier assembly and corrode the lift plate.

Consequence: Corrosion of the plate could cause it to break, which could result in detachment of the spare tire from the vehicle. Detachment of the spare tire could result in a road hazard which may increase the risk of a vehicle crash.

Remedy: A remedy for this defect is currently being developed. Toyota will notify owners when a remedy plan has been finalized. The recall is expected to begin during December 2012. Owners may contact their Toyota dealer or the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331.

Notes: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.