2020 Toyota Tacoma

I am reporting a safety-related failure of an aftermarket bull bar / grille guard purchased through Amazon. The bull bar detached from the vehicle while the vehicle was in motion on a public road. After detaching, the bar was dragged on the road and was only partially held by the fog light wiring. This created a road hazard and could have caused loss of control, damage to other vehicles, or injury to pedestrians or other drivers. The failure appears to be at or near the welded joint / mounting area, suggesting a possible manufacturing or weld defect rather than normal wear. The product was installed on the vehicle before the incident and failed during normal driving. Product: - Product type: Aftermarket bull bar / grille guard - Brand / seller: Topline_autopart / Amazon - Purchased from: Amazon - Order number: 114-8975268-2481806 - Purchase date: November 21, 2025 Vehicle: - Year / Make / Model: 2020 Toyota Tacoma - Incident date: Mar. 7th 2026 - Approximate speed: 45mph - Location: Exit 111 at I-16 EB I have photos of the failed weld / mounting area, the damaged bull bar, and Amazon order information. I am concerned that other units of this product may have the same defect and could detach while driving.

On Sunday, March 15,2026, I was driving from Houston, TX to Pharr, TX at the speed of 75mph on the left lane to pass an 18 wheeler, with another 18 wheeler behind me, and my truck started idling erratically. I lost speed and my service engine light came on. My truck slowed down and I almost got in a car accident with the 18 wheelers because the truck did this. The truck behind me slowed down on time and it went immediately to the right lane to avoid hitting my truck. I feared for my life. All the vehicles behind me and the 18 wheelers also went to the right lane to avoid me. By this time, the TRAC light had already come on also. I managed a space of no vehicles and steered towards the right safety lane. I pulled over at the local truck stop and stoped my truck to rest. After about 5 minutes I tried starting my truck and it wasn’t starting. I am a little mechanically inclined, so I started troubleshooting the truck. My code reader gave these codes: P1605-00, P0300-27, P0300-85, and P0302-00. Unscathed to start the truck after a while and got back on the road. The drive was brutal, as the truck kept burping erratically, but I made it home safely. I took my truck to the mechanic and he did some repairs and told me the issue is the fuel pump. I have checked the recalls for my truck but it shows zero recalls for my truck. Luckily I am alive to report this life threatening safety issue that Toyota has on this model. How do I get Toyota responsible to make the repairs on my truck? The part alone is over $1200 at O’Reily auto parts.

2020 TOYOTA TACOMA TRD SPORT, SOMETIMES THE VEHICLE SEEMS TO LOOSE POWER WHEN DOWN SHIFTING WHILE ACCELERATING (GOING AROUND A CORNER). THE TRUCK ALSO SEEMS LIKE ITS HUNTING FOR A GEAR AROUND THE 35MPH OR 43 MPH, ON FLAT SURFACE, GOING DOWN HILL, OR GOING UP HILL. THIS ALSO HAPPENS ON THE INTERSTATE WHILE GOING 65-70MPH, WHICH WOULD BE CAUSE FOR CONCERN. THIS FEELS LIKE ITS A TRANSMISSION ISSUE BUT ALSO COULD BE AN ENGINE MISFIRE OF A SPARK PLUG OR SOMETHING. THIS HAPPENS ON A DAILY BASIS. DOES ALSO FEEL JERKY AT TIMES.

WHILE DRIVING AND APPLYING MY BRAKES THEY DO NOT ALWAYS SEEM LIKE THEY ARE GOING TO STOP ME IN TIME. SOMETIMES IT FEELS LIKE THE BRAKE IS GRABBING AND THE STOP IS JERKY AND NOT SMOOTH. ON A COUPLE OF OCCASIONS WHILE DRIVING WITH CRUISE CONTROL ON I APPLIED THE BRAKE PEDAL BUT AS SOON AS I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE THE VEHICLE SPED UP ON IT'S OWN TO RESUME PREVIOUS SPEED SO IT APPEARS THE CRUISE CONTROL DID NOT DISENGAGE WHEN BRAKE WAS APPLIED. I FIRST NOTICED A BRAKING ISSUED WHEN I STARTED DRIVING THE VEHICLE IN JULY 2020. THOUGHT PERHAPS I JUST HAD TO BECOME ACCUSTOMED TO THE BRAKING SYSTEM. THIS IS NOT THE CASE AND IT HAS BEEN HAPPENING THE PAST 2 1/2 MONTHS THAT I'VE OWNED IT. THE PROBLEM PERSISTED SO I TOOK IT TO TOYOTA SERVICE DEPT TO BE LOOKED AT. MY VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED NEW FROM DEALERSHIP AND NOW HAS ABOUT 3500 MILES ON IT. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO SERVICE DEPT IN GETTLE TOYOTA ON CORTEZ RD IN BRADENTON FL ON 9/18/20 AND THEY SAID BASICALLY "IT'S THE NATURE OF THE BEAST. THEY TESTED IT AND THOUGHT AT FIRST THE BRAKES SEEMED REALLY SENSITIVE BUT THEN COMPARED IT TO A TEST DRIVE OF ANOTHER VEHICLE ON THE LOT AND DETERMINED THAT'S JUST HOW THE TRUCK IS. I AM NOT CONVINCED THAT THE VEHICLE IS SAFE. AFTER SPENDING OVER $40,000 ON A TRUCK I'D LIKE TO FEEL SAFE. ALWAYS THOUGHT TOYOTA STOOD BEHIND THEIR PRODUCTS BUT NOW NOT SO SURE. IF YOU CAN LOOK INTO THIS SAFETY CONCERN, I WOULD APPRECIATE IT.

WHEN YOU ARE BACKING UP WITH YOUR HEAD LIGHTS ON DURING THE DAY YOUR BACKUP CAMERA SCREEN GOES ALMOST DARK. LETS SAY IT IS RAINING OR ANY OTHER REASON YOU HAPPEN TO HAVE YOUR HEAD LIGHT'S ON OR WANT THEM ON AND YOU NEED TO BACK UP YOUR SCREEN FOR THE BACKUP CAMERA GOES ALMOST DARK YOU CAN NOT MAKE ANYTHING OUT ON THE SCREEN. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THE CAMERA SCREEN SHOULD REMAIN BRIGHT JUST AS IF YOU DO NOT HAVE YOUR HEAD LIGHTS ON. A PERSON SHOULD NOT HAVE TO TURN OFF THE HEAD LIGHTS OFF JUST TO SEE THE BACKUP CAMERA SCREEN. SOME STATES REQUIRE WHEN IT RAINS TO PUT YOUR HEAD LIGHTS ON.