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2012 Toyota Tundra

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2012 Toyota Tundra do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 144.5.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

119 reports with mileage · 36 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine. Review the 57 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Fuel/propulsion System. Review the 25 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 21 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

7 crash reports2 fire reports1 injury reports

Engine complaints

57 reports
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72,000 miles · Sep 26, 2018
Engine

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND TRAC CONTROL LIGHTS CAME ON AROUND 72,000 MILES. TRUCK STARTED TO BE SLUGGISH AND LOSE POWER. THE TRUCK IS IN A CONSTANT 'LIMP' MODE AND FAILS TO PROPERLY ACCELERATE. IT IS DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE AS IT CAUSES UNSAFE CONDITIONS WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE INTO A TRAFFIC LANE. TOOK IT TO DEALER AND IT I…

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CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND TRAC CONTROL LIGHTS CAME ON AROUND 72,000 MILES. TRUCK STARTED TO BE SLUGGISH AND LOSE POWER. THE TRUCK IS IN A CONSTANT 'LIMP' MODE AND FAILS TO PROPERLY ACCELERATE. IT IS DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE AS IT CAUSES UNSAFE CONDITIONS WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE INTO A TRAFFIC LANE. TOOK IT TO DEALER AND IT IS AN ISSUE WITH THE SECONDARY AIR INJECTION VALVES AND PUMPS. DEALER QUOTED ME $2184.25 TO FIX. NOT CURRENTLY COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. TOYOTA HAS ADDRESSED THIS ISSUE WITH OTHER YEARS AND MODELS BUT FOR SOME REASON HAS EXCLUDED THE 2012 TUNDRA. I HAVE CONTACTED TOYOTA ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS AND THEY REFER ME TO NHTSA TO FILE A COMPLAINT. SAME ISSUES REPORTED FOR THE 2012 TOYOTA TUNDRA REFERENCE NHTSA ID NUMBERS: 11129958 11129497 11128204 11109923 11104774 11076034 11075528 11065298 11002406 10994136 10926200 10567001 10489030 HOW MANY COMPLAINTS HAVE TO BE FILED BEFORE TOYOTA CORRECTS THE ISSUE?

NHTSA ODI #11131715

137,000 miles · Sep 17, 2018
Engine

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WITH ERROR CODE P2433 0160-11 FAILURE OF AIR INJECTION PUMPS I WAS GETTING ON THE HIGHWAY, THE ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON, THEN THE TRUCK GOES INTO "LIMP MODE." THE LANE I WAS IN MERGED TO THE LEFT. I NEEDED TO ACCELERATE TO AVOID A VEHICLE COMING UP ON MY LEFT, BUT THERE WAS NO POWER DUE TO BEING IN "LIMP M…

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CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WITH ERROR CODE P2433 0160-11 FAILURE OF AIR INJECTION PUMPS I WAS GETTING ON THE HIGHWAY, THE ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON, THEN THE TRUCK GOES INTO "LIMP MODE." THE LANE I WAS IN MERGED TO THE LEFT. I NEEDED TO ACCELERATE TO AVOID A VEHICLE COMING UP ON MY LEFT, BUT THERE WAS NO POWER DUE TO BEING IN "LIMP MODE." THE VEHICLE COMING UP BEHIND ME HAD TO SLAM ON HIS BRAKES AND I SWERVED OFF THE SHOULDER. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A VERY BAD ACCIDENT IF THERE WAS A CONCRETE BARRIER IN FRONT OF ME. THIS IS A KNOWN MALFUNCTION AND SHOULD BE A RECALL ITEM. TOYOTA HAS PUBLICALLY SAID THIS IS A WARRANTABLE REPAIR UP TO 150,000 MILES ON 2011 MODEL YEAR TUNDRAS. I HAVE THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM ON MY 2012 (WHICH WAS BUILT IN 2011) BUT TOYOTA IS NOT WILLING TO COVER THE REPAIR. I WILL NOW BE OUT OF POCKET $3400 IF I WANT TO KEEP DRIVING MY TRUCK.

NHTSA ODI #11129958

92,500 miles · Jul 6, 2018
Electronic Stability Control (esc)EnginePower Train

I SEE SEVERAL OTHER COMPLAINTS HERE WITH MY EXACT PROBLEM. THE SECONDARY AIR INJECTION SYSTEM RELAY AND SECONDARY AIR INJECTION SYSTEM SWITCHING VALVE. OBD II CODES P0418 AND P2442. MY EXPERIENCE IS THE SAME AS OTHER COMPLAINTS IN THAT MY TRUCK IS NOW PERMANENTLY IN LIMP MODE AND CANNOT BE DRIVEN DUE TO THESE KNOWN DEFECTIVE …

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I SEE SEVERAL OTHER COMPLAINTS HERE WITH MY EXACT PROBLEM. THE SECONDARY AIR INJECTION SYSTEM RELAY AND SECONDARY AIR INJECTION SYSTEM SWITCHING VALVE. OBD II CODES P0418 AND P2442. MY EXPERIENCE IS THE SAME AS OTHER COMPLAINTS IN THAT MY TRUCK IS NOW PERMANENTLY IN LIMP MODE AND CANNOT BE DRIVEN DUE TO THESE KNOWN DEFECTIVE PARTS. ON PRE-2012 MODEL TUNDRAS TOYOTA HAS EXTENDED THE REPAIR WARRANTY TO 10 YEARS/150,000 MILES AS THIS IS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM. FOR SOME REASON THEY WILL NOT INCLUDE LATER YEAR MODEL TRUCKS LIKE MY 2012 4.6 LITER. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS THE TRUCK SLOWED SEVERELY IN TRAFFIC AND WILL NOT ACCELERATE OR GO UP ANY HILL. CARS BEHIND ME IN TRAFFIC HAD TO SWERVE AROUND ME. I WAS STUCK DEAD AT THE BOTTOM OF A HILL AS THESE CHRONICALLY FAILING PARTS SHUT DOWN THE VEHICLE'S POWER. TOYOTA CUSTOMER CARE HAS DENIED MY ATTEMPT TO SEEK COMPENSATION OR REPAIR OF THESE PARTS THAT THEY KNOW ARE DEFECTIVE. THE FIX NEEDS TO BE EXTENDED TO ALL YEAR MODEL AND ENGINE SIZE TUNDRAS AS THESE DEFECTIVE PARTS EXIST ON MODELS PAST 2011. A SIDE NOTE, SOMEHOW THESE DEFECTS ARE REPORTED TO BE AFFECTING THE VEHICLE SKID CONTROL AS THAT WARNING LIGHT COMES ON WHEN THESE PARTS FAIL ON MOST OF THE AFFECTED TUNDRAS.

NHTSA ODI #11109923

77,000 miles · Mar 3, 2018
Engine

AIR INJECTION RELAY AND PUMP FAILURE. THIS CONDITION EVENTUALLY LEADS TO "LIMP" MODE CAUSING TRAFFIC SAFETY ISSUES. THIS HAS BEEN A MANUFACTURER RECALL/EXTENDED WARRANTY ITEM ON ALL TUNDRA TRUCKS, UP TO AND INCLUDING SOME 2012 MODELS BUT NOT ALL OF THE 2012'S. BY THE NUMBERS OF FAILURES PRESENT, IT'S OBVIOUS THAT WHAT EVER DESI…

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AIR INJECTION RELAY AND PUMP FAILURE. THIS CONDITION EVENTUALLY LEADS TO "LIMP" MODE CAUSING TRAFFIC SAFETY ISSUES. THIS HAS BEEN A MANUFACTURER RECALL/EXTENDED WARRANTY ITEM ON ALL TUNDRA TRUCKS, UP TO AND INCLUDING SOME 2012 MODELS BUT NOT ALL OF THE 2012'S. BY THE NUMBERS OF FAILURES PRESENT, IT'S OBVIOUS THAT WHAT EVER DESIGN CHANGES TOYOTA DID TO SAY THEY FIXED THE ISSUE AND EXCLUDE SOME OF THE 2012'S WERE INSUFFICIENT. THIS RECALL/EXTENDED WARRANTY SHOULD INCLUDE ALL 2012 MODELS. TOYOTA/DEALERS CLAIM THE PUMPS ARE PART OF EMISSIONS SO THEY ARE NOT COVERED UNDER THE MANUFACTURERS WARRANTIES. REPAIR COST WAS QUOTED AT $3800. OTHER FILED COMPLAINTS: NHTSA ID NUMBER: 11075528 NHTSA ID NUMBER: 11002406 NHTSA ID NUMBER: 10994136

NHTSA ODI #11076034

111,414 miles · Feb 28, 2018
Engine

IN EVENING HOURS DECEMBER 2017 I STARTED MY TRUCK AND THE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, AND FLASHING 4 LOL WAS ON. DROVE HOME AND HAD CORRODIED BATTERY TERMINAL. RESET LOTT AND WENT AWAY. ON FEBRUARY 23TH, 2018 MY WIFE STARTED TRUCK AND ALL THREE LIFTS WERE ON AGAIN. MADE A APPOINTMENT WITH TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND TH…

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IN EVENING HOURS DECEMBER 2017 I STARTED MY TRUCK AND THE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, AND FLASHING 4 LOL WAS ON. DROVE HOME AND HAD CORRODIED BATTERY TERMINAL. RESET LOTT AND WENT AWAY. ON FEBRUARY 23TH, 2018 MY WIFE STARTED TRUCK AND ALL THREE LIFTS WERE ON AGAIN. MADE A APPOINTMENT WITH TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND THEY STATED HAD WEAK AIR INJECTION PUMP AND CLOSED SWITCH VALVE. THEY WROTE CAUSE OF HIGH WATER. DROVE OFF THE LOT AND THE LOGS CAME ON AGAIN. I'VE NOT EVEN OWN D MY TRUCK FOR TWO YEARS AND NEVER HAD IT THROUGH HIGH WATER. TOYOTA TOLD ME IT WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY FOR THE AIR SYSTEM, BECAUSE MY TRUCK IS A 2012. THE COST TO FIX THIS WAS $3,000 DOLLARS. ON WAY HOME MY TRUCK WAS IN LIMP MODE AND I BARELY WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT UP A HILL. NOW I'M OUT OF A TRUCK FOR WORK AND CAN BARELY DRIVE ACROSS TOWN. THERE IS NUMEROUS REPORTS OF THE AIR INJECTION SYSTEM FAILING AND NO ONE HAS OPENED A INVESTIGATION.

NHTSA ODI #11075528

109,000 miles · Jan 26, 2018
EngineFuel/propulsion System

MONDAY, JANUARY 15TH I DROVE AT 65 MPH TO WORK AT AND HOME ON THE FREEWAY WITH NO PROBLEMS. TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY THE TRUCK WAS STATIONARY DUE TO COLD WEATHER CONDITIONS IN HOUSTON, TEXAS. THURSDAY MORNING THE 18TH, I DROVE AT 65 MPH TO WORK VIA FREEWAY WITH NO PROBLEMS. AFTER LUNCH I DROVE AT 45 MPH BACK TO WORK ON A STREET AN…

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MONDAY, JANUARY 15TH I DROVE AT 65 MPH TO WORK AT AND HOME ON THE FREEWAY WITH NO PROBLEMS. TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY THE TRUCK WAS STATIONARY DUE TO COLD WEATHER CONDITIONS IN HOUSTON, TEXAS. THURSDAY MORNING THE 18TH, I DROVE AT 65 MPH TO WORK VIA FREEWAY WITH NO PROBLEMS. AFTER LUNCH I DROVE AT 45 MPH BACK TO WORK ON A STREET AND NOTICED THE CHECK ENGINE AND TRACTION LIGHT CAME ON AND SIMULTANEOUSLY THE TRUCK THEN STARTING DRIVING EXTREMELY SLUGGISH AND AND FAR BELOW THE SPEED LIMIT OBSTRUCTING THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC. I CAREFULLY GOT OVER AND DROVE THE TRUCK ONLY ALLOWED AT 30 MPH BACK TO THE OFFICE. AFTER CAREFULLY DRIVING HOME VIA STREET AT THE END OF THE DAY I GOT HOME AND REMOVED THE NEGATIVE WIRE FROM BATTERY AND RE-CONNECTED IT TO SEE IF THIS WOULD RESOLVE THE ISSUE. AFTER DOING SO, THE RESULTS WERE THE LIGHTS IN THE DASH WERE NOW OFF AND THE TRUCK DROVE PROPER WITH NO HINDRANCE. THIS WOULD LAST UNTIL WEDNESDAY 24TH. BOTH LIGHTS CAME BACK ON AND THE TRUCK STARTED AGAIN DRIVING SLUGGISHLY. ITS SEEM THAT WHEN THE LIGHT IS OFF THE TRUCK DRIVES FINE, BUT WHEN IT IS TRIGGERED THE TRUCK IS DRIVES EXTREMELY SLUGGISH. COULD THE BE A DEFECTIVE PART? ANY HELP WOULD BE USEFUL.

NHTSA ODI #11065298

100,000 miles · Sep 27, 2017
Engine

I BOUGHT A CERTIFIED USED 2012 PLATINUM TUNDRA WITH 32K MILES AND 2 YEARS LATER WITH REGULAR MAINTENANCE AND A CAM SEAL LEAK FIXED BY THE DEALER, I HAVE FOUND A VERY HARD ROD KNOCK FROM THE ENGINE. I TOOK MY TRUCK BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THE OIL AND FILTER CHANGED WITH 114.8K MILES ON IT AT THIS TIME AND WAS TOLD I WILL …

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I BOUGHT A CERTIFIED USED 2012 PLATINUM TUNDRA WITH 32K MILES AND 2 YEARS LATER WITH REGULAR MAINTENANCE AND A CAM SEAL LEAK FIXED BY THE DEALER, I HAVE FOUND A VERY HARD ROD KNOCK FROM THE ENGINE. I TOOK MY TRUCK BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THE OIL AND FILTER CHANGED WITH 114.8K MILES ON IT AT THIS TIME AND WAS TOLD I WILL NEED TO REPLACE THE ENGINE. I BELIEVE SOMETHING ISN'T SMELLING RIGHT. DOES ANYONE KNOW ANY ISSUES WITH THE CONNECTION OF THE CAM SEAL LEAK AND THE ROD READY TO BLOW. THE DEALERSHIP SAID IT WOULD BE APPROX. $14K TO REPLACE THE ENGINE WITH 40K MILES ON IT.. REALLY ? AGAIN, I'M SMELLING "NOT MY PROBLEM" FROM THE PEOPLE INVOLVED. WHO CAN I REACH OUT TO ASSIST ME IN RESEARCHING THE CAUSE OF POSSIBLE MIS REPAIR MAINTENANCE ? I APPRECIATE ANYONE'S HELP. BEST REGARDS,

NHTSA ODI #11030165

Mileage unknown · Jun 29, 2017
Engine

AIR INJECTION RELAY AND PUMP FAILURE. THIS HAS BEEN AN EXTENDED WARRANTY ITEM ON ALL TRUCKS EXCEPT THE MODEL I HAVE WITH THE SAME PARTS AS THE LARGER ENGINE TRUCK. THIS IS A CORPORATE GAME OF NOT ENOUGH COMPLAINTS ON A LESS POPULAR MODEL ENGINE EVEN THOUGH THE PARTS ARE THE SAME AS WHAT IS BEING REPLACED ON SAME YEAR MODELS W…

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AIR INJECTION RELAY AND PUMP FAILURE. THIS HAS BEEN AN EXTENDED WARRANTY ITEM ON ALL TRUCKS EXCEPT THE MODEL I HAVE WITH THE SAME PARTS AS THE LARGER ENGINE TRUCK. THIS IS A CORPORATE GAME OF NOT ENOUGH COMPLAINTS ON A LESS POPULAR MODEL ENGINE EVEN THOUGH THE PARTS ARE THE SAME AS WHAT IS BEING REPLACED ON SAME YEAR MODELS WITH THE LARGER ENGINE. REPAIR IS ESTIMATED AT $2600

NHTSA ODI #11002406

78,000 miles · Jun 9, 2017
Engine

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 TOYOTA TUNDRA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE AIR INJECTION PUMP AND SWITCHING VALVE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND INFOR…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 TOYOTA TUNDRA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE AIR INJECTION PUMP AND SWITCHING VALVE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A MANUFACTURER RECALL. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 78,000.

NHTSA ODI #10994136

15,000 miles · Mar 8, 2017
Engine

MY 4X4 TOYOTA TUNDRA CREWMAX WITH THE 5.7L ENGINE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A CAM TOWER LEAK WITH ONLY 15,000 MILES ON IT. FORTUNATELY THE VEHICLE WAS STILL UNDER THE FACTORY POWER TRAIN WARRANTY. TOYOTA MADE THE REPAIR AND PROVIDED A RENTAL CAR FOR ME. I HAVE HEARD THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE 2012-2013 5.7L ENGINE AND I WANT THI…

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MY 4X4 TOYOTA TUNDRA CREWMAX WITH THE 5.7L ENGINE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A CAM TOWER LEAK WITH ONLY 15,000 MILES ON IT. FORTUNATELY THE VEHICLE WAS STILL UNDER THE FACTORY POWER TRAIN WARRANTY. TOYOTA MADE THE REPAIR AND PROVIDED A RENTAL CAR FOR ME. I HAVE HEARD THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE 2012-2013 5.7L ENGINE AND I WANT THIS ISSUE TO BE MORE PUBLIC. I WORRY OWNERS OF THIS VEHICLE WILL BE STUCK WITH THE $2,300-$3,000 BILL TO FIX THEIR OWN VEHICLE IF THEIR VEHICLE'S POWER TRAIN WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED. I ALSO WORRY THE ENGINES COULD LEAK OIL ONTO THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD AND CATCH FIRE.

NHTSA ODI #10959583

Official recalls

3

21V920000 · Steering:hydraulic Power Assist System; Steering:rack And Pinion

Nov 23, 2021

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2008-2022 Sequoia and 2007-2021 Tundra vehicles. The power steering gear assembly may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can result in an oil leak.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An oil leak may cause a sudden loss of power steering assist, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the power steering gear assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 21, 2022. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 21TB10 and 21TA10.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Steering:hydraulic Power Assist System

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2008-2022 Sequoia and 2007-2021 Tundra vehicles. The power steering gear assembly may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can result in an oil leak.

Consequence: An oil leak may cause a sudden loss of power steering assist, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the power steering gear assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 21, 2022. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 21TB10 and 21TA10.

Steering:rack And Pinion

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2008-2022 Sequoia and 2007-2021 Tundra vehicles. The power steering gear assembly may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can result in an oil leak.

Consequence: An oil leak may cause a sudden loss of power steering assist, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the power steering gear assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 21, 2022. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 21TB10 and 21TA10.

13V123000 · Equipment:other:labels

Apr 9, 2013

Southeast Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 and 2010-2013 Toyota Tundra, 2010-2012 Rav4, 2012 Toyota Sequoia, 2010-2011 Toyota Corolla, 2010-2011 Toyota Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser, 2011 Toyota Land Cruiser, 2010-2013 Toyota Venza, 2010-2011 Toyota 4Runner, 2010-2013 Toyota Tacoma, 2011-2012 Toyota Sienna, 2012 Toyota Prius, 2013 Scion FR-S, 2011 Scion XD, 2011 Scion XB, and 2012 Scion TC vehicles. These vehicles were sold with labels that were outside the allowable one percent of accuracy of actual weight added. Thus, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) Number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An inaccurate label could lead to owners overloading their vehicles and tires. An overloaded vehicle can result in a tire failure which may result in a vehicle crash, personal injury, or property damage.

Remedy: Southeast Toyota will notify owners and provide a corrected label with instructions concerning its installation. A small group of the affected vehicles will need additonal remedies which are still being developed. The recall began on May 28, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.

13V014000 · Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE ; Seats

Jan 16, 2013

Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather seat covers, seat heaters or headrest DVD systems, these vehicles may not have had the passenger seat occupant sensing system calibration tested. Without passing the calibration test, the occupant sensing system may not operate as designed.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.

Remedy: Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Seats

Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather seat covers, seat heaters or headrest DVD systems, these vehicles may not have had the passenger seat occupant sensing system calibration tested. Without passing the calibration test, the occupant sensing system may not operate as designed.

Consequence: If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.

Remedy: Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.

Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE

Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather seat covers, seat heaters or headrest DVD systems, these vehicles may not have had the passenger seat occupant sensing system calibration tested. Without passing the calibration test, the occupant sensing system may not operate as designed.

Consequence: If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.

Remedy: Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

EA19001 · Electrical Overstress

Opened Apr 19, 2019 · Closed Sep 19, 2024

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Air Bags: Air Bag/restraint Control Module

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation to determine if the failure of airbags to deploy during severe crashes, in certain vehicles, was the result of a safety related defect.  During the investigation a complex failure was studied that can result in non-deployment of subject vehicle air bags and other restraint system devices in severe crash events. The subject vehicles may be equipped with an airbag control unit (ACU) for the supplemental restraint system (SRS) Electronic Control Unit (ECU) manufactured by ZF-TRW.  The ECU receives signals from crash sensors mounted in the vehicle and deploys the vehicle air bags and seat belt pretensioners in accordance with manufacturer design specifications.  The ECU in the subject vehicles contains a model DS84 application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) which controls the communication of the crash sensor signal, firing commands (i.e., when to deploy the airbag(s) and/or pretensioners), and fault information (e.g., diagnostic trouble codes). In September 2016, FCA announced recall 16V-668 for certain model year (MY) 2010 to 2014 Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep products manufactured with the subject ZF-TRW ACU.  In this recall, FCA discussed an EOS condition that resulted in a failure of the subject DS84 ASIC, which caused air bag non-deployment.  FCA noted that the defect condition had only been observed in vehicles equipped with sensor harnessing routed across the front of the vehicle.  Other FCA vehicles that also used the subject ACU, but were not equipped with cross-car harnessing, had not experienced EOS failures, despite similar time in service. During the course of this investigation, ODI sent two separate Information Request (IR) letters to six vehicle manufactures (including FCA, Hyundai, Honda, Kia, Mitsubishi, and Toyota) and one IR letter to ZF-TRW.  These IR letters resulted in ODI receiving comprehensive data from these manufacturers and suppliers. Studies of this data found that the DS84 ASIC does not have sufficient protection against negative electrical transients or electrical overstress (“EOS”) that can be generated in certain severe crashes.  An electrical transient occurs when the electrical power supplied to a circuit changes momentarily over a short duration of time.   In these severe crash cases, the crash sensors and other powered wiring can be damaged and short circuited so as to create a negative electrical transient of sufficient intensity and duration (that are outside the vehicle manufacturer's specification) to damage the ASIC before the restraint device deployment signal is received by the SRS ECU.  This damaged signal can lead to incomplete or nondeployment of the air bags and/or pretensioners.  Airbag non-deployment and/or lack of pretensioner operation can increase the risk or severity of injury in a crash.A total of 8 fatalities and 14 injuries were associated with known EOS events. The common element in all investigated manufacturers vehicles is the SRS ECU containing a DS84 ASIC manufactured by ZF-TRW.  The risk associated with the ASIC is equally shared among all OEMS involved in the investigation.  The actual real-world risk can be mitigated by other factors which were assessed by ODI during this investigation. The first mitigating factor involves protections built into the ACU design which protect the DS84 ASIC from damage.  There are multiple strategies and levels of protection employed by different OEMs that provide effective EOS mitigation.  The two most common strategies at the ACU level are circuit protection diodes on the remote senor signal lines, and current limiting resistors that protect critical components. The second mitigating factor is found at the vehicle level and involves the location and routing of the wires leading from the crash sensors to the SRS ECU.  If the wires are well protected in a crash and are not routed with other power wires carrying large currents, the risk for an EOS event is significantly reduced or eliminated. These design specific factors combine to produce a spectrum of risk for the vehicles equipped with ACUs using the DS84 ASIC.  Given the many of years of field exposure, it is possible to divide the subject population into two groups; vehicles which have experienced EOS events, and vehicles which have not experienced EOS field events. Four of the six OEMs involved in this investigation have experienced EOS field events on at least one of their models equipped with a DS84 ASIC.  All vehicle models (including the Toyota models identified in the Failure Report Summary of the opening resume for this investigation) with field events have been recalled.  In an abundance of caution, ODI kept this investigation open five years to monitor field performance and did not identify any field events on vehicles not included in existing safety recalls. Given the spectrum of risk identified in this investigation and that all vehicles with a demonstrated unreasonable risk have been recalled, ODI is closing this investigation. ODI is closing this investigation with the following manufacturer safety recalls: 16V-668, 18E-043, 18V-137, 18V-363, and 20V-024.  With the recall actions taken by the subject vehicle and equipment manufacturers, this investigation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exists on other model or model year vehicles outside of the recall scopes. The agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.