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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

Power Train complaints

21 reports
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Mileage unknown · Jul 26, 2023
Power TrainSteeringSuspension

My power steering gear blew its seal on the passenger side losing all power steering fluid and almost making me crash into a car next to me, and Toyota refuses to cover it stating that I hadn't had the steering gear replaced prior to whenever their dates were this is clearly faulty equipment and faulty machine work on the stee…

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My power steering gear blew its seal on the passenger side losing all power steering fluid and almost making me crash into a car next to me, and Toyota refuses to cover it stating that I hadn't had the steering gear replaced prior to whenever their dates were this is clearly faulty equipment and faulty machine work on the steering gear itself. why won't Toyota cover it? I tried contacting One Toyota and Downtown Toyota here in Oakland California and they told me that they wanted $250 to inspect my vehicle and that I would definitely have to pay for it because my vehicle was not under recall it states it is a recall if you look it up.It is worded recall if they're not going to cover it sounds like they're trying to back out of covering it until someone gets seriously hurt or killed like I almost did, I will never buy another Toyota again as long as I live because clearly they don't care about the faulty equipment on their vehicles that's going to hurt or kill someone. All they care about is the mighty dollar and that's just wrong. Safety has gone rite the window and if anyone reading this is thinking about buying a Toyota, I would seriously think twice.

NHTSA ODI #11534487

Mileage unknown · Jun 28, 2023
Power TrainUnknown Or OtherVehicle Speed Control

2012 Tundra faced a lot of problems like air injection pump failures, sticking of secondary air pumps, knock, along with other issues like speed control, engine cooling, and throttle failure. At present, it has been slapped with 136 complaints, 4 recalls, and 1 investigation as recorded on NHTSA site.Sep 2, 2022

NHTSA ODI #11529370

175,000 miles · May 18, 2023
Engine And Engine CoolingPower Train

The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that while plowing his driveway, there was an abnormal burning odor detected. The vehicle suddenly lost power. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that oil was needed. The mechanic becam…

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The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that while plowing his driveway, there was an abnormal burning odor detected. The vehicle suddenly lost power. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that oil was needed. The mechanic became aware that oil was dripping through a small crack on the cam shaft on the right cylinder bank onto the exhaust manifold. The contact was informed that the engine wiring harness was burned. The mechanic recommended that the engine and transfer case be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was informed after an investigation, that there was no evidence of a defect. The claim was denied. There was no additional assistance provided. The approximate failure mileage 175,000.

NHTSA ODI #11522694

Mileage unknown · Oct 4, 2022
EnginePower TrainFire

The engine leaks oil in front of the faulty designed cam tower seal and leaks on the manifold. This caused smoke to come from the oil burning off.

NHTSA ODI #11487908

Mileage unknown · Jun 2, 2021
Fuel/propulsion SystemPower TrainVehicle Speed Control

2012 Toyota Tundra has a known design flaw in that moisture is allowed to condense, accumulate and corrode in components of the secondary air intake system leading to decrease performance especially in regards to acceleration which is critical to operating a vehicle safely.

NHTSA ODI #11419400

131,400 miles · Mar 3, 2021
Power Train

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND TRAC OFF LIGHT CAME ON. CAR AUTOMATICALLY REDUCES SPEED CAUSING DIFFICULTY PULLING OUT INTO TRAFFIC. THE SECONDARY AIR PUMPS ARE DEFECTIVE. SOMETHING TOYOTA IS AWARE OF BUT DOES NOT INCLUDE MY MODEL. NO HELP FROM THERE WARRANTY DEPARTMENT. PROBLEM HAPPENED AS I WAS PULLING OUT INTO TRAFFIC AND DID NOT HAVE…

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CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND TRAC OFF LIGHT CAME ON. CAR AUTOMATICALLY REDUCES SPEED CAUSING DIFFICULTY PULLING OUT INTO TRAFFIC. THE SECONDARY AIR PUMPS ARE DEFECTIVE. SOMETHING TOYOTA IS AWARE OF BUT DOES NOT INCLUDE MY MODEL. NO HELP FROM THERE WARRANTY DEPARTMENT. PROBLEM HAPPENED AS I WAS PULLING OUT INTO TRAFFIC AND DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH SPEED TO GET OUT OF WAY OF INCOMING TRAFFIC.

NHTSA ODI #11398953

115,000 miles · Jan 4, 2021
EnginePower Train

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 TOYOTA TUNDRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED WITH THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AT JOHN HARVEY TOYOTA (2901 BENTON RD, BOSSIER CITY, LA 71111, (318) 741-1337). THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER THE VEHICLE REPAIRED, THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AND THE…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 TOYOTA TUNDRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED WITH THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AT JOHN HARVEY TOYOTA (2901 BENTON RD, BOSSIER CITY, LA 71111, (318) 741-1337). THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER THE VEHICLE REPAIRED, THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AND THE CONTACT RETURNED THE VEHICLE TO THE SAME DEALER WHERE THE TRANSMISSION WAS ALSO REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE ABOVE 25 MPH AND WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE SECONDARY AIR INJECTION SYSTEM FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 115,000.

NHTSA ODI #11386483

87,000 miles · Aug 21, 2020
Fuel/propulsion SystemPower Train

VERY SERIOUS MALFUNCTION WITH AIR INJECTION PUMP. THIS HAPPENED TO OCCUR AFTER FILLING UP THE GAS TANK. MULTIPLE DASHBOARD LIGHTS CAME ON AND THE TRUCK WENT INTO LIMP MODE. THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED A SERIOUS ACCIDENT WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY. $2000 PLUS IN REPAIRS FOR A VERY DANGEROUS AND APPARENTLY WELL KNOWN PROBLEM WITH RECALLS ISS…

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VERY SERIOUS MALFUNCTION WITH AIR INJECTION PUMP. THIS HAPPENED TO OCCUR AFTER FILLING UP THE GAS TANK. MULTIPLE DASHBOARD LIGHTS CAME ON AND THE TRUCK WENT INTO LIMP MODE. THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED A SERIOUS ACCIDENT WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY. $2000 PLUS IN REPAIRS FOR A VERY DANGEROUS AND APPARENTLY WELL KNOWN PROBLEM WITH RECALLS ISSUED IN PREVIOUS MODEL YEARS OF TUNDRA AND OTHER MODELS OF TOYOTA TRUCKS.

NHTSA ODI #11350696

87,130 miles · Jun 18, 2020
EnginePower TrainVehicle Speed Control

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON. GOT A CODE P0418-VEHICLE WILL GO LIMP/NOT ABLE TO GO OVER 25MPS. TOYOTA HAS A WARRANTY REPAIR PROGRAM IN PLACE FOR ALL 2012 TUNDRAS WITH A 5.7 SIZE BUT NOT MINE BECAUSE IT IS A 4.6 EVEN THOUGH IT IS THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM!!! *TR

NHTSA ODI #11329621

80,000 miles · Apr 12, 2020
EnginePower Train

ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS WHILE DRIVING, MY 2012 TOYOTA TUNDRA SUDDENLY LOST ACCELERATION POWER AND EXPERIENCED THE ENGINE FAILURE KNOWN AS "FAIL-SAFE" OR "LIMP-HOME" MODE. AS EVIDENCED BY TOYOTA T-SB-0160-11, WARRANTY POLICY BULLETINS, AND WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT PROGRAMS, TOYOTA IS WELL AWARE OF THIS SERIOUS DESIGN FLAW AND SAFETY IS…

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ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS WHILE DRIVING, MY 2012 TOYOTA TUNDRA SUDDENLY LOST ACCELERATION POWER AND EXPERIENCED THE ENGINE FAILURE KNOWN AS "FAIL-SAFE" OR "LIMP-HOME" MODE. AS EVIDENCED BY TOYOTA T-SB-0160-11, WARRANTY POLICY BULLETINS, AND WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT PROGRAMS, TOYOTA IS WELL AWARE OF THIS SERIOUS DESIGN FLAW AND SAFETY ISSUE, YET HAS CHOSEN TO REPAIR OR COMPENSATE ONLY A SELECT FEW. THE PARTS THAT HAD TO BE REPLACED AFTER MY VEHICLE REPEATEDLY WENT INTO 'FAIL-SAFE / LIMP-HOME' MODE CORRESPOND DIRECTLY WITH THE PART NUMBERS REFERENCED IN TOYOTA WARRANTY POLICY BULLETIN POL17-02 WHICH COVERS THIS DEFECT IN OTHER MODELS, BUT NOT IN MY 2012 MODEL. MY OUT-OF-POCKET COST TO REPAIR THIS MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT WAS $3034.87. THIS A KNOWN AIR INJECTION SYSTEM WATER INTRUSION DEFECT AND COMMON SAFETY COMPLAINT AT THE NHTSA AND ON MULTIPLE TOYOTA FORUMS, AFFECTING NUMEROUS 2012 TUNDRA'S WHICH TOYOTA IS REFUSING TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND COMPENSATE FOR. I HAVE WRITTEN SEVERAL LETTERS TO BOTH THE CEO OF TOYOTA AND THE TOYOTA CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE CENTER REQUESTING REIMBURSEMENT OF MY REPAIR COSTS AND HAVE BEEN DENIED TWICE; THE FIRST DENIAL IN WRITING, THE SECOND DENIAL VIA TELEPHONE. I REQUEST THE NHTSA INVESTIGATE THIS SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE TO PROTECT THE LIVES OF OTHERS DRIVING THESE DANGEROUS VEHICLES. TOYOTA HAS AN ETHICAL AND SAFETY OBLIGATION TO THE CONSUMER TO REMEDY THIS DEFECT AND TO COMPENSATE THOSE OF US WHO HAVE HAD TO BEAR THE FINANCIAL BURDEN OF THEIR FAILURE TO CORRECT THIS WELL-KNOWN ISSUE. *BF

NHTSA ODI #11320896

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.