The horn stopped working. I noticed this in an emergency situation. The horn which is a safety feature should not fail especially for a relatively newer vehicle with less than seventy thousand miles.
2017 Toyota Tundra
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2017 Toyota Tundra do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 144.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Tundra years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
45 reports with mileage · 33 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.
- Electrical System. Review the 27 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Exterior Lighting. Review the 17 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Fuel/propulsion System. Review the 14 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Unknown Or Other complaints
10 reportsTRAILER BRAKE CONTROLLER DOES NOT WORK AND IT ALMOST CAUSED A CRASH. NOW IT DOES NOT EVEN SHOWS UP ON DISPLAY AS IF TRUCK IS NOT EVEN EQUIPPED WITH THIS MODULE. EXTREMELY SCARY AND DANGEROUS WHEN TOWING 6000IB BEHIND YOU AND YOUR TRAILER BRAKES FAIL TO ENGAGE. INTERNET IS BUSSING WITH TUNDRA OWNERS WITH SAME ISSUE.
CONNECTING IPHONE 11 PRO VIA BLUETOOTH CONNECTION TO RADIO CAUSES THE RADIO TO COMPLETELY REBOOT REPEATEDLY AND NO LONGER WORKS CORRECTLY. DETACHING THE BLUETOOTH IPHONE RETURNS THE RADIO TO NORMAL FUNCTION.
WITH THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH SELECTED TO 'AUTO' AND WHEN ENGAGING THE TURN SIGNAL TO THE LEFT DURNING NIGHT DRIVING, ALL EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR LIGHTS WOULD GO BLACK UNTIL TURN SIGNAL SWITCH IS MOVED TO THE ON THE POSITION. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO REMEDY THE ISSUE. INITIALLY, THIS DEALERSHIP T…
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WITH THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH SELECTED TO 'AUTO' AND WHEN ENGAGING THE TURN SIGNAL TO THE LEFT DURNING NIGHT DRIVING, ALL EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR LIGHTS WOULD GO BLACK UNTIL TURN SIGNAL SWITCH IS MOVED TO THE ON THE POSITION. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO REMEDY THE ISSUE. INITIALLY, THIS DEALERSHIP THOUGHT IT WAS THE LIGHT SENSOR LOCATED ON THE DASH OF THE TRUCK AND REPLACED IT USING A WARRANTY CLAIM. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY (NEXT DAY), THE VEHICLE REPEATED THE SAME INITIAL FAILURE OVER 3 TIMES IN AN HOUR. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH THAT SAME TOYOTA DEALERSHIP BUT UPON ARRIVAL I WAS MET WITH RESISTANCE DUE TO A PREVIOUS WARRANTY CLAIM FOR THE SAME ISSUE. THEY ADVISED ME IF I WANTED THE SWITCH REPLACED, IT WOULD BE TOTALLY AT MY EXPENSE. I LEFT THAT DEALERSHIP AND PROCEEDED TO ANOTHER TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHO REPLACED THE SWITCH AT MY EXPENSE. THE REPLACING OF THE SWITCH HAS SOLVED THE LIGHTS GOING OUT WHILE DRIVING DURING THE NIGHT. I'VE READ ON SEVERAL TRUCK FORUMS THAT THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE BY TOYOTA BUT THEY HAVEN ACKNOWLEDGED IT. LUCKILY, I CAN AFFORD TO REPLACE MY SWITCH TO ENSURE MY FAMILY IS SAFE IN THIS VEHICLE BUT MY SUBMISSION HERE IS FOR THOSE THAT CAN'T AFFORD THE REPLACEMENTS AND NEED TOYOTA TO ISSUE A RECALL TO FIX THIS SERIOUS BUT INEXPENSIVE ISSUE.
IBC IS A COMPLETELY TERRIBLE PART IN THE TRUCK. 3 TIMES PULLING A TRAILER AND THEN THE BRAKES COMPLETELY GIVE OUT. TOOK IT TO THE SERVICE CENTER AND OF COURSE NOTHING IS WRONG WITH IT. TOOK THE TRAILER TO A RV PLACE AND NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT. AFTER ALL THE THREADS AND EVERYONE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE TOW BRAKES NOT WORKING TOYOT…
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IBC IS A COMPLETELY TERRIBLE PART IN THE TRUCK. 3 TIMES PULLING A TRAILER AND THEN THE BRAKES COMPLETELY GIVE OUT. TOOK IT TO THE SERVICE CENTER AND OF COURSE NOTHING IS WRONG WITH IT. TOOK THE TRAILER TO A RV PLACE AND NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT. AFTER ALL THE THREADS AND EVERYONE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE TOW BRAKES NOT WORKING TOYOTA IS REFUSING TO OWN UP TO A PROBLEM. IT IS UNSAFE AND SOMEONE WILL GET HURT. HOW IS THIS NOT BEING ADDRESSED AND WHY IS THE PROBLEM NOT FIXED? WHY HAVE A TOW PACKAGE AND NOT BE ABLE TO TOW. TAKE OWNERSHIP AND FIX THE BRAKES!!
MICE ARE ABLE TO ENTER THE AIR VENTILATION SYSTEM FROM A LARGE GAP AT THE ENDS OF THE AIR INTAKE GRILL BELOW THE WINDSHIELD, ONCE IN, THEY ENTER THE CAB AND DASH AREA. THESE MICE WILL DAMAGE THE WIRING AND CAUSE A VEHICLE SYSTEM FAILURE (BRAKING-POWER-AIR BAG, ETC.) I HAVE REPORTED THIS TO MY DEALER ROCHESTER TOYOTA AND TOYOTA …
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MICE ARE ABLE TO ENTER THE AIR VENTILATION SYSTEM FROM A LARGE GAP AT THE ENDS OF THE AIR INTAKE GRILL BELOW THE WINDSHIELD, ONCE IN, THEY ENTER THE CAB AND DASH AREA. THESE MICE WILL DAMAGE THE WIRING AND CAUSE A VEHICLE SYSTEM FAILURE (BRAKING-POWER-AIR BAG, ETC.) I HAVE REPORTED THIS TO MY DEALER ROCHESTER TOYOTA AND TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE (800-331-4331). THE DEALER HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THIS IS A ISSUE AND ONLY SUGGESTION WAS TO PUT A SCENT IN THE CAB TO DISCOURAGE THE MICE. THIS IS SERIOUS MANUFACTURING FLAW THAT NEEDS A RETRO FITTED AIR INTAKE GRILL TO CLOSE OFF IT'S CURRENT GAP THAT ALLOW MICE TO ENTER THE VENTILATION SYSTEM. I HAVE INSTALLED STEEL MESH TO COVER THESE LARGE GAPS (PHOTOS ATTACHED). A RECALL TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM SHOULD BE ISSUED.
ORDERED AND RECEIVED 2017 TOYOTA TUNDRA PICKUP TRUCK WITH WORK PACKAGE. PER TOYOTA, "WORK PACKAGE" REMOVES ELECTRONIC OPTIONS SUCH AS POWER SEATS, WINDOWS AND LOCKS. THE PROBLEM HERE, IS THAT THERE IS NO KEYED CYLINDER LOCK INSTALLED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR, THEREFORE--REMOVING THE ELECTRONIC DOOR LOCK, ALSO REMOVES ALL MEA…
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ORDERED AND RECEIVED 2017 TOYOTA TUNDRA PICKUP TRUCK WITH WORK PACKAGE. PER TOYOTA, "WORK PACKAGE" REMOVES ELECTRONIC OPTIONS SUCH AS POWER SEATS, WINDOWS AND LOCKS. THE PROBLEM HERE, IS THAT THERE IS NO KEYED CYLINDER LOCK INSTALLED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR, THEREFORE--REMOVING THE ELECTRONIC DOOR LOCK, ALSO REMOVES ALL MEANS OF ENTERING THE LOCKED PASSENGER SIDE OF THIS VEHICLE, EXCEPT BY UNLOCKING THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR, AND CRAWLING OVER THE SEAT TO MANUALLY UNLOCK THE DOOR FROM THE INSIDE. TOYOTA DOES NOT STATE LACK OF PASSENGER DOOR ACCESS IN ANY OF THEIR PUBLISHED INFORMATION CONCERNING THE "WORK TRUCK PACKAGE". I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT SAFETY ISSUES PERTAINING TO THIS BY ELIMINATING ALL EXTERIOR ACCESS TO THE PASSENGER SIDE. IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION, FOR ANY REASON THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR IS EITHER INOPERABLE OR UNACCESSIBLE, THERE WOULD BE NO QUICK, EASY WAY TO ENTER THE VEHICLE WITH A SIMPLE TURN OF A KEY -- ONLY OPTION WOULD BE TO BREAK THROUGH A WINDOW, IF POSSIBLE. I FIND IT VERY DISTURBING THAT A MAJOR AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURER PURPOSELY ELIMINATES VEHICLE ACCESS DUE TO FINANCIAL REASONS, OVERSHADOWING SAFETY REASONS.
WHILE TOWING A CAMPER, I HAD A TRAILER BRAKE WARNING LIGHT. I CHECKED THE CONNECTOR AND DROVE ON, LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. HAD MINIMAL BRAKE CONTROL ON MY CAMPER BRAKES. I WENT TO A DEALER IN CT, THEY SAID THEY HAD HAD 1 ISSUE WITH ONE VEHICLE.. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH MY PURCHASING DEALER. THE MASTER TECH COULD FIND NO P…
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WHILE TOWING A CAMPER, I HAD A TRAILER BRAKE WARNING LIGHT. I CHECKED THE CONNECTOR AND DROVE ON, LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. HAD MINIMAL BRAKE CONTROL ON MY CAMPER BRAKES. I WENT TO A DEALER IN CT, THEY SAID THEY HAD HAD 1 ISSUE WITH ONE VEHICLE.. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH MY PURCHASING DEALER. THE MASTER TECH COULD FIND NO PROBLEM. SAID IT WAS MOST LIKELY A PROBLEM WITH THE GROUND ON MY CAMPER. I HAD TOWED THIS CAMPER FOR 2 YEARS WITH A 2012 TUNDRA WITH NO ISSUES. WITH THE 2017, COULD NOT ADJUST THE BRAKES OR GET THEM TO LOCK UP, EVEN ON SETTING # 10. DEALER DIDNT GIVE ME A COPY OF THE WORK ORDER, SAID THERE WASNT A PROBLEM. GETTING READY TO GO ON A TRIP AND WILL BE HOOKING UP AN AFTER MARKET CONTROLLER AS I DONT TRUST THIS ONE. HAVE BEEN A LOYAL TOYOTA CUSTOMER AND I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED.
FACTORY ONBOARD INTIGRATED TRAILER BREAK CONTROLLER DOES NOT WORK AS SPECIFIED. WHEN SET TO MANUAL ELECTRIC BREAKS NONE OF THE GAINE SETTINGS WORK. THE MANUAL OVERRIDE WORKS BUT NOT THE TRAIL BREAKS. IF YOU SWITCH TO ELECTRIC OVER HYDRAULIC THE BREAKS GRAB AND ARE UNSAFE. ALSO THE VEHICLE COMES STANDARD WITH A TOWING PACKAGE B…
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FACTORY ONBOARD INTIGRATED TRAILER BREAK CONTROLLER DOES NOT WORK AS SPECIFIED. WHEN SET TO MANUAL ELECTRIC BREAKS NONE OF THE GAINE SETTINGS WORK. THE MANUAL OVERRIDE WORKS BUT NOT THE TRAIL BREAKS. IF YOU SWITCH TO ELECTRIC OVER HYDRAULIC THE BREAKS GRAB AND ARE UNSAFE. ALSO THE VEHICLE COMES STANDARD WITH A TOWING PACKAGE BUT TOWING MIRRORS ARE OPTIONAL. A VERY EXPENSIVE OPTION. WHEN INSTALLED ON THE TUNDRA PLATINUM YOU LOOSE ALL OTHER SAFETY FUNCTIONS OF THE STANDARD PLATINUM MIRRORS. YOU LOOSE THE OUTBOARD CLEARANCE LIGHTS, THE BLIND SPOT MONITOR, THE AUTOMATIC DIMING FUNCTION, THE MEMORY FUNCTION AND THE PUDDLE LAMPS. THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED WITH TOYOTA. ALL OF THESE ARE SAFETY ITEMS.
INTERIOR DASH AND CENTER CONSOLE HAVE HIGHLY REFLECTIVE CHROME BEZELS. THE CHROME REFLECTS SUN DIRECTLY INTO DRIVER (AND PASSENGER) EYES DEPENDING ON THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE SUN AND LOCATION OF THE VEHICLE WHILE IT IS BEING DRIVEN. THE REFLECTIONS SHINE DIRECTLY INTO THE DRIVERS EYES AND OCCUR AT THE SAME TIME ACROSS THE LENGT…
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INTERIOR DASH AND CENTER CONSOLE HAVE HIGHLY REFLECTIVE CHROME BEZELS. THE CHROME REFLECTS SUN DIRECTLY INTO DRIVER (AND PASSENGER) EYES DEPENDING ON THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE SUN AND LOCATION OF THE VEHICLE WHILE IT IS BEING DRIVEN. THE REFLECTIONS SHINE DIRECTLY INTO THE DRIVERS EYES AND OCCUR AT THE SAME TIME ACROSS THE LENGTH OF THE DASHBOARD AND CENTER CONSOLE. THIS REFLECTION OF SUNSHINE INTO THE INTERIOR IS EXTREMELY DISTRACTING. EVEN IF ONE HOLDS UP A HAND IN AN ATTEMPT TO BLOCK THE BRIGHT REFLECTION ONE CAN'T BLOCK ALL THE DIFFERENT REFLECTIONS FROM THE INTERIOR. I BELIEVE THIS IS AN SEVERE SAFETY ISSUE THAT SHOULD REQUIRE REPLACEMENT OF THE MENTIONED INTERIOR CHROME DETAILS WITH A DARK NON-REFLECTIVE TRIM.
Official recalls
521V920000 · 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.
18V123000 · Seat Belts; Seats:mid/rear Assembly
Feb 20, 2018
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2017 Toyota Tundra vehicles. One of the rear split bench seat leg brackets may not have been properly tightened to the vehicle's floor pan, possibly allowing the seat to move in a crash. A vehicle with an improperly tightened seat leg bracket could fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 207, "Seating Systems," 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages," and 225, "Child restraint anchorage systems."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the rear split bench seat moves in a crash, the seat occupant has an increased risk of injury.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will tighten the five seat leg bracket bolts, as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin March 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is J0I.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Seats:mid/rear Assembly
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2017 Toyota Tundra vehicles. One of the rear split bench seat leg brackets may not have been properly tightened to the vehicle's floor pan, possibly allowing the seat to move in a crash. A vehicle with an improperly tightened seat leg bracket could fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 207, "Seating Systems," 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages," and 225, "Child restraint anchorage systems."
Consequence: If the rear split bench seat moves in a crash, the seat occupant has an increased risk of injury.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will tighten the five seat leg bracket bolts, as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin March 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is J0I.
Seat Belts
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2017 Toyota Tundra vehicles. One of the rear split bench seat leg brackets may not have been properly tightened to the vehicle's floor pan, possibly allowing the seat to move in a crash. A vehicle with an improperly tightened seat leg bracket could fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 207, "Seating Systems," 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages," and 225, "Child restraint anchorage systems."
Consequence: If the rear split bench seat moves in a crash, the seat occupant has an increased risk of injury.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will tighten the five seat leg bracket bolts, as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin March 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is J0I.
17V831000 · Equipment:other:labels
Dec 20, 2017
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Toyota 4Runner and Tundra, 2018 Toyota Highlander, RAV4 and Lexus GX460 and 2017 Toyota Sienna and Tacoma vehicles. These vehicles may have incorrect load carrying capacity modification labels. As such, 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 incorrect load information label can result in the operator overloading the vehicle and increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners and provide them with corrected labels, free of charge. The recall began on January 23, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are H0Z for Toyota vehicles, and HLF for Lexus vehicles.
17V311000 · Wheels:lugs/nuts/bolts/studs
May 11, 2017
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2013-2017 Toyota Tundra and Sequoia vehicles accessorized with Southeast Toyota accessory 20-inch Rockstar wheels installed by Southeast Toyota or a Southeast Toyota dealer. The Rockstar wheels were installed with lugnuts that may crack and detach.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Lugnuts that crack and detach may cause the wheels to separate from the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: SET will notify owners, and dealers will install new replacement lugnuts, free of charge. The recall began June 23, 2017. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET's number for this recall is SET17A.
17V051000 · Structure:body:bumpers
Jan 24, 2017
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Tundra vehicles equipped with a resin rear step bumper and resin reinforcement brackets (vehicles with chrome step bumpers are not affected). In the event of an impact to the corner of the bumper, the resin bracket may be damaged but not be noticed.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If a person steps on the corner of the bumper that is damaged, a portion of the bumper may break away, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the resin rear bumper reinforcement brackets with steel ones, and replace the rear bumper tread, free of charge. The recall began on May 21, 2017. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is H0C.
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
1EA19001 · 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.
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