2004 Toyota Tacoma

I OWN A 2004 TOYOTA TACOMA, ALL FACTORY STANDARD, VERY CLEAN, WITH ABOUT 80,000 MILES ON IT. THE STEERING WHEEL HAS A VERY NOTICEABLE AMOUNT OF PLAY IN IT (ABOUT 0.5 TO 1" AT THE RIM). THE PLAY CAUSES RATTLING ON ROUGH ROADS, AND REDUCED CONTROL ON SMOOTH HIGHWAYS. THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN NARROWED DOWN TO THE STEERING SHAFT. I JUST RESEARCHED THE ISSUE ON LINE AND FOUND A LARGE NUMBER OF MENTIONS OF THAT VERY SAME ISSUE ON TACOMAS AND 4-RUNNERS. I CONSIDER THIS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT AND WANT TOYOTA TO REPAIR IT. I ASSUME IT COULD ALSO BE A SAFETY ISSUE AS IT RELATES TO STEERING. WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS? *TR

2004 TOYOTA TACOMA. CONSUMER WRITES TO SHARE THAT HE WAS IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT AND PRAISES TOYOTA FOR HOW THIS VEHICLE HELD UP. *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED HE WAS MAKING A LEFT TURN, WHEN ANOTHER MOTORIST RAN A LIGHT AND HIT HIM ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. THE IMPACT CAUSED HIS VEHICLE TO FLIP IN THE AIR WHILE DOING A 180 DEGREE TURN. HE THEN LANDED ON THE DRIVERS SIDE, THEN ROLLED BACK ON ALL FOUR TIRES. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE ROOF OF THE VEHICLE . THE CONSUMER ONLY HAD A SMALL SCRATCH WHERE THE SEAT BELT HELD HIM IN PLACE.

FEB 6,2010 AS I WAS DRIVING SOUTH ON FIGUEROA IN HIGHLAND PARK, THE LOWER BALL JOINT ON RIGHT FRONT TIRE COMPLETELY BROKE CAUSING MY TIRE TO FOLD UNDER THE TRUCK. MY VEHICLE IS A 2004 TACOMA TOYOTA WITH101,560 MILES. SINCE I WAS GOING ABOUT 20 MPH, SINCE IT WAS RAINING AT THE TIME, THERE WERE NO INJURIES, HOWEVER IF THE FAILURE HAD OCCURRED ON THE FREEWAY AT MUCH HIGHER SPEEDS, THE FAILURE COULD HAVE RESULTED IN MY LOSING CONTROL AND LEADING TO A VERY SERIOUS ACCIDENT, RESULTING IN SERIOUS INJURY OR EVEN DEATH. I HAD MY TRUCK TOWED TO NEAREST REPAIR SHOP AND HAD THE LOWER BALL JOINT REPLACED. I WENT TO THE DEALER WHERE I ORIGINALLY PURCHASED MY TRUCK, AND I WAS DISMISSED, WITH SERVICE MANAGER SAYING IT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY, AND THE FAILURE COULD HAPPEN ANY TIME. I DID HAVE TWO MORE CONTACTS WITH THIS DEALER (BOB SMITH TOYOTA IN LA CRESENTA) BUT NO HELP AT ALL. I REPORTED IT TO TOYOTA CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE IN TORRANCE, CA. AND WAS TOLD THAT THIS WAS NOT COVERED BY ANY RECALL AND THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO (I SPOKE WITH DAWN AND THE REFERENCE # IS 10021153 OF MY CALL). I DID MORE RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON MY MODEL AND YEAR OF MY TRUCK FOR THE EXACT FAILURE THAT OCCURRED. THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID# IS 05V225000 AND COVERS TOYOTA MODEL TACOMA FROM 2001 TO 2004. THE NHTSA ACTION # IS EA04024. THE DESCRIPTION OF THE RECALL IS THE "COMPONENT FRONT CONTROL ARM LOWER BALL JOINT". NEVERTHE LESS I WAS TOLD TWICE THAT MY TRUCK WAS NOT COVERED BY THE RECALL. SINCE THE RECALL IS LISTED BY NHTSA I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY I WAS TOLD MY TRUCK WAS NOT COVERED. I FEEL THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS DEFECT THAT CAN RESULT IN SERIOUS ACCIDENTS. ALSO, WHAT OTHER ACTION CAN I TAKE TO HAVE THE OTHER LOWER BALL CHECKED TO BE SURE IT IS SAFE, OR REPLACED IF NECESSARY. I AM RETIRED, AND I NEED TO USE THIS TRUCK DAILY BUT FEEL VERY NERVOUS WHEN EVER I DRIVE IT. *TR

I HAVE A 2004 TOYOTA TACOMA TRUCK ( NOT INCLUDED ON THE RECENT TOYOTA RECALL) THIS TRUCK HAS BEEN RECALLED BEFORE FOR A FRONT AXLE BALL BEARING DEFECTS ,TOYOTA CHANGED THE BALL BEARINGS WHICH I THOUGHT WOULD FIXED THE PROBLEM . BUT JUST LAST WEEK I DROVE INTO A BUMPY ROAD AND I NOTICED THAT WHEN YOU STEP ON THE BRAKES WHILE ON A BUMPY ROAD THE BRAKES WOULD DUD AND SEEMS THE MID AXLES WILL BREAKDOWN ,IT MAKE WEIRD NOISE . *TR

WHEN I WAS 16 YEARS OLD MY PARENTS GOT MY A NEW 2004 TOYOTA TACOMA, WHICH WAS BOUGHT IN SEPTEMBER 2004. HOWEVER, I DID NOT GET MY LICENSE UNTIL DECEMBER 21, 2004. I DID NOT START DRIVING RIGHT AWAY. I STARTED DRIVING THE TRUCK IN JANUARY. I ONLY DROVE TO SCHOOL AND BACK, WHICH WAS ABOUT 7 MILES AWAY. ON DAY AFTER SOFTBALL PRACTICE, WHICH WAS HELD AFTER SCHOOL, ON FEBRUARY 24 2005, I WRECKED THE TOYOTA TACOMA. I WAS NOT GOING VERY FAST DOWN THE ROAD, BUT ALL OF THE SUDDEN THE TRUCK SPED UP AND I FELT LIKE I DID NOT HAVE CONTROL OVER THE TRUCK. I RAN OFF THE ROAD AND OVER CORRECTED TWICE. THE WHOLE TIME I WAS HITTING THE BRAKE BUT NOTHING HAPPENED. AFTER I OVERCORRECTED THE SECOND TIME, I HIT A MAIL BOX AND WHEN ABOUT 65 FEET OFF THE ROAD AND HIT A TREE, THE WHOLE TIME TRYING TO HIT THE BRAKE WITH NOTHING HAPPENING. I WAS INJURED ON THE WRECK AND I NEVER UNDERSTOOD WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO MAKE THE TRUCK TO DO. I WAS TOLD IT WAS PROBABLY JUST ME BEING AN INEXPERIENCED DRIVER, BUT LOOKING BACK NOW I DO NOT THINK THAT WAS IT. I HAD TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL, BUT THE INJURIES WERE NOT LIFE THREATENING. ALSO, BECAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT, THE BRAND NEW TRUCK WAS TOTALED AND MY FAMILY AND I GOT DROPPED FROM OUR INSURANCE. AFTER ALL THESE PROBLEMS WITH THE TOYOTA AND THE GAS PEDAL, I WANTED TO FILE A COMPLAINT TO GET THIS PROBLEM LOOKED INTO SO THAT IT WILL NOT HAPPEN TO SOMEONE ELSE. I WAS LUCKY BUT THE NEXT PERSON MAY NOT BE AS LUCKY. *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY TRUCK TO A WORK LOCATION AND STOPPED AT A T-INTERSECTION TO YIELD TO THE NORMAL TRAFFIC FLOW. WHILE STOPPED, THE ENGINE BEGAN TO REV UP FOR NO APPARENT REASON. I WAS NOT TOUCHING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, BUT HAD MY FOOT FIRMLY ON THE BRAKE. AT FIRST, I HEARD THE ENGINE NOISE BUT DID NOT REALIZE THAT IT WAS MY VEHICLE MAKING THE NOISE. THEN WHEN I LOOKED DOWN AT MY INSTRUMENTS, I SAW THAT MY ENGINE RPM'S WERE ABOVE 1800 AND STAYING STEADY. THERE WAS AN AUDIBLE CLUNK NOISE AND THE TRUCK SUDDENLY LURCHED FORWARD (TRANSMISSION ENGAGING I WOULD GUESS) AND I PRESSED THE BRAKE WITH INCREASED FORCE TO KEEP FROM ROLLING FORWARD. THEN THE ENGINE RPM'S RETURNED TO A NORMAL IDLE JUST AS SUDDENLY. THIS OCCURRED WITH A WARM ENGINE AFTER SEVERAL MILES OF NORMAL DRIVING. WHILE THE SAME EXACT THING HAS NOT OCCURRED SINCE THIS INCIDENT, I HAVE HAD AT LEAST ONE OTHER EPISODE WHERE THE TRUCK'S ENGINE RPM'S INCREASED FOR NO REASON WHILE I WAS STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT. THE LATTER OCCURRENCE WAS NOT AS SEVERE AS THE FIRST INCIDENT AND HAPPENED WITHIN THE LAST MONTH OR SO. I WANTED TO REPORT THIS BECAUSE MY TRUCK IS A TOYOTA BRAND AND I HAVE READ ABOUT THE RECENT RECALLS RELATED TO ACCELERATOR ISSUES ON SOME OF THE SMALLER TOYOTA PASSENGER CARS, BUT NEVER SAW ANY MENTION OF THIS INVOLVING THEIR TRUCK PRODUCTS. AS AN ENGINEER MYSELF, I STRONGLY SUSPECT THAT THIS PHENOMENON IS DUE TO AN ELECTRICAL AND/OR COMPUTER MALFUNCTION AND NOT SOME SORT OF MECHANICAL OR PHYSICAL INTERFERENCE ISSUE. I SAY THIS BECAUSE OF MY OWN EXPERIENCE WHEN I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT THERE WAS NOTHING INTERFERING WITH THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND IT WAS NOT STUCK MECHANICALLY. *TR