WE JUST PAID TOYOTA A LITTLE OVER $2,000 TO REPLACE THE SECONDARY AIR INJECTION SYSTEM. THE SWITCHING VALVE WAS STUCK CLOSED ACCORDING TO TOYOTA. THIS IS A 4 YEAR OLD TRUCK. IT IS UNREAL TO SPEND THIS KIND OF MONEY THIS EARLY FOR THIS. THE TUNDRA HAS RECALLS FOR THIS SAME ISSUE.
2012 Toyota Tacoma
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2012 Toyota Tacoma do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 228.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Tacoma 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
261 reports with mileage · 34 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 122 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Fuel/propulsion System. Review the 52 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 35 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Power Train complaints
35 reportsTACOMA WENT IN "LIMP MODE" ENGINE LIGHT AND TRAC OFF LIGHT ILLUMINATED; CAUSE THE CAR TO BE EXTREMELY UNDER POWER. VEHICLE EXTREMELY UNDER POWER CAUSING TO BE DANGEROUS IN TRAFFIC. CODE P2442 SECONDARY INJECTION SYSTEM FAILURE; COMMON TO OTHER TOYOTA VEHICLES INCLUDING TUNDRA'S. TOYOTA ACTED RESUMABLE WITH TUNDRA'S WITH EXTENDI…
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TACOMA WENT IN "LIMP MODE" ENGINE LIGHT AND TRAC OFF LIGHT ILLUMINATED; CAUSE THE CAR TO BE EXTREMELY UNDER POWER. VEHICLE EXTREMELY UNDER POWER CAUSING TO BE DANGEROUS IN TRAFFIC. CODE P2442 SECONDARY INJECTION SYSTEM FAILURE; COMMON TO OTHER TOYOTA VEHICLES INCLUDING TUNDRA'S. TOYOTA ACTED RESUMABLE WITH TUNDRA'S WITH EXTENDING WARRANTY REPAIRING BUT AT THIS TIME REFUSES TO REPAIR KNOWN FAILURES IN TACOMA'S.
SECONDARY AIR INJECTION SWITCHING VALVE FAILURE STUCK IN OPEN POSITION CAUSING LIMP MODE IN THE TRUCK. TRUCK IS NOT ABLE TO GET TO SPEED ABOVE 40 MPH. THIS HAPPENED AS I WAS PULLING OUT OF MY NEIGHBORHOOD ONTO A STATE ROUTE WITH SPEED LIMIT OF 55 MPH AND CARS GOING WAY FASTER THAN THAT. THIS COULD POSE A DANGER IF SITUATIONS WHE…
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SECONDARY AIR INJECTION SWITCHING VALVE FAILURE STUCK IN OPEN POSITION CAUSING LIMP MODE IN THE TRUCK. TRUCK IS NOT ABLE TO GET TO SPEED ABOVE 40 MPH. THIS HAPPENED AS I WAS PULLING OUT OF MY NEIGHBORHOOD ONTO A STATE ROUTE WITH SPEED LIMIT OF 55 MPH AND CARS GOING WAY FASTER THAN THAT. THIS COULD POSE A DANGER IF SITUATIONS WHERE SPEED IT REQUIRED TO GET OUT OF THE WAY OF ANOTHER CAR. TRUCK ONLY HAS 57K MILES ON IT. THIS IS A SUPPLEMENTAL EMISSIONS SYSTEM AND SHOULD NOT CAUSE THE TRUCK TO BE USELESS IF FAIL.
MY 2012 TACOMA WITH 45,000 MILES GOT A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND "TRAC OFF" LIGHT WHEN I STARTED IT TO GO HOME. I WAS MERGING ONTO THE INTERSTATE AND UNABLE TO GO ABOVE 40 MPH. THIS WAS OBVIOUSLY NOT SAFE SO I EXITED AND TOOK IT TO A DEALER. THEY CITED TROUBLE CODES P2440 AND P2442 AND SAID THEY NEEDED TO REPLACE SECONDARY AIR I…
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MY 2012 TACOMA WITH 45,000 MILES GOT A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND "TRAC OFF" LIGHT WHEN I STARTED IT TO GO HOME. I WAS MERGING ONTO THE INTERSTATE AND UNABLE TO GO ABOVE 40 MPH. THIS WAS OBVIOUSLY NOT SAFE SO I EXITED AND TOOK IT TO A DEALER. THEY CITED TROUBLE CODES P2440 AND P2442 AND SAID THEY NEEDED TO REPLACE SECONDARY AIR INJECTION VALVE (PN 25710-31022) FOR A TOTAL COST OF $940! ACCORDING TO FORUMS AND THE NHTSA.GOV SITE, THIS IS A VERY COMMON COMPLAINT WITH THIS YEAR AND MODEL. I JUST BOUGHT THIS LAST JULY AND I NEVER EXPECTED TO HAVE TO REPLACE PARTS ANYTIME SOON.
AS I'VE READ FROM NUMEROUS OTHER 2012 TACOMA OWNERS ON TACOMAWORLD.COM, MY SECONDARY AIR INJECTION SWITCHING VALVE HAS FAILED AT 65K MILES. THIS SEEMS TO BE A RECURRING ISSUE WITH ALL 2012 SIMILAR TACOMA MODELS AND SHOULD ABSOLUTELY BE RECALLED AND REPLACED FOR FREE! UNTIL FIXED, MY TRUCK IS UNDRIVABLE, MEANING THE CEL LIGHT IS …
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AS I'VE READ FROM NUMEROUS OTHER 2012 TACOMA OWNERS ON TACOMAWORLD.COM, MY SECONDARY AIR INJECTION SWITCHING VALVE HAS FAILED AT 65K MILES. THIS SEEMS TO BE A RECURRING ISSUE WITH ALL 2012 SIMILAR TACOMA MODELS AND SHOULD ABSOLUTELY BE RECALLED AND REPLACED FOR FREE! UNTIL FIXED, MY TRUCK IS UNDRIVABLE, MEANING THE CEL LIGHT IS ON AND THE TRUCK WON'T GO FASTER THAN 30 MPH.
THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN ALL THE TIME BUT OCCASIONALLY WHEN THE TRUCK COMES TO A STOP AND THE BRAKE PRESSED THE VEHICLE WILL ACCELERATE WITH A SURGE AND FEEL LIKE SOMEONE HAS BUMPED YOU FROM BEHIND BUT THERE WILL BE NO ONE BEHIND YOU. I HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY MADE SOME ADJUSTMENTS BUT I CONTINUE TO EXPERIENCE …
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THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN ALL THE TIME BUT OCCASIONALLY WHEN THE TRUCK COMES TO A STOP AND THE BRAKE PRESSED THE VEHICLE WILL ACCELERATE WITH A SURGE AND FEEL LIKE SOMEONE HAS BUMPED YOU FROM BEHIND BUT THERE WILL BE NO ONE BEHIND YOU. I HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY MADE SOME ADJUSTMENTS BUT I CONTINUE TO EXPERIENCE THE PROBLEM. THIS HAS HAPPENED SINCE I BOUGHT THE TRUCK. I PURCHASED THE TRUCK WITH 1200 MILES.
VEHICLE LUNGES WHEN YOU COME TO COMPLETE STOP, BETTER HOLD THE BRAKE WITH SOME FORCE ANY TIME STOPPED, TOYOTA SERVICE SAYS IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME, ITS NORMAL !!
AT APROXIMATE 40 MPH AND AT A CONSTANT SPEED THE VEHICLE STARTS TO SHUTTER OR SHAKE, FEELS LIKE IT WANTS TO DOWN SHIFT OR UP SHIFT MAYBE ITS CONFUSED. DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE 2 TIMES
MY 2012 TACOMA IS NOT SHIFTING PROPERLY. IT IS SHIFTING VERY HARD AND A BIT ERRATIC WHEN DRIVING, AND WHEN I AM COMPLETELY STOPPED AT A LIGHT, THE TRUCK WILL SOMETIMES VIOLENTLY SURGE FORWARD MAKING IT FEEL LIKE ANOTHER VEHICLE HAS HIT ME FROM BEHIND. IT DOES NOT HAPPEN ALL THE TIME, BUT IT SEEMS TO HAPPEN MORE WHEN IT IS COLD.…
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MY 2012 TACOMA IS NOT SHIFTING PROPERLY. IT IS SHIFTING VERY HARD AND A BIT ERRATIC WHEN DRIVING, AND WHEN I AM COMPLETELY STOPPED AT A LIGHT, THE TRUCK WILL SOMETIMES VIOLENTLY SURGE FORWARD MAKING IT FEEL LIKE ANOTHER VEHICLE HAS HIT ME FROM BEHIND. IT DOES NOT HAPPEN ALL THE TIME, BUT IT SEEMS TO HAPPEN MORE WHEN IT IS COLD. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP ONLY TO BE TOLD THEY COULD NOT REPLICATE IT, AND THIS IS NORMAL FOR A TOYOTA. THE DEALERSHIP ALSO SAID THAT TOYOTA IS AWARE OF THIS, ALL TOYOTAS DO IT (EVEN THE BRAND NEW ONES), AND NOTHING CAN BE DONE. MY TRUCK IS STILL COVERED BY THE TOYOTA 5 YEAR WARRANTY AND THE LIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTY OFFERED FROM THE DEALER WHEN I PURCHASED IT. I FEEL LIKE THEY ARE NOT HONORING THEIR WARRANTY. IF THIS IS TRUE AND TOYOTA IS NOT CORRECTING THESE ISSUES, GUESS I WON'T BE BUYING THAT 2015 4-RUNNER I REALLY WANT! *TR
I WAS APPROACHING A STOPLIGHT AT A DOWNWARD ANGLE AND WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKE THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY. I WAS GOING APPROX. 15PMH WHEN IT STARTED AND IT DIDN'T STOP SHAKING UNTIL I GOT DOWN TO ABOUT 5 MILES PER HOUR. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP THAT DAY AND EXPLAINED THE PROBLEM TO THEM. THEY GOT THE VEHICLE TO REPR…
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I WAS APPROACHING A STOPLIGHT AT A DOWNWARD ANGLE AND WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKE THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY. I WAS GOING APPROX. 15PMH WHEN IT STARTED AND IT DIDN'T STOP SHAKING UNTIL I GOT DOWN TO ABOUT 5 MILES PER HOUR. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP THAT DAY AND EXPLAINED THE PROBLEM TO THEM. THEY GOT THE VEHICLE TO REPRODUCE THE VIBRATIONS AND I HAVE PAPERWORK STATING THIS. IT HAS BEEN A FULL YEAR LATER AND THEY HAVEN'T REPAIRED IT YET. THEY CONTINUALLY TELL ME PARTS ARE BEING DESIGNED. JUST WAIT. THAT'S ALL THEY KEEP SAYING. I FOUND OUT THAT THEY MADE A FIX FOR THE V6 MODEL WITHIN 7 MONTHS, BUT THEY DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH COMPLAINTS AGAINST THE 4 CYLINDER MODEL TO WARRANT REDESIGNING PARTS. I WAS TOLD THIS BY THE SERVICE TECH AT THE DEALERSHIP. *TR
Official recalls
717V425000 · Equipment; Structure:body:hood:hinge And Attachments
Jul 3, 2017
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2011-2016 Toyota Tacoma and 4Runner vehicles equipped with accessory hood scoops installed by SET or SET dealers. The adhesive attaching the hood scoop may weaken, allowing the hood scoop to detach from the vehicle.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the hood scoop detaches, it may become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: SET will notify owners, and dealers will mechanically fasten the scoop to the hood, free of charge. The recall began on September 1, 2017. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-954-429-2000. SET's number for this recall is SET17B.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Equipment
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2011-2016 Toyota Tacoma and 4Runner vehicles equipped with accessory hood scoops installed by SET or SET dealers. The adhesive attaching the hood scoop may weaken, allowing the hood scoop to detach from the vehicle.
Consequence: If the hood scoop detaches, it may become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: SET will notify owners, and dealers will mechanically fasten the scoop to the hood, free of charge. The recall began on September 1, 2017. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-954-429-2000. SET's number for this recall is SET17B.
Structure:body:hood:hinge And Attachments
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2011-2016 Toyota Tacoma and 4Runner vehicles equipped with accessory hood scoops installed by SET or SET dealers. The adhesive attaching the hood scoop may weaken, allowing the hood scoop to detach from the vehicle.
Consequence: If the hood scoop detaches, it may become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: SET will notify owners, and dealers will mechanically fasten the scoop to the hood, free of charge. The recall began on September 1, 2017. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-954-429-2000. SET's number for this recall is SET17B.
14V475000 · Equipment:other:labels
Aug 4, 2014
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2008-2014 FJ Cruiser and Tacoma vehicles equipped with accessory wheels and tires installed by Toyota or dealers prior to the vehicle's first sale. The affected vehicles may list incorrect spare tire size and/or cold tire inflation information on the tire placard. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 110, "Tire Selection and Rims for Passenger Cars."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the spare tire is inflated to the incorrect pressure provided on the placard, tire failure may occur while it is being driven on, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: For the involved vehicles, overlay stickers to correct the tire placard will either be mailed to owners or provided to dealers for placement over the incorrect information on the placard. The recall is expected to begin in September 2014. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331.
14V054000 · Electronic Stability Control (esc); Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/module
Feb 12, 2014
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2012 and 2013 Toyota Tacoma and Lexus RX350 vehicles and certain model year 2012 Toyota Rav4 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the brake system contains a brake actuator that adjusts the fluid pressure of each wheel cylinder. An electrical component within the actuator may experience an increased resistance resulting in the illumination of various warning lights, including those for the Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) system, Antilock Brake System (ABS), and Traction Control system.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If this occurs, these systems could become inoperative, reducing the directional control assistance, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and Toyota and Lexus dealers will update the software for the Skid Control electronic control unit, free of charge. The recall began on March 28, 2014. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Electronic Stability Control (esc)
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2012 and 2013 Toyota Tacoma and Lexus RX350 vehicles and certain model year 2012 Toyota Rav4 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the brake system contains a brake actuator that adjusts the fluid pressure of each wheel cylinder. An electrical component within the actuator may experience an increased resistance resulting in the illumination of various warning lights, including those for the Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) system, Antilock Brake System (ABS), and Traction Control system.
Consequence: If this occurs, these systems could become inoperative, reducing the directional control assistance, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and Toyota and Lexus dealers will update the software for the Skid Control electronic control unit, free of charge. The recall began on March 28, 2014. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/module
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2012 and 2013 Toyota Tacoma and Lexus RX350 vehicles and certain model year 2012 Toyota Rav4 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the brake system contains a brake actuator that adjusts the fluid pressure of each wheel cylinder. An electrical component within the actuator may experience an increased resistance resulting in the illumination of various warning lights, including those for the Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) system, Antilock Brake System (ABS), and Traction Control system.
Consequence: If this occurs, these systems could become inoperative, reducing the directional control assistance, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and Toyota and Lexus dealers will update the software for the Skid Control electronic control unit, free of charge. The recall began on March 28, 2014. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
13V494000 · Tires:temporary/emergency Spare Tire
Oct 17, 2013
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Tacoma vehicles equipped with 18" Maverick Alloy Wheels. In the affected vehicles, the spare tire requires the use of a different style of lug nut to attach it to the vehicle than the other wheels use. These lug nuts were not provided with the vehicle.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the spare tire/wheel is installed on the vehicle using the lug nuts from another wheel, damage to the wheel could result and may eventually lead to a loose wheel, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: SET will notify owners, and dealers will: (a) Install a Warning Label on the spare tire/wheel, (b) supply a bag containing proper spare wheel lug nuts, and (c) place an Owner's Manual Addendum in the vehicle's glove box. The recall began on January 23, 2014. Owners may contact SET at 1-954-429-2000.
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.
12V158000 · Equipment:other:labels
Apr 10, 2012
GULF STATES TOYOTA (GST) IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 TACOMA TRUCKS. THE TIRE AND LOADING INFORMATION PLACARD ON EACH VEHICLE CONTAINS INACCURATE SPARE TIRE SIZE AND COLD INFLATION PRESSURE INFORMATION. THUS, THESE VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 110,TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: AN INCORRECT PLACARD COULD LEAD TO IMPROPER SPARE TIRE USE OR REPLACEMENT WHICH COULD RESULT IN A TIRE FAILURE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy: GST WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND SEND EACH OWNER A CORRECTED PLACARD, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 5, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT GULF STATES TOYOTA, INC. AT 1-713-744-3465.
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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