NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
85 reports58,000 miles · Sep 30, 2020
Electrical SystemEngineFuel/propulsion System
ON TWO DIFFERENT OCCASIONS I WAS DRIVING MY TUNDRA ON THE FREEWAY AT APPROX. 70 MPH. MY TRUCK LOST POWER AND I ALMOST CAUSED ACCIDENTS ON BOTH INSTANCES SINCE I COULD NOT ACCELERATE PAST 40 MPH. I HAD TO MANAGE MY WAY OUT OF THE FREEWAY TO A SAFE PLACE. 2TWO DIAGNOSTICS WERE PERFORMED AND I RECEIVED CODES P0418, P1604, C1241, P2…
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ON TWO DIFFERENT OCCASIONS I WAS DRIVING MY TUNDRA ON THE FREEWAY AT APPROX. 70 MPH. MY TRUCK LOST POWER AND I ALMOST CAUSED ACCIDENTS ON BOTH INSTANCES SINCE I COULD NOT ACCELERATE PAST 40 MPH. I HAD TO MANAGE MY WAY OUT OF THE FREEWAY TO A SAFE PLACE. 2TWO DIAGNOSTICS WERE PERFORMED AND I RECEIVED CODES P0418, P1604, C1241, P2445, P2441. I WAS TOLD BY THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH A FAULTY SECONDARY AIR INJECTION SYSTEM PUMP AND OTHER COMPONENTS RELATED TO THE SYSTEM AND I WAS PROVIDED A REPAIR COST OF OVER $3,000 DOLLARS. I WAS LATER INFORMED, AND I DISCOVERED THROUGH RESEARCH, THAT TOYOTA HAD INSTALLED FAULTY/DEFECTIVE AIR PUMPS IN THOUSANDS OF TUNDRAS 2013'S LIKE THE ONE THAT I OWN. I REACHED OUT TO CORPORATE OFFICE BUT THEY STATED THAT MY VIN NUMBER SOMEHOW DID NOT "QUALIFY" AS ONE OF THE AFFECTED PICKUPS. MY TUNDRA ONLY HAS 60K MILES AND I USE IT TO COMMUTE FROM AND TO WORK BASICALLY. I PERFORM ROUTINE MAINTENANCE. THERE IS OBVIOUSLY A PROBLEM WITH A DEFECTIVE SECONDARY AIR PUMP SYSTEM THAT TOYOTA REFUSES TO FIX. MY TRUCK IS A LIABILITY ON THE ROAD AND THIS IS MY ONLY MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION. IT LOOSES POWER AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ACTIVATES. TOYOTA RECALLED THOUSANDS OF VEHICLES LIKE MINE AND FIXED THEM AFTER THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THEY HAD PLACED FAULTY AIR PUMP SYSTEMS. MY TRUCK IS A POTENTIAL POSSIBLE CAUSE FOR AN ACCIDENT SINCE IT UNPREDICTABLY LOOSES POWER ON THE FREEWAY. I HAVE NOT RECEIVED A SOLUTION FROM HEADQUARTERS/CORPORATE OFFICE TO REPAIR MY TRUCK AT NO PRICE SINCE IT IS AFFECTED BY THEIR FAULTY PUMPS. THEY DID OFFER $750 DOLLARS TOWARDS THE COST OF PARTS, MEANING THAT I HAVE TO COME OUT WITH OVER $2000K OUT OF POCKET. I NEED TOYOTA TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY AND FIX MY TRUCK.
NHTSA ODI #11362059
116,000 miles · Sep 25, 2020
Engine
#4 INTAKE VALVE SPRING BROKE AND CAUSE ENGINE FAILURE
NHTSA ODI #11361152
66,000 miles · Jul 25, 2020
Electrical System
INTERMITTENT ENGINE, TRAC CONTROL LIGHTS AND 4WD LO LIGHT FLASHING WHEN DRIVING DOWN ROAD
NHTSA ODI #11341429
74,734 miles · Jun 18, 2020
EngineFuel/propulsion SystemUnknown Or Other
MY 2013 TOYOTA TUNDRA TRUCK ( 74,734 MILES) SUDDENLY HAD ENGINE FAILURE WHILE DRIVING DOWN AN INCLINE AT 48 MPH. I LOST POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES. AFTER EVENTUALLY PULLING THE WHEEL WITH MUCH EFFORT AND USING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE I WAS ABLE TO GET THE TRUCK OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I TURNED THE KEY AND THE ENGINE START…
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MY 2013 TOYOTA TUNDRA TRUCK ( 74,734 MILES) SUDDENLY HAD ENGINE FAILURE WHILE DRIVING DOWN AN INCLINE AT 48 MPH. I LOST POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES. AFTER EVENTUALLY PULLING THE WHEEL WITH MUCH EFFORT AND USING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE I WAS ABLE TO GET THE TRUCK OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I TURNED THE KEY AND THE ENGINE STARTED RIGHT AWAY AND I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE AGAIN BUT ONLY AT A REDUCED SPEED OF 40 MPH OR LESS ( IT'S CALLED "LIMP" MODE) MY MECHANIC DIAGNOSED IT AS A SECONDARY AIR INJECTION PUMP FAILURE. UPON INVESTIGATING THIS ON SEVERAL TUNDRA OWNER MESSAGE BOARDS, I FIND THAT THIS IS A COMMON FAILURE TUNDRA TRUCKS AT AROUND 75000 MILES. THE TOYOTA DEALER CONFIRMED THAT THIS HAS BEEN A COMMON PROBLEM AND LOOKED UP MY VIN NUMBER TO SEE IF IT QUALIFIED FOR A WARRANTY EXTENSION PROGRAM THAT TOYOTA HAS OFFERED FOR SOME 2012 AND 2013 TUNDRA TRUCKS. UNFORTUNATELY MY VIN NUMBER WAS A FEW NUMBERS BEYOND THE EXTENSION PROGRAM. HAD MY WIFE BEEN DRIVING THE TRUCK WHEN THIS HAPPENED, I AM NOT SO SURE SHE WOULD HAVE HAD THE STRENGTH TO SAFELY BRING THE TRUCK UNDER CONTROL AND GET IT OFF THE ROAD WITH NO POWER STEERING OR POWER BRAKES. I WANT TOYOTA TO EXTEND THE WARRANTY ON THIS FAULTY PART BEFORE SOMEONE GETS INTO A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. THEY HAVE OBVIOUSLY ADMITTED THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THIS PART AND SHOULD EXTEND IT TO ALL TOYOTA TRUCK OWNERS WITH THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM. NOT JUST A SELECT FEW. *TR
NHTSA ODI #11329510
142,100 miles · May 6, 2020
Air BagsSteeringUnknown Or Other
HORN DOES NOT WORK WHEN A ROAD HAZARD WAS PRESENTED ATTEMPTED TO UTILIZE HORN NOTHING HAPPENED WHEN I TOOK TO TOYOTA THEY SAID IT IS THE WIRING HARNESS FROM THE AIRBAG AROUND THE STEERING COLUMN AND IS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AND IS NOT A RECALL BUT WHEN I LOOK UP ONLINE MANY PEOPLE FOR YEARS HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH THIS PROBLEM…
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HORN DOES NOT WORK WHEN A ROAD HAZARD WAS PRESENTED ATTEMPTED TO UTILIZE HORN NOTHING HAPPENED WHEN I TOOK TO TOYOTA THEY SAID IT IS THE WIRING HARNESS FROM THE AIRBAG AROUND THE STEERING COLUMN AND IS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AND IS NOT A RECALL BUT WHEN I LOOK UP ONLINE MANY PEOPLE FOR YEARS HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH THIS PROBLEM WAS SENT AWAY DRIVING MY VEHICLE WHICH I BELIEVE TO BE UNSAFE AS IF I DON'T HAVE AIRBAGS OR A HORN NOT SURE THAT MY VEHICLE IS LEGAL TO BE DRIVEN AT THIS POINT I FEEL THAT SINCE THESE ARE SAFETY ISSUES THEY SHOULD BE RECALLS AS IT HAS HAPPENED TO MANY PEOPLE I HAVE ONLY OWNED MY TRUCK SINCE DECEMBER I PICKED IT UP AT THE VERY END OF DECEMBER 2019. *TR
NHTSA ODI #11323545
71,000 miles · Mar 9, 2020
Fuel/propulsion System
HARD TO START JUST CRANKS USUALLY STARTS AFTER 3 TRIES I TRIED TURNING THE KEY ON AND WAITING A FEW SECONDS AND THEN IT FIRES UP WHEN DRIVING HAS NO POWER WHEN ACCELERATING
NHTSA ODI #11317141
60,000 miles · Feb 24, 2020
Engine
THE TRUCK AT ONLY 60,000 MILES HAS A FAULTY CAM TOWER SEAL LEAK THAT CAUSES OIL TO DRIP ONTO THE EXHAUST WITH POTENTIAL TO CAUSE AN ENGINE FIRE.
NHTSA ODI #11311120
Mileage unknown · Nov 16, 2019
Structure
I HAVE NOTICED PREVIOUS RECALLS FROM OLDER MODEL TOYOTA TRUCKS DUE RUST OCCURRING TO FRAMES AND BEDS. CURRENTLY, THERE IS NO RECALL FOR MY 2013 TUNDRA SPECIFIC TO THIS. HOWEVER, IT SEEMS LIKE THE FRAME RUST ISSUES CONTINUED PAST THE EARLIER RECALL. MY TRUCK IS 2013 TOYOTA TUNDRA WITH APPROX 35,000 MILES. THERE IS RUST ON THE…
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I HAVE NOTICED PREVIOUS RECALLS FROM OLDER MODEL TOYOTA TRUCKS DUE RUST OCCURRING TO FRAMES AND BEDS. CURRENTLY, THERE IS NO RECALL FOR MY 2013 TUNDRA SPECIFIC TO THIS. HOWEVER, IT SEEMS LIKE THE FRAME RUST ISSUES CONTINUED PAST THE EARLIER RECALL. MY TRUCK IS 2013 TOYOTA TUNDRA WITH APPROX 35,000 MILES. THERE IS RUST ON THE FRAME AND BUBBLING THROUGH MY TRUCK BED LINER. FROM FORBES I NOTICED THERE WAS A $3.4 BILLION RECALL FOR TOYOTA TRUCKS AND SUVS FROM 2005-2010. FROM FURTHER RESEARCH ON VARIOUS FORUMS, I NOTICED OTHERS HAVING SIMILAR ISSUES. I SPOKE TO TOYOTA, THEY STATED THERE IS NO RECALL FOR MY YEAR TRUCK. I WILL SHARE SOME PHOTOS FROM RUST BUBBLING THROUGH THE TRUCK BED. IF YOU WOULD LIKE ADDITIONAL PHOTOS I WOULD BE HAPPY TO SHARE. I REALLY AM UNSURE THE NEXT COARSE OF ACTION. I HAVE NEVER SUBMITTED ANYTHING TO NHTSA BEFORE. I WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO RESEARCH THIS FURTHER TO DETERMINE IF A RECALL COULD BE ISSUED. I WOULD BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE. THANK YOU, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
NHTSA ODI #11280492
55,000 miles · Sep 18, 2019
Fuel/propulsion System
ECU PROBLEM. SINCE JUNE 2018, I HAVE STARTED TO SEE DECREASED MPG (AVG 9 MPG, 50/50) AND VEHICLE EXHIBITING HIGH ALC. DENSITY % WHEN FUELED WITH E0/E10 GAS. NO DTC CODES, BUT EXTENDED CRANK EXHIBITED, POOR PERFORMANCE AND SHIFTING OBSERVED. THIS IS A FLEX VEHICLE. FUEL TRIMS WERE WAY INTO NEGATIVE AND I HAVE CALLED TOYOTA …
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ECU PROBLEM. SINCE JUNE 2018, I HAVE STARTED TO SEE DECREASED MPG (AVG 9 MPG, 50/50) AND VEHICLE EXHIBITING HIGH ALC. DENSITY % WHEN FUELED WITH E0/E10 GAS. NO DTC CODES, BUT EXTENDED CRANK EXHIBITED, POOR PERFORMANCE AND SHIFTING OBSERVED. THIS IS A FLEX VEHICLE. FUEL TRIMS WERE WAY INTO NEGATIVE AND I HAVE CALLED TOYOTA AND FILED A CASE WHEN THIS HAPPENED, BUT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY BY 2 MONTHS.(CALLED AUG 2018) VEHICLE HAD 55K MILES. THEY SAID ITS UP TO THE DEALERSHIP TO REMEDY THE ISSUE. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY RE CALIBRATED THE ECU PER TOYOTA TSB 0058-13 (SO THEY KNOW OF THE PROBLEM , BUT NOT DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT) TO ME IT LOOKS LIKE THEY ARE HIDING SOMETHING, (DIESELGATE) FOR A YEAR, VEHICLE WAS FINE AND DID NOT SHOW ANY ISSUES WITH ALC. DENSITY % , MPG WAS NORMAL AND PERFORMANCE/DRIVEABILITY IMPROVED, UNTIL SEP 2019. SAME THING. ALC. DENSITY % TOO HIGH CAUSING POOR MPG. I HAVE TO PAY THE DEALER TOO JUST RESET THE VALUES, EVEN THOUGH THIS ISSUE FALLS UNDER FEDERAL EMISSION STANDARDS AND IT HAS WARRANTY OF 84 MONTHS OR 80K. SO EVEN AFTER THE FIX ECU CHANGES THE VALUES AFTER A YEAR. CLEARLY ECU ISSUE THAT TOYOTA DOES NOT WANT TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR. THIS GOES AGAINST GAS EMISSIONS (GHG) AND FUEL ECONOMY STANDARDS FOR LIGHT-DUTY VEHICLES. THERE ARE KNOWN ISSUES ABOUT THIS OUT THERE ON FLEX FUEL TUNDRAS, BUT TOYOTA IS TRYING TO HIDE THIS.
NHTSA ODI #11256330
126,035 miles · Aug 8, 2019
Structure
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 TOYOTA TUNDRA. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE SPARE TIRE CARRIER DETACHED FROM THE VEHICLE AND CAUSED THE SPARE TIRE TO STRIKE THE BOTTOM OF THE VEHICLE AND ROLL AWAY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO ANDERSON TOYOTA (LOCATED AT 6510 SHOWPLACE AVE, LAKE HAVASU CITY, AZ 86404, (928) 764-2886) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 TOYOTA TUNDRA. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE SPARE TIRE CARRIER DETACHED FROM THE VEHICLE AND CAUSED THE SPARE TIRE TO STRIKE THE BOTTOM OF THE VEHICLE AND ROLL AWAY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO ANDERSON TOYOTA (LOCATED AT 6510 SHOWPLACE AVE, LAKE HAVASU CITY, AZ 86404, (928) 764-2886) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE SPARE TIRE CARRIER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 126,035.
NHTSA ODI #11242599
Official recalls
5Nov 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.
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.
Jul 16, 2014
Gulf States Toyota, Inc. (GST) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Toyota Tundra vehicles modified by GST as part of certain vehicle packages to be equipped with a combination of non-Toyota-brand 20-inch alloy wheels and chrome plated lug nuts. The coating on the lug nuts may give, causing the lug nuts to loosen or the wheel studs to fracture.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the lug nuts loosen, or the wheel studs fracture, the wheel may separate from the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GST will notify owners, and dealers will replace 20 lug nuts and torque them to specification, free of charge. The recall began in August 2014. Owners may contact GST customer service at 1-800-444-1074.
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.
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
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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