Toyota has issued a recall of 150,000 Tacoma trucks due to rust problems with the mechanism that holds the spare tire. The model year Tacoma trucks affected by this recall are 2001 through 2004. Toyota noted that the 2005-13 Tacoma trucks used a different manufacturing process and, as a result, may not be affected.
According to Toyota, the spare tire holding mechanism can corrode and break which may cause the spare tire to fall. The mechanism appears not to have been properly treated with anti-corrosive. The Tacoma trucks carry their spare tire beneath the pickup truck’s bed.
As early as 2009, Toyota received reports from owners about this problem with corrosive rust and the spare tire mechanism. After analyzing more than 130 parts, Toyota’s finding was that "anti-corrosion coating was ‘inconsistent’" and a recall was necessary.
In a regional recall, the recall is limited to certain states, in this case to 20 states and the District of Columbia, where salt is heavily used on roads. States affected by this recall include Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
These were not the first reports of the Tacoma trucks experiencing rust problems. Tacoma 1995 to 2000 models experienced rusting frames which prompted the company to offer an extended warranty and buyback program covering 813,000 of the pickups.
For more information on automobile recalls, visit: http://www.nhtsa.gov/
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