Toyota is recalling about 700,000 vehicles, including Tacoma trucks, Camry and Venza vehicles, due to problems with the air bag and electrical systems.
The bulk of vehicles affected by the Toyota recall include nearly 500,000 model year 2005 to 2009 Tacoma pick-up trucks. According to the company’s press release, the trucks need to have the steering wheel spiral cable assembly replaced because it could be interfering with the air bags.
Toyota is also recalling nearly 200,000 model year 2009 Camry vehicles and model year 2009-2011 Venza vehicles due to a potential problem with the stop lamp switch. No known injuries or accidents have been reported in connection with the problems, Toyota claims.
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Learn MoreThe design of the Tacoma chassis and the steering wheel spiral cable assembly can cause friction to occur in some vehicles. This friction can lead to a loss of connectivity to the driver’s air bag, which may cause the air bag warning light to activate and the air bag could be deactivated, meaning that it would not deploy in the event of an accident.
Toyota reports that it is in the process of obtaining the necessary parts to replace the steering wheel spiral cable assembly. Owners of affected vehicles will be notified by first class mail in early April. That letter is likely to be an interim notification and the owners will again be notified when the parts are actually available, at which point they can take their vehicle to a Toyota dealer and have the replacement done, which is estimated to take about 30 minutes.
Regarding the stop lamp switch recall, which impacts Camry and Venza vehicles, Toyota says that during installation of the contact-type stop lamp switch, silicon grease may have invaded the switch, which could cause an increase in electrical resistance. In lamps where this has occurred, warning lamps on the instrument panel may light up, the vehicle may not start, the stop lamps may not work, and drivers may not be able to switch the shift lever out of the “Park” setting.
Toyota is also in the process of acquiring parts for this recall as well. When the parts are obtained, affected owners will be notified by first class mail. They will then be able to make an appointment with a Toyota dealer who will conduct the repairs free of charge.
Consumers with questions can visit the company’s website at www.toyota.com/recall or call the Toyota Customer Experience Center at (800) 331-4331.
Photo Courtesy of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/danielctw/ / CC BY 2.0
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5 Comments
DeborahAugust 23, 2018 at 8:55 am
My spiral cable was becoming louder as time went on. It started only about a few years after buying my car. It was brand new in 2009. I only had a bout 1000 miles on it. I went through hell trying to get Jimmy Vasser Toyota to replace it, they resisted so I call Toy headquarters, they said to get a second opinion (It was hard getting them to work with me as well) Toy of Walnut Creek replaced it. T[Show More]My spiral cable was becoming louder as time went on. It started only about a few years after buying my car. It was brand new in 2009. I only had a bout 1000 miles on it. I went through hell trying to get Jimmy Vasser Toyota to replace it, they resisted so I call Toy headquarters, they said to get a second opinion (It was hard getting them to work with me as well) Toy of Walnut Creek replaced it. The noise started up again within only a year later and my car still only has 48,000 miles on it. I called headquarters again they said because I wasn't under warranty they wont stand behind it. I told them it is a defective part and it isn't fair that I have to pay for it. Their are other issues Toy wont stand behind their product as well. I'm concerned that my airbag may not operate safely because of the defected coil.
yoonAugust 13, 2014 at 2:40 am
My 2013 Toyota Venza AWD shut itself off in the middle of the highway. This happened two monthes ago. It has only 9,093 miles on it. When this happened 4 signal lights suddenly lit up: check engine light, vsc light, awd light, and trac lights. Also, the car started shaking, but I was able to drive back to my home safely. Two weeks later I was driving back from the highway, and the same 4 lights st[Show More]My 2013 Toyota Venza AWD shut itself off in the middle of the highway. This happened two monthes ago. It has only 9,093 miles on it. When this happened 4 signal lights suddenly lit up: check engine light, vsc light, awd light, and trac lights. Also, the car started shaking, but I was able to drive back to my home safely. Two weeks later I was driving back from the highway, and the same 4 lights started flashing. Again the car started shaking, but it shook more severely. When I exited the highway and reached the local roads the car would shut off whenever I stopped. I would restart the car every time and it would shut off everytime it stopped again. The next day I went to the dealers. They said that nothing was wrong with the car. I picked up the car and was driving it, when it happened again after 500 miles. Once again it was on the highway, when the car reached a low speed it shut itself off again. I had to tow the car away this time. This time when I sent the car to the dealer they again coudln't find a problem with the car. They said the problem could be the HID headlights that I changed. So, they're changing the headlights back for a price of $140. Now I am going to go to pick up the car again. If the same problem happens what should I do? What if the car suddenly shuts off again and I get into an accident? Will they take the responsibility for not finding the solution?
DanielMarch 29, 2014 at 6:42 pm
when my air bag light came on and stayed on i started have all kinds of electrical problems. when drivers side signal light is on all my lights on my dash blinks. you could step on the brakes without the key in and the dash lights come on. i got my recall notice in the mail about the airbag spiral cable, it also states that it (can affect the electrical connection to SEVERAL SYSTEMS) had the spira[Show More]when my air bag light came on and stayed on i started have all kinds of electrical problems. when drivers side signal light is on all my lights on my dash blinks. you could step on the brakes without the key in and the dash lights come on. i got my recall notice in the mail about the airbag spiral cable, it also states that it (can affect the electrical connection to SEVERAL SYSTEMS) had the spiral cable fitted but now my whole electrical system to all my dash, brake , and rear park light dont work. my Toyota service department denied that this had nothing to do with my electrical problems. So i called the Toyota Experience Center and filed a claim. the number is 1-888-270-9371, they are very nice and helpful to get this problem took care of.
jayMarch 18, 2014 at 9:59 am
Why is the Toyota matrix not included in the spiral cable assembly recall? It has the same issue as the Tacoma. I have an 09 matrix with the airbag light on dealer wants over 400$ to fix!
howardFebruary 5, 2013 at 4:59 pm
i have a 2011 toyota tacoma and having all kinds of trouble with the electrical,specifically with the lights,air bag light stays on,signal lights wont work,speedodometer wont work,drivers side rear park light wont work,radio come on and off without any assistance from me.it is seriously a aggravating problem for me,and a big disappointment in toyota.