Gojirra99

Tuesday, February 15, 2005


Associated Press


Toyota Motor Co. is recalling 22,228 Tacoma pickups because the parking brake may not work, the automaker and federal safety regulators said Tuesday.

Tacomas from the 2005 model year with automatic transmissions are involved in the recall.

Toyota spokesman John Hanson said the company recalled the vehicles after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration received eight complaints. No injuries have been reported due to the defect, Hanson said.

Toyota said the lock nut on the parking brake cable may not have been properly tightened and can loosen and come off. If that happens, the vehicle could roll if it's stopped on a slope and the transmission isn't in park.

Toyota will notify owners of the recall next month. Dealers will tighten the lock nut for free.


source : detnews

mmarshall

Do you know if that includes any X-Runners? (although most, if not all, of those will probably have sticks rather than automatics). I know we got at least a few X-Runner owners here on CL...threads have been done on them.
Otherwise it's 1-800-bul-s - - - time with Customer Relations and being put on hold.

CleanSC

In reading the title I was very scared. But to me this effects very few people? I mean, who doesn't put their auto tranny in park when they are done? The manual even tells you to do this if you plan on stopping the car at any point with you not in it.

I've never seen anyone use the ebrake on a slushbox car. I know I sure don't unless it's a sticky situation in a FWD (the Tacoma is RWD). Otherwise why bother?

I do agree they should fix it tho, and to Toyota. I just think it's small fries compared to others.

At least it's not like the Flaming Fords recall that seems to be just a tad more dangerous?

mmarshall

[QUOTE=CleanSC]I've never seen anyone use the ebrake on a slushbox car. I know I sure don't unless it's a sticky situation in a FWD (the Tacoma is RWD). Otherwise why bother?

I QUOTE]

This is nonsense. You may be OK not using the emergency brake on a prefectly flat surface, but you DON'T use it on an auto-tranny car when you are parked on a grade....especially a steep one...... the ENTIRE weight of the car will rest on the parking pin which locks the transmission. Do this more than a couple of times on a steep slope and not only will it be very difficult to get the car out of Park but the pin itself can shear right off......and then, with nothing else else to hold the car back if the wheels are not turned into the curb, you are in some real deep s- - - , especially if your neighbor's brand-new $140,000 S-Class or Porsche Turbo is parked just downhill from you.

CleanSC

Note I said sticky situation, which included grades. South Florida is flat as a pancake so parking on a grade here is highly unlikely. I'm familiar with not using the ebrake on automatic cars on a steep grade. Shifting out of park creates horrid CLANK! sound that is not good. I never do this. This falls into my sticky situation. A majority of the parking in other areas is flat as well. Parking lots, garages, and most driveways are all level surfaces. Of course there is the other side: parking on a sloped street, and some sloped driveways. These are the 8 people that made complaints.

My point in all this was that as a recall, this is relatively minor and shouldn't be a huge PR concern for anyone. It's a loose nut. Not a truck that bursts into flames and takes your house down with it.

mmarshall

Believe it or not, THAT can happen, too....even with a Toyota. Happened to a neighbor of mine with a new Tundra....only 9000 miles. Went up out of nowhere like a Roman candle on the D.C. Beltway. He got stopped and got out just in time to get only minor burns.

As I said in my post, you're OK on a flat grade...which as you point out includes just about all of Florida.

CleanSC

Holy Hell. Was that an isolated incident or is this a typical issue? Does Toyota know about it? Any causes found?

mmarshall

Pretty isolated. Just 3 trucks involved so far.......all three trucks from the same local dealership. Insurance company is looking into a lawsuit. No evidence of anything on a national scale. That's all I know.

CleanSC

Sounds like that dealership is doing something screwy in pre-delivery work. Hope they find it soon.

Xenthar

wow...thats alot. I better go tell my friends that have one

LexFather

Lets see here, 22,000 recalled, you "better go tell your friends" who will get a notice in the mail anyway. Since you said friends, which is plural, that is at least 2.
So, what is that, about .0010% of the recalls. That is not bad. And seems they were smart enough to avoid the Frontier.

Xenthar

Why are you being so sarcastic. I wasn't aware that i was in an english class. And yes, 3 of my friends have tacoma's. So sue me.. And where did the whole frontier thing come from. boohoo

Xenthar

Oh and did i mention, they are women...if that makes any difference