NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
85 reportsMileage unknown · Jul 6, 2017
Engine
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 TOYOTA TUNDRA. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER (PRICE LEBLANC, 13250 AIRLINE HWY, BATON ROUGE, LA 70817) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE AIR INJECTION DIAL AND AIR PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE …
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 TOYOTA TUNDRA. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER (PRICE LEBLANC, 13250 AIRLINE HWY, BATON ROUGE, LA 70817) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE AIR INJECTION DIAL AND AIR PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE, BUT DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE.THE VIN AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE UNKNOWN. UPDATED 08/24/17*LJ *TR
NHTSA ODI #11003432
85,544 miles · Jul 6, 2017
Fuel/propulsion System
AIR INJECTION PUMP AND VALVE HAS A HISTORY OF FAILURE IN TOYOTA TUNDRAS.. THEIR WAS A RECALL UP UNTIL 2011 ON TUNDRAS. I HAVE OWNED THIS VEHICLE FOR 9 MONTHS. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO PRICE LEBLANC TOYOTA IN BATON ROUGE LOUISIANA , AND TO REPLACE THESE PARTS AND LABOR IS GONNA BE $2600 DOLLARS. THESE PARTS ARE DEFECTIVE AS THE DEA…
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AIR INJECTION PUMP AND VALVE HAS A HISTORY OF FAILURE IN TOYOTA TUNDRAS.. THEIR WAS A RECALL UP UNTIL 2011 ON TUNDRAS. I HAVE OWNED THIS VEHICLE FOR 9 MONTHS. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO PRICE LEBLANC TOYOTA IN BATON ROUGE LOUISIANA , AND TO REPLACE THESE PARTS AND LABOR IS GONNA BE $2600 DOLLARS. THESE PARTS ARE DEFECTIVE AS THE DEALERS KEEP THEM IN STOCK BECAUSE OF SO MANY FAILURES AND CONSUMERS ARE HAVING TO PAY THIS HUGE CHARGE. I HAVE SPOKE WITH TOYOTA CORPORATION AND THEY REFUSE TO REPLACE. WITH THE FAILURE OF THIS PART WHEN U ARE DRIVING THE VEHICLE STALLS UPON ACCELERATION. THIS IS DANGEROUS WHEN U ARE PULLING OUT OR MERGING IN TRAFFIC..AS OF NOW I CANNOT AFFORD 2600 DOLLARS IN REPAIRS. THANK YOU
NHTSA ODI #11003412
Mileage unknown · Jun 8, 2017
Wheels
NOTICED UPON ROTATING MY TIRES THAT I HAVE SEVERAL LUGS NUTS CRACKED
NHTSA ODI #10994000
52,500 miles · May 31, 2017
Wheels
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 TOYOTA TUNDRA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE VIBRATED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO PRIME TOYOTA IN LANCASTER, MA WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TWO FRONT TIRES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE TIRES WERE REPLACED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED A DAY LATER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 TOYOTA TUNDRA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE VIBRATED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO PRIME TOYOTA IN LANCASTER, MA WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TWO FRONT TIRES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE TIRES WERE REPLACED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED A DAY LATER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 52,500.
NHTSA ODI #10992571
55,000 miles · Feb 24, 2017
EngineFire
CAM TOWER LEAK -OIL LEAKING ON MOTOR
NHTSA ODI #10956787
25,000 miles · Jan 21, 2017
Service Brakes
I WAS PULLING INTO MY DRIVEWAY, ABOUT TO PARK. WHEN I BRAKED IT WAS AS IF THE "POWER" IN THE POWER BRAKES HAD FAILED. I HAD TO STOMP ON THE PEDAL. I NEARLY HIT MY HOUSE. THIS WAS ONE WEEK AGO. TODAY, AS I LEFT A PARKING LOT, I NOTICED IT HAPPEN AGAIN: VERY LITTLE STOPPING POWER, BUT NO SOFTNESS IN THE PEDAL. I PLACED THE TRANSMI…
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I WAS PULLING INTO MY DRIVEWAY, ABOUT TO PARK. WHEN I BRAKED IT WAS AS IF THE "POWER" IN THE POWER BRAKES HAD FAILED. I HAD TO STOMP ON THE PEDAL. I NEARLY HIT MY HOUSE. THIS WAS ONE WEEK AGO. TODAY, AS I LEFT A PARKING LOT, I NOTICED IT HAPPEN AGAIN: VERY LITTLE STOPPING POWER, BUT NO SOFTNESS IN THE PEDAL. I PLACED THE TRANSMISSION IN PARK AND SAW NO BRAKE FLUID UNDER THE TRUCK. I BEGAN DRIVING SLOWLY AGAIN, AND HAD TO STOMP THE PEDAL TO OBTAIN BRAKING POWER. THE BRAKE LIGHT SUDDENLY CAME ON. A CLICK OR PULSE OCCURED IN THE BRAKES, FELT THROUGH THE PEDAL, AND SUDDENLY THE BRAKES BEGAN FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. THE BRAKE LIGHT REMAINED LIT UNTIL I STOPPED AND RESTARTED THE TRUCK. UPON RESTARTING THE TRUCK, EVERYTHING FUNCTIONED NORMALLY, AND THE BRAKE LIGHT DID NOT LIGHT AGAIN. I WILL NOT DRIVE THE TRUCK UNTIL IT GETS INTO THE DEALER (THEY'RE BOOKED FOR 3 DAYS). THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN, AND I SEE THAT ANOTHER OWNER HAS REPORTED A SIMILAR PROBLEM. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS!
NHTSA ODI #10946890
10,000 miles · Jan 3, 2017
Exterior Lighting
I WAS DRIVING WITH BRIGHT LIGHTS ON I HAD FOG LIGHTS ON FIRST TIME I HAD EVER USED THEM HAD A LEFT TURN TO MAKE TURNED TURN SIGNAL ON ALL LIGHTS WENT OUT I WAS IN TOTAL DARKNESS I TURNED SIGNAL OFF AND LIGHTS CAME BACK ON I PULLED OFF THE ROAD I HIT THE SIGNAL AGAIN AND THE LIGHTS WENT OUR AGAIN AND THE GPS UNIT WE NOTICED CH…
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I WAS DRIVING WITH BRIGHT LIGHTS ON I HAD FOG LIGHTS ON FIRST TIME I HAD EVER USED THEM HAD A LEFT TURN TO MAKE TURNED TURN SIGNAL ON ALL LIGHTS WENT OUT I WAS IN TOTAL DARKNESS I TURNED SIGNAL OFF AND LIGHTS CAME BACK ON I PULLED OFF THE ROAD I HIT THE SIGNAL AGAIN AND THE LIGHTS WENT OUR AGAIN AND THE GPS UNIT WE NOTICED CHANGED FROM NIGHT MODE TO DAY MODE. I TURNED SIGNAL OFF AND THE LIGHTS CAME BACK ON I PLAYED AROUND MAKING IT DO IT AGAIN AND AGAIN SO I THOUGHT THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE WHAT CAUSED THIS ? SINCE THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME EVER DRIVING USING FOG LIGHTS I TURNED THEM OFF THEN THE TURN SIGNAL HAD NO EFFECT SO I ASSUMED IT HAD TO BE IN FOG LIGHTS I LEFT THEM ON AND IT DIDN'T DO IT AGAIN. LATTER IN SAFER SETTING LIKE IN MY DRIVE WAY I FOUND OUT IT WOULD HAPPEN WITH FOG LIGHT OFF IT SEEMED TO BE DEPENDENT ON LIGHTS BEING ON BRIGHT WHEN I USED EITHER TURN SIGNAL. IT THEN STOPPED AND I COULDN'T MAKE IT DO IT ANY MORE SO I NEVER MADE A APPOINTMENT ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO IT DONE IT AGAIN WHILE I WAS DRIVING AGAIN THIS TIME IT WAS DOING IT A LOT SO I MADE AN APPOINTMENT TO GET IT FIXED ON MY EXTENDED WARRANTY 100 DEDUCTIBLE TOOK IT TO WHERE I BOUGHT IT AND IT WOULDN'T DO IT FOR THEM OR ME. SO I PAID THEM THE 100.$ CAME HOME IT HASN'T DONE IT AGAIN FOR ABOUT 5 DAYS SO FAR WAITING FOR A COLD SPELL IN MID 20 DEG TO SEE IF THAT MAKES ANY DIFFERENCE. BUT I DID GO ON LINE AND FOUND FORUMS FOR TUNDRA PEOPLE EXPERIENCING SAME THING THE TUNDRAS HAD THE EXACT PROBLEM I AM HAVING THIS IS DANGEROUS I HAVE BEEN LUCKY SO FAR AND HAVE NOT HAD A WRECK I CANT BELIEVE TOYOTA DOESN'T KNOW ABOUT THIS THEY HAD PROBLEMS WITH OTHER CARS LIGHTS GOING OUT AND LOST A CLASS ACTION SUIT. THIS IS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM AND COULD NEVER GET IT TO THE DEALER AND MAKE IT DO THIS. MY BOTHER IN LAW WAS WITH ME THE FIRST TIME THEY WENT OUT THE TECH GOT THEM TO FLICKER 1 TIME NO FIX THOU. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10939311
30,000 miles · Dec 12, 2016
Seats
SEAT RAIL LOOSE ON DRIVERS SIDE SEAT. SEAT IS BOLTED FIRMLY TO FLOOR BUT THE RAIL THAT IT SLIDES ON IS LOOSE. PROBLEM STARTED AT 30,000 MILES AND TRUCK HAS 40,000. TOYOTA WANT 1100.00 TO FIX THE SEAT BECAUSE ITS OUT OF WARRANTY. TOYOTA OFFERED TO PAY FOR THE RAIL AT 700.00 AND I PAY 300.00 FOR INSTALL. AS I RESEARCH THIS MODEL O…
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SEAT RAIL LOOSE ON DRIVERS SIDE SEAT. SEAT IS BOLTED FIRMLY TO FLOOR BUT THE RAIL THAT IT SLIDES ON IS LOOSE. PROBLEM STARTED AT 30,000 MILES AND TRUCK HAS 40,000. TOYOTA WANT 1100.00 TO FIX THE SEAT BECAUSE ITS OUT OF WARRANTY. TOYOTA OFFERED TO PAY FOR THE RAIL AT 700.00 AND I PAY 300.00 FOR INSTALL. AS I RESEARCH THIS MODEL OF TUNDRA ON THE INTERNET, THIS ISSUE IS COMMON. THIS TRUCK IS UNSAFE WITH A LOOSE SEAT RAIL AND I FEEL THAT IT SHOULD NOT HAVE TO BE REPLACED EVERY 30K MILES. IT SHOULD BE RECALLED!!!
NHTSA ODI #10934689
Mileage unknown · Nov 27, 2016
EngineFuel/propulsion System
WHEN THE ENGINE STARTS IT HAS A VERY NOTICEABLE KNOCKING NOISE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE THAT NEVER GOES AWAY. YOU PUT IT IN GEAR AND YOU CAN REALLY HEAR THE ENGINE KNOCKING, AND THE KNOCKING SPEEDS UP AS YOU ACCELERATE. EVEN AFTER THE ENGINE WARMS UP COMPLETELY YOU CAN STILL HEAR IT KNOCKING(STATIONARY, OR IN MOTION) . ALSO M…
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WHEN THE ENGINE STARTS IT HAS A VERY NOTICEABLE KNOCKING NOISE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE THAT NEVER GOES AWAY. YOU PUT IT IN GEAR AND YOU CAN REALLY HEAR THE ENGINE KNOCKING, AND THE KNOCKING SPEEDS UP AS YOU ACCELERATE. EVEN AFTER THE ENGINE WARMS UP COMPLETELY YOU CAN STILL HEAR IT KNOCKING(STATIONARY, OR IN MOTION) . ALSO MY GAS MILEAGE IS HORRIBLE! I AVERAGE ABOUT 12.3MPG EVERY TANK. THE BEST MPG I HAVE EVER SEEN IS 13.4 MPG AVERAGE WHICH IS RIDICULOUS EVEN FOR A FULL SIZE TRUCK. I ALWAYS LOVED TOYOTA VEHICLES AND EVER SINCE I WAS YOUNG I ALWAYS WANTED A TOYOTA TRUCK BECAUSE I THOUGHT THEY WERE THE TOUGHEST OUT THERE, BUT AFTER OWNING THIS 2013 TOYOTA TUNDRA I'M DISGUSTED.
NHTSA ODI #10928106
Mileage unknown · Jul 28, 2016
Electrical System
THE TRUCK HORN DOES NOT WORK WHEN PRESSING ON THE STEERING WHEEL. IT WILL WORK WHEN THE PANIC BUTTON IS PRESSED. I BOUGHT THE TRUCK FROM THE ORIGINAL OWNER, A FRIEND OF MINE, AND HE BELIEVES IT NEVER WORKED. MY BROTHER HAS A SIMILAR TUNDRA 2014 MODEL AND HIS HORN HAS STARTED WORKING ONLY INTERMITTINGLY. I BELIEVE THIS MAY BE A…
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THE TRUCK HORN DOES NOT WORK WHEN PRESSING ON THE STEERING WHEEL. IT WILL WORK WHEN THE PANIC BUTTON IS PRESSED. I BOUGHT THE TRUCK FROM THE ORIGINAL OWNER, A FRIEND OF MINE, AND HE BELIEVES IT NEVER WORKED. MY BROTHER HAS A SIMILAR TUNDRA 2014 MODEL AND HIS HORN HAS STARTED WORKING ONLY INTERMITTINGLY. I BELIEVE THIS MAY BE A COMMON PROBLEM.
NHTSA ODI #10889387
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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