Recall Alert: 2000-2003 Toyota Tundra

Toyota and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have announced that Toyota will recall approximately 110,000 Tundra pickup trucks from the 2000 to 2003 model years in 20 cold-weather states and the District of Columbia to fix a frame rust and corrosion problem that could cause the spare tire to fall away from the truck.

Originally, NHTSA's investigation covered only 2000-01 Tundras but during Toyota's investigation of the problem, the number of trucks discovered with the problem grew to include 2002 and 2003 models.

Toyota has just announced the recall, but NHTSA recommends that owners remove the spare tires before taking the trucks to the dealers to be remedied.

In addition, the corrosion may also cause damage to the rear brake lines and lead to brake system failures.

The states in the recall include Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. These states typically use chemical de-icers, such as road salts, to treat roadways in winter weather.

NHTSA Investigating Toyota Tundra Defects

A day after Toyota officially recalled 3.8 million vehicles because of floormat problems, the company is being investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration over possible defects in its 2000 and 2001 model year Tundra pickup trucks.

The NHTSA has received 20 complaints due to frame corrosion. While any metal will corrode over time, this degradation is severe enough and happening over a relatively short time frame that it’s causing issues like spare tire separation and brake system failure.

Pickuptrucks.com has been following the rust issue after complaints from its own readers. You can read more about it here.

Explaining the Toyota Floormat Recall

Toyota is in the process of recalling nearly 4 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles for an issue with their floormats. A number of complaints have shown that the floormats can creep forward and get stuck under the accelerator, which can lead to unintended and potentially dangerous acceleration. (Yes, we know the recall is not official yet, but for clarity we will call it a recall).

We had a 2010 Toyota Prius in our test fleet this week and noted its floormat set-up is similar to Toyotas included in the recall. The 2010 Prius is not included in the current recall, but the 2005-2009 Prius is. Toyota spokesman John Hanson said that the 2010 model uses the same type of floormats as the older Prius, as do many other current Toyota models not included in the recall.

The 2010 Prius, which has only been on sale for a relatively short time, is not included in the recall at this time because there have been no specific complaints filed with either Toyota or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about the floormats, Hanson said. However, when the recall is finalized, which could be as early as next week, the 2010 Prius may be included, he said. Other models haven’t been included based solely on the lack of complaints. A number of factors including pedal placement and keyless ignition in addition to the floormats may have contributed to the complaints against the recalled cars.

So, what is it about these floormats that’s causing the problem?

3.8 Million Toyota, Lexus Recalled Over Floor Mats

The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration issued a wide-ranging announcement late today that Toyota will recall 3.8 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles. The recall stems from faulty floormats that can become stuck under the accelerator pedal causing unexpected acceleration. The defect is suspected to be the cause of one recent fatal accident.

The recall includes the following models:

• 2007-2010 Camry
• 2005-2010 Avalon
• 2004-2009 Prius
• 2005-2010 Tacoma
• 2007-2010 Tundra
• 2007-2010 ES 350
• 2006-2010 IS 250 and IS350

NHTSA suggests all owners remove the driver-side floormat from these cars immediately and not replace them with anything. Toyota has released a warning for owners including steps to take in case of an accelerator issue. We've posted the notice below.

Toyota Announces Pricing for 2010 Tundra

Toyota has released pricing information for the 2010 Tundra pickup truck. The Tundra starts with a base price of $22,960 for a regular cab, two-wheel-drive model. The top-of-the-line model, called the CrewMax Limited, comes with four-wheel-drive and a price of $42,155.

The 2010 Tundra goes on sale later this month. For a breakdown of full pricing information, go to our sister site, PickupTrucks.com.

PickupTrucks.com Road Tests the 2010 Toyota Tundra

The 2010 Toyota Tundra is set to launch at the end of April, straight into a market reorganizing toward fuel-sippers. Toyota’s aim with the Tundra is to maintain the towing and hauling capabilities of a V-8 while squeezing out ever more efficiency through innovation and technical wizardry. PickupTrucks.com takes the ’10 Tundra with an all-new 4.6-liter V-8 engine for a road test to see how well Toyota accomplishes this goal. How many more mpg can Toyota’s engineers eke out of an engine built for power? Read PickupTrucks.com road test review to find out, and we’ll let you know when Toyota announces pricing for the new Tundra.

Road Test Review: 2010 Toyota Tundra 4.6-Liter V-8 Double Cab 4x4 (PickupTrucks.com)