Recall Alert: 2011 Toyota Tundra

Toyota is recalling 502 Tundras from the 2011 model year because a label on the pickup trucks lists the wrong load-carrying capacity, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

An inaccurate label could lead to vehicle overloading, which could result in tire failure and increase the risk of a crash. The recall will begin in February.

Owners will be given a corrected label at no charge, or they can have a dealer apply it for free. For more info, owners can call Gulf States Toyota at 800-444-1074 or NHTSA’s vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236.

Which Automaker Has the Best Pickup Truck for $30,000?

The latest PickupTrucks.com Shootout is a different beast from its predecessors. Instead of choosing between similarly equipped pickup trucks, the focus of this Shootout is pricing. All the trucks in the competition had to stick to a firm $30,000 budget, leading to significant differences between them.

Five trucks participated in the Shootout:

• 2011 Chevy Silverado 1500 extended cab
• 2011 Ford F-150 regular cab
• 2011 Nissan Titan King Cab
• 2011 Ram 1500 Quad Cab
• 2011 Toyota Tundra Double Cab

To see how the trucks fared through a vigorous barrage of testing, including four days of back-to-back driving and a long stint at Ford’s Michigan Proving Grounds, go to PickupTrucks.com.

2011 $30,000 Shootout (PickupTrucks.com)

Toyota's U.S. Production Returns to 100%

Toyota confirmed that production at its North American plants has returned to normal this week. The news comes after nearly five months of slowed production due to limited supplies from the automaker’s Japanese part suppliers. Toyota’s 13 North American plants make the company’s best-sellers in the U.S., including the Camry, RAV4, Corolla, Highlander and Sienna. In all, nearly 70% of the cars Toyota sells in the U.S. are made in North America.

The recovery is ahead of schedule; Toyota originally stated that it didn’t expect to get everything up and running again until November or December at the latest.

The company will now focus on replenishing dealer inventories with overtime and Saturday shifts at some plants. Toyota expects there to be a 15% increase in its supply in the last three months of 2011.

The company also says that construction work on its 14th North American assembly plant, a Corolla factory in Mississippi, is almost complete. Production will begin there in October, employing 2,000 workers. 

Toyota Launches New Incentives to Fight Slow Sales

Toyota said today that it will initiate new incentives for key products for June. The news comes after a poor sales showing in May.

Incentives will be offered on many of Toyota’s best-selling vehicles, such as the Toyota Camry, and others, like the Tundra pickup.

The Camry is being offered with 0% financing for 60 months nationwide and lease rates below $200, said Bob Carter, group vice president and general manager of the Toyota division.  That nationwide incentive is significant because Toyota typically offers only region-specific deals.

Recall Alert: 2007-11 Toyota Tundra

Toyota is recalling 1,629 Toyota Tundra vehicles from the 2007-11 model years because the tire pressure monitoring system on the pickup trucks may not be properly calibrated, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

In the affected vehicles, which were installed with accessory light-truck tires before arriving at dealerships, the tire pressure warning lamp may not illuminate if the inflation pressure falls below the threshold for when the lamp should light up. Driving with one or more underinflated tires can increase the risk of a tire failure that could lead to a crash.

The recall is expected to begin next month. Dealers will recalibrate the tire pressure monitoring system for free. Owners can call Southeast Toyota at 800-301-6859 or NHTSA’s vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236.

Ford F-150, Toyota Tundra Earn Top Safety Pick Status

For the first time since measuring roof strength, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has awarded its highest safety award to full-size pickup trucks. Using the group’s revised tests that include roof-strength ratings for protection during a rollover accident, both the Ford F-150 and Toyota Tundra earned the top score of Good in frontal-offset, side-impact, rear and roof-strength crash tests.

The Nissan Titan earned an Acceptable rating for rollovers, while the Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra and Dodge Ram earned Marginal scores. The F-150s score only relates to trucks built after February 2011, which is when Ford made structural changes to its roof. You can check a vehicle’s build date on a sticker affixed to the driver’s side doorjamb.

Large trucks and SUVs can be more prone to rollover due to their high center of gravity, making the roof-strength score even more significant for potential shoppers.

Incentives at Lowest Level in 5 Years

U.S. automakers spent less money on cash-back and financial incentives in April, according to Bloomberg. The average incentive on a new car was $2,320 in April, down about 14% from a year ago. It was the lowest level spent since October 2005.

For car shoppers, that’s not good news. The reduction in incentives was mostly the result of tight inventories, partly because of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan in March. Honda and Toyota have warned their dealers that inventory for vehicles would be tight throughout most of 2011, and Nissan recently postponed its big annual spring sales event.

Recall Alert: 2011 Toyota Tundra

Toyota Motors is voluntarily recalling about 51,000 2011 Toyota Tundra pickups to inspect a potential flaw with the rear drive shaft.

In the affected vehicles, the drive shaft slip yoke may break due to improper casting. The slip yoke is integral to power delivery from the engine to the wheels.

This type of failure has been confirmed in one owner’s vehicle, but no injuries or accidents have been associated with the condition, Toyota says.

Owners of the affected vehicles will get a letter from Toyota advising them of the recall. Dealerships will inspect and replace the rear drive shaft if necessary at no charge. Concerned owners can call Toyota at 800-331-4331 or visit the company’s recall website for more info.

Recall Alert: 2011 Toyota FJ Cruiser, 2009-11 Tundra

Toyota is recalling 1,489 FJ Cruiser and Tundra vehicles because the tire pressure monitoring system may not be properly calibrated, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

In certain 2011 FJ Cruisers and 2009-11 Tundras sold with accessory light-truck tires, the tire pressure warning lamp may not illuminate if the pressure in any of the tires falls below the threshold for when the lamp should light up. Driving with underinflated tires increases the risk of tire failure and could lead to a crash.

The recall is expected to begin next month. Dealers will properly calibrate the tire pressure monitoring system at no charge. For more info, owners can call Gulf States Toyota at 800-444-1074 or NHTSA’s vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236.

How Good Are Toyotathon's Deals?

After checking out multiple dealership regions, Toyotathon is a good opportunity overall if you’re looking for a 2011 model year vehicle or if you’re trying to lease.

The recently redesigned 2011 Highlander already has a $500 cash-back deal and an attractive lease rate of $319 per month. In fact, all of Toyota’s lease rates – the automaker has traditionally leaned harder on this option – are excellent.

All the lease deals ask for less than $2,000 due at signing, so you’d pay a lot less upfront compared with some competitors, especially for Toyota’s pickup, minivan and crossovers. In some regions, such as Southern California, there’s a “$0 Down Payment, $0 Security Deposit, $0 Due at Signing, $0 1st Month's Payment” regional deal for folks who lease.

If you’re financing, most models offer 0% to 2.9% for 60 months.

With nearly 60% of Toyota’s inventory now 2011 model years, most remaining 2010s have lost their incentives. The outgoing 2010 Corolla gets $1,000 to $1,250 cash back on it; remember that the model was refreshed for the 2011 model year. The redesigned 2011 Avalon and Sienna both have $1,000 cash-back deals, too.

Most of the deals below expire Jan. 3.