Toyota is recalling around 690,000 vehicles in the United States and another 100,000 others worldwide due to a problem with the vehicles' rear suspension system, which could cause fuel leaks and other accidents.
The recall involves Toyota Tacoma pickup trucks from model years 2011 to 2015 and affects both the four-wheel-drive Tacoma 4x4 and the two-wheel-drive Tacoma Pre-Runner. It does not involve the standard 4x2 pickup trucks.
In a press release issued on Sept. 29, Toyota says it is voluntarily calling back all affected Tacoma trucks to repair the rear suspension system, where Toyota says "stress and corrosion" could break one of the three or four leaf springs of the vehicle's rear suspension system. The vehicles can continue running with one of the metal leaves broken, but if the broken spring continues to come in contact with nearby components, such as the fuel tank, it could puncture the tank and cause a leak.
"There is a possibility that a leaf could fracture due to stress and corrosion," says Toyota in its announcement. "If this occurs and the vehicle continues to be operated, the broken leaf could move out of position and contact surrounding components, including the fuel tank. If the broken leaf contacts the fuel tank repeatedly, it could puncture the tank and cause a fuel leak. In the presence of an ignition source, this could result in a fire."
In a statement email to the New York Times, Toyota spokesperson Amanda Rice says the company is not aware of any crashes, accidents or injuries related to the problem, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has cited a number of owners who complained about the broken leaf springs.
"A broken leaf spring cut my brake line, and my brakes stopped working with my eight-year-old child in the truck," says one Tacoma owner who wrote to the NHTSA. "I had already replaced a leaf spring on the other side. This could have caused a very serious accident. Luckily, the brakes still had some fluid in them."
The NHTSA has received more than 20 complaints about the faulty rear suspension systems, with one user complaining that it is "a common problem that is not being addressed by Toyota."
Rice admits that Toyota received the first report of broken leaf springs on its Tacoma trucks in 2009 but says that a single complaint does not equate to a trend. She also says that Toyota monitors and investigates an issue once it sees a trend and prompts a recall when it recognizes that the issue is a safety hazard.
