The defect
TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2005-2009 TACOMA VEHICLES, MANUFACTURED FROM SEPTEMBER 14, 2004, THROUGH AUGUST 29, 2008. OVER TIME, STEERING WHEEL VIBRATION MAY DAMAGE THE SPIRAL CABLE ASSEMBLY (CLOCKSPRING) THAT POWERS THE DRIVERS AIR BAG MODULE. IF DAMAGE OCCURS, THE AIR BAG WARNING LAMP WILL ILLUMINATE AND THE AIR BAG MAY BECOME DEACTIVATED.
The risk
IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE DRIVERS SIDE AIR BAG MAY NOT DEPLOY, INCREASING THE RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY.
The remedy
TOYOTA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE SPIRAL CABLE ASSEMBLY, FREE OF CHARGE. AN INTERIM LETTER IS EXPECTED TO BE MAILED TO OWNERS DURING APRIL 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Toyota Tacoma | 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 |
Components: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota Tacoma | 2005 | 707 | 10 |
| Toyota Tacoma | 2006 | 782 | 11 |
| Toyota Tacoma | 2007 | 541 | 10 |
| Toyota Tacoma | 2008 | 449 | 11 |
| Toyota Tacoma | 2009 | 519 | 13 |
Other air bags recalls in 2012
22 of the 583 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2012 concerned the air bags; Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing filed 245 campaigns in all.
| 12V540000 15 Nov 2012 | VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC |
| 12V527000 8 Nov 2012 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC |
| 12V528000 8 Nov 2012 | Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing |
| 12V522000 31 Oct 2012 | General Motors LLC |
| 12V492000 9 Oct 2012 | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. |
| 12V488000 5 Oct 2012 | Ford Motor Company |
| 12V439000 10 Sept 2012 | Volvo Cars of N.A., LLC |
| 12V432000 5 Sept 2012 | HONDA (AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO.) |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2012