Tag Archives: Toyota problems

Toyota Avalon, Corolla and Matrix Airbag May Not Deploy As Intended

Posted on by

Toyota will be contacting the owners of certain Avalon, Corolla and Matrix cars because of a problem that could result in the air bags and seat belt pretensioners not deploying.

According to the defect report, the affected vehicles may have been manufactured with an airbag control module that does not have sufficient protection against negative electrical transients generated in certain severe crashes where there is a large engine compartment intrusion before deceleration. In these cases, the crash sensor and wiring may be damaged and shorted before the deployment signal is received by the SRS ECU. This would result in incomplete or non deployment of the air bags and/or pretensioners and an increased chance of injury to occupants.

Vehicles Affected
2012-2018 Toyota Avalon
2013-2018 Toyota Avalon Hybrid
2011-2019 Toyota Corolla
2011-2013 Toyota Matrix

Owners will be notified to return to their Toyota dealer to have a noise filter installed between the airbag control module and its wire harness. In some cases, an inspection may be carried out to determine if a noise filter is necessary before installing it.

Toyota/Lexus Deactivation Of Vehicle Stability Control And Loss of Braking

Posted on by

Toyota will be contacting the owners of certain 2019-2010 Toyota and Lexus vehicles regarding a problem affecting the braking and stability control systems. The vehicles involved include:

  • 2019 Lexus ES300H
  • 2019 Lexus LC500
  • 2019 Lexus LS500
  • 2019 Lexus LS500 H
  • 2019 Lexus U250 Hybrid
  • 2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid
  • 2019 Toyota Prius
  • 2019-2020 Toyota Prius Prime
  • 2019 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid

The affected vehicles have a brake booster pump with an accumulator and a pump motor which contains a plastic brush holder to hold the motor brushes. It is possible that the plastic brush holder may have been manufactured improperly, causing one of the brushes to become stuck in the brush holder. If this happens, the brush would be unable to maintain an electrical connection inside the motor and may cause the pump motor to stop operating.

If the pump motor stops operating, multiple warning lights and messages will illuminate, and/or audible chimes will sound. Depending on brake fluid pressure in the accumulator and brake pedal stroke amount, braking assist could be lost completely and the Vehicle Stability Control system will become deactivated. A sudden and complete loss of braking assist while driving could increase the vehicle stopping distance and may increase the risk of a crash. Further, deactivating the Vehicle Stability Control system may cause the subject vehicles to not meet the requirements of FMVSS No. 126, paragraph S5.1.2.

Owners receiving notices will be asked to return to their dealers to have the brake booster pump inspected and replaced as necessary. Toyota’s numbers for this recall are K1L/K0L. Lexus’ numbers for this recall are K2F/KLF. The NHTSA Campaign Number is 19V544000.

2008 Toyota Sienna On The Safety Watch List

Posted on by

Using publicly available data from the NHTSA, manufacturer early warning reports, and the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), The Safety Institute release a list of vehicles which they feel show early signs of potential problems. According to The Safety Institute’s most recent quarterly vehicle safety watch list, released in October 2014, the Toyota Sienna shows repeated problems affecting the power train and suspension. Continue reading →

Toyota Illuminating Airbag Warning Lights

Posted on by

Drivers of certain Toyota and Pontiac vehicles could experience an airbag safety defect that could result in the airbag becoming inoperable. According to reports filed with the NHTSA, the steering column in these vehicles contain a spiral cable assembly which contains the electrical connections to the driver’s airbag module. When the steering wheel is turned, the cable could contact a small point of the retainer and become damaged. The airbag could become deactivated causing it not to deploy during an accident. Drivers of vehicles experiencing this problem will be alerted with an air bag warning lamp. Continue reading →

Toyota And Lexus Hybrid Stalling Problem

Posted on by

Toyota will be recalling certain Toyota and Lexus hybrid vehicles for a problem with the propulsion system that could lead to the vehicle entering a fail safe/limp home mode. The dirvability of the vehicle could be limited resulting in an unexpected stall, increasing the risk of an accident. Approximately 133,081 vehicles could be affected by this problem. Continue reading →