Suspension: rearRecall 12V-373 · Lexus and Toyota vehicles
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing recall 12V-373 covers 780,584 Lexus and Toyota vehicles for a suspension: rear problem, reported to NHTSA on August 2, 2012.
Source: NHTSA recall 12V373000 and manufacturer quarterly reports. Started by an NHTSA defect investigation.
The problem
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2006 through 2011 RAV4 and 2010 Lexus HS250h passenger vehicles manufactured from October 2005 through September 2010. If the nuts for adjusting the rear wheel alignment are improperly tightened during service, the rear suspension arm (rear tie rod) may develop unwanted movement and rust, leading to thread damage and eventual failure. Failure of the rear tie rod will cause an abrupt change in the vehicle's alignment.
The risk
Failure of the rear tie rod could cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear tie-rod nut for looseness and replace any suspect tie-rod found loose. Dealers will also affix instructions in multiple places to prevent improper servicing in the future. The recall began on November 30, 2012. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331 or Lexus at 1-800-255-3987.
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
Recall repairs are free. Confirm whether this recall is open on your vehicle by entering its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Vehicles in this recall
Built from October 1, 2005 to August 31, 2010. Not every vehicle in these model years is included; check by VIN.
The investigation behind this recall
- Rear Suspension Arm Assembly FailureNHTSA