Toyota Motor North America, Inc.: Suspension › Front › Control Arm › Lower Ball Joint
Toyota Motor North America, Inc. reported this defect to federal regulators on May 17, 2005 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 768,379. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, DUE TO A MANUFACTURING ISSUE IN THE FRONT SUSPENSION LOWER BALL JOINT, THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT THE SURFACE OF THE BALL OF THE JOINT MAY HAVE BEEN SCRATCHED. THE BALL JOINT MAY EVENTUALLY EXPERIENCE EXCESSIVE WEAR AND LOOSENESS, RESULTING IN INCREASED STEERING EFFORT.
The risk
THE LOWER BALL JOINT MAY SEPARATE FROM THE KNUCKLE CAUSING LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL AND A CRASH COULD OCCUR.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT SUSPENSION LOWER BALL JOINTS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 5, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
12 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 Toyota Sequoia | 380 | 9 | 1 | 17 |
| 2004 Toyota Tacoma | 415 | 5 | 3 | 27 |
| 2004 Toyota Tundra | 466 | 13 | 1 | 25 |
| 2003 Toyota Sequoia | 565 | 7 | 1 | 16 |
| 2003 Toyota Tacoma | 360 | 5 | 1 | 30 |
| 2003 Toyota Tundra | 399 | 10 | 3 | 26 |
| 2002 Toyota 4Runner | 225 | 3 | 3 | 19 |
| 2002 Toyota Sequoia | 666 | 8 | 1 | 22 |
| 2002 Toyota Tacoma | 333 | 5 | 3 | 26 |
| 2002 Toyota Tundra | 482 | 6 | 1 | 30 |
| 2001 Toyota 4Runner | 185 | 3 | 1 | 10 |
| 2001 Toyota Tacoma | 396 | 6 | 4 | 40 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 05V225000.
Full record for the 2004 Toyota Sequoia → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →