Toyota Motor Co., Ltd.: Trailer Hitches
Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. reported this defect to federal regulators on Apr 19, 1999 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 20,613. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
TOWING HITCH KITS AND AFTERMARKET TRAILER TOWING WIRE HARNESS CONVERTERS FOR USE ON 1998-1999 LEXUS LX470, AND TOYOTA LAND CRUISERS. DUE TO INADEQUATE WATERPROOFING PERFORMANCE AND IMPROPER INSTALLATION LOCATION OF THE CONVERTER, WHICH IS MOUNTED ON THE EXTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE, AN ELECTRICAL SHORT CIRCUIT COULD OCCUR IF WATER ENTERS THE CONVERTER HOUSING.
The risk
THE SHORT CIRCUIT CAN CAUSE A FAILURE OF THE CONVERTER, AND IF A TRAILER IS BEING TOWED AT THE TIME, CAN ALSO CAUSE FAILURE OF THE TRAILER LIGHTS.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CONVERTER.
4 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 Toyota Towing Hitch Kit | 21 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 1999 Toyota Trailer Harness | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1998 Toyota Towing Hitch Kit | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 Toyota Trailer Harness | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
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 99E012000.
Full record for the 1999 Toyota Towing Hitch Kit → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →