Toyota recalls 22000 trucks and SUVs over tire pressure risks

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced that Toyota Motor Company is recalling 22,000 pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles from the 2008-2011 model years because these models do not comply to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards pertaining to factory-equipped tire pressure monitoring systems.

This new Toyota recall affects select 2008-2011 Toyota Land Cruiser, FJ Cruiser and Sequoia sport utility vehicles along with 2008-2011 Toyota Tacoma and Tundra pickups that are equipped with the factory tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS). According to the NHTSA, these 22,000 Toyota trucks and SUVs have a factory-equipped tire pressure monitoring system that was not calibrated properly after authorized accessory wheels from Toyota were added. It seems that when these option wheels were fitted onto the vehicles prior to being sold, the TPMS may not have been re calibrated for those new tires and wheels. The way that the TPMS is set from the factory will not cause the system to illuminate the warning light until a pressure level below the required minimum pressure levels. In short, the government doesn’t require tire pressure monitoring systems but in vehicles that do have them, the feds set a certain pressure level where the warning light comes on and in the vehicles affected by this recall, the warning light doesn’t come on at the level that the government deems “safe”.

Because the vehicles affected by this new Toyota truck and SUV recall may not alert the driver, the tire pressure could drop below a point where the government deems it to be unsafe and there you have your cause for a safety recall. The NHTSA announcement makes no mention of accidents or injuries stemming from this problem but considering how simple the fix is, Toyota is being proactive and getting those vehicles back to the dealers. After all, with the number of Toyota recalls over the past few months, 22,000 more vehicles is little more than a drop in the bucket.

Toyota has not announced a schedule for the official beginning of this tire pressure monitoring system recall but it should go without saying that by simply checking your tire pressure from time to time, you can prevent any chance of this recall causing any problem for you or your vehicle. When this recall does commence, it should be a short, simple fix as it is nothing more than a technician connecting to the on-board diagnostics system and adjusting the warning light point of the TPMS.

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