Yet another recall for Toyota, as the 2000-2003 Toyota Tundra in the U.S. “Salt Belt” have been recalled due to rust issues.

There are 110,000 affected cars. The issue is that there can be excessive rust on the rear crossmember, which could result in the spare tire falling off, or even failure of the rear brake line.

The states in the affected “Salt Belt” are Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.

Toyota dealers will inspect the cars and replace rear crossmembers if necessary. They will also apply a corrosion-resistant compound to it. If parts are unavailable, a temporary fix will be to remove the spare tire and tie it to the truck bed, though you still run the risk of rear brake failure in this case. Also, Toyota has plans for the 2004-2006 Tundras as well. The investigation didn’t find any rust problems with them, but Toyota will be working on something to prevent any rust from occurring, so if you own one of those, there may be a recall or just an addition to one of your next maintenances coming up.

The recall will begin December 15th. If you own one of these cars, my own advice is to not drive it if possible. Rear brake failure isn’t exactly safe. Toyota’s own advice though is to simply remove the spare tire, but you still run the risk of brake failure in that case. Contact your local dealership to arrange for the fix.

Source: Inside Line