Business is as usual at Toyota. Two more recalls on the way, with one affecting 8,000 2010 Tacomas (Equipped with 4WD) and the other affecting 7,314 2010 Camrys (Unrelated to the last Camry recall).

In the Tacoma, the front driveshaft may have developed cracks during the manufacturing process. These cracks may cause the driveshaft to separate at the joint. So Toyota dealers will be inspecting the driveshafts of the cars, and if cracks are found, replacing them as well. Owners will be notifying through a letter starting mid-March.

Before we move on to the Camry, Automotive News reports that Toyota is inspecting the 2004-2008 Tacoma for possible unintended acceleration issues. They also report that an investigation was previously ran, and concluded that no defect existed. The NHTSA also ran an investigation on the 2006-2007 Tacomas, but took no action in the end, as they thought that the information was too limited to blame a defect.

Now the new Camry recall. 7,314 four-cylinder Camrys have been recalled (By the NHTSA rather than Toyota this time around) as the power steering pressure hose “may be insufficient.” The issue is that the cap between the crimp on the steering pressure hose and the brake tube for the left rear brake might not be enough to stop the brake tube from interfering with the crimp. If this occurs, the brake tube may crack, causing a brake fluid leak which, in turn, reduces braking power. Dealers will be adjusting the brake tubes to fix this, or replacing them if necessary.

Press Release (Toyota):

Toyota Announces Voluntary Recall on 8,000 2010 Model Year Tacoma 4WD Trucks to Inspect the Front Drive Shaft

TORRANCE, Calif., February 12, 2010 – Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc, today announced it will conduct a voluntary safety recall to inspect the front drive shaft on a small production run of certain 2010 model year Tacoma 4WD trucks.  The front shaft in approximately 8,000 vehicles may include a component that contains cracks that developed during the manufacturing process.  As those vehicles are used, the cracks may eventually lead to the separation of the drive shaft at the joint portion.

This condition only involves two specific front drive shaft production lot numbers installed in certain 2010 model year Tacoma 4WD vehicles. No other Toyota or Lexus vehicles are involved.

Dealers will be instructed to perform an inspection to identify the specific lot numbers located on the front drive shaft. Based upon the inspection results, in a limited number of cases, the front drive shaft may need to be replaced.

The inspection is estimated to take ten minutes.  The inspection and/or replacement will be performed at no cost to the vehicle owner.

Toyota will notify owners by first class mail starting in mid-March, 2010.

Detailed information and answers to questions about issues related to this recall are available to customers at www.toyota.com/recall and at the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331.

Press Release (NHTSA):

Report Date : February 15, 2010 at 11:58 AM
NHTSA Campaign ID number : 10V040000

Vehicle Make / Model: Model Year(s):
TOYOTA / CAMRY 2010
Manufacturer: TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC. Mfr’s Report Date: FEB 09, 2010

NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 10V040000
N/A
NHTSA Action Number: N/A
Component: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
Potential Number of Units Affected: 7314

Summary:
TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2010 CAMRYS. THE LENGTH OF THE POWER STEERING PRESSURE HOSE ON VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE 4-CYLINDER (2AR-FE) ENGINE MAY BE INSUFFICIENT, SUCH THAT THE GAP BETWEEN THE CRIMP ON THE PRESSURE HOSE AND THE BRAKE TUBE FOR THE LEFT REAR BRAKE MAY BE INSUFFICIENT. UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES THE BRAKE TUBE MAY INTERFERE WITH THE CRIMP AND MAY WEAR AND THEN PERFORATE.

Consequence:
A BRAKE TUBE PERFORATION MAY RESULT IN BRAKE FLUID LEAKAGE. A LEAK IN BRAKE FLUID MAY IMPACT BRAKING PERFORMANCE INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy:

TOYOTA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND, IF NECESSARY, DEALERS WILL REPLACE OR ADJUST THE BRAKE TUBE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING MARCH 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.

Notes:
OWNERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION’S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV .

Source: Toyota,  NHTSA and Automotive News – sub. req. via Autoblog