Toyota Recalls 110,000 Tundras in U.S. for Corrosion

Toyota Motor Corp. will recall about 110,000 older model Tundra pickup trucks in the United States due to corrosion problems, the U.S. government and the automaker said Tuesday.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said the recall involves 2000-2003 models in 20 cold-climate states mainly in the East and Midwest where road salts are used.

The salts can cause a rear portion of the frame to fail and allow the spare tire to fall onto the roadway, the safety agency said.

In addition, safety and company officials said in separate statements that corrosion may damage rear brake lines, increasing crash risk.

The government launched an investigation in October after receiving 20 complaints, most over spare tire separation and a few involving braking.

Toyota is also negotiating final details of its biggest recall, 3.8 million vehicles, over loose floor mats that are suspected of jamming down the accelerator in certain cars.

The twin safety issues buffet Toyota’s hard-earned reputation for quality and safety as it battles U.S. automakers and other overseas manufacturers for business in the struggling North American sales market.

Toyota will contact owners in the specified areas to fix or replace corroded framing. Owners of the same Tundra models in other states can bring their vehicles in on their own for an inspection, and possible remedy.

NHTSA urged owners of Tundras included in the recall to remove the spare tire from the frame.

(Reporting by John Crawley and David Bailey; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)