Toyota Motor Corporation announced that they will be recalling certain models of the 2007 Toyota Tundra. They stated that on certain 4 wheel drive pickup trucks, due to the improper heat treatment of the slip yokes that had been reworked during the manufacturing process, the hardness of the slip yoke may be insufficient.

In this condition, there is a possibility that the yoke may break causing the propeller shaft to seperate at the joint and come into contact with the road surface or the fuel tank which could result in a loss of vehicle control or a fuel leak.

Dealers will inspect the slip yoke and replace the propeller shaft if necessary free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during January 2008. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.

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Toyota Motor Corp. is recalling 15,600 new Tundra large pickups because a rear driveshaft can separate and cause the wheels to stop turning, a setback in the company’s challenge to U.S. rivals’ dominance in such trucks.
The recall covers four-wheel drive versions of the 2007 Tundra, Toyota said Friday. There has been one occurrence of the problem, with no accidents or injuries, the company said.

The flaw follows an earlier announcement by Toyota that it would replace V8 engines in 20 of the 2007 trucks because of defective camshafts. The revamped Tundra also failed to win top safety scores for all model types in National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tests.
Friday’s recall is “small in terms of numbers, but when you look at the number of incidents Toyota has had on the Tundra, it begins to add up,” said Dennis Virag, president of Automotive Consulting Group in Ann Arbor. “Pickups are a different breed of animal. Toyota is still on a learning curve.”

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The corporate culture that has charged Toyota’s ascendance in the automotive world isn’t without its pitfalls. Pride in quality products has driven the automaker for decades and the recent spate of issues with the Tundra – from snapping camshafts, cracking tailgates and faulty torque converters – is making Toyota executives realize that exponential growth is not without its pains.

Speaking with Automotive News at the Tokyo Motor Show, ToMoCo’s global manufacturing exec admitted that problems with the automaker’s full-size pickup have caused “shame” within the company. Takeshi Uchiyamada cited the rapid expansion of Toyota’s production facilities, increased sales and issues with new products as being the major dilemmas facing the automaker, but that all these problems are being addressed. Recognizing the issue is half the battle, but time will tell whether or not Toyota’s break-neck pace will continue to hamper the Japanese firm’s growth.

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by John Neff

Pickuptruck.com has updated his report on the story surrounding the failure of 20 camshaft in the 2007 Toyota Tundra’s 5.7L V8 engine. Levine noticed that Toyota has already posted on two internet forums expressing regret to Tundra owners over the incident. Though the author’s name was not provided, identical posts were published by “TMSUSA” on ToyotaNation.com and TundraSolutions.com that address customer concerns and provide this expression of remorse:

“Although the number of affected Tundras is very small, we very much regret that even one of our trucks was manufactured with a camshaft processing flaw and certainly any inconvenience caused to our customers.”

Meanwhile, Levine also tracked down a consultant who confirms the estimate we originally reported that it will cost $5,000 to swap out each engine that experiences a failed camshaft. Toyota will certainly pay the estimated $100,000 to repair the 20 trucks already known to have experienced a camshaft failure, but the looming question that’s yet to be answered is how many more trucks might need to have their engine replaced? Toyota Spokesperson Bill Kwong told Levine, “Our dealers have approximately 1,600 new Tundras nationwide for disposal as a loaner vehicle while a customer’s truck is being repaired, and that doesn’t include older Tundras and Tacomas.” While meant more as an assurance that the company will do whatever it can to help out customers who find themselves with an affected engine, that statement also implies Toyota is at least prepared for the number to grow.

[Source: Pickuptruck.com]

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