Toyota Recalls 381,000 Tacoma Pickups Over Crash Risk

Toyota is recalling about 381,000 of its Tacoma pickups because a part could separate from a vehicle’s rear axle, increasing the risk of a crash.

In a Feb. 27 statement, the company said welding debris left on the ends of the rear axle assembly during manufacturing could cause retaining nuts to loosen and eventually fall off. That could cause a part to separate from the axle. “If separation occurs, this can affect vehicle stability and brake performance, increasing the risk of a crash,” the company said in its statement.

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The announcement comes less than a week after the manufacturer said it was recalling about 280,000 Tundra, Sequoia and Lexus LX 600 vehicles for a transmission issue that could cause the vehicles to creep forward when shifted into neutral. Toyota issued two other, smaller recalls of vehicles this year, along with a “do not drive” advisory for some of its 2003-2005 models that use recalled Takata airbags.

The latest recall covers certain Tacomas from the 2022 and 2023 model years. Toyota said customers will be notified by mail by late April. Dealers will inspect vehicles and make repairs, if needed, at no cost, the company said.

Toyota didn’t announce whether the issue had caused any crashes or injuries.

Customers can enter their Tacoma’s vehicle identification number (VIN) at Toyota.com/recall or nhtsa.gov/recalls to see if their truck is in the recall group. They can call Toyota customer support at 1-800-331-4331 if they have questions.