Toyota Latches/Locks/Linkages: Latch

Toyota is recalling about 366,572 vehicles over a problem with the latches/locks/linkages. This condition could allow the door to be opened with the inside while the operator believes that the cpl was activated.

Campaign
04V181000
Manufacturer
TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.
Reported
15 April 2004
Vehicles
366,572
Built between
Nov 2000 – Jan 2004
Models
1
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
7 May 2004
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between November 2000 and January 2004. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2001-2004 Toyota HighlanderBuilt November 2000 to January 2004

What the defect is

Certain sport utility vehicles have a child protection lock (cpl) system on both of the rear side doors. When an operator of the vehicle closes the door very hard with the cpl lever set to the lock position, there is a possibility that the lever may contact the body panel, causing the cpl lever to move into the unlock position.

What could happen

This condition could allow the door to be opened with the inside while the operator believes that the cpl was activated. If the door were opened from the inside while the vehicle was in motion, an occupant could fall out and be injured.

What gets fixed

DEALERS WILL SHORTEN THE CPL LEVER. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MAY 7, 2004.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtNovember 2000 to January 2004
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA15 April 2004
  3. Owners notified7 May 2004

Your rights

A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.

That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 15 April 2004.

To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.

Manufacturer contact

Owners should contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331.

Official source

Manufacturer's recall number
SSC 40B
Recalling manufacturer
TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.
Recall initiated by
MFR

Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Additional notes

Toyota recall no. Ssc 40B.CUSTOMERS can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).

Check your own vehicle

This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.

A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.

Same component

Same brand