Toyota Suspension: Lower Ball Joint

Toyota is recalling about 533,124 vehicles over a problem with the suspension. In extreme cases, if the vehicle is continuously operated in this condition, the lower ball joint may separate from the knuckle and could cause a loss of vehicle control.

Campaign
07V013000
Manufacturer
TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.
Reported
19 January 2007
Vehicles
533,124
Built between
Aug 2003 – Nov 2006
Models
2
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
NHTSA investigation
Owners notified
28 February 2007
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between August 2003 and November 2006. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2004-2007 Toyota SequoiaBuilt August 2003 to November 2006
  • 2004-2006 Toyota TundraBuilt August 2003 to November 2006

What the defect is

On certain trucks and mini vans, due to possible improper finishing of the front suspension lower ball joint, some ball joints may experience an incidental deterioration of the internal lubrication. This may cause the ball joint to wear and loosen prematurely, which could result in increased steering effort, reduced vehicle self-centering, and noise in the front suspension.

What could happen

In extreme cases, if the vehicle is continuously operated in this condition, the lower ball joint may separate from the knuckle and could cause a loss of vehicle control.

What gets fixed

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT SUSPENSION LOWER BALL JOINTS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 28, 2007.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtAugust 2003 to November 2006
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA19 January 2007
  3. Owners notified28 February 2007

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 19 January 2007.

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 may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331.

Official source

Manufacturer's recall number
70B
Recalling manufacturer
TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.
Recall initiated by
ODI

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. 70B.CUSTOMERS 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.

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