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Recall of the Recall?? ( Lower suspension arms )

114K views 281 replies 67 participants last post by  RichUK 
#1 ·
Got a notice on the Toyota.com/owners website that the last suspension recall wasn't adequate to solve the lower suspension arm corrosion issue, and that now the rear suspension will be epoxied in position, and no longer adjustable. I'm going to try to get local dealer to throw in a 4-wheel alignment for the trouble I've gone through.
 
#2 ·
Looks like no remedy yet:

"
At the present time, Toyota is developing a remedy for this safety recall.
What is the Condition? In the Rear Suspension Arm No.1 Assembly ("arm"), if the nuts for adjusting the rear wheel alignment are not tightened following the proper procedure and torque specification when vehicle alignment service is performed, backlash may develop at the thread portion of the arm (shaft and turn-buckle), followed by formation of rust. If this occurs, threads may wear, causing the arm to separate, which could result in the loss of vehicle control.
When will the Remedy be Available: Toyota anticipates that it will take several months to prepare the remedy. At which time, Toyota will re-notify owners of covered vehicles by first class mail. If a driver hears an abnormal noise from the rear of the vehicle the driver should contact any authorized Toyota dealer for diagnosis."
 
#3 ·
makes me want to get an alignment done before the epoxy is applied.
But I did not want to buy new tires until next year.
May be I'll wait until after I buy new tires and get a 4-wheel alignment. I suppose this will be a limited time recall; will have to wait and see what they do in Canada.
 
#11 ·
This second recall is for the birds. Toyota is saying they can't trust their own mechanics to get the job done right so we'll just glue it instead and make bucks on replaced control arms. Screw the customer! I've never heard such BS. I'll wait till there's a final remedy. Had an alignment done a few months ago. They had to adjust the driver's side rear. Had I had this second recall done they would have had to replace the arm. I watched them tighten it back up. It was done correctly. There's no rust here in southern Cal. Screw this GD recall!
 
#13 ·
i got my recall in the letter several days ago. just wondering how many of you guys have scheduled an appointment with the dealer and got it done? i feel iffy about having them use epoxy to take away the adjustable suspension.
 
#17 ·
To say I find Toyota's remedy to this problem unsatisfactory is an understatement! I doubt I will be allowing my vehicle to be dealt with by way of an 'Epoxy' fix unless they give me a written undertaking that should my vehicle require to be re-aligned regarding the rear suspension arms at any time in the future, that they will bear the full cost of replacing the arms. My understanding of this 'fix' with the epoxy, renders any further adjustment of the arm impossible. In the meantime I have sprayed the arms with 'Rust Check' fluid to combat the build up of rust on this component, something I do with all suspension parts. I do this twice a year, it a pretty cheap and easy job to do and it seems to keep things looking pretty good rust wise. Here's hoping Toyota come up with something better than their current 'boot strapping' fix. Quite frankly it makes them look pretty inept if this 'epoxy' effort is the best they can do and hardly engenders confidence in the product by current vehicle owners, not to mention prospective customers.
 
#23 ·
i got this recall done back in feb and they did an alignment before putting the epoxy on. im glad toyota is at least addressing the issue but still wish there was some other alternative than epoxying the adjustable arms.
 
#24 ·
I'm not going to do this second recall. It's a half-a$$ solution like the first one. My RAV4 isn't out of alignment with my new tires but I am planning on doing new shocks and struts soon and I will want an alignment then.

Really disappointed in Toyota about this. So much so I am going to wait for the new Chevy Colorado rather than buy the Tacoma I was pretty much set on.
 
#25 ·
I had originally had this recall scheduled back in February but back then a series of snowstorms meant a lot of juggling in my schedules so I cancelled to wait for spring.

I haven't received anything new in the mail, or called yet. I'm also not thrilled about their rather drastic epoxy solution, but if it has to be done, it has to be done.

So my question is for the knowledgeable people here is - *does* it have to be done? Should I wait for another solution?

I have a 2007 I4 Sport with about 82,000 miles and I love it and want to keep it in good shape for a long time.
 
#27 ·
I think I'll wait for the spiral cable recall and get them both done on the same visit.
 
#30 ·
#29 ·
It seems that they are inspecting them and if there is rust on the threads they have to replace it before applying epoxy. Mine are only 4 months old but there is already visible rust on the threads, so it seems like even if they didn't epoxy it, the rust would prevent them from being adjusted in a couple of years anyway. I was thinking about lowering the suspension but now I don't think I will since I'm not sure if the camber adjustment is affected by this.
 
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