Toyota Recalls Tundra, Lexus Vehicles Over Roll Away Risk

Toyota recently announced a major safety recall over a serious problem for some car owners: malfunctioning brakes.

Some 84,000 Toyota and Lexus vehicles’ electronic parking brakes may fail, the manufacturer recently told federal regulators. ed cars could roll away unexpectedly, increasing the risk of accidents and injuries. That can cause the vehicles to roll away unexpectedly, increasing the risk of accidents and injuries.

The recall covers certain 2022 Toyota Tundra pickup trucks and Lexus NX sport utility vehicles. The cars were produced between November 2021 and August 2022.

“In the subject vehicles, there is a possibility that the Skid Control ECU within the Brake Actuator Assembly may falsely detect an overcurrent condition of the Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) Actuator and enter a failsafe mode,” Toyota said in a notice filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That mode “illuminates the malfunction indicator lamp (MIL), displays a multi-information display (MID) message ‘Parking Brake Malfunction, Visit Your Dealer,’ and prevents the EPB from being engaged or disengaged.”

“If the EPB cannot be engaged, the EPB MIL and MID warnings are ignored, and the vehicle is parked on a grade without being placed into ‘Park,’ the vehicle could roll away, increasing the risk of a crash,” the company warned.

Toyota said it would notify owners of recalled vehicles by the end of October. It will ask owners to bring their vehicles to a local dealer for inspection and repair, free of charge.

Defective Vehicles Pose Risks

These kinds of recalls are unfortunately old hat for Toyota and other major auto manufacturers around the world. They collectively call back millions of vehicles every year, citing a wide range of defects that put everyone on the road at risk.

In August, for example, Toyota announced that it was recalling some 3,500 RAV4 sport utility vehicles over a passenger airbag defect. The company said a seat construction problem could prevent passenger-side airbags from properly deploying in the event of an accident.

Three months earlier, Toyota said it was calling back roughly 460,000 vehicles across models. A software defect may inadvertently disable the cars’ electronic stability control systems, increasing the risk of a crash, according to the company.

California car owners and lessors should be aware that you have some important rights and protections under the state’s lemon law. An experienced lemon law attorney can help you understand those rights and avoid being stuck with a defective vehicle.

The law generally requires carmakers to perform a full slate of repairs on vehicles while they are under warranty. It also forces manufacturers to buy back (or replace, in some situations) cars that they cannot or flat-out refuse to fix. That includes compensating the owner for the purchase price of the vehicles, along with monthly loan payments, financing fees, rental car costs and other related expenses.

Talk with a California Lemon Law Attorney

If you have been stuck with a defective or malfunctioning vehicle, a California lemon law attorney at Bickel Sannipoli APC can help you fight back.  

Call us at (888) 800-1983 or contact us online to speak with a California lemon law attorney.