Toyota's Legendary Reliability At Risk As Dealers Refuse Trade-Ins On V6 Tundra
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Toyota, which is commonly associated with peerless reliability and durability, is facing a serious recall involving the Tundra pickup and certain Lexus LX SUVs. The issue? The 3.4-liter V6 engine inside the two models can spontaneously seize up, spelling disaster for owners.
Not only are owners at risk for total engine failure, but dealers are flat-out refusing to accept any 2022-2023 Tundras or Lexus LX SUVs on trade due to the issue and due to the fact that Toyota has yet to release a fix. So, let's take a look at what exactly is going on, how Toyota plans to respond, and what we can expect over the coming weeks.
2022 Toyota Tundra Front Quarter View
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This story is developing, as a fix has not yet been released. The information in this article is the most current and up-to-date available and will be updated with new and relevant information.
What's Happening To The Motor?
Toyota
3.4-Liter V6 Failure Key Points
- Leftover casting material left in cylinders
- The leftover metal shavings can invade the main bearings, causing the motor to seize
- There is currently no approved fix
- Approximately 102,000 units affected
An as-yet-unknown number (the official recall only provides a potential figure) of 3.4-liter twin-turbo motors found within 2022 and 2023 model-year Toyota Tundras and Lexus LX SUVs are infected with leftover metal shavings, a by-product of the block casting process. Basically, once the engines are assembled, the debris is supposed to be removed and the blocks inspected before assembly can take place, ensuring these damaging shavings aren't going to pose an issue.
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However, due to an apparent mistake at the factory, this leftover casting material was left in the blocks and went unnoticed during assembly, which sealed in the damaging particles. Currently, an estimated 102,000 Toyota Tundras and Lexus LX SUVs built between November 2021 and February 2023 are affected.
After the initial engine break-in, these particles will begin to wreak havoc on the cylinder walls and main bearings. The most common fate of engines suffering from particle contamination is a stall resulting from a seized engine, after which the engine is potentially rendered inoperable. As of now, we're unsure which production plant location the affected 3.4 liters came from or if it was a multi-plant mistake.
Current Recall Status
Lexus
As of now, Toyota has been largely silent on the issue other than acknowledging that it exists. The most noise we've heard regarding the issue has come from Toyota and Lexus dealers, who are inundated with angry customers who are trying to trade out their 2022 and 2023 Tundra pickups and LX SUVs. Per a report from The Drive citing reports from owners on various Tundra forums, dealers are refusing to take in these models because they can't be sold until the recall is fixed. So, these vehicles would sit idly for as long as Toyota takes to figure out a concrete fix, and a dealer's worst nightmare is idle inventory.
As for the consumers, Toyota plans to notify owners of affected models by July 29th, 2024. However, it is possible to find out if a Tundra or LX SUV was affected earlier by using Toyota's recall portal. Interestingly, Toyota's iForce Max Hybrid 3.4-liter V6 is not part of the recall despite being virtually identical at block level. Time will tell if that motor gets recalled, as well.
Toyota 1UZ-FE engine, view of engine in darkness
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What Toyota Is Saying About It
Toyota
Toyota has yet to come up with a fix for the recall, despite its grave importance, considering the mistake is destroying entire engines. While the Japanese automaker hasn't released any sort of remedy, it did officially recognize the issue on May 30th of this year.
In a statement released on its official press website, Toyota stated: "There is a possibility that certain machining debris may not have been cleared from the engine when it was produced. In the involved vehicles, this can lead to potential engine knocking, rough running, engine no-start, and/or a loss of motive power. A loss of motive power while driving at higher speeds can increase the risk of a crash."
The automaker also reported its ongoing effort to find a fix for the issue and that owners will be notified of the safety risk by 15 July 2024. A second notice will only be sent when Toyota has a remedy.
Should Dealers Be Rejecting Trade-Ins?
Wikimedia Commons:Gennady Grachev
While you may be able to sympathize, at least partially, with Tundra and LX owners when it comes to dealers refusing potentially affected trade-ins, there's more at play than meets the eye. One of the main duties of a franchise dealership is to act as the manufacturer's point of contact with the public. Because this issue is Toyota's fault and not the consumer's, it would make moral sense to take these vehicles in on trade, have them fixed when possible, and resell them.
However, another huge aspect of being a franchise dealer is the way they operate. Because dealerships are independently owned and run, private money funds them. This means if these dealers buy vehicles they can't sell, only to park them potentially for months while Toyota finds a fix, the owners and employees directly suffer financially, not Toyota. In short, it's hard to point fingers at who's right or wrong in this instance. What is certain is that the customer is currently the unhappy party, and that's also not good for business.
CarBuzz has reached out for comment regarding the situation with Toyota's dealers, but the automaker has not responded to that at this time. The original forum post highlighting these refusals has been removed.
Sources: NHTSA, The Drive, Tundras.com