2013 Toyota Tacoma

Issue: 
This recall is for certain block heater kits installed on certain vehicles or sold as accessories at Toyota or Lexus dealerships. 

On certain vehicles, the engine block heater cable may not have enough heat protection and could be damaged by high temperatures. If this happens, the cable could short circuit while plugged in, and cause the wiring to overheat or melt. 

Note: This recall only affects the following block heater/cord part numbers: 

C014003034                         PK5A408J09                         PU14000904 
C014003151                         PK5A408J13                         PU14000905 
C014000885                         PK5A489J11                         PU14000907 
C014000888                         PK5A489J22                         PU14000909 
C014000907                         PK5A410H00                        PU14000911 
C014100904                         PU14000900                         PU14000913 
C014100907                         PU14000901                         PU14003571 
C014100911                         PU14000902                         PK5A489J14 
PK5A408J05                        PU14000903 

Safety Risk: 
Engine block heater wiring that overheats or melts could create the risk of a fire. 

Corrective Actions: 
Toyota recommends that you should stop using the engine block heater immediately. Toyota will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to disable the engine block heater. For some vehicles, the corrective actions for this recall are under development. For others, a new engine block heater cannot be installed, and the owner will receive a refund of the purchase price of the engine block heater.

On certain vehicles, a manufacturing defect could affect the functioning of the electric brake actuator, illuminating various warning lights in the instrument panel of the vehicle and disabling the antilock braking system (ABS), traction control and vehicle stability control systems. This could increase the risk of a crash causing injury and/or property damage. Correction: Dealers will update the vehicle stability control ECU software and affect repairs as necessary.

On certain vehicles equipped with four-cylinder engines, a manufacturing defect could cause the engine valve springs to break, potentially causing abnormal noise, rough engine performance, and in some cases, a sudden loss of motive power while driving. This could increase the risk of a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will replace the valve springs.

On certain vehicles equipped with an optional tonneau cover where the front-most panel can be opened with the vehicle ignition key, the lock cylinder could bind. If the lock cylinder were to bind in the open position, the panel may not remain closed and the tonneau cover assembly could separate from the vehicle while it is being driven. This could potentially result in property damage and pose a hazard to other road users. Correction: Dealers will affect repairs when service parts become available. In the interim, the panel release mechanism will be disabled or the tonneau cover removed, at the owner's choice.