| Components - Details | |
|---|---|
| NHTSA Complaint Number: 002231448 | Incident Date: Mar, 08 2002 |
| Consumer's City: KENT | Consumer's State: WA |
| Vehicle Transmission Type: MAN | Manufacturers Name: Toyota Motor Corporation |
| Model Name: TACOMA | Model Year: 1996 |
| Vehicle Involved in a Crash: No | Component's Description: Suspension:rear:springs:leaf spring assembly:leaf |
| Vehicle Involved in a Fire: No | Persons Injured: 0 |
| Vehicle's VIN#: | Date added to File: May, 25 2021 |
| Date Complaint Received: Aug, 24 2003 | Complaint Type: IVOQ |
| Incident Reported To Police: No | Purchase Date: Aug, 18 1996 |
| Was Original Owner: Yes | Anti-lock Brakes: No |
| Number of Cylinders: 4 | Date of Manufacturer: - |
| Was Vehicle Towed: - | Description of the Complaints: Bad rear leaf springs, causing extreme instability. vehicle: 1996 toyota tacoma 4x4 regular cab, regular bed, 4cylinder. the middle rear leaf spring has a tendancy to break, even under light loads.*ak on my truck, the driver's side broke at around 100,000 miles, the passenger side broke at about 110,000 miles. this created two problems: 1) the rear of the truck tends to leave the ground on even small bumps. 2) there is less weight towards the front of the vehicle, causing a serious degradation in steering control. my springs broke with no load, i heard it happen each time. i contacted a toyota dealership expecting there is some sort of recall on these springs, they said no, but there was a 'technical bulletin' for replacement of these springs. toyota would not pay for the replacement, except if under warranty. (my warranty expired at 100,000 miles) they wanted $345 each side, plus labor to have the problem fixed. there was no way i could afford it. i drove around with for a year and a half with a broken leaf spring on each side, wondering when i would get in a crash. how many other tacoma's out there have this same problem? many! i did some research into fixing the problem myself. i called a local toyota repair shop (not the dealership), they stated that this is a major and very very common problem with 1996 tacoma's, that i was the fourth caller for that day alone asking about the springs. doing more research on the internet, i learned about countless cases of both leaf springs breaking, with and without a load. this needs to be a safety recall because the springs are prone to failure and the vehicle is extremely unstable when they are broken. i have high quality digital photo's available, the web site is still being developed http://tacomasprings.home.comcast.net email or call, i can send out the whole cd, i have more than 50 photos total, all taken at 3.1megpixel. otar@fastermail.com thank you. sean |
