According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Toyota and Lexus will recall its full-size trucks and SUVs to address an ‘unexpected movement’ issue through a software update.
Specifically, the manufacturer told regulators, “Certain parts of the transmission may not immediately disengage when the vehicle is shifted to the neutral position. This can allow some engine power to continue to be transferred to the wheels and can allow the vehicle to inadvertently creep forward at a low speed (up to 4 mph) when it is on a flat surface and no brakes are applied, leading to an increased risk of a crash.”
The issue affects 280,663 examples of the 2022-2024 Toyota Tundra, including both gasoline-only and hybrid iForce Max models. The recall also covers the 2023-2024 Toyota Sequoia and the 2022-2024 Lexus LX600. Most vehicles in the campaign were sold in the U.S., though a small number were sold in Puerto Rico. The manufacturer says it cannot estimate the number of involved vehicles that actually have the defect. Even though the report says 1% of vehicles are estimated to have the problem, the NHTSA requires automakers to enter a number in the portal, so “1” for the purposes of this recall means “unknown”.
To fix the problem, dealer technicians will install a free software update for the transmission control ECU. Since all the affected vehicles are still covered under warranty, there’s no concern of reimbursing owners for fixing the issue out-of-pocket.
Owners should receive letters in the mail about the recall between April 7 and April 21, 2024. Toyota and Lexus’ recall numbers for this campaign are 24TA02 and 24LA02, respectively. You can find out more information by going to Toyota’s recall site or Lexus’ recall website, or through the NHTSA’s recall page. The NHTSA designates this recall 24V-125.
