← NHTSA complaints

2006 TOYOTA TACOMA — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

fire · 859846 · 2011-06-03

Vehicle

Make
TOYOTA
Model
TACOMA
Year
2006
Manufacturer
Toyota Motor Corporation
Component
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Miles at failure
97,000
Speed
5 mph

Severity

Deaths
0
Injured
0
Fire
Yes
Crash
No
Police report
No
Medical attention
No
Vehicle towed
No

Narrative

USED MY 2006 TOYOTA TACOMA PRERUNNER TO TOW A VEHICLE A SHORT DISTANCE BEFORE A SHORT CIRCUIT IN TRAILER WIRING CAUSED WIRING FIRE IN PRERUNNER---30 AMP FUSE IN TOYOTA FAILED TO PROTECT CIRCUIT, LEADING TO TOTAL TRUCK WIRING MELTDOWN AND RUIN. FUSE WAS OF THE AMPACITY REQUIRED BY TOYOTA--30 AMPS. TRUCK WAS PURCHASED NEW, NEVER INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT, AND NO CHANGES HAD BEEN MADE TO WIRING OR FUSE SYSTEMS. AUTO ELECTRIC REPAIR SHOP REQUIRED $2800 IN PARTS AND $2000 FOR LABOR TO REPAIR MELTED WIRING LOOMS AND FUSE BOX; THEY SUGGESTED THAT FAILURE COULD HAVE RESULTED BECAUSE TOYOTA USES A 30 AMP FUSE ON A #12 WIRE CIRCUIT THAT WILL MELT AND BURN BEFORE THE FUSE BLOWS. (12 GAUGE WIRE TYPICALLY MUST BE PROTECTED BY A 20-AMP FUSE.) TOYOTA (CORPORATE) REFUSES TO DEAL WITH MY ISSUE OR TALK TO ME ABOUT WHETHER THE FAILED FUSE AND MELTDOWN COULD HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY THEIR INSTALLING A FUSE WITH TOO HIGH AN AMPACITY RATING BECAUSE I DID NOT HAVE THE REPAIR DONE BY A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. IS THERE A DANGEROUS DESIGN FLAW WITH THE PRERUNNER? I AM CERTAIN THAT I DID NOTHING TO MY PRERUNNER (AS ITS ONLY OWNER) TO EXPLAIN WHY THE TRUCK NEARLY BURNED UP AND THE WIRING SYSTEM MELTED DOWN (AND WAS COMPLETELY RUINED) SIMPLY BECAUSE OF A SIMPLE SHORT CIRCUIT IN THE TRAILER I TOWED FOR LESS THAN ONE MILE (BEFORE MELTDOWN OCCURRED). I AM HOPEFUL THAT NHTSA MAY BE ABLE TO USE MY INFORMATION TO APPROACH TOYOTA ON THE POTENTIAL DESIGN DEFECT ISSUE AND, CERTAINLY, TO COLLECT MY COMPLAINT WITH AN

Source

Authoritative
NHTSA ODI Flat-File Downloads
ODI Number
10404306
Machine
JSON-LD · Markdown