Toyota preliminary evaluation PE12013
Rear Suspension Arm Assembly Failure. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the rear on 3 model years (2006–2008). Opened Jun 4, 2012, closed Sep 13, 2012 after 3 months. It led to safety recall 12V373000, 13V383000. became a recall
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedIn a letter dated August 1, 2012 Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc. (Toyota) submitted a Defect Information Report (NHTSA Recall No. 12V-373) to the NHTSA identifying a safety defect regarding possible separation of the Rear Suspension Arm No. 1 Assembly (arm) at the threaded portion (shaft and turn buckle) of the component in MY 2006 through MY 2011 Toyota RAV4 vehicles built from October 2005 through September 2010 and in MY 2010 Lexus HS250h vehicles manufactured from July 2009 through August 2010. According to Toyota, if the adjustment nuts for the rear wheel alignment are improperly tightened when alignment is performed in service, backlash may develop at the threaded portion of the arm, followed by rust formation. The threads may then wear causing the arm to separate, which may result in a loss of vehicle control. In analysis of both Vehicle Owner Questionnaire (VOQ) data submitted to the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) and consumer complaint data submitted to Toyota, ODI identified 131 non-duplicative reports alleging failure of the subject rear suspension arm (Note:some of the complaints and related service records refer to the arm as a rear tie rod).Six of the complainants allege the failure resulted in some loss of vehicle control. For purposes of this analysis, loss of control events involve alleged complete or partial departure from the intended lane of travel. An additional four complaints reported difficulty maintaining control of the vehicle when the arm failed. Recalled vehicles will be inspected for proper torque of the adjustment nuts and replaced as necessary. In addition, Toyota will take several actions to reduce the potential for improper torque in future alignment procedures. This includes:(1) providing proper tightening sequence and torque specification information to two major wheel alignment equipment manufacturers, who would disseminate the information to alignment shops using their equipment; (2) installation of a clip on each arm with an instructional label showing proper tightening sequence and torque specification (the clip must be removed to perform a wheel alignment); (3) installation of additional labels on the front and back vertical surfaces of the Rear Suspension Arm No. 2 assemblies; and (4) providing an instruction booklet to owners to place in the glove box. This investigation is closed.
A Preliminary Evaluation is the first formal stage: NHTSA has decided the complaints and other information it screened are worth a closer look, and asks the manufacturer for its own data on the condition. The summary is the agency’s own text from its investigation file, unedited; the opening and closing resumes with the full reasoning are on NHTSA’s site under this number.
What this means for an owner
Source: and what happens nextAn investigation is not a finding that a defect exists, and it puts no duty on anyone. NHTSA opens a Preliminary Evaluation when complaints and other reports suggest a condition worth asking the manufacturer about; it upgrades to an Engineering Analysis when the answers warrant testing; it closes either when it recommends a recall, when the manufacturer recalls on its own, or when no defect trend is found. The agency’s own goals are about four months for a petition, eight for a Preliminary Evaluation or a Recall Query and eighteen for an Engineering Analysis; many run longer.
This one became a recall. The campaign page carries the manufacturer’s filed defect, risk and remedy, the build window and every model year covered; whether one specific vehicle is included is settled by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Model years it names
Source: as NHTSA filed themAlso named: 2006 Toyota RAV4; 2007 Toyota RAV4; 2008 Toyota RAV4.
A vehicle page’s investigation list carries the same action; a name here is the scope NHTSA opened, not a list of affected VINs.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects InvestigationIs PE12013 a recall?
No — it is the investigation that led to one. Recall 12V373000, 13V383000 is the campaign; its page carries the remedy.
Is PE12013 still open?
No. It closed on Sep 13, 2012 and led to recall 12V373000, 13V383000.
Which vehicles does PE12013 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 3 model years: 2006 Toyota RAV4, 2007 Toyota RAV4, 2008 Toyota RAV4. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.