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
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, long-term exposure to high absolute humidity and temperature, combined with high temperature cycling, could eventually degrade the propellant contained in the passenger frontal airbag. This could cause the airbag to deploy with more force than normal. As a result, if the vehicle were involved in a collision that warrants airbag deployment, fragments could be propelled toward vehicle occupants, and the airbag assembly could be damaged, preventing proper function. These issues could increase the risk of injury. Correction: Depending on the model, dealers will either replace the passenger frontal airbag inflator or airbag assembly. Note: Canadian climate results in the propellant degrading slowly. The recall is being conducted as a precaution to address future risk, and is expected to replace airbag inflators before their function would be affected.
On certain vehicles, the fuel delivery pipes in the engine compartment may have been produced with particles from the anti-corrosion plating on the gasket seating surface where the fuel pressure sensor is installed. This could affect the sealing properties of the gasket seated between the pressure sensor and the pipe, potentially resulting in a fuel leak. A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire causing injury and/or property damage. Correction: Dealers will replace the gasket and repair the gasket seating surface.
On certain vehicles, the wiper arm securing nuts could have been insufficiently tightened during assembly. If the movement of the wipers is restricted by an external load, such as heavy snow on the windshield, the wiper arms could slip and one or both wipers could become inoperative. If this occurs, driver visibility could be reduced, which could increase the risk of a crash causing injury and/or property damage. Correction: Dealers will clean the mating surface of the wiper arm and motor shaft and install improved wiper arm nuts.
On certain vehicles, the accelerator pedal may become stuck in the wide open position due to an unsecured or incompatible driver's floor mat. A stuck open accelerator pedal may result in very high vehicle speeds and make it difficult to stop the vehicle, which could cause a crash, serious injury or death. Correction: Dealers will reconfigure the shape of the accelerator pedal. Certain models will also have the shape of the floor underneath the accelerator pedal modified and/or a brake override system installed.
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