2022/2023 Tonneau cover recall

Agree completely. Maybe take pictures before and after so that you have evidence that you performed mitigation of the problem. Just a thought.

 

Those 2 hold down bolts loosening may be the most likely issue, but until Toyota says exactly what the problem is that is still just speculation. And, remember, the recall says that covers that are removed from trucks prior to sale be destroyed so that they cannot be reused. Which would be a silly and unnecessarily costly thing to do if all they needed was a couple of better lock washers or nuts. One would think. And when have you ever seen Toyota willingly waste even a penny?

 

I really don’t see how it could come off if fully closed. I am not worried, we live in a lawyer fueled Nanny state - if this was anywhere else besides NA or Europe they would keep on trucking. I will just wait for the official word and then let them give me a brand new one

 

I brought my 2023 to the dealership in hopes of just repairing the LCD recall and having them not remove my Tonneau cover. They said all they have to do is inspect the Tonneau cover and I would be good to go. Service representative indicated he had already completed about 4 inspections of the TC with out any issues. So it is in for LCD repair and TC inspection, will see what they say... Interesting.

 

Did they give you any indication of what specifically they are inspecting?

 

Talked to the service representative and he indicated they check/inspect the bolts, washers, and overall stability of the cover installed and assure nothing is loose or stripped and if all good the cover is fine. Hoping to have truck back soon. Still wonder if there is more to come from this... We will see.

UPDATE: Was on a road trip (not in Tundra) after leaving dealership so did not get to add any additional information but they indicated all recalls were cleared on the vehicle SW update for LCD and Tonneau Cover was inspected. I was in a rush to leave so they indicated they would email me the details as they needed to finish writing up the recall information and I still have not received that email and the notifications on my APP still list the recall; so I will be calling them tomorrow to get details of exactly what they did vs the verbal details from the service representative. All that said I am still skeptical about whether or not the TC issue is truly "resolved" as the Toyota recall website still list "Researching a remedy for the issue" which does not lead me to believe the "rushed" inspection they performed was adequate to 100% address the issue... I will still be paying close attention to this thread and monitoring others experience when/if they visit their dealers on this issue with the Tonneau cover; once I actually get the paperwork back from my visit I will see if I can post a screenshot of what they did to "correct/analyze" the issue. In thinking about this in more detail we have really only seen posts of individuals with loose nuts and one person that reported the twist nut had actually fallen off; but I have yet to hear of anyone actually loosing the cover while driving (of course without remediation that could be next or I missed that story) Sorry for the long winded response!

 

Interesting, but that is in direct contradiction to the plain words of the recall. And what I heard in my phone call with Toyota was not "go to your dealer for an inspection" but "you are strongly advised to remove it now". Apples and oranges. But interesting.

Edit: and based on what seems to have happened here Toyota and the owner have deftly transferred any liability to that dealer. LOL. But nicely played.

 

I'll take pictures to upload, but if I recall correctly the knob pushes up against the bracket that is attached to the side rail. But this bracket has some space above it before it hit the bottom of the cover. I suspect the problem is that there is not enough force on the split washer to get it to compress and it's edges to bite into the knob below to prevent it from turning loose over time. This is because the flex of the bracket allows one to think the knob is tight but is really not tight enough. If there was a spacer between the top of the bracket and the bottom of the cover that would allow one to torque that knob enough to fully compress the split washer. I think....

 

So in the end the MX4 odd not the same?

 

I guess its still all speculation but I can't imagine Toyota telling the Dealerships, who have unsold trucks on the lot with OEM covers to remove the cover and all related hardware, then drill 6 holes in to the cover to render it unusable. All because of a couple of dollars worth of nuts, bolts and washers.

 

Of course it is all just speculation because of Toyota's complete opacity on the issue. But I totally agree it that it could easily be something more serious than the hold down bolts else Toyota wouldn't be destroying the removed covers and probably wouldn't have issued a recall, when a TSB for an inspection would have sufficed. If it were as simple as the bolts, the lock washers, or adding a squirt of Loc-Tite, this would already be over. I believe the only way we will ever really know is when the so-called remedy comes out and we see what work needs to be done or what parts are modified or changed.

My biggest problem is Toyota stonewalling us by not telling us what the issue is and telling us to remove the covers that many of us use and need daily, without providing a timeframe for a fix or an alternate solution like a refund/buyback of the covers so we get on with our mother truckin' lives. In the interim I have written Toyota corporate a letter with copies to a couple of federal agencies. We do what we can...

 

Currently sitting at the dealership and they indicated that the cover should be taken off and stowed in the bed until such time as Toyota can deploy a fix. They also would allow me to keep the cover on and assume the risk should it depart the truck on the highway. I chose to keep it installed and assume the risk. I’ll keep checking the installation and hope for the best and a speedy replacement / fix.

 

IMO, this would be a perfectly acceptable solution but only IF they would tell us what exactly needs to be checked. A general look around is fine for seeing if any bolts or the hold down star nuts are loose or whatever. But if it is something else like the rivets on the mounting plate failing suddenly or maybe even those mounting plates being made with substandard metal and at risk for breaking... or maybe even something else... you will not likely catch that unless you look specifically.

 

Come to think of it on my G2 that I had on my 09 crewmax, it had flat head bolts that went through big round rubber washer/seals on the top of the cover and then through the rail brackets that these hand knobs fastened to from underneath using lock washers. And over time it seemed to become harder to get these knobs to tighten without that bolt turning which meant after a certain amount of tightening everything just kept spinning. That is Unless you pressed down hard on the flat bolt head from up top while tightening below. It was one of a number of things that became a problem with the cover over the years and I never quite figured out what caused it. What had been a 2 minute job became a 10 or 15 minute one as it was very awkward to try to get enough pressure on that bolt head to make the hand nut properly tighten from underneath.

My guess is repeated installation and removal caused the bolt head up top to slightly compress the top aluminum panel and make little dents in it that made it harder for that bolt head to bite in and stop turning. I wonder if there is a similar problem on these.

 

Ohh, I love speculation!!!! My turn!!! So, right now Toyota knows the most likely outcome is them having to buy back/replace all these covers. In a few desperate last gasps of denial, they are attempting to engineer some sort of mediocre fix. This will slow and/or eliminate the frequency of lawsuits to an acceptable and manageable level for Toyota.

 

Exactly. In an information vacuum people LOVE to speculate. That's what we do. The real trick is to not actually BELIEVE or go all in on what you speculate until it is proven to be so.

 

Literally any and every company would do the same exact thing. Anyone expecting Toyota (or any other company) to issue an immediate full refund on the cost of the tonneau doesn’t understand business. Sure it would be the RIGHT thing to do, but if the fix is truly a $10 piece of hardware, and they can get away with not eating the cost of all those tonneaus and their replacements, they will……because they run a business. The holdup is almost certainly with the engineering department manufacturing a solution, corporate accountants mitigating cost and the lawyers absolving themselves on future liabilities. This inevitably takes time because of the infinite red tape. Just my .02 and I would admittedly be pissed if I was in the situation of purchasing a new truck, being unable to use a tonneau that was purchased and no solution in sight.

 

Oh, I understand business well enough to say that you spend and waste the good will of your customers at your peril. If they believe the timeline is short then just say it. If they don't, then give us a refund now. Simple. They have to have a pretty good idea already. This is a tonneau cover for god's sake, not rocket science or anything that needs a month of super computer modeling.

 

In Canada I got the "Interim Notice " on the app today of the tonneau flying off. Under Remedy it says " Toyota is currently preparing parts and repair instructions for the remedy". Absolutely nothing about bring it to the dealer or take it off ASAP. Kind of FYI kinda thing

 

The app down here, at least for me, says similar. Except it is called recall 23TA03 and just says Toyota is currently developing a remedy. The "take it off" language is in the actual recall notice verbiage. If you haven't read that have a look at the linked documents earlier in the thread. And if you call Toyota they will tell you the same thing. Now, we haven't actually received "official" notice yet in writing from Toyota so maybe they will rethink the immediate actions. I guess we'll see soon when we get those.

 

I'm up in Canada as well and got the same notice. I have the truck booked in at the dealer next week and to be honest, they didn't even know there was a bulletin or recall initiated on the tonneau. I'm in the same boat as all the others in this chat, I use the tonneau on a regular basis and cannot go with out it. I will tighten everything up and perhaps throw some medium loctite on there and just keep an eye on it. At the end of the day, if Toyota wants to buy it back then it is what it is and I will find an alternate option but I really think as some of the folks posting above, they will find that $10 part, install it and call it a day.

 

Again, this is just speculation. And speculation that doesn't match up with Toyota removing and *destroying* the covers on unsold Tundras. Just sayin'....

 

Toyota is just like any other business and although is willing to take a loss on certain things, will assess the risk and come up with a solution. Maybe they will end up removing and destroying, hard to say and the situation is completely speculative as you mention.

 

Perhaps the fix will be like what Leer has done with their tri-fold & quad fold covers (yellow tie strap):

 

I'm not opposed to that idea and it isn't overly intrusive.

 

In my world, if Toyota isnt going to include the link for said documents you mention.....I aint going looking for it. App says remedy underway....fine for me.

 

US version:

MY22-23 Tundra, Tundra HV - SAFETY RECALL 23TA03: Tonneau Cover May Come Off While Driving | Toyota Tundra Forum (tundras.com)

 

Again, I have to disagree. If they are willing to take a loss by tossing supposedly good covers for lack of a $10 part, why aren't they taking the "loss" of refunding the $ for those of us who already have these... some like mine for only a few weeks... which would also buy them some cheap goodwill? We can debate what is smart business or not until the cows come home and never all agree. But with what I know about this situation now it seems that what Toyota is doing makes very little sense. My opinion may change when we know more.

 

The ONLY reason they are taking off and destroying them is to completely absolve them of legal liability at this point…..it’s an obvious short term reaction by a company who doesn’t want to get drug into a multi vehicle pile up on the highway costing them millions in settlement and litigation money (no matter how unlikely).

I understand you’re upset, and I would be too.

I do think that the least Toyota could do is refund the cost of the tonneau to each person affected by the recall who has to surrender their tonneau……that’s fair and would allow anyone to use that money toward a new one.