NHTSA Complaint #10788179 — 2004 TOYOTA TUNDRA

I WAS DRIVING DOWN A SOMEWHAT BUSY 2-LANE ROAD LAST WEEK, GOING APPROXIMATELY 40MPH ON MY WAY TO WORK IN THE MORNING. I HEARD AND FELT A LOUD THUD, AND LOOKED IN MY REARVIEW MIRROR AND SAW A TIRE IN THE ROAD BEHIND ME AND THE CARS BEHIND ME WERE SWERVING TO AVOID IT. I THOUGHT I MIGHT HAVE DRIVEN OVER THE TIRE, AND WONDERED HOW I DIDN'T NOTICE IT IN THE ROAD. WHEN I CAME TO THE STOPLIGHT AT THE NEXT INTERSECTION A LITTLE WAYS DOWN THE ROAD, THE CAR THAT HAD BEEN DRIVING DIRECTLY BEHIND ME PULLED UP BESIDE ME, AND THE DRIVER TOLD ME IT WAS MY SPARE TIRE THAT HAD FALLEN DOWN FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY TRUCK THAT WAS NOW SITTING IN THE ROAD BACK THERE. LUCKILY, NO ONE HAD BEEN INJURED, AND ALL THE CARS HAD BEEN ABLE TO AVOID HITTING IT. AFTER RETRIEVING MY TIRE FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, I NOTICED THE METAL PART OF THE SPARE TIRE HOIST THAT HOLDS THE TIRE TO THE LIFT CABLE SITTING A FEW FEET AWAY IN THE ROAD. THAT METAL PIECE WAS COVERED IN RUST, AND THE MIDDLE PART OF IT WAS COMPLETELY GONE, HAVING GIVEN WAY WHEN THE TIRE FELL OFF. I DID A QUICK SEARCH ONLINE, AND THERE ARE COUNTLESS REPORTS OF OTHER TUNDRA AND TACOMA OWNERS EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM. MY TUNDRA USED TO BE OPERATED IN THE NORTHEAST BY A PREVIOUS OWNER, AND WAS PART OF THE FRAME RECALL EARLIER THIS YEAR FOR HIGHER THAN NORMAL RUST CORROSION ON THE FRAME. IT WARRANTED A COMPLETE FRAME REPLACEMENT THAT WAS COMPLETED IN JULY 2015. NOT SURE WHY THIS PART WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THAT REPLACEMENT, SINCE IT WAS CERTAINLY CORRODED AS WELL! THANKFULLY, NO ONE DRIVING BEHIND ME WHEN THE TIRE FELL OFF HAD BEEN INJURED BY HITTING THE TIRE, BUT IMAGINE IF ONE OF THOSE DRIVERS HAD NOT BEEN FULLY AWAKE THAT MORNING!