NHTSA Complaint #10943863 — 2012 TOYOTA TACOMA

2012 TACOMA WITH 91,000 MILES: WHILE LEAVING WORK AND TRYING TO ACCELERATE ONTO HIGHWAY THE "CHECK ENGINE" AND "TRAC OFF" LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. VEHICLE WENT INTO "LIMP MODE" AND WOULD NOT GO FASTER THAN 35 MPH. I HAD TO QUICKLY PULL OFF THE ROAD AS TO NOT CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. I TOOK VEHICLE TO MAC HAIK TOYOTA AND RECEIVED THE CODE P2445. I HAD TO REPLACE AIR SWITCH VALVE ASSEMBLY $690, AIR W/BRA PUMP ASSEMBLY $813, AIR TUBE GASKETS $132, LABOR $610. TOTAL $2063!!!! FROM RESEARCHING, THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH 2012 TACOMAS, AND HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN AN ISSUE WITH OLDER TUNDRAS, WHICH TOYOTA ISSUED A TSB FOR. TOYOTA REFUSES TO REPAIR THIS UNDER WARRANTY (FEDERAL EMISSIONS) EVEN THOUGH THE FAILED PART IS DIRECTLY TIED TO THE EMISSIONS SYSTEM! "THE SYSTEM IS USED TO PUMP ADDITIONAL AIR INTO THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD UPON STARTUP TO DILUTE THE OVER-RICH CONDITIONS THAT LEAD TO INCREASED POLLUTION. (HOW IS THAT NOT AN EMISSIONS RELATED PART?) THE FAILURE OR WARPING OF THE ONE-WAY CHECK VALVE CAUSES HOT EXHAUST GASES TO BACKFLOW INTO THE SOLENOID, AND MELTING THE GASKETS. THIS ENDS UP BLOCKING THE SEALING PLATE AND CAUSING IT TO REMAIN IN THE OPEN POSITION. THE DANGER IS THAT THE HOT EXHAUST IS THEN FED INTO A PLASTIC AIR PUMP CAUSING IT TO POTENTIALLY MELT OR CATCH FIRE!" THE FACT THAT THIS FORCES THE VEHICLE INTO "LIMP MODE" IS ALSO A HUGE SAFETY CONCERN AS IT WILL NOT ALLOW THE VEHICLE TO TRAVEL ABOVE 35 MPH AND COULD LEAD TO SERIOUS ACCIDENTS IF TRAVELING AT HIGH SPEED ON THE INTERSTATE OR HIGHWAY DUE TO THE UNEXPECTED, SUDDEN DECELERATION. FAILED ASSEMBLY IS TOYOTA PART NUMBER : 25710-31020. THIS PART NUMBER HAS BEEN SUPERSEDED BY P/N: 25710-31022. *TR