NHTSA Complaint #743199 — 1998 TOYOTA 4 RUNNER

THE FREQUENT TAIL LIGHT FAILURES ON MY 4RUNNER IS NOT ONLY A MAJOR NUISANCE BUT ALSO A LATENT SAFETY PROBLEM. MY 1998 4RUNNERS (LEFT OR RIGHT) TAIL LIGHT HAS FAILED TWICE SO FAR AND MY BROTHER'S 1996 4RUNNER HAS HAD AT LEAST 3 FAILURES. I HAVE SEEN MANY OTHER 4RUNNER'S ON THE ROAD WITH SINGLE TAIL LIGHTS OUT. I HAVE MENTIONED IT TO MY DEALER BUT THEY SAY ITS JUST THE BULB. BASED ON MY BROTHER AND MY EXPERIENCE, IT IS USUALLY THE SAME SIDE BULB THAT FAILS SUBSEQUENT TIMES. IT ALSO DOES NOT AFFECT THE BRAKE LIGHTS, ONLY THE REAR RUNNING LIGHTS (LEFT OR RIGHT, NEVER BOTH). I FEEL TOYOTA SHOULD HAVE TO INVESTIGATE THE TAIL LIGHT CIRCUIT AND TAKE CORRECTIVE ACTION. I ALSO BELIEVE THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN UNDERREPORTED BY OWNERS AS THEY JUST GET THE BULB REPLACED AND DO NOT BOTHER TO LOOK INTO IT FURTHER. THIS PROBLEM COULD ALSO POST A DIFFICULT-TO-QUANTIFY SAFETY ISSUE AS MANY 4RUNNER OWNERS DRIVE AROUND MISSING ONE TAIL LIGHT. IT IS ALSO A FINANCIAL ISSUE AS OWNERS NEED TO REPLACE THESE BULBS OFTEN (YEARLY OR LESS) AND CAN BE PULLED OVER BY THE POLICE FOR THIS TRAFFIC VIOLATION (NEW YORK CITY HAS JUST STARTED HEAVILY ENFORCING $20 FINES FOR THIS). IF YOU ARE NOT THE U.S. AGENCY I SHOULD CONTACT WITH THIS PROBLEM, PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHO I SHOULD CONTACT. THANK YOU.*AK