Leaf Spring Recall Letter

So I ordered a set of HD 4 leak packs from wheeler's and i'm pretty happy with them! Took me about 8 hours and I was a little sore the next day. I read somewhere on here about somebody who did it in 3 hours but i'm a little skeptical about that, must not live in the rust belt.
Anyhow, what I found hiding behind the u-bolt on the driver's side was a bit alarming, the lower leaf, the flat one, was CRACKED! I would have never seen it if I had not removed the u-bolt. Makes me wonder how long it was like that. I never noticed anything wrong, no weird noises or vibrations. Wonder how many people are riding around with cracked leafs and don't even know it. Hopefully I can get toyota to pay for the leaf packs.

 

I talked to my local service department manager and what he says is that they are replacing all leaf spring packs with improved ones. I've also seen speculation that all they are doing is adding a retainer clip to the existing defective springs so I decided to do a little research. Here's what I came up with from safercar.gov: There are two attached PDFs that outline the fix and both say they are replacing the leaf springs. The dealer said that is what's taking so long. The suppliers are having to manufacture 711,000 new sets of springs on top of their regular demand for new vehicles. He said Toyota told them they would be ready sometime this spring even though I don't see that happening. Also says Toyota will reimburse those who had to pay for fixes before the remedy was available.

 

A guy I was on jury duty with said Toyota replaced his leaf springs when they swapped his frame. I didn't get a chance to get more details.

 

Started swapping out the stock leafs with Dakars today. Will Toyota reimburse me for them?

 

I'm sure if you go aftermarket on the springs - it's your problem .
Sarge

 

Would they want the old packs, or can I toss those?

 

Per my letter....

mail copy of your repair order, proof of payment, and ownership to....also some crap about refer to reimbursement checklist details. Should be in your letter.

Toyota motors USA
Toyota customer experience
19001 south western avenue
Torrance, CA 90509


Don't feel sorry for Toyota.....they have 50 -60 Billion dollars in cash sitting around.

As a shareholder, I wish they would increase the dividend......this cash belongs to the shareholders.

 

So I bought second hand all pro springs. Reimbersment sound out of the question for me. Am I wrong

 

From Toyota....

If you have previously paid for repair to your vehicle for this specific condition prior to receiving this letter, we will provide you instructions for reimbursement consideration in the second owner letter once the remedy preparations are completed.​

Second owner letter has not been sent yet to my knowledge.

My previous post was information I accidentally took from the DRL problem letter.....not the leaf spring safety recall notice.

Its all so terribly confusing.......I have so many letters from Toyota...... floor mats, DRL's, frame rust, and leaf springs......when will it all end.

BB

 

I guess we will see if I qualify or not

 

The check is in the mail.

 

Stopped by the dealer for a few plastic body clips. Asked the service guy about possible reimbursement for my new springs. He said I'd have to wait for the letter that has the "fix" for the leaf spring recall, which might be 6-8 weeks from now. He made it sound like it should be no problem after that, so we'll see.

 

Bumpski

 

Did anyone get reimbursed or approved to be reimbursed for changing their leafs?

 

I had mine done and generally think it's an improvement. However, the truck is drifting right now, so I'm going to have an alignment done by someone other than the dealer. It has been awhile in any case so that doesn't give me much heartburn. My sense is the with the new 4 vs. 3 leaf springs, the rear is slightly under-damped, so though the ride is improved overall, it feels slightly floaty when going over multiple bumps.

 

I will say the the springs were tightened with the truck on the lift, no load on them. Not only is that incorrect, but I'll also assume the tech used an impact and over tightened them, binding them.

Lead spring bolts are typically only torqued to 40 ft lb.

 

Has anyone been reimbursed replacing the broken stock springs with aftermarket?