3rd Gen Block Heater Recall

Here is what I went with for a fraction of the price of the Toyota dealer installed block heater:
https://www.etrailer.com/Vehicle-Heaters/Toyota/Tacoma/2019/KH11813.html?VehicleID=201942286

 

Dude, pioneering aint easy.

Thank you so much for doing all this and sharing it. I mean, sorry, obviously, for you having to go through this, but this will be a huge help! And hopefully, the straw that breaks the camels back and gets some real results. This is unacceptable.

I was also wondering if the issue is limited to a toyota supplied one or not? Or just some issue with engine placement and not the heater itself. Like, regardless of what heat you run.

 

And take video of them towing it. Too many times I've seen issues happen as they are loading.

 

On the Canadian prairies the temps have been -30c for the past two weeks, so there’s more pluggin’ in than other winters.

 

The block heater is mandatory in parts of Canada so I expect Toyo Canada to have a record of it. Although it’s food for thought that there’s no mention of a recall for my 2018 VIN, so far. Is mine ok or has it been missed? Either way, I’ve never had to plug it in so probably never will.

 

Two types of fire causes talked about in this thread:
1.Fancy thru the bumper extension cord made of materials that seem to fail and easily catch fire. (might be the design of the plug not performing well in wet, muddy, snowy conditions would be my guess as to the ignition point).
2. The heater element not properly inserted all the way into the port in the block.

My aftermarket Kats Heater draws 3.3 amps and a fairly low 400watts. I wonder what the power draw and consumption is for the Toyota dealer installer block heater?

 

The notice mentions degradation of the power cord over time which might explain why newer 3rd gens aren't affected (yet). So far it seems to be 2017/2018s in cold climates that use the blockheater regularly. Wonder if they are referring to the the actual cord or the orange insulating rubber at the blockheater end which would be subject to extreme temps. I know that on a lot of my work trucks, mostly chevys, the cord gets very brittle and cracked after a few years and they have their own blockheater recalls as well. When it's super cold the cord gets really stiff and brittle and moving it to around to plug in can crack the black insulation on jt, thats probably another reason the factory uses the bumper mounted plug in besides optics. The cords themselves should be higher quality with thicker insulation as a start especially considering the price tag of the factory ones.

 

Another way Tacomas are home wreckers.

 

The lower part of my bug screen covers the block heater bumper connection so there’s no way to plug it in unless I remove that piece. It came with a hole for the plug-in but the hole is in the wrong location. I installed it anyways and made a plastic cover for the blank hole. Turns out probably the best outcome as there’s no temptation to plug in, anytime.

 

Does anyone know if the Toyota block heaters have changed for newer 3rd gens? I'm waiting on a 2022 that's in production and a potential move to Alberta has me looking to add a block heater. I contacted the service manager at my dealer and he said that they haven't received details of a recall and isn't aware of a part update or stop sale. He gave me the part numbers for the package they're currently installing. Not sure if they have changed from those in the recall?

PK5A4-89J10 - block heater
PK5A4-89J25 - extension cable
PK5A4-89J30 - inlet cable
PK5A4-89J40 - home power cable

 

Since the Toyota OEM dealer installed black heater has proven itself to be dangerous, why not get the KATS aftermarket block heater for way less money?
https://www.etrailer.com/question-560348.html

 

Update…

trucks gone now. Finally. Every time I walked out the door I had to look at it haha. Sad….

insurance has been a complete fuck around. Worst insurance company ever. Intact insurance. Get this….I still don’t have a fucking rental car lol. And not a single email from intact regarding the status of anything.

I’m extremely frustrated

 

Sorry to hear man! Here's hoping they get their act together soon and get you some wheels.

 

What a mess. Sorry to hear that

 

I don't know where the issue lies but I do know the cord they have is a joke in the cold weather. Goes absolutely stiff. I've always just used cold weather extension cords to the plug on other vehicles. This proprietary plug means I can't do that. I straightened it out a bit the other day when it was warmer so it will be usable at least when I do need it.

Why wouldn't they make a block heater cord useable at the same temperatures a block heater is needed?

 

Thanks for the link. I'm considering aftermarket options as well and the Kat's heater looks like a good alternative. My preference for now is to keep the truck as "stock" as possible so I was hoping that the OEM heater had changed and wouldn't be an issue on newer trucks. Given that I don't get the truck until the spring and won't have use for the heater until next winter, I may just wait for now and see how this issue plays out. Any known issues with the Kat's heaters?

 

No one in Texas or Mexico where Tacomas are built, has ever used a block heater. Probably never even seen one before or may not know what they are used for.

 

No one at those factories make that decision. The block heater isn't even installed at those factories anyway.

Still makes no sense no matter where the decision makers are.

 

Just to keep everyone updated….

Dealership which is cochrane Toyota. And the reason I say it like this is I know cochrane Toyota trolls these forums…

They’re doing absolutely fuck all. To the extent that I even said “hey, you guys have a used vehicle (I’ve been with them for several years now) I’m interested in buying. Can you guys at least cut me some sort of deal. Maybe just sell the vehicle for what you paid. After all cochrane Toyota installed the block heater on the truck that burnt down. Used car sales manager said “no” we can’t do that. What happened to your truck is between Toyota Canada and you. My response to that is WTF. YOU GUYS LITERALLY REPRESENT TOYOTA CANADA! You sell their product.

Toyota Canada is still investigating. But we all know a major cooperation like that isn’t going to do anything. Basically I’m a good guinea pig for them to use my truck to investigate and that’s it.

Extremely extremely frustrated at this point. Didn’t expect that kind of service from a dealership that I’ve been with for the last 3 vehicles I’ve owned.

Thinking about completely getting out of Toyota to be honest. Been looking at Raptors lately. What are you guys thoughts on this?

 

Bummer dude. Can't blame you since you've had such a bad experience. Hopefully something works out with Toyota Canada