3rd brake light safety recall

The 3rd brake light recall is supposed to apply to my 2016 Tacoma. When I went to the dealer they said it is not covered because there is a crack in the lens. Well the only reason there is a crack is because water got in there and apparently froze last winter cracking it. There was nothing in the recall notice saying they won’t cover it if the lens is cracked. The dealer says Toyota won’t allow them to cover it. I’m so po’d. It’ll cost $1113.86 to fix it. Who do I contact at Toyota. This is ridiculous.

 

The recall is for the seal on the light leaking water into the cab of the truck. It does not cover damaged lens. IF the light seal was leaking water in the truck, there is a few different steps they would take. First inspect the headliner for water damage and attempt to clean it. If it can be cleaned, they install a new trim ring around the light and seal it. IF they can not clean the headliner, they replace the headliner and light. Third, is if there is "organic growth" (mold). Then they remove the interior, remove all the sound leading from the floor. Have Servpro remediate the mold. Install new sound deadening, carpet and padding, and whatever else is mold damaged. New head liner if it cannot be cleaned and a new light.

 

If i was you,i would take the headliner down in the rear to access the nuts,you can buy an LED brake light pretty reasonable.
https://youtu.be/rFYvxA_tdw0?si=HOoMZPIKLy1Jspvb

 

You can fix it yourself and submit a claim to Toyota - at least that's what I did, not sure if the rules have changed. I had a friend with a business bill me for the repair and I submitted that to Toyota and they reimbursed me including for the cost of a new brake light as the original one obviously failed because it was leaking. I did have the dealer verify there was a leak, but that was before they rolled out the campaign. Now I think you might be able to skip that part, install a new light and submit a claim to Toyota.

 

Is that the OEM price cost just for the 3rd brake light? If so just go aftermarket or see if BAM wholesale has that part and order it yourself. I've seen it all if that's the pricing the dealer gave you for it...

 

Had mine done then had hail damage and the shop redid it again but I asked Toyota to verify it was still an acceptable fix to Toyota recall standards. I just wanted to be sure it wasn’t going to leak. After all that I should have just had the shop pop in an aftermarket unit did research and it’s not that hard for a diy.

 

Contact Toyota, not the dealership. Explain your situation and hopefully they will cover your claim

 

Guys, does anyone know if the 2023's are susceptible to this issue, or did they rectify it? I wonder, because some of the odd quirks present with my 2017 are still present in my 2023.

 

They fixed this.

OP try a different dealership.

 

When I had my 2017 and got mine repaired before they issued the recall I think it was 700 bucks out the door. But once the recall came out Toyota refunded all cost after I provided the information they needed. Honestly if it was me and the brake light still works, I’d just get some sealant and seal around the light. I think the assembly is 200 bucks so if you have the space and means to change it yourself it’s not super expensive to do. The labor of pulling down the headliner and taking the backseats out is what makes it cost so much.

 

The Toyota fix doesn't require pulling the headliner. It's simply a flange that's goes over the existing light from the outside. Silicon is used to seal the light fixture, and the flange is pressed over the fixture and "glued" in place. I had it done proactively on my '17, and the fix looked "factory" to me, and not out of place.