Photo: Toyota
Tenneco, the company that manufactures the regular and NPP exhaust systems of the mid-engine Corvette, is recalling quite a few aftermarket ball joints developed specifically for the 2004 to 2006 first-gen Toyota Tundra pickup truck and the 2004 to 2007 Toyota Sequoia utility vehicle.
The Illinois-based automotive components manufacturer became aware of the issue via a field report of a lower ball joint failure on July 27th, 2021.
Come August, the returned part and three additional parts were analyzed for stud surface hardness, core hardness, housing surface hardness, and case depth. Tenneco Automotive further placed the suspect parts on internal quality hold in September out of an abundance of caution. Fast forward to December 2021, and the company found out that some lots hadn’t been produced right by a Japanese supplier by the name of Senkei Industry Co.
According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “tests indicated that some parts manufactured during the production date range had inadequate induction hardening.” The issue was escalated to the Global Warranty Committee, and not long after that, Tenneco Automotive decided to recall the iffy ball joints on January 9th.
There are no reports of accidents or injuries related to this condition and the aforementioned nameplates. Dealers are to be notified no later than February 18th, while owners will be mailed between March 7th and 11th. Owners will be advised to return their vehicle to their service location to have the substandard ball joints inspected and – if necessary – replaced for free.
Of course, the remedy components are manufactured by a different supplier. They’re also visually distinguishable from the recalled ball joints due to different supplier markings, date codes, and the different color housing.
The recalled components, which are prone to premature wear and failure, are branded MOOG, NAPA, and ACDelco. Also worthy of note, these affected components are marked with the JZ, K1, K2, K3, and K4 lot codes.
Come August, the returned part and three additional parts were analyzed for stud surface hardness, core hardness, housing surface hardness, and case depth. Tenneco Automotive further placed the suspect parts on internal quality hold in September out of an abundance of caution. Fast forward to December 2021, and the company found out that some lots hadn’t been produced right by a Japanese supplier by the name of Senkei Industry Co.
According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “tests indicated that some parts manufactured during the production date range had inadequate induction hardening.” The issue was escalated to the Global Warranty Committee, and not long after that, Tenneco Automotive decided to recall the iffy ball joints on January 9th.
There are no reports of accidents or injuries related to this condition and the aforementioned nameplates. Dealers are to be notified no later than February 18th, while owners will be mailed between March 7th and 11th. Owners will be advised to return their vehicle to their service location to have the substandard ball joints inspected and – if necessary – replaced for free.
Of course, the remedy components are manufactured by a different supplier. They’re also visually distinguishable from the recalled ball joints due to different supplier markings, date codes, and the different color housing.
The recalled components, which are prone to premature wear and failure, are branded MOOG, NAPA, and ACDelco. Also worthy of note, these affected components are marked with the JZ, K1, K2, K3, and K4 lot codes.
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