This was a bad day for two companies making vehicles that have an off-road-ready aura. The Toyota Tacoma has a roughly 381,000-truck recall on the 2022-23 Tacoma, which appears to be roughly the entire run, because welding debris on the ends of the rear axle assembly could loosen the retaining nuts; the axle can separate as a result. This has major implications including brake failure.
Jeep executives must have appreciated the timing of that, because they just announced a 340,000-car recall for the 2021-23 Jeep Grand Cherokee. This was a less severe but still serious issue: the upper control arm pinch bolts may fail, causing the ball joint and steering knuckle to separate. When that happens the wheel can fall outwards, and the driver can easily lose control. There have been 18 warranty claims but, somewhat surprisingly, no crashes or injuries.
Recall numbers are for the US only; globally, numbers will likely be higher (around 400,000 for the Toyota Tacoma). The vast majority of Grand Cherokees are sold in the US and Canada, but it is a global vehicle.
