Toyota is recalling some 2017 Tundras and 2018 Sequoia and Tundra models. The 2017 Toyota Tundra recall is for a simple problem: "One or more of the bolts attaching the left rear seat to the floor may not have been properly fastened." The solution is also simple: bring it in to your local dealer and the service department will tighten the bolts. Until owners receive recall notice in mid-March, drive extra careful with rear-seat passengers aboard as there is increased risk of injury in the event of a collision.

2018 Tundras and Sequoias, one of the onboard self-diagnostic checks might "unnecessarily turn off the Vehicle Stability Control System" and deactivated VSC leaves drivers vulnerable to greater risk of a loss of control and potentially a crash. Owners of the 65,000 units affected by this recall should also be receiving notification by mail in mid-March, but can find out earlier by entering their VIN in the NHTSA recall finder tool: nhtsa.gov/recalls. This last one makes us eager for the proliferation of over-the-air updates, as a software issue like this – especially one that affects a critical safety system – could be corrected pretty much immediately and with no inconvenience of visiting a dealer.

Prior to these two recalls, there have already been seven recalls for 2014-2017 Tundras. While Toyota is usually the standard for reliability, and they are according to Consumer Reports, the Tundra gave up the top spot in the segment in JD Power's dependability study when it was refreshed for the 2014 model year. Tundra sales have been flat the past few years at a time when pickup sales have been climbing every year, and the Tundra continues to be eclipsed by its smaller Tacoma sibling's cult following.