Technical Service Bulletin (TSB)

A Technical Service Bulletin is a communication a manufacturer sends to its dealership network about a known issue, a parts update, or a repair procedure for specific models. Toyota describes one as a communication between the company and its dealerships that can update publications, describe parts updates, or relay new service procedures. It is written for technicians during diagnosis and repair, and it is issued separately from a safety recall.

A symptom that matches an open bulletin gives a technician a documented starting point instead of an open-ended diagnosis. Unlike a recall, a bulletin does not oblige the manufacturer to repair the vehicle.

Raised by a mechanic during diagnosis, cited in a pre-purchase inspection report, or found by searching a year, make and model in a bulletin database.

A safety recall answers a safety defect and carries a remedy the manufacturer must provide; a bulletin is technical guidance for an issue not classified as a safety defect — Toyota's own statement says plainly that a TSB is not a recall.