Related Sections: Car Electronics Outdoor Vehicles
Party harder with the Tundra Midnight Rider tailgating truck
If standing in a cold parking lot eating bratwurst and drinking beer is your idea of fun, then here is your ultimate party truck. Developed by Toyota in conjunction with country duo Brooks & Dunn, the Tundra Midnight Rider features a pull out "Chill N Grill" cooking area with a built in infrared barbecue, beer tap, and ice chest, along with a 42 inch flat screen TV hooked up to a butt kicking Kicker audio system. No word on whether the stereo will play anything other than Brooks & Dunn, which could be a deal breaker for me.
That's all great on Sunday, but it looks like it would be tough to use the Midnight Rider when you need to pick up a bed load of mulch on Monday. Luckily, it's just a one off built for this year's SEMA show
 |  |
|
By Toyotacrap at 12:58 PM ON 11/07/09
Levi Stewart lost his life after the steering relay rod on his 1991 Toyota pickup snapped, causing the truck to roll. Officials labeled the accident alcohol-related due to the fact the teenager had a blood-alcohol level of .03 (legal limit for adults in his state over the age of 21 is .08), but that was before anyone involved with the investigation knew of a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recall. The relay rod, which connects the steering wheel to the front tires, had been under recall since 2005, but neither the truck owner or the previous owner had been notified of the defect.
Lawyers for the Stewart family are accusing Toyota of both delaying and improperly distributing the recall notice, which affected 1 million trucks and SUVs. The lawyers contend they have evidence that Toyota has known about the problem since as early as 1996, yet the recall didn't begin until 2005. Toyota actually started the recall in Japan a year earlier, and Toyota waited a full year before starting the recall action in the U.S. The reason Toyota has stated for the delay was that driving conditions were different in Japan, and that there were no incidents reported in the U.S. Japanese media told NBC that it knew of 80 incidents in Japan. Hit the jump to view NBC's investigational video. Hat tip to Michael
By ToyotaRocks at 1:08 PM ON 11/07/09
Somebody call the WAAAHmbulance - in the meantime, someone get me a hotdog and the keys to that thing! The detailing is amazing, though I wish they had more pics available on Toyota Website.
By WTFpatrol at 2:18 PM ON 11/07/09
WTF, Toyotacrap?
Nice clean truck. Sometimes vehicles built for SEMA are just too over the top, but this one is closer to what an actual enthusiast consumer might build.
By AnonymouslyApple at 11:14 PM ON 11/07/09
This defeats the purpose of pickup-truck, because you can't put anything in it.
By rshetts at 6:49 AM ON 11/08/09
Hey AA you need to go to a few more meetings. This is obviously NOT a pick up truck, its a party barge. It doesnt defeat its purpose, it defines its purpose.
By Meh at 1:45 PM ON 11/08/09
Wow, toyota crap must be someone who knows Levi...and to be honest...that recall was 4 years ago and his one death was over 5 years ago. Toyota has now fixed that problem so it's relatively as safe as any other pick up tho this one used up all it's space to party in.
Get on with your life Toyotacrap, there are better things to do.
By tlinget at 9:15 PM ON 11/08/09
Don't know the details, but speaking objectively... a recall in Japan one year earlier than the US does NOT mean anything necessarily. The vehicles sold in Japan may not be built in the same plant as those in the US. Parts may not come from the same manufacturer.
on your cellphone!
Text DVICE to 72434
editor@dvice.com
tlinget:
Don't know the details, but speaking objectively... a recall in Japan one year earlier than the US does NOT mean an...More »