BOSTON -- Toyota announced a major recall of 111,000 Tundra trucks Tuesday because of rust problems that were first exposed by Team 5 Investigates.

The safety recall involves Tundras that have been registered to owners in cold weather climates. The rust problems could increase the risk of a crash, the company said.

"Certain 2000 through 2003 model year Tundra vehicles operated in cold climate areas with high road salt use, may exhibit excessive corrosion on the frame rear cross-member," Toyota said in a press release.

"Excessive corrosion ... can lead to the loss of the rear brake circuits which will increase vehicle stopping distances and the risk of a crash," the statement said.

Team 5 Investigates had reported a pattern among more than two dozen complaints on file with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regarding Tundra trucks made in 2000 and 2001.

Owners wrote "metal shearing off in large sheets," "the rot caused the frame to break in half," and "poked my finger right through the cross-member."

"The frame is cracked," said Timothy Gatzke who owns a 2000 Tundra with only 89,000 miles on it. "And down here, the leaf springs on this side are so corroded that they're broken."

Bob Malone said the frame rusted prematurely on his 2000 Tundra as well. He thought his truck was falling apart at the car wash.

"I could literally just hear the metal chips flying off," he said.

NHTSA alerted owners of the vehicles to remove spare tires mounted underneath the body of the vehicle.

"Excessive corrosion due to 'road salts' can cause the rear cross- member of the vehicle frame to fail and allow the spare tire to fall onto the roadway at any time, creating a road hazard for other vehicles," the agency said in a statement.

"This is not a cosmetic issue," said Sean Kane, an auto safety expert. "This is a safety problem that can lead to the collapse of the vehicle and lead to loss of control crashes on the road."

The safety recall involves Tundras that are registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.

This is the second serious rust problem Toyota has had with its frames.

In 2008, Team 5 Investigates discovered more than 800,000 Tacomas built between 1995 and 2000 did not have adequate corrosion protection causing frames to disintegrate.

Toyota subsequently offered a buy-back program at 150 percent of the truck's Kelley Blue Book value.