Publications
Partners
TOKYO, JAPAN - Wheels24 reported earlier in March 2014 that Toyota would pay the equivalent of R13-billion to settle US accusations that it sought to cover up an accelerator problem in Toyota and Lexus vehicles.
On Wednesday (April 9) Toyota said it would recall 6.39-million vehicles globally for faults affecting various parts ranging from steering to seats in the automaker's second-largest recall to date.
SA AFFECTED
Toyota SA says locally it will be a two-part campaign due to the global nature of the recall. Spokesperson Leo Kok said: “No incidents have been reported locally but because there are parts coming from regions where there have been reported incidents, South Africa is obligated to participate in the recall.”
The automaker said the first issue involves a seat rail in pre-facelift Yaris models. “We will replace a spring in the rail free of charge for all customers whether cars are still under warranty or not.
“The second campaign relates to a faulty spiral cable connected to the driver side airbag. If the air bag warning light switches on, they should bring their vehicles in to the nearest dealer as soon as possible.”
Toyota SA said it was waiting for a final list from its head office in Japan to indicate which model years are affected. For now, the automaker says the recall affects pre-facelift Hilux, Innova and Fortuner models.
Kok said Toyota SA would begin to contact customers "before the end of this week" (April 13) but if any customers would like to bring their vehicles in sooner, "they can leave their contact details with a dealer closest to them".
RECALLS MORE COMMON?
The world's largest automaker said it was not aware of any crashes or injuries caused by the glitches, which were found in 27 models, among them its RAV4 and Yaris. Faults were also found in the (US products) Pontiac Vibe andSubaru Trezia, two models the automaker built for General Motors and Fuji Heavy Industries.
The automaker did not say reveal how much the recall would cost and it was not clear if the faults stemmed from Toyota's suppliers or its manufacturing process.
Large-scale recalls have become more common in recent years as automakers move to fix defects quickly. Toyota was forced to recall more than nine-million vehicles to address sticky accelerators linked to fatal accidents.
Toyota said some 3.5-million vehicles were being recalled to replace a spiral cable that could be damaged when the steering wheel is turned, causing the air bag to fail to activate in the event of a crash. About half of those vehicles, produced between April 2004 and December 2010, are in North America.
Another 2.32-million two-door models made from January 2005 to August 2010 are being recalled to check the rails that could cause the seat to slide forward in a collision.
The other recalls are for faulty steering-column brackets, windscreen wiper motors and engine starters, reports Toyota.
GM, CHRYSLER RECALLS
The 6.39-million vehicle recall is the largest announced on a single day for Toyota since October 2012, when it called back 7.43-million Yaris, Corolla and other models to fix faulty power window switches.
It also comes as rival GM is under investigation for failing for years to act on a known ignition switch defect linked to a dozen deaths. The company has recalled 1.6-million vehicles over the issue.
Chrysler also said in April 2014 it was recalling nearly 870 000 sport utility vehicles to fix a brake problem.
On Wednesday (April 9) Toyota said it would recall 6.39-million vehicles globally for faults affecting various parts ranging from steering to seats in the automaker's second-largest recall to date.
SA AFFECTED
Toyota SA says locally it will be a two-part campaign due to the global nature of the recall. Spokesperson Leo Kok said: “No incidents have been reported locally but because there are parts coming from regions where there have been reported incidents, South Africa is obligated to participate in the recall.”
The automaker said the first issue involves a seat rail in pre-facelift Yaris models. “We will replace a spring in the rail free of charge for all customers whether cars are still under warranty or not.
“The second campaign relates to a faulty spiral cable connected to the driver side airbag. If the air bag warning light switches on, they should bring their vehicles in to the nearest dealer as soon as possible.”
Toyota SA said it was waiting for a final list from its head office in Japan to indicate which model years are affected. For now, the automaker says the recall affects pre-facelift Hilux, Innova and Fortuner models.
Kok said Toyota SA would begin to contact customers "before the end of this week" (April 13) but if any customers would like to bring their vehicles in sooner, "they can leave their contact details with a dealer closest to them".
RECALLS MORE COMMON?
The world's largest automaker said it was not aware of any crashes or injuries caused by the glitches, which were found in 27 models, among them its RAV4 and Yaris. Faults were also found in the (US products) Pontiac Vibe andSubaru Trezia, two models the automaker built for General Motors and Fuji Heavy Industries.
The automaker did not say reveal how much the recall would cost and it was not clear if the faults stemmed from Toyota's suppliers or its manufacturing process.
Large-scale recalls have become more common in recent years as automakers move to fix defects quickly. Toyota was forced to recall more than nine-million vehicles to address sticky accelerators linked to fatal accidents.
Toyota said some 3.5-million vehicles were being recalled to replace a spiral cable that could be damaged when the steering wheel is turned, causing the air bag to fail to activate in the event of a crash. About half of those vehicles, produced between April 2004 and December 2010, are in North America.
Another 2.32-million two-door models made from January 2005 to August 2010 are being recalled to check the rails that could cause the seat to slide forward in a collision.
The other recalls are for faulty steering-column brackets, windscreen wiper motors and engine starters, reports Toyota.
GM, CHRYSLER RECALLS
The 6.39-million vehicle recall is the largest announced on a single day for Toyota since October 2012, when it called back 7.43-million Yaris, Corolla and other models to fix faulty power window switches.
It also comes as rival GM is under investigation for failing for years to act on a known ignition switch defect linked to a dozen deaths. The company has recalled 1.6-million vehicles over the issue.
Chrysler also said in April 2014 it was recalling nearly 870 000 sport utility vehicles to fix a brake problem.
