NEWS:
Toyota recalls 550,000 vehicles on steering
YAHOO NEWS -- November 9, 2011 – (Reuters)
- Toyota Motor Co is recalling 550,000 vehicles worldwide, including more than
420,000 in the United States, to replace an engine component that could hamper
steering, the Japanese automaker said on Wednesday.
Models
involved include the Toyota-branded Camry
sedan, Solara coupe, Highlander SUV, and
Sienna minivan for the 2004 and 2005 model
years.
The recall
also covers the 2004 Toyota Avalon sedan and
2006 Highlander HV. Toyota luxury brand
Lexus models recalled were the 2006 Lexus RX
400H SUV as well as the 2004 and 2005 ES330
sedan and RX330 crossover.
The recall is
the latest in a reputation-damaging series
that began in the fall of 2009, mainly
involving complaints of unintended
acceleration linked to defective floor mats
and gas pedals.
This recall
affects 283,200 Toyota and 137,000 Lexus
vehicles in the United States, bringing the
total in the country so far this year to a
little more than 3.3 million vehicles.
Toyota will
replace the crankshaft pulley on the
six-cylinder engines of the models.
The company
said the outer ring of the pulley may not be
aligned with the inner ring. If the
condition were not fixed, a component of the
power steering pump could be detached from
the pulley and force the driver to put in
more effort to steer.
About 27,000
vehicles were recalled in Canada and 38,000
recalled in Japan, a Toyota spokesman said
MORE RECALL INFO:
NOVEMBER 2011 --
Toyota is recalling certain model
year 2004 Avalon vehicles; 2004 and 2005
Camry, Camry Solara, Highlander, and Sienna
vehicles, 2006 Highlander Hybrid; 2004 and
2005 Lexus ES330 and RX330; and 2006 Lexus
RX400h vehicles manufactured from June 1,
2004 through March 31, 2005, equipped with
the 1MZ-FE or 3MZ-FE engine. The amount of
adhesive agent applied between the outer
ring and the torsiona l rubber damper (inner
ring) in the crankshaft pulley may be
inadequate. If the adhesive is insufficient,
there is a possibility that the outer ring
may become misaligned and it may not
properly rotate with the inner ring, causing
noise and/or illumination of the battery
discharge indicator light. In some cases,
the belt for the power steering pump may
become detached from the pulley which could
result in a loss of power steering and a
sudden increase in steering effort,
increasing the risk of a crash. Toyota will
notify owners, and dealers will check the
crankshaft pulley to identify whether it was
produced by the U.S. supplier. If so, the
dealer will replace the pulley with a new
one at no charge. The safety recall is
expected to begin during early January 2012.
. 11V-539
