DECEMBER 2011 -- Toyota is recalling certain model year 2011 through 2012 Sienna vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard number 110, "tire selections and rims." these vehicles do not meet the requirement for displaying the correct vehicle capacity weight as the rated load for the combination of cargo and occupants. Incorrect information on the vehicle placard may lead to tire overloading and possibly cause tire failure increasing the risk of a crash. Toyota will mail out a corrected placard to customers along with revised owner manual information. This service will be performed free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a remedy plan or an owner notification schedule. Owners may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to http://www.Safercar.Gov . 11V-560 

• Toyota Sienna
• NHTSA Recall Info

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:

• Toyota Avalon
• Toyota Camry
• Toyota Highlander
• Toyota Sienna
• Toyota Solara
• Lexus ES330
• Lexus RX 400H
• Lexus RX330

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

JUNE 2011 -- Toyota is recalling certain model year 2011 Venza and Sienna passenger cars manufactured from March 7, through March 10, 2011. There is a possibility that the front, right, drive shaft may break due to insufficient heat treatment. Should the shaft break during vehicle operation, the vehicle will lose power without prior warning. Loss of motive power without warning may increase the risk of a crash. Toyota will notify owners and dealers will inspect the drive shaft, and, if the shaft is identified as one that may not have been correctly manufactured, it will be replaced with a new one at no charge. The safety recall began on June 22, 2011.   11V-306

NEWS:   Toyota recalling Sienna minivans

YAHOO NEWS -- December 14,  2010 –  Toyota Motor Corp. said Monday it will recall nearly 100,000 Sienna minivans from the 2011 model year to replace a switch bracket on the brake lamp that could cause the brake lights to stay on.

The Japanese automaker, which has grappled with several safety recalls during the past year, said a driver's foot could hit the switch bracket and deform it while applying the parking brake pedal. Toyota said it did not know of any accidents or injuries related to the issue.

The switch bracket is welded on to the left side of the brake pedal assembly. The brake lamp provides a signal to indicate that the brake pedal has been depressed and illuminates the brake lights.

Toyota has recalled more than 10 million vehicles in the past year to address a number of safety problems, including faulty gas pedals, floor mats that can trap accelerators, defective braking and stalling engines. The world's No. 1 automaker faces dozens of lawsuits in the U.S. from family members of people who were killed or injured in crashes connected to unintended acceleration.

In the Sienna recall, Toyota said the bracket problem could lead to the brake lights remaining on. If the bracket was significantly deformed, the service brake could become partially engaged, causing brake drag, noise and vibrations in the vehicle. The brakes could also wear down faster.

Toyota told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that the recall potentially affected 94,126 vehicles, which were produced from Dec. 22, 2009, through Nov. 4, 2010. The company received its first report about a deformed bracket in December 2009, when the vehicle was in pre-mass production stage. Following additional reports, inspections and an investigation by the company, it decided to issue the recall.

Owners will be notified of the recall in mid-January 2011 and told how to minimize the potential of hitting the bracket. Replacement parts are expected to become available in late February and dealers will replace the bracket assembly at no charge.

MORE RECALL INFO: 

• Toyota Sienna

DECEMBER 2010 - Toyota is recalling certain model year 2011 Sienna vehicles. The brake stop lamp switch is mounted on a small bracket welded on the left side of the service brake pedal support assembly. Due to its proximity to the parking brake pedal, in limited circumstances the stop lamp switch bracket could be damaged by the operator's foot during parking brake application. This could result in brake drag with associated brake noise, vibration, and/or illumination of the brake warning light. Braking effectiveness could be reduced increasing the risk of a crash. Dealers will replace the bracket assembly free of charge. Toyota plans to mail an interim owner notification in the middle of January 2011, to advise owners of the recall. A second letter will be mailed when parts are available to complete repairs. 10V-620

APRIL 2010 -- Toyota is recalling certain model year 1998 through 2010 Sienna passenger vehicles manufactured between August 7, 1997 and January 4, 2010, currently registered in or originally sold in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington District Of Columbia, Virginia, West Virginia, And Wisconsin. The subject vehicles are equipped with the spare tire stowed under the vehicle. If the vehicle is operated in the cold climate regions of the United States where road salt is frequently used, water splashed backwards with high concentrations of road salt can reach the spare tire carrier and corrode the spare tire carrier assembly cable. The cable may break due to excessive corrosion and the spare tire may separate from the vehicle, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash. The manufacturer has not yet provided the agency with a remedy and notification schedule.   10V-160

JUNE 2009 -- Toyota is recalling 1,281 Model Year 2006 through 2009 Sienna, 2004 Land Cruiser, and 2009 Lexus GX passenger vehicles. The vehicle capacity weight on the tire and loading information label and the GVWR on the certification label is insufficient for certain vehicles. Some vehicles were accessorized through vehicle processing centers and had accessories installed that caused the vehicle to exceed the GVWR value. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 110, "Tire Selection and Rims," and 49 CFR Part 567. The GVWR is insufficient for the load carrying capacity of the vehicles. Toyota will notify owners instructing them to return their vehicle to a Toyota or Lexus dealer for an exchange of the certification label and the tire and loading information label, an installation of the load carrying capacity modification label, if necessary, and a correction to the owner's manual. This remedy will be performed free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during July 2009.  09V-234

JUNE 2009 -- Toyota is recalling 1,348 Model Year 2009 and 2010 passenger cars built from June 2, 2008 to May 4, 2009. These vehicles were not equipped with load carrying capacity modification labels which fails to conform with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 110, "Tire Selection and Rims." Incorrect load carrying capacity modification labels could result in the vehicle being overloaded, increasing the risk of a crash. Toyota will notify owners and provide them with a new, accurate label to be installed over the inaccurate label free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during July 2009. 09V-223

JANUARY 2009 -- Toyota is conducting a safety improvement campaign involving 26,501 early 2004 MY Sienna vehicles. In the event the retention clip used to secure the floor carpet cover is missing, the cover can interfere with the operation of the accelerator pedal if the acceleration pedal is depressed to nearly the full throttle position. If this occurs, the accelerator pedal can become stuck which could result in a vehicle crash. Dealers will replace the retention clip and floor carpet cover at no charge. The manufacturer will begin notifying owners in early February 2009. Owner notification is expected to be completed by early April 2009. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-888-270-9371, if they have any further questions. This action is deemed a safety improvement campaign and is not being conducted under the safety act. However, Toyota has informed NHTSA that it will provide the modifications described above at no cost. This recall was the subject of an Engineering Analysis, EA08-014, conducted by the Office of Defects Investigation.  09V-023

JUNE 2008 -- Toyota is conducting a safety improvement campaign involving 196,222 MY 2004-2006 Toyota Sienna vehicles equipped with power rear liftgate struts. The gas struts used to help lift and support the rear power liftgate could wear out sooner than expected. As the gas struts deteriorate, the performance of the liftgate will begin to degrade and the power rear liftgate will operate more slowly than when the gas struts were new. If not repaired, the gas struts may not be able to support the weight of the liftgate when it is open, and eventually, the gas struts could deteriorate to the point that the liftgate will fall about ten inches after it reaches the fully open position, at which point the power motor will engage and power the liftgate to the fully closed position. This condition may cause injury to a person who is struck by the liftgate when it falls or when it is closing. Dealers will replace the gas struts with newly designed gas struts that have a longer service lift. The campaign is expected to begin during August 2008. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-888-270-9371. This action is deemed a safety improvement campaign and is not being conducted under the safety act. However, Toyota has informed NHTSA that it will provide the modifications described above. This recall was the subject of an Engineering Analysis, EA06-020, conducted by the Office of Defects Investigation. 08V244

NEWS:    2004-2006 Toyota Sienna

ConsumerReports.org -- July 21,  2008 -- Toyota is conducting a safety improvement campaign on over 196,000 Toyota Sienna minivans equipped with power rear liftgate struts. The gas struts used to help lift the rear power liftgate could wear out earlier than expected and could eventually cause the liftgate to fall a few inches or completely close.

Dealers will replace the gas struts with new ones that have a longer life. Owners can contact Toyota at 1-888-270-9371.

MORE RECALL INFO:    Toyota Sienna

NEWS:   Toyota May Recall Minivans Pending Result of Probe

Dec. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Toyota Motor Corp., the world's second-largest automaker, may recall its 2004 and 2005 Sienna minivans with power rear liftgates, pending the result of an investigation by U.S. safety regulators.

We will wait for the result of the investigation and judge whether to file a recall,'' Shiori Hashimoto, a spokesman at Toyota said today. ``The case is now under investigation, and Toyota is fully cooperating with it.''

The Siennas are being investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration after reports of 14 injuries when the liftgates unexpectedly closed....

NEWS: 

• Washington Post (NEW)--  Toyota Motor Co..recalled 978,000 sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks amid concerns over the power steering system.....

• Detroit News - Despite reliability image, automaker has had five recalls in the United States this year...

• LA Times - Toyota Recalls More Than 750,000 Vehicles...

• Google News Links - more Toyota Recall information...