Toyota Recalls Nearly 880,000 Vehicles for Potential Rust Problem
Toyota RAV4, Lexus HS 250h models in U.S., Canada are affected.
Toyota announced today a voluntary recall covering approximately 778,000 Toyota and Lexus vehicles sold in the U.S. for a potential rust problem.
Affected models in the U.S. include about 760,000 Toyota RAV4 vehicles from model years 2006 through 2011, as well as approximately 18,000 Lexus 250h hybrid sedans from model year 2010. In Canada, an additional 99,000 RAV4s from the same model years and about 1,000 2010 Lexus HS 250h vehicles are being recalled for the same issue.
According to Toyota, "If the nuts on the rear suspension arm are not tightened following the proper procedure and torque specification during a rear wheel alignment service, excessive play may occur at the threaded portion of the arm, followed by rust formation." This could lead to the arm separating, it says.
When reached for comment by Exhaust Notes, Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons said that nine accidents and three minor injuries have been reported in alleged connection to this issue.
According to Toyota's notification, the automaker is working on a solution and will send affected owners a notification via mail with instructions on making an appointment with an authorized dealer that will perform the necessary fix at no charge.
Toyota customers with questions can contact the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 800-331-4331. Lexus owners can contact Lexus Customer Satisfaction at 800-255-3987. Other resources are available at www.toyota.com/recall and www.lexus.com/recall.
voluntary recalls are a good thing. I wish that Ford recalled my parents late-90's Taurus after they realized that they all had bad transmissions. They didn't, just let the consumer foot the bill. How about GM recalling the power steering racks that constantly break seals on their early 2000's trucks? Nope, consumer will foot the bill. A car company that voluntarily fixes their cars' problems for free is a good thing.
So your car might break if suspension service is not performed correctly? You don't say, I never would have considered that.
Car companies are really jumpy about this thing lately, and I can't blame them after the sudden unintended acceleration nonsense that Toyota went through.
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