Toyota switch glitch prompts recall
BY TIM NICHOLSON | 22nd Oct 2015
The Japanese car-maker said in a statement that while it is still assessing the impact on the Australian market, the total number of affected vehicles is likely to be no more than 300,000 and is part of a global recall of 6.5 million vehicles.
Toyota says the issue relates to a power window master switch that has “potentially” been manufactured with an insufficient amount of grease, which under certain conditions could lead to a short circuit, causing the switch to overheat.
“In the worst case, a melting switch can produce smoke and potentially lead to a fire,” the statement read.
In Australia the affected models include versions of the Aurion, Camry, Corolla, Kluger, RAV4 and Yaris that were built between August 2005 and August 2006 as well as January 2009 and December 2010.
Toyota said that there have been no reports of any incidents in Australia, however some American publications have quoted a Toyota USA spokesperson as saying that there have been 11 reports of burnt door trim or switches, and one incident of a person burning their hand.
The new safety recall follows a previous campaign from October 2012 over a power window master switch issue, but Toyota Australia said the vehicles impacted by that recall are not related to the most recent announcement.
The 2012 recall scooped up 297,931 Aurion, Camry, Corolla, Kluger and Yaris models in Australia and about 7.4 million worldwide.
Toyota said it is in the process of notifying owners of the issue, and is suggesting that anyone concerned should call its recall helpline or visit the consumer website.
Service staff will inspect the circuit board and apply heat-resistant grease to the switch, but if it is already showing signs of malfunction, the board will be replaced, says Toyota.
The fix is free of charge and Toyota expects it will take about one hour to complete.
