Toyota, Lexus recall some hybrids after sales stop

TOYOTA Australia and its prestige counterpart, Lexus Australia, have recalled a combined 193 hybrid vehicles over a potential issue with their electronic brake booster pump assemblies that led to an extended sales stop which started last month.

“In the subject vehicles, there is a possibility components of the electronic brake booster pump assembly may have been manufactured improperly,” the two Japanese companies said in a joint statement.

“In some cases, the brake booster pump may stop operating. If this occurs, multiple warning lights and messages could illuminate on the instrument panel and audible chimes could sound.

“After several brake-pedal applications, power brake assist could be lost completely. A loss of power brake assist while driving could increase the vehicle stopping distance and may increase the risk of an accident.”

Specifically, Toyota Australia has called back about 183 total examples of the Corolla small hatch, RAV4 mid-size SUV, Camry mid-size sedan and Prius small hatch, while Lexus Australia has recalled 10 combined units of the UX small SUV and ES mid-size sedan.

All Toyota affected vehicles sold to buyers were produced between April and May this year, while the Lexus examples involved were manufactured in May 2019.

According to Toyota Australia and Lexus Australia, “there have been no reported incidents or injuries in Australia or worldwide caused by this condition”, but if symptoms were to be experienced, owners are advised to stop driving their vehicles immediately.

To remedy this possible issue, Toyota and Lexus dealers will contact affected owners by phone and request them to make appointments for their vehicles at preferred service centres.

In the event that a vehicle owner cannot be reached by phone, a letter will be sent to their last known address.

If an owner wants more information on these recalls or wishes to check themselves if their vehicle is affected, they can contact the Toyota Recall Campaign Hotline on 1800 987 366 or Lexus Customer Assistance Centre on 1800 023 009 and quote their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).

During these appointments, the potentially faulty electronic brake booster pump assemblies will be inspected by certified technicians, with particular attention paid to the pump motor’s plastic brush holder, which might not have been manufactured to the correct dimensions.

If a replacement part is required, it will be provided and installed at no cost to the vehicle owner. This process will take four to seven hours to complete, depending on the model.

As mentioned, Toyota Australia and Lexus Australia were last month forced to issue a sales stop on their aforementioned hybrid models, which preceded this recall.

Now that an investigation into the issue has been completed, the precautionary sales stop has been lifted, with the majority of vehicles found to be consistent with the manufacturing standards.

The 193 recalled vehicles detailed here were delivered prior to the sales stop being issued and therefore had not been inspected.