Toyota, Lexus, Renault and Volkswagen issue recalls

SOME of the world’s biggest car-makers have recalled almost 77,000 vehicles combined in the first week of April alone, with Toyota and luxury subsidiary Lexus accounting for more than two-thirds of them.

Announced yesterday, the Toyota-Lexus recall affects a total of 52,293 vehicles spread across the Camry, Corolla, FJ Cruiser, Kluger, Hilux, Prado, LandCruiser, IS, GS, RX, LC, LS, LX, NX, RC and IS-F nameplates all produced from the 2013 to 2019 model years and revolves around a faulty fuel pump which could stop working.

If the fuel pump does stop working, Toyota says “warning lights and messages may display on the instrument panel, and the engine may not run smoothly”.

According to the official recall notice, the fault could cause a loss in power and cause the engine to stall and potentially not restart, thereby increasing the risk of a crash and the odds of injuring either the vehicle occupants, other road users or both.

“Toyota will contact affected owners in writing with an interim notification advising of this safety recall and will re-contact once parts become available requesting that owners make an appointment at their preferred Toyota dealer for repairs, free of charge,” it read.

Parts are expected to become progressively available as of June while affected customers who have changed their contact details since purchasing vehicle have also been encouraged to advise Toyota for the sake of any future recalls.

Announced on April 2, Volkswagen’s recall of 16,098 vehicles applies to MY12-MY14 Golfs, Jettas, Passats, Polos and Caddys with a fault being identified in their seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmissions.

According to the recall notice, a fluid leak may cause a pressure loss within the gearbox and interrupt the power transfer between the engine and transmission, potentially causing it to lose drive and in turn cause a crash.

Volkswagen says affected consumers will be contacted directly to organise for an inspection and subsequent repair free of charge.

Unlike Toyota, Lexus and Volkswagen, Renault has announced not one, but four separate recalls over the past week, affecting a combined 8438 vehicles.

By far and away the biggest of them – in terms of volume – revolves around the MY14 and MY15 Clio hatchback with 5881 examples being recalled due to the linkage between the windscreen wipers and the motor having potentially not been secured properly.

Renault says this could result in the windscreen wipers failing completely, leaving the driver’s vision obscured if the failure happens while it is raining which would pose a serious risk to vehicle occupants and other road users.

Affected owners will reportedly be contacted in the near future and advised to contact their preferred Renault dealer for a free inspection and repair if needed.

The second of Renault’s most recent recalls also applies to the MY14 and MY15 Clio, this time though only the RS and GT variants are affected.

According to the French brand, “the upper part of the rear spoiler may detach from the vehicle” and “collide with other vehicles on the road or compel other road users to take evasive action”, therefore increasing the likelihood of a crash.

Just like with the previously mentioned Clio recall, Renault is contacting affected owners with repairs to be free of charge.

Another recall was issued on April 2, this time for 255 MY16 Fluences, Meganes and Clios which may not have had the rear axle bolts “tightened in accordance with the required specifications”.

Renault says that if the bolts do come loose, then the “roadholding of the vehicle may worsen” and increase the likelihood of a crash.

On a much smaller scale, 38 MY19 Trafic vans are also being recalled to rectify a potentially faulty park brake calliper which may not have been manufactured to code.

According to the recall notice the vehicle may not remain stationary if the calliper fails and could pose a risk to pedestrians and road users alike in the event of a runaway vehicle.

Just like the other previously mentioned recalls from Renault, affected customers are being contacted and encouraged to book a free inspection and repair at their preferred Renault dealership.