Toyota recalls 740,000 cars in North America

THE latest Toyota safety recall involves around 740,000 Camry sedan, Venza crossover and Tacoma light truck vehicles sold in the US, Canada and Mexico between 2005 and 2011 over potential driver’s airbag and brake light switch problems.

Toyota is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the voluntary recall and says the issues do not affect vehicles sold outside the North American market.

The largest recall, affecting more than 500,000 Tacoma light trucks produced between 2005 and 2009, is to replace the steering wheel spiral cable assembly, as friction between the cable and its retainer could damage the cable, potentially resulting in a warning light on the dashboard or the driver’s airbag being deactivated.

Around 150,000 Camrys and Venzas produced between 2009 and 2011 are subject to a recall to replace the brake light switch as the presence of silicon grease inside it may cause a number of symptoms including warning lights on the dashboard, the car refusing to start, the gear selector not moving from park or the brake lights not activating.

Left: Toyota US Camry.

Due to the size of the recall, Toyota has to obtain sufficient supplies of replacement parts and will notify customers when they become available. The company says the remedial work will take approximately 30 minutes to complete.

Despite its repeated recall woes, Toyota performed well in the latest annual JD Power and Associates US Vehicle Dependability Study, which was topped by its Lexus luxury division, with top ten spots for the mainstream Toyota and youth-oriented Scion brands.