Toyota is recalling nearly 730 000 vehicles in the United States and Canada to fix potential problems with the driver's airbag and a switch that can prevent vehicles from starting.
Toyota said it wasn’t aware of “any accidents or injuries caused by these two conditions” and added that the affected models were not distributed outside North America.
The faulty cable recall affects 495 000 Tacoma trucks in the US and 17 178 in Canada with model years of 2005 to 2009.
Toyota said: “Due to the combination of steering wheel spiral cable design and characteristics unique to the Tacoma chassis, friction between the spiral cable and the retainer in the steering wheel spiral cable assembly may occur in some vehicles.
“Over time this friction may result in loss of connectivity to the driver's airbag module. If connectivity is lost, the airbag warning light on the instrument panel will remain illuminated after starting the vehicle and the driver's airbag may be deactivated, preventing deployment in the event of a crash.”
GREASE IN THE SWITCH
The stoplight recall affects 70 500 Camry and 116 000 Venza cars in the US, as well as 2740 Camrys and 27 737 Venzas in Canada with models years of 2009 to 2011.
Totota explained: “During installation of the contact-type stoplight switch on one of the North American assembly lines, silicon grease may have gotten into the switch and increased its electrical resistance.
“If this happens, warning lights on the instrument panel may be illuminated, the car may not start, or the shift lever may lock in the 'Park' position. In some cases, the car’s stoplights could stop working.”
Toyota said it was in the process of obtaining the necessary parts and would notify owners when they became available. Repairs will be carried out at no charge. - AFP