Toyota recalls 420,000 vehicles in the United States

[News_Editor]

Toyota recalls 420,000 vehicles in the United States

2011-11-10 00:03:51 GMT+7 (ICT)

TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA (BNO NEWS) -- Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. (TMS) on Wednesday issued a voluntary safety recall involving approximately 283,200 Toyota vehicles and 137,000 Lexus vehicles to replace the crankshaft pulley on the V6 engine.

According to Toyota, there is a possibility that the outer ring of the crankshaft pulley may become misaligned with the inner ring, causing noise or illumination of the discharge warning light.

The automaker stated that if this condition is not corrected, "the belt for the power steering pump may become detached from the pulley and the driver may notice a sudden increase in steering effort."

However, there have been no reports of accidents or injuries related to this condition. The vehicles affected include the models 2004 Avalon, 2004 and 2005 Camry, Highlander, Sienna and Solara, 2006 Highlander HV, 2004 and 2005 ES330 and RX330, and 2006 RX400h.

Toyota said no other vehicles or models with 4 cylinder engines are involved in Wednesday's recall.

The vehicle company said it will be sending notifications to the owners in January 2012, as soon as it obtains and produces the necessary replacement parts. Owners will then be able to make an appointment with an authorized Toyota or Lexus dealer to have the crankshaft pulley inspected and if necessary, replaced at no charge.

In the meantime, if an abnormal noise is heard coming from the engine compartment, the owner is asked to make an appointment with any Toyota or Lexus dealer to have the vehicle inspected for this condition.

In late February, Toyota announced a mass voluntary safety recall of approximately 2.17 million vehicles to address accelerator pedals that could become entrapped in floor mats or jammed in carpeting.

In 2009 and 2010, the automaker recalled nearly eight million vehicles as part of the sticky pedal and pedal entrapment issues. It also paid $48.8 million in civil penalties to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for not notifying about these defects in a timely manner.

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