A total of 35,124 UK-registered cars are to be recalled following Toyota’s announcement of three separate safety issues which affects some Rav4, Hilux, Yaris and Urban Cruiser models.
There are yet to be any reports of any accidents worldwide linked to these issues, however all customers are set to be contacted to return their Toyota cars to the dealership to be checked over and possibly repaired.
All work carried out will be free of charge. More details of the faults and repair/installation time is below.
Spiral cable assembly – RAV4 and Hilux
Toyota has identified a possible issue affecting the spiral cable assembly in the airbag module fitted to some RAV4 and Hilux models. There may be a risk when the steering wheel is turned of damage to certain circuits connected to the airbag. If connectivity is lost, the airbag warning light will illuminate on the instrument panel and the driver’s airbag may be deactivated.
The vehicles subject to this recall are RAV4 and Hilux models manufactured within the period June 2004 and December 2010. In total this covers 24,785 UK-registered models.
The installation will take about one hour to complete.
Seat rail spring – Yaris and Urban Cruiser
Toyota has found that the spring in the mechanism that locks the driver and (in three-door cars) front passenger seats in position on the seat adjustment rail may be under-strength and could break, should the seats be frequently moved back and forward. Should the spring break, the seat may not lock into its adjusted position, and could move in the event of a crash.
The vehicles affected were built between January 2005 and August 2010. In total this covers 10,339 UK-registered cars.
All the vehicles affected by this issue are being recalled for inspection of the springs and, where required, replacement with new ones. The job will take between 40 and 90 minutes per seat, depending the model and work required.
Steering column bracket – Yaris and Urban Cruiser
Toyota is aware that the weld which connects the steering column bracket to the instrument panel on some Yaris and Urban Cruiser models might break when the steering wheel is repeatedly turned with full force.
The driver may hear an abnormal noise from the bracket area and if the vehicle continues to be driven, it is possible that the bracket will fail, causing the steering column to tilt out of position. However, the driver will not lose steering control.
The vehicles subject to this recall are second generation Yaris with tilt/telescopic steering wheel adjustment and Urban Cruiser models built within the period September 2005 to February 2009. In total this covers 1,293 UK-registered models.
All the vehicles affected by this issue are being recalled so that the bracket can be inspected. If no damage is found, an extra bracket will be fitted to avoid any problems occurring in future. If there is evidence of damage, a replacement instrument panel reinforcement will be fitted.
According to the action required, the job will take between two-and-a-half to four-and-a-half hours to complete.
What do you do now?
If any of the above affects you, you will be contacted by Toyota within the coming weeks by post or telephone and asked to make an appointment to bring your car to your nearest Toyota Centre.
You can check whether your car is affected using a registration look-up function in the owners section of the main Toyota website here.
If you need any additional information you can also contact the Toyota Recall Helpline on 0800 138 874.
