The auto maker said it aimed to fix a defect in the front suspension that could hamper steering.
May 18, 2005: 8:21 AM EDT
TOKYO (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it would recall about 880,000 sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and pickups worldwide, mostly in the United States, to fix a defect in the front suspension that could hamper steering.
Covered in the recall, aimed at fixing front-suspension ball joints that could wear faster than they should, are the Tacoma and Tundra pickup trucks and Sequoia, Landcruiser and 4Runner SUVs built between May 2001 and December 2003. Of the total, 789,000 units are in North America.
Japan's top automaker said it does not disclose estimated recall costs.
A spokesman said there was one report of an accident in Japan, where Toyota is recalling 23,800 Hilux Surf and Landcruiser Prado vehicles. Information on accidents elsewhere was not immediately available.
The recall also covers 19,000 vehicles in Europe and 12,000 in Australia.
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Toyota recalls SUVs, trucks due to suspension problems
Toyota Motors is recalling 860,000 vehicles worldwide due to problems with the suspension that have caused minor accidents, a company spokeswoman said Wednesday.
Japan’s biggest automaker will recall 790,000 trucks and sport utility vehicles in the United States along with 23,800 vehicles in Japan, 22,000 in Europe, 14,000 in Australia and another 10,200 elsewhere in the world, she said.
The company said there have been two minor accidents relating to the mechanical defect but no injuries have been reported.
The recall in the United States covers 2001-2004 model year Tacoma trucks, 2001-2002 4Runners and 2002-2004 models of both the Tundra and Sequoia, with drivers to begin receiving notices in the mail at the end of June.
The problem relates to a defect in a ball joint, which could make it more difficult for drivers to steer the vehicle.
Toyota said the surface of a ball joint which connects to the front suspension may have been scratched when it was manufactured, which could lead to wear and tear over time.
Any excessive wear or looseness in the joint could force drivers to exert more effort when steering, allow the vehicle to drift and increase the amount of noise from the suspension.
Ming-Jou Chen, a Toyota spokeswoman, said the company had confirmed six cases in which the condition existed in the suspension. There have been no injuries associated with the problems.
Chen said it was one of the largest recalls in company history.
In 1992 Toyota recalled about 550,000 Camrys from the 1987-1990 model years because of the potential for power door locks to malfunction and lock passengers out of or inside the vehicles.
In 2002 the company recalled nearly 400,000 subcompact and minicar vehicles exported to the United States, Europe and Canada because of improperly designed brake-fluid pipes.
In Tuesday’s recall of trucks and SUVs owners will be notified beginning in July and will be able to have the problem fixed at no cost, Chen said.
Meanwhile, in Manila, a top Toyota Motors executive gave assurances Wednesday that sport-utility vehicles (SUV) being used in the country are not included in the recall operations presently being done by its parent firm.
Ariel de Jesus, Toyota Motors Philippines Corp. public relations manager, disclosed that Toyota is recalling only SUVs that were made in North America. SUVs in the Philippines, he said, were not affected.
"There is no need for the public to panic about the recall. It is only those made in the US affected by the recall. The SUVs in the Philippines are made in Japan and Thailand," de Jesus said. AFP in Tokyo, AP in Washington with Niel V. Mugas in Manila
That partly tarnished Toyota's reputation as the most reliable car brand in the world. Besides, Mercedes had worse in their first series of A-Class cars.
Kasi sa US, Europe at Australia may batas at mahigpit sa safety standard, d2 sa atin kesehodang may depekto, dedma lng. tulad na lng ng mga subic vehicles, kung mahigpit d2 di sana di pinayagang pumasok mga yan, eh mga PUJ at Owner type jeep bigla na lng bibisaklat, malas mo kung ikaw nakasunod.
So i mean may mga blue print mga yan kaya iisa lng ang Specs na sinusunod ng maufacturer. so i mean lahat naman may recall kahit BMW o BENZ, japanese car pa kaya.
i don't understand the statement of mr de jesus of toyota that hindi affected ang pilipinas kasi japan and thai made ang mga vehicles in light of the this press statement:
"A spokesman said there was one report of an accident in Japan, where Toyota is recalling 23,800 Hilux Surf and Landcruiser Prado vehicles. Information on accidents elsewhere was not immediately available."
saan galing itong mga surf and prados na involved sa aksidente dito? sa US pa?
i don't understand the statement of mr de jesus of toyota that hindi affected ang pilipinas kasi japan and thai made ang mga vehicles in light of the this press statement:
"A spokesman said there was one report of an accident in Japan, where Toyota is recalling 23,800 Hilux Surf and Landcruiser Prado vehicles. Information on accidents elsewhere was not immediately available."
saan galing itong mga surf and prados na involved sa aksidente dito? sa US pa?
ha ha. eh yung defective part is common to all prodn sites d ba? hindi naman part ito na meron lang yung mga naproduce sa US or elsewhere. same specs lang yan. he should not make a sweeping statement without coming up with a comparative study if only to assuage the fears of his clients.
Toyota recalls 880,000 SUVs, pickups
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