Toyota and Lexus Fuel Pump Problems May Cause Engine Stalls, Accident Risk: Recall

Federal highway safety officials have announced an expansion for a recall first issued in January, which now includes nearly 2 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles that may be equipped with fuel pumps that can fail unexpectedly, increasing the risk of a sudden engine stall and loss of vehicle control.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) posted the Toyota and Lexus recall expansion on March 4, after the Japanese auto maker recognized that additional vehicles may be prone to experience the same fuel pump problems that impacted several hundred thousand vehicles identified earlier this year.

Toyota initially announced the fuel pump recall on January 15, impacting vehicles equipped with certain components manufactured by supplier, Denso Corporation of Japan. The pumps may cause the engine to stall without any advanced notice, and may fail to restart.

In cases of fuel pump failure these vehicles will enter a fail-safe mode, resulting in illumination of warning lights and reduced motive power. Unexpected full loss of power and the inability to restart the vehicle after a stall event are possible adverse outcomes, according to NHTSA investigators.

The original recall impacted approximately 696,000 vehicles from the 2018 and 2019 model years, including Lexus LS 500, LC 500, RC 350, RC 300, GS 350, IS 300, ES 350, LX 570, GX 460 and RX 350 models, as well as certain Toyota 4Runner, Camry, Highlander, Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Sienna, Tacoma, and Tundra models. Some 2019 models of the Avalon and Corolla were also affected.

After further investigation, now Toyota indicates that an additional 1,122,428 vehicles were equipped with a similar style of fuel pump, which may also face a higher rate of failure.

The recall expansion includes certain 2014 through 2015 Toyota 4Runner and Land Cruiser, 2018 Avalon, Corolla, 2014 FJ Cruiser, 2017 Sienna and Lexus 2018 ES 350, 2018 through 2019 GS 300, 2013 and 2014 GS350, 2014 through 2015 GX 460, IS 350 and LX 570, 2014 IS F, 2018 through 2019 IS 350, LC 500H and LS 500H, 2013 through 2015 LS 460, 2015 NX 200T and RC350, 2017 RC 200T and RX 350 models.

In total, there are now approximately 1,817,969 vehicles are impacted by both recalls.

Toyota issued an interim notice to the original recall owners on February 17, 2020 and plans to send a second notice to the newly recalled vehicle owners by March 13, 2020 informing them of the defect.

To date, replacement parts are currently not available, however the manufacturers indicate they will provide instructions in a third notice on May 3, 2020 with how to schedule an appointment at their local dealer to have the fuel pump replaced when they become available.

Toyota is advising customers to be alert for warning lights and messages on the dashboard instrument panel or signs the engine is running rough or abnormal, as these could be indicators the fuel pump is experiencing the defect.

Customers with additional questions are encouraged to contact Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331 or the Lexus Guest Experience Center at 1-800-255-3987.