Toyota Steering Problems Result in Recall for 420K Vehicles

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About 420,000 Toyota and Lexus vehicles are being recalled in the United States due to steering problems, which could lead to an automobile accident. 

The Toyota recall was announced by the company in a press release on Wednesday, after an investigation that has been ongoing since 2007.

A number of popular vehicles from 2004-2006 model years are affected by the recall, including the Avalon, Camry, Highlander, Sienna and Solara, as well as the Lexus ES330, RX330 and RX400h.

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According to the company, the problem affects vehicles equipped with the 1MZ-FE or 3MZ-FE V6 engine. In some cases there was an inadequate amount of adhesive used between the outer ring and inner ring of the crankshaft pulley. This can cause the outer ring to become misaligned and cause power steering in the vehicles to fail, making steering suddenly much more difficult.

The Toyota press release states that the driver may hear an abnormal noise come from the engine compartment if the ring has become misaligned. The defective ring could also cause the alternator belt to slip on the pully, resulting in decreased power and activating the Discharge Warning Light, which looks like a red battery. Once that happens, the vehicle can only be driven a short distance until the remaining battery power is depleted.

Toyota vehicles affected by the recall include the 2004 model year Avalon, and the 2004 and 2005 model year Camry, Highlander, Sienna and Solara, as well as the 2006 Highlander HV. Lexus vehicles affected by the recall include the 2005 and 2005 Lexus ES330 and RX330 and the 2006 Lexus RX400h.

Toyota is currently working on getting the necessary new parts to repair the vehicles, and affected owners will not be notified until January 2012, at which point they can take their vehicle to a dealership for inspection and repair of the crankshaft pulley.

Customers with questions can contact Toyota at (800) 331-4331 or Lexus at (800) 255-3987.

Photo Courtesy of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/danielctw/ / CC BY 2.0

Tags: Lexus, Toyota, Toyota Avalon, Toyota Camry, Toyota Highlander, Toyota Recall, Toyota Sienna, Toyota Solara, Toyota Steering
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1 Comments

Susan
I have a 2006 Rav4 that has a clunking noise when turnibg the wheel. You can feel it in the steering wheel and hear it also. I don’t believe the recall is going far enough as other models may have problems also. It would be a trajedy if someone was hurt or killed because of trying to cut corners. Trust in Toyota has already eroded and if something else should be fixed then they should own up and correct it. Many people with Rav4 are expressing this problem on other web pages.

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