Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., the US division of Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp. (TM) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, announced Tuesday the recall of 110,000 Toyota Tundra Pickups citing excessive corrosion.
The NHTSA revealed that the excessive corrosion is caused by "road salts" that are used to treat the roadways in winter weather, which can cause the rear cross-member of the vehicle frame to fail and allow the spare tire to fall onto the roadway at any time. The corrosion can also cause damage to the rear brake lines and lead to brake system failures.
Though Toyota has announced a recall of the vehicles, NHTSA has asked the motorists to remove spare tires from the underbody to avoid creating a road hazard for other vehicles. NHTSA also advised motorists to avoid being under the spare tire or rear cross-member while removing it.
The recall affects about 110,000 Toyota Tundras pickups for model years 2000 through 2003 that are primarily registered in the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.
The Japanese auto giant said it will notify vehicle owners from the affected states to have the vehicles inspected and remedied at a local dealer. Toyota would gauge the extent of the corrosion and will either apply a corrosion-resistant compound to the affected area or replace the rear cross-member if necessary. Toyota also noted that it would notify owners of model year 2000 through 2003 Tundras registered outside of the recalled states.
In September-end, Toyota Motor said it plans to recall about 3.8 million of certain Toyota and Lexus vehicles, after detecting a defect that might trap the accelerator due to floor mat interference. In its website, Toyota said, "Recent events have prompted Toyota to take a closer look at the potential for an accelerator pedal to get stuck in the full open position due to an unsecured or incompatible driver's floor mat. A stuck open accelerator pedal may result in very high vehicle speeds and make it difficult to stop the vehicle, which could cause a crash, serious injury or death."
Toyota had recalled 55,000 Camrys and Lexus ES 350s in the U.S. two years ago, citing a similar defect. The company also recalled 978,000 vehicles in the past to fix a problem with the steering.
Recently in August-end, Toyota Motor launched a voluntary safety recall of about 95,700 Toyota and Scion vehicles sold in the U.S., citing possible brake problems in extremely cold temperatures. The recall affected certain 2009 and 2010 year model Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, and 2008 and 2009 year model Scion xD vehicles, all equipped with 1.8 liter engines.
In August itself, Toyota also recalled almost 690,000 cars in China because of faulty electrical window switches. The recall affected the company's Camry, Corolla, Vios and Yaris models made at two joint ventures in China - Guangzhou Auto and Tianjin FAW.
Meanwhile, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, or IIHS, announced last week its 'Top Safety Pick' award for 2010 model year, which were given to 27 top-rated vehicles, including 19 passenger cars and eight sport utility vehicles. Most notably, Toyota Motor did not win any award on safety, as it requires good performance in a roof-strength test aimed at protecting passengers in rollover crashes.
It is said that this is the second time the Institute has tightened criteria since announcing the first recipients in 2005. Subaru, Ford Motor Co. (F) and Volkswagen AG (VLKAF.PK, VKW.L) topped the list with safest new vehicles, with Ford and its Volvo unit winning six awards and German automaker Volkswagen and its unit Audi earning five awards. Chrysler Group LLC also won four, awards, and two new small cars, the Nissan Cube and Kia Soul also join the Top Safety Pick list for 2010. General Motors Corp.'s (MTLQQ.PK) Buick LaCrosse and Chevrolet Malibu are also on the list.
TM closed Tuesday's regular trading session at $76.05, down $1.43 or 1.85% on a volume of 0.37 million shares.
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