Another day, Another Recall: One More for Toyota!
Toyota has really used the GM ignition switch scandal to their advantage! This morning, they announced yet another grouped recall, this time targeting 6.76 million vehicles worldwide. It is one of the larger recalls ever made by the Japanese manufacturer.
The first one is for the 2009-2010 Corolla and Matrix, 2008-2010 Highlander, 2009-2010 Tacoma, 2006-2008 RAV4 and 2006-2010 Yaris. A spiral cable in the steering column may get damaged over time, cutting signal to the airbag. This can cause them to not inflate in case of an accident. About 1.5 million cars are affected.
The second part concerns a spring in the seat rails. Following numerous seat adjustments, the spring that locks the seats in place may break, causing those locks to be more prone to break in an accident. The 2006-2010 Yaris Hatchback and some 2008-2010 sedans, in addition to the 2008-2010 Scion xD are affected. Also, a lot of small cars on the international market may present similar defects (the Ist, the Vitz, the Belta and the Ractis, for example). About half a million cars have been recalled in North America for this problem.
Toyota wants to remind its customers that these recalls are done following the new philosophy of quality. Even if there are lots of cars affected, the problem is a minor one and no casualties have been reported so far.