Toyota to recall Sienna minivan in North America
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Toyota, the Japanese auto maker, has issued a voluntary recall of 870,000 of its Sienna minivans in North America (600,000 in the United States and 270,000 in Canada).
The models affected are the first and second generation vehicles, which were manufactured between 1998 and 2010. It has been discovered that salt, used to grit roads and melt snow in northern US states and Canada, could potentially cause corrosion in the spare tire carrier cable. In a worse case scenario, this corrosion could lead to the wheel becoming detached and becoming a hazard for following vehicles. The new 2011 version of the Sienna is not affected, nor are all wheel drive versions of the vehicle.
In a statement, Toyota said that "In the worst case, the carrier cable may fail and the spare tire could become separated from the vehicle." In the same statement, Toyota's Chief Quality Officer in North America, Steve St. Angelo, said that "Toyota is listening to its customers attentively, and we want to make sure their voices are heard...We are also working diligently to develop a remedy as soon as possible."
The latest blow to Toyota's reputation for safety and quality comes just days after the company announced the suspension of sales of its luxury Lexus GX 460 SUV over fears that it was susceptible to rollovers.
Related news
"Toyota to suspend sales of Lexus GX 460 over new safety fears" — Wikinews, April 14, 2010
Sources
- "Toyota is recalling another 600,000 vehicles in US" — BBC, April 17, 2010
- Reporting by David Bailey; Editing by Bernard Orr. "UPDATE 2-Toyota to recall 870,000 Sienna 1998-2010 minivans" — Reuters, April 17, 2010
- "Toyota recalling Siennas" — Hamilton Spectator, April 17, 2010
- "Toyota to Begin Voluntary Safety Recall on Certain 1998-2010 Model Year Siennas to Address Potential Corrosion on Spare Tire Cable" — Toyota USA Newsroom, April 16, 2010
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