Toyota to Recall Up To 7.4 Million Cars World Wide and 138,000 in the UK
A problem with the electric windows in some Toyota models has prompted Toyota to recall up to 7.4 million vehicles world wide for rectification. The UK only has a small number of the vehicles which are affected and will mean that 138,000 Toyota owners in the UK will have to pay a visit to their Toyota dealer to get the matter fixed.
Before we go any further, and as reported by Sky News, Its important to point out that there has only been one “yes just one” fault of this nature reported in the UK and no accidents, injuries or deaths have been reported because of the problem
The recall effects RAV4, Yaris and Auris built between September 2006 and December 2008 and involves the electrical contact in the driver’s side Power Window Master Switch (PWMS), which may over time come to feel ‘notchy’ or sticky during operation.
If commercially available cleaning lubricants are applied to the switch to address the notchy or sticky feel, the switch assembly may overheat and / or melt. If a car’s power window switch feels notchy, owners should not attempt to address the issue themselves with commercially available lubricants. Although, Toyota engineers have conducted various simulation tests, including using commercially available lubricants. In no instance did a fire result.
All affected owners will be contacted by Toyota GB within the next six weeks and asked to make an appointment to bring their car to their nearest Toyota centre. The dealer will check the operation of the PWMS. If the PWMS is operating properly it will be given a special, non-conducting lubrication; if the PWMS is notchy it will be replaced with a new unit. The work should take no more than one hour and will be carried out free of charge.
Specific vehicle or VIN information is expected to be made available by VOSA by the end of this week. Once available the ownership section of the Toyota website (www.toyota.co.uk) will host a registration look-up function enabling owners to check if their vehicle is within the affected range of production.
If owners require additional information they should contact Customer Relations on 01737 367600.
OK, it’s another recall, and I know in the past the people have moaned and groaned about why these happen and when they do, why do they involve so many vehicles? Well, just like all car makers, Toyota go to huge lengths to test the components they use. They even have machines that can simulate years of use in just a few hours and in many cases some of the components are bought in and the companies that manufactured them themselves have also made sure they’ve been pretty much tested to destruction. Look at the recall here, the newest car that could be affected is 4 years old, whilst the oldest is 6 years old and that’s how long it’s taken for this fault to manifest itself.
The headline numbers in this are probably surprising to many of you, but the way that cars are built these days mean that many different models, will share exactly the same components and indeed, very often, completely different brands will share the same components. Years ago, almost all parts on one car would, would be different to the next, but this case highlights that, because the same switch the concern is about is on 3 different models, but when you multiply that up by the number of these 3 models that were sold world wide in 2 or 3 years, suddenly, you get your 7 million.
So, Toyota has done nothing wrong, quite the opposite, they’ve behaved impeccably as they have in previous situations like this. They haven’t tried to hide it, or perhaps just sort the problems out on a one by one basis when and if they arise, despite the fact that this rectification could cost them a fortune and don’t lose sight of the fact that “just one” case of this fault had been reported in the UK, yet Toyota are recalling 138,000 cars. I don’t know about you, but that’s almost over reacting, but what it does demonstrate is not that you shouldn’t buy a Toyota, but exactly why you very much should.
