Toyota Recall 2012: Thousands Of RAV4s, Lexus HS Recalled Due To Rear Suspension Issue

Toyota Recall 2012

Toyota announced Wednesday a voluntary safety recall involving 2006 to early 2011 model year RAV4 utility vehicles and 2010 model year Lexus HS 250h hybrid cars sold in the United States.

The new Toyota recall affects 760,000 RAV4s and 18,000 Lexus HS 250h.

Toyota said that if the nuts on the rear suspension arm are not tightened following the proper procedure and torque specification during a rear wheel alignment service, excessive play may occur at the threaded portion of the arm, followed by rust formation.  If this were to occur, the threaded portion of the rear suspension arm may wear and cause the arm to separate.

The automaker added that it is currently developing a remedy and that once the remedy is available, it will send a notification letter by first class mail advising owners to make an appointment with an authorized Toyota or Lexus dealer to have the remedy performed at no charge.

In a defect investigation opened June 4 into a similar problem with 2006-2008 Toyota RAV4s, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the rear suspension arm assembly "may fail due to corrosion, potentially causing a loss of vehicle control." It added that  it was probing about 460,000 RAV4s at the time and that it had received seven complaints alleging corrosion-related failure of suspension arms on the RAV4.

Detailed information about the new Toyota recall are available to customers at www.toyota.com/recall and the Toyota Customer Experience Center (1 800-331-4331) or www.lexus.com/recall and Lexus Customer Satisfaction (1 800-255-3987).

Peg Perego Recall: Strollers Recalled Due To Risk Of Entrapment And Strangulation

Peg Perego Recall 2012

Peg Perego announced Tuesday a voluntary recall of about 223,000 strollers due to a risk of entrapment and strangulation. One death has already been reported.

The company said that a 6-month-old baby boy from Tarzana, Calif. died of strangulation after his head was trapped between the seat and the tray of his Peg Perego stroller in 2004. Another baby, a 7-month-old girl from New York, N.Y., nearly strangled when her head became trapped between the seat and the tray of her stroller in 2006.

It added that entrapment and strangulation can occur, especially to infants younger than 12 months of age, when a child is not harnessed. An infant can pass through the opening between the stroller tray and seat bottom, but his/her head and neck can become entrapped by the tray. Infants who become entrapped at the neck are at risk of strangulation.

The recall involves two different older versions of the Peg Perego strollers, Venezia and Pliko-P3, manufactured between January 2004 and September 2007, in a variety of colors. They were manufactured prior to the existence of the January 2008 voluntary industry standard which addresses the height of the opening between the stroller's tray and the seat bottom. The voluntary standard requires larger stroller openings that prevent infant entrapment and strangulation hazards.

Only strollers that have a child tray with one cup holder are part of this recall. Strollers with a bumper bar in front of the child or a tray with two cup holders are not included in this recall.

The strollers were sold at various retailers across the U.S., including Babies R Us and Buy Buy Baby from January 2004 through September 2010 for between $270 and $330 for the Pliko P-3 stroller and between $350 and $450 for the Venezia stroller. They were manufactured in Italy.

Peg Perego said that consumers should immediately stop using the recalled strollers and contact the firm for a free repair kit. Do not return the stroller to the retailers as they will not be able to provide the repair kit, it added.

For additional information, call Peg Perego at (888) 734-6020 anytime or visit the firm's website at www.PegPeregoUSA.com