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).

Toyota Recall 2011 Affects 550,000 Vehicles Around The World

Toyota Recall 2011

Toyota Motor Corp. announced Wednesday that it will be conducting a voluntary safety recall involving 550,000 of Toyota cars worldwide to replace the crankshaft pulley on the V6 engine.

"There is a possibility that the outer ring of the crankshaft pulley may become misaligned with the inner ring, causing noise and/or illumination of the discharge warning light. If this condition is not corrected, the belt for the power steering pump may become detached from the pulley and the driver may notice a sudden increase in steering effort. There are no reports of accidents or injuries related to this condition," Toyota wrote.

The recall covers approximately 283,200 Toyota and 137,000 Lexus vehicles which include the following models: 22004 Toyota Avalon, 2004-05 Camry, 2004-05 Highlander, 2006 Highlander hybrid, 2004-05 Sienna, 2004 ES330, 2004-05 RX330 and 2006 RX400h.

Around 447,000 of these vehicles are in North America, 38,000 in Japan and another 25,000 in Australia and New Zealand.

"Toyota is currently working on obtaining the necessary replacement parts. Once the replacement parts have been produced in sufficient quantities, Toyota will send an owner notification by first class mail advising owners to make an appointment with an authorized Toyota or Lexus dealer to have the crankshaft pulley inspected and if necessary, replaced at no charge. The owner notifications will be mailed by first class mail beginning in January, 2012," Toyota added.

Customers can read Toyota's FAQ about the recent recall HERE.

Just last February, Toyota recalled 2.17 million vehicles for gas pedals that become trapped on floor hardware. It has also made several recalls last year for various problems.