Toyota recalls 550,000 cars worldwide for power steering issue
Newly recruited employees of Japanese auto giant Toyota Motor bow their heads to offer prayers for the victims of tsunami and the massive earthquake at the company’s entrance ceremony at Toyota’s headquarters in Aichi prefecture on April 1, 2011.
Toyota issued a recall Wednesday for some of its most popular vehicles for a possible power steering issue, reported The New York Times. The recall applies to 550,000 cars worldwide, with 420,000 of those models in the US.
The recall includes the Camry sedan, Solara coupe, Highlander SUV, and Sienna minivan for the 2004 and 2005 model years, as well as a few Lexus models, according to Reuters. It only applies to models with a V6 engine.
Toyota Motor Corp. will replace a crankshaft pulley on the V6 engine. The Japanese automaker said if not corrected, the power steering pump could become detached from the pulley and cause an immediate difficulty in steering for the driver, reported the San Francisco Chronicle.
According to the Wall Street Journal, no injuries or accidents have been reported due to the flaw. The company said they will contact owners of the models to perform the recall service once they have all the required parts.
Asia's biggest car manufacturer has been plagued by problems, issuing more than 13 million product recalls in the US alone since September 2009, reported the Los Angeles Times. In February, Toyota recalled more than 2 million vehicles in the US for a reported defect that caused cars to accelerate out of control.
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