DUBAI // Nearly 95,000 Toyota cars are being recalled for repairs to faulty parts.
The models involved are the Yaris, Camry, RAV4, Hilux, Fortuner and Innova.
The defects are in the driver’s seat rail, the steering-column brackets and the electrical cable to the driver’s air bag. They could cause the driver’s seat to fail to lock in position, cracks in the steering-column brackets and air-bag failure in an accident.
Toyotas are the most popular cars in the UAE, with a 40 per cent market share.
Worldwide, the Japanese company is recalling 6.4 million cars to rectify problems with seat rails, air-bag cables, engine starters, steering-column brackets and windscreen-wiper motors.
Al Futtaim Motors, the UAE dealer, has begun contacting customers to bring their cars in to have the parts inspected and replaced. The recalls involve 39,000 Yaris models manufactured between 2005 and 2010 and 2,377 made between 2005 and 2009. Al Futtaim will also replace parts in 24,804 Hilux, Fortuner and Innova models, and 28,605 Camrys and RAV4s.
Steering-column brackets are being replaced in the 2,377 Yaris models because they could develop a crack. “This phenomenon may occur if the driver is frequently and forcefully turning the steering wheel to the full-lock position,” the company said.
“The driver may notice an abnormal creaking noise from the steering column mounting bracket,”
In the 39,000 Yaris cars with faulty seat tracks, “the spring used for the mechanism which locks the driver’s seat rail in its adjusting positions could break if the seat is adjusted with high frequency”, the company said.
“If this occurs, the seat may not be fully locked in position. In limited instances, the broken spring could become stuck in the seat rail and the seat might appear to be locked in position,” Al Futtaim said.
The company will also replace spiral cables on RAV4, Camry, Hilux, Fortuner and Innova models. It did not say which model years are affected.
“Due to potential damage of an electrical connection in the spiral cable assembly, the connectivity to the driver’s air bag module could be affected. If connectivity is lost, the air bag warning lamp will illuminate,” the company said.
Additionally, the driver’s air bag could become deactivated, causing it to not deploy in the event of an accident.
“Al Futtaim Motors will begin contacting all customers with affected vehicles to replace the spiral cable,” it said.
Last month, Toyota recalled more than 800 Land Cruiser and Avalon models in the UAE to replace faulty parts.
“Following communication with Toyota Motor Corporation, we have started a special service campaign on 418 Toyota Land Cruiser 70 pick-ups, 2012 to 2014 models,” said Jon Williams, managing director of Al Futtaim Motors, at the time.
The company said last month there was a possibility the brake-hose bracket on the front axle of Land Cruisers could break if vehicles fitted with diesel engines and ABS systems were operated under harsh conditions, such as on uneven roads for long periods.
The Avalon recall on vehicles manufactured more than a decade ago was due to a fault that could cause the front air bags to deploy unnecessarily.
pkannan@thenational.ae
