480,000-vehicle Toyota recall includes LandCruiser

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480,000-vehicle Toyota recall includes LandCruiser
TOBY HAGON
July 30, 2010 - 9:01AM

The LandCruiser is known as the king of the outback in Australia, where its reputation for reliability and off-road prowess are almost unmatched in rugged areas.



A massive global recall of almost half a million Toyotas could spread to the mighty Toyota LandCruiser.

Toyota Australia could be forced to recall its mighty LandCruiser as part of a global recall to fix a steering defect.

The LandCruiser and its upmarket sibling, the Lexus LX470, are being recalled as part of a global campaign that affects 480,000 vehicles, mostly Avalon sedans (373,000) sold in the United States.

It’s not yet known whether the recall will impact vehicles sold in Australia, although Toyota says it will repair 80,000 LandCruisers globally. Australia is the second largest market globally for LandCruisers (behind the Middle East).

While most of the recalled cars are left-hand-drive, some from Japan are also being recalled, suggesting right-hand-drive models could also be affected.

Drive has calls in with Toyota Australia and is awaiting comment.

The LandCruiser is known as the king of the outback in Australia, where its reputation for reliability and off-road prowess are almost unmatched in rugged areas.

LandCruisers are favoured by farmers and mining companies as well as being popular with families who use them to ferry kids.

The recall was announced in the United States yesterday, with a statement saying the steering could disengage on LX470 vehicles built between 2003 and 2007.

The Lexus LX470 is based on the Toyota LandCruiser; models affected include the now discontinued 100-Series.

“Lexus has determined that the construction of the steering shaft on involved LX470s is such that the snap ring on the shaft may disengage when the vehicle experiences an unusually severe impact to the front wheels, such as striking a deep pothole,” the statement said.

“If the snap ring becomes disengaged and the steering wheel is then repeatedly turned to the full locked position, the steering shaft may disengage over time.”

Toyota and Lexus say they have not had any reports of crashes as a result of the steering defect.

“At Lexus, we are committed to setting a new standard for quality customer care and aggressive attention to the safety of our drivers,” said Mark Templin, Lexus group vice president and general manager.

“Our engineers have thoroughly investigated this issue and have identified a robust and durable remedy that will help prevent this condition from affecting drivers in the future.”

In a separate statement Toyota said it would recall the US-made Avalon.

The Avalon was also produced in Australia, but it was a very different vehicle to the one sold in the United States, sharing more in common with the locally-produced Camry.

In a statement Toyota said: ‘‘Because of improper casting of the steering lock bar, which is a component of the steering interlock system, there is a possibility that a minute crack may develop on the surface. Such a crack may expand over a long period of repeated lock and unlock operations, and eventually the lock bar could break. If this occurs, the interlock system may become difficult to unlock when stationary.’’

The Lexus and Toyota announcements are the latest in a string of high profile recalls that have affected more than 10 million cars around the world.

Australia has been shielded from the larger recalls – involving sticking accelerators on a range of vehicles – although more than 2000 Prius hybrid cars were recalled locally to address brake feel issues.

Toyota was also forced to recall a handful of LandCruisers to fix faulty seatbelts, while the luxury Lexus brand has issued two recalls in Australia so far this year.

Some US-based analysts predicted Toyota was being overly forthright with potential defects, deciding to inspect cars rather than chance the negative publicity of waiting or investigating further.

Toyota aren't having a good run ,lately