Toyota Motor Sales today announced that it would recall more than 680,000 vehicles in the U.S. for electronic problems caused by defective brake light switches and wiring.
The latest quality gaffs can cause vehicle no-starts, failed stoplights, stuck transmission gear levers, as well as warning lights going off, and airbags not going off in three separate high-volume vehicle lines.
Toyota said no other Toyota vehicles are involved, and that the models were not distributed outside the North American market. Toyota is not aware of any accidents or injuries caused by the safety defects. Toyota’s actual required filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is not yet available.
Affected are 2009 Camry and 2009 to certain 2011 Venza vehicles, which need new brake light switches to replace poorly made ones. Also affected are 2005 to 2009 Tacoma trucks that need to have new wiring in the steering wheel to prevent airbag deployment failures.
The recalls appear to be both design and assembly related. Replacement parts are currently not available. In the interim, owners of the potentially defective Toyotas will be notified by first by mail in April 2012. The letter will tell owners of this latest safety recall, and that they will eventually receive a future notice once the replacement parts are available.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
