No Hella driving lights means no recall.
Toyota Motor is recalling model year 2007-2013 FJ Cruiser SUVs equipped with Toyota Driving lamps mounted to the front bumper. The Hella-made lamp assemblies include 55-watt bulbs and because of the power of the bulbs and the mounting angle, the combination of upper beam headlamps plus the auxiliary lamps is too bright, exceeding the maximum light output allowed.
The more than 11,000 FJ Cruiser models so equipped fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Number 108 – lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment.
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the 55-watt bulbs with 35-watt bulbs, free of charge, as is required under U.S. The recall is expected to begin in late May 2013. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or go to www.safercar.gov.
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.
