Toyota Motor Corp said on Friday it would recall 870,000 Sienna minivans sold in the US and Canada since the 1998 model year because of a risk that the spare tire could drop into the road.
The recalls cover minivans sold in several cold weather US states and Canada because of potential corrosion from long-term exposure to road salt that could in the worst case cause the spare tire to separate from the vehicle, Toyota said.
All told, the recalls cover 600,000 two-wheel drive Sienna minivans from the 1998 to this model year sold or registered in certain cold weather US states and 270,000 of the same vehicles in Canada.
The recalls are the latest in a string that has marred Toyota’s reputation for quality. On Tuesday, Toyota halted sales of its Lexus GX 460 luxury SUV after Consumer Reports said its handling in certain curves posed a “safety risk.”
The automaker has not yet decided whether it would have to recall the Lexus GX 460, but has said its engineers duplicated the results of Consumer Reports’ tests.
For the recalls announced on Friday, Toyota said the Sienna minivans should be inspected by dealers while Toyota develops a remedy.
They said in the recalls that a cable holding the spare tire in place could fail because of corrosion.
US owners outside the cold weather states will receive a separate notice and may have their vehicles inspected and repaired if necessary at no charge as well, Toyota said.
The US recall covers the District of Columbia, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin and West Virginia.
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