Los Angeles/Tokyo: Toyota Motor Corp said it's preparing a global recall of about 480,000 Avalon sedans and Land Cruiser sport-utility vehicles to repair steering parts that may be defective.
About 400,000 US-built Avalons have a steering-column bracket that can fail and cause the steering wheel to lock up, Toyota said on Thursday. The Avalons were built between 2000 through 2004 and include 373,000 in the US, as well as versions sold in Japan, Canada, China and Saudi Arabia.
Toyota also said it will recall 80,000 Land Cruisers for another problem involving steering shafts. The world's largest automaker is working to improve quality following global recalls of more than eight million cars and light trucks for defects linked to unintended acceleration. In the US, those recalls prompted congressional hearings and a record $16.4 million (Dh60 million) fine.
"Toyota now seems to be very much erring on the side of disclosing everything in terms of defects," said Ed Kim, an analyst at researcher AutoPacific in Tustin, California. "That's good, but the more problems and recalls are in view of the public, the longer it takes for its reputation to recover."
The recall of Land Cruisers includes 39,000 of its 2003 through 2007 Lexus LX 470 SUVs in the US, sold elsewhere as the Land Cruiser 100, said Brian Lyons, a spokesman for the Toyota City, Japan-based company. Toyota said it's not aware of deaths or injuries related to either flaw.
