Dubai: Al Futtaim Motors, distributor for Toyota and Lexus cars in the UAE, announced yesterday that sales of two versions of Toyota's small SUV model Prado have been suspended due to technical concerns. 367 cars of the Prado VX and VX-L versions, model year 2010, are affected, a company spokesman confirmed to Gulf News.
Toyota notified Al Futtaim that those two models are in need of reprogramming the control units, a problem that was also detected in the Lexus GX460.
"We have received notification from Toyota Motor Corporation that the remedy for both the GX460, and Prado VX and VX-L models will involve the reprogramming of one of the vehicle's control units.
"This reprogramming procedure is currently under development and we will update all affected customers with the progress of this enhancement," said Simon Frith, Managing Director of Al Futtaim Motors.
Only last week, Al Futtaim said it is suspending sales for the Lexus GX460.
Global recalls
In January, Toyota recalled 2.3 million cars worldwide, its second massive recall in four months, to fix potentially faulty accelerator pedals. This recall followed the recall of 4.2 million vehicles in September 2009. In the UAE, Toyota recalled 3,120 vehicles of the 2005 to 2010 Avalon sedan and the 2009 and 2010 Sequoia.
Honda
In January, Honda recalled 646,000 Fit hatchbacks across the world due to a glitch that could let water enter the power window mechanism, causing components to overheat. In February, Honda recalled 430,000 cars (Accords, Civics and some Acura TL models) because of a fault with airbags. Those models are not sold in the UAE or in the GCC.
Nissan
Nissan in March recalled 540,000 vehicles across the globe, with more than 32,000 in the Middle East and said the cars are potentially affected by a fuel gauge inaccuracy.
