Toyota Motor Corporation announced yesterday that it will issue a voluntary recall of about 110,000 of its most popular vehicle models because of a defect that could potentially shut down the vehicle’s power steering assist. At the same time, they announced a second recall of about 2,500 of its electric vehicles because of a software problem that could cause what the company describes as “a complete loss of drive power” with little or no warning.
The first group of vehicles includes 2015 Toyota Camry and Camry Hybrids, 2015 Highlander and Highlander Hybrids, and 2014 and 2015 RAV4 SUVs.
According to the recall announcement, a possibility exists that a circuit board for the electric power steering controls “may have been damaged” during the vehicles’ manufacturing. If that circuit board was damaged, it is possible for the vehicles’ steering to lose the power assist feature. While the manual steering would continue to work, the vehicle would be much harder to steer, especially at low speed. It would be even harder to steer than if the vehicle had no power steering. According to Toyota, a warning light should go on when that happens, but such a defect could put people at greater risk of a crash.
The second, smaller group of vehicles being recalled includes about 2,500 RAV4 EV battery vehicles from model years 2012 through 2014. The reason for that recall is due to a software issue that can cause certain components in the electric motor assembly to suddenly and without warning shift to neutral, which shuts down all drive power to the vehicle.
That defect would cause a “Check EV System” warning light to go on, but without power, it’s not possible to quickly move the vehicle out of harm’s way, thus increasing the risk of a crash.
The car maker, one of the largest in the world, said in its announcement that it knows of no accidents, injuries or deaths as a result of either issue. Vehicle owners will be notified of the recall by mail, and Toyota dealers will fix the vehicles for free.
If you receive a notice in the mail, you should follow the instructions of the recall and have your vehicle fixed immediately. If you or a loved one had been injured or killed in an accident involving one of the Toyotas, or any other defective vehicles, please contact the knowledgeable and experienced Texas Vehicle Defect Lawyer at Hill Law Firm as soon as possible, to protect your rights.