Toyota Recall 2014: Over Half A Million Sienna, Highlander, and Lexus Models Effected
The 2014 Toyota recall affects over half a million vehicles in Toyota and Lexus models like the Sienna and Highlander.
In a related report by The Inquisitr, delays behind the recent GM recalls cost the company $35 million in fines because General Motors allegedly knew about serious problems and did nothing about them for years. Government officials are not satisfied with such a small fine, and are insisting that Congress raise the limit on a maximum fine possible. The justice department is also continuing an investigation to determine whether criminal charges are necessary.
The good news is that the 2014 Toyota recall has not been linked to any deaths and, like always, the company will repair the issue without any cost. The Toyota recall effects 516,000 vehicles worldwide, 430,500 of which are in the United States.
The largest of the Toyota recalls is for the 2004 to 2011 Sienna, which has a problem where the spare tire carrier may corrode and then drop the spare. This recall is actually the second time this same model has had this particular issue, but installing a splash protector and an anti-rust agent apparently did not help resolve the problem.
Around 16,000 2013 Lexus GS 250 and 350 sedans are effected by a brake manufacturing defect. It’s possible the brakes could activate without warning and the brake lights would not even turn on at all.
A software glitch is the focus of the Toyota recall for the 50,000 2014 Highlander SUVs effected by a problem where airbags are having trouble correctly calculating the size of the front passenger in the event the airbags are needed.
In 2013, another Toyota recall caused the company to call certain models back for failing engines, airbags, and even brakes. The Japanese automaker was even handed out a $1.2 billion fine because it hid acceleration issues with its own vehicles from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Because of issues like that, Consumer Report did not even recommend any version of the top-selling Camry based upon Toyota reliability ratings. This decision came about because the Toyota Camry, the RAV4 SUV, and the Prius V hybrid wagon all had poor reliability ratings in a new test by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
When it comes to the newest Toyota recall, 2014 has not been a very good year, either. If you include the recalls from April then the total number of vehicles effected by various problems has risen to 6.76 million.
