Toyota Recall In 2013 Affects 369,000 Cars: Lexus Hybrid Engines Shut Off

A Toyota recall affects 369,000 vehicles including cars among the high end Lexus brand.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, as of 2013 Toyota recalls have affected 13 million cars in five years.

The new 2013 Toyota recall primarily affects hybrid engine cars. Another Toyota recall on hybrid cars earlier this year was for a brake design flaw.

But this latest Toyota recall is a showstopper…literally! The first Toyota recall affects 200,000 vehicles using the hybrid engine system. The 2005 to 2011 Lexus RX400 and the 2005 to 2007 Highlander series have an issue with the inverter in the hybrid system that could cause an alarm to go off, sometimes forcing the hybrid to come to a stop. This Toyota recall will replace a module in the inverter for free and is expected to take three to four hours at a Toyota dealership.

The second Toyota recall affects the Lexus GS350, IS350, Crown and Mark X models manufactured between 2005 and 2010, except for the IS350 which is only 2010 and 2011. 169,000 vehicles in North America and Japan have a problem with a bolt in the engine that controls the variable-valve timing system, which controls the engine camshafts. The bolt may loosen, cause the entire engine to stop functioning, and potentially even damage the engine. The Toyota recall for this part will take more than six hours to fix at a Toyota dealership.

Have the Toyota recalls in 2013 affected your car buying decisions?