Toyota Recalls 600,000 Sienna Minivans

TORRANCE, California — In yet another blow to its once-sterling image, Toyota on Friday said it will recall approximately 600,000 of its 1998-2010 Sienna minivans sold in the U.S. because the spare tire carrier cable could fail and cause the spare tire to fall off the vehicle.

The Sienna recall is the latest stumble for the Japanese automaker and comes on the heels of massive global recalls, an unprecedented $16.4-million federal penalty for its slow response to recalling vehicles in the U.S. and a pending May 13 U.S. District Court date in Santa Ana, California, to face off against consumers suing the automaker for damages in the wake of recalls.

The Sienna recall was announced by Toyota, not the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which has yet to post any information about a Sienna recall on its Web site. Toyota said the problem with the spare tire cable may appear on Sienna minivans that have been operated in cold-climate areas with high road salt use.

"Continued prolonged exposure to road salts may cause excessive corrosion of the carrier cable in some of these vehicles," Toyota said in a statement. "In the worst case, the carrier cable may fail and the spare tire could become separated from the vehicle, a road hazard for following vehicles that increases the likelihood of a crash."

Toyota did not spell out whether any injuries, fatalities or crashes have occurred as a result of the Sienna defect.

The Japanese automaker also noted that it does not yet have a remedy for the flaw in the Sienna minivan. "Until this remedy is developed, customers will receive an interim notice instructing them to bring their vehicle to a dealership for a preliminary inspection," Toyota said.

Customers will then get a secondary notice advising them of the "remedy availability."

The affected Sienna minivans were originally sold or are currently registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. Toyota said owners of vehicles in other states will receive a separate special service campaign notification that includes details on how to obtain an inspection if they desire.

Source: Indiacar.com Source : http://www.insideline.com (4/19/2010)