Owing to Faulty Power Window Switch, Toyota Undertakes Massive Global Recall of Vehicles
Japan's Toyota Motor Corp is set to undertake a massive global recall of vehicles due to faulty power window switch found in its units.
A total of seven million vehicles around the world will be involved in the process, including 1.39 million vehicles across Europe, 138,000 within the UK, 2.47 million in the U.S. and 1.4 million in China. Some of the models involved are the Corolla, Klugers, RAV4, Yaris, Aurion and Camry.
In Australia and Asia, 650,000 vehicles will be recalled. In Japan, at least 459,000 vehicles will be involved, as well as hundreds of thousands from across the Middle East and within Canada.
In a statement, Toyota said the electric window switch that controls the windows for the driver and passengers have been found defective on certain models, noting the switch may not operate smoothly and could then end up becoming stiff or not working.
Toyota advises against applying oil to the switch as this could result to overheating and possibly melt the control switch.
It also said it will start contacting drivers with the affected models in the next coming weeks and will ask consumers to bring in their cars for safety checks and routine inspection to rule out if their car's power window switch is faulty.
''The switch will be checked mechanically and electrically for correct operation and specialised electrical grease will then be applied to ensure it operates smoothly when pressed," Toyota spokeswoman Beck Angel was quoted as saying by The Australian.
In some cases, there might be a need to replace the window's electrical circuit board in some vehicles.
"The inspection and any required repairs will take approximately one hour to complete and will be at no cost to the owner,'' Ms Angel said.
"Depending on the dealer's work schedule however, the car may need to be available for a longer period of time. Should Toyota owners experience sticking operation of the power window master switch, we recommend that the switch is no longer used prior to vehicle inspection and repair."