Toyota to recall 7.4 million vehicles
Tokyo, October 10, 2012
Toyota Motor Corp will recall 7.4 million vehicles globally, including certain Vitz, Yaris and Corolla models, due to malfunctioning power windows, the company said.
The Japanese car maker will call back 1.39 million cars in Europe, 1.4 million in China and 2.47 million in the US and the remainder globally, including in Japan, Canada, Australia and the Middle East.
This makes it the single largest recall since Ford called back 7.9 million vehicles in 1996.
Toyota said uneven application of grease during the assembly process has caused a problem with some electric window switches.
"It has come to our attention that on certain RAV4, Auris, Yaris and Corolla models built between September 2006 and December 2008 the possibility exists that the PWMS, located in the driver’s door, may over time begin to feel uneven or notchy when it is operated," the company said in a statement on its website.
"Continued operation in this condition may cause the switch to stick or become inoperable. The switch is not designed to be lubricated with commercially available lubricants - application of these lubricants could lead to overheating and/or melting of the switch assembly."
There has been one reported case of this in Britain, the company said, but added that no accidents, injuries or deaths had been reported as a result of the problem.
The latest recall comes after a string of defects with the company's vehicles over the last few years - almost 16 million cars have been recalled by Toyota since late 2009.
