Toyota recalling minivans

Toyota to recall 600,000 minivans

By Blake Ellis, staff reporter

Recall to address potential corrosion in the spare tire carrier cable, affects 1998-2010 model year Siennas that have been operated in cold-climate areas

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Toyota said Friday it will recall about 600,000 Sienna minivans to address potential corrosion on spare tire cables.

The recall includes certain 1998 to 2010 model years sold in the United States and operated in cold climate areas, the automaker said in a statement.

Toyota (TOYOF) said “prolonged exposure” to road salts may lead to corrosion of the carrier cable in these vehicles, which could in turn cause the spare tire to fall from the car, endangering other motorists.

“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 said.

The troubled automaker, which has been plagued by a number of other recalls in the past year, said it is “working to develop” a solution to the problem. Until a fix is found, customers will receive a notice telling them to bring their Sienna to a local dealership for inspection.

Vehicles originally sold or currently registered in the following cold climate areas are covered by the recall: 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. 

Posted by Ovi on April 17, 2010 - 8:50 pm . Filed under Autos, Breaking, Car & Driver, US. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry