Toyota recalls 1.5m cars over brake defects

The carmaker said the worldwide recall will affect 1.5mn Avalon, Highlander and Lexus cars, including 740,000 vehicles in the US, 600,000 in Japan and 17,000 in the UK.

Toyota UK said no accidents had been reported, but it was trying to notify registered Lexus owners of the potential problems with leaking brake fluid and circuit problems between the fuel pump and the engine.

“Lexus knows of no accidents caused by this issue.” Company spokesman

The first recall – which affects about 15,400 UK vehicles – concerns the brake master cylinder fitted to IS, GS and RX models built between February 2003 and November 2005.

Brake fluid
In a statement, the company said: “Lexus is aware that the seal between the brake master cylinder and the brake booster may turn in its seat, causing brake fluid to leak into the brake booster.

“In the very unlikely event that this happens, the driver will be alerted to the problem by the low brake fluid warning light.

“The brakes will continue to function normally for a significant time – over 200 miles of regular driving. Lexus knows of no accidents caused by this issue.”

The repair involves the replacement of a small seal and a check for any fluid contamination in the brake booster.

Fuel pump
The second recall, which affects 2,081 UK-registered cars, is due to fuel pump problems on GS 300 models built between September 2004 and February 2006.

Lexus said the expansion and contraction of the fuel tank could stretch the fuel pump and cause a break in the circuit with the engine, causing the engine to stop without warning.

The repair involves a three-hour job to replace the fuel pump wiring harness.

Apology
Lexus director Belinda Poole apologised for the inconvenience caused to customers.

“Our Lexus centres will be liaising with our customers to carry out the recall repair procedures as promptly as possible, with all work undertaken by expertly trained Lexus service personnel,” she said.

The latest recall is Toyota’s 14th this year.

It follows more than 10 million car recalls by Toyota already in the past year, including more than a million Corolla and Matrix cars in the US and Canada.

US authorities fined Toyota $US16m for failing to act sooner over faulty accelerator pedals.