Carmaker Toyota to Recall 412,000 Vehicles for Steering Problems

Toyota announced yet another recall today involving about 412,000 Lexuses and Avalons in the United States for steering issues. The recall is the second issued this month by the Japanese carmaker.

Roughly 373,000 of the recalled vehicles are Toyota Avalons from model years 2000 to 2004. The cars’ steering interlock system may develop a crack that might expand, making it difficult to unlock the steering system when the vehicles are parked. In less frequent cases, the steering wheel may even become locked when the vehicles are in motion.

Moreover, 39,000 luxury Lexus LX 470 vehicles from model years 2003 to 2007 are included in the recall due to a separate steering problem. If the vehicle hits a pothole or other big bump and then turns hard, the steering column could become disengaged, making the vehicle impossible to steer.

Toyota claims it knows of six reports of steering issues with Avalon models, including three unverified minor car accidents and no reported injuries. Lexus claims it knows of one report of steering problems but no related accidents.

“If [customers] have any concerns they should take their car to the dealer or call the customer experience center,” said Brian Lyons, a Toyota spokesman.

All impacted Lexus and Avalon owners will receive recall letters in the mail in mid- to late-August. The Japanese carmaker pledges to replace the steering column brackets on all impacted Avalons and install a new part to keep steering columns in place on all Lexus LX 470s at no cost.

For additional information, Avalon owners should call Toyota at 1-800-331-4331 or visit the automaker’s recall Website (www.Toyota.com/recall). Lexus customers should call 1-800-255-3987 or view the Lexus Website (www.lexus.com/recall) for more details.

Earlier this month, Toyota announced a 138,000-vehicle recall in the United States because of valve problems in the vehicles’ engines that, according to company documents, the automaker had known about for nearly two years. That recall announcement arrived the same week that Toyota reported it would add to the number of product-quality field offices in the United States and expand its product-development time by four months, allowing more advanced quality control.

In the middle of July, Toyota conceded for the first time that sticking gas pedals and flawed floor mats contributed to a handful of the sudden acceleration issues that resulted in recalls affecting 8.5 million vehicles earlier this year. But the automaker said it was not yet ready to draw definitive conclusions from its probe of 2,000 affected vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has an investigation of the matter that is ongoing.