Toyota to recall 22,000 vehicles in PH over fire risk

[Monseratto]

Toyota to recall 22,000 vehicles in PH over fire risk - InterAksyon.com

MANILA - Toyota Motor Philippines Corp on Wednesday said it is recalling 22,000 units of vehicles sold from 2006 to 2010 over a fire risk emanating from faulty electric windows.

This is part of a global recall of 7.43 million vehicles in a fresh blow to the Japanese carmaker's reputation for safety.

Rommel Gutierrez, TMPC vice president, said the recall includes the Camry, Corolla, RAV4, Vios and Yaris models, mostly manufactured in Japan and Thailand.

Gutierrez said the company as soon as possible will start identifying owners of affected vehicles. They will be informed through mail.

Toyota will either "apply a specialized grease or replace specific components when deemed necessary," he said.

"There is a defect in the driver's side power-window switch, which can cause earlier wear in the switch and lead to it malfunctioning," a Tokyo-based company spokeswoman told AFP.

"There is another concern that commercially-offered lubricant used to smooth the switch's movement can cause it to erode," she added.

About 2.47 million vehicles will be recalled from the United States, where at least one case of smoke coming from a window switch was recorded, the spokeswoman said. "We cannot pinpoint its cause and there was no report of a fire."

However, a statement on the firm's US website said: "If commercially available lubricants are applied to the switch in an attempt to address the 'notchy' or sticky feel, melting of the switch assembly or smoke could occur and lead to a fire under some circumstances."

Another 2.8 million cars will be recalled from Europe and China while the remainder were from around the world including Japan, Canada, Australia and the Middle East, she said.

Toyota, once lauded for its safety standards, has been forced into damage control in recent years after recalling millions of vehicles over defects.

Two months ago, it added two models to a controversial 2009 recall launched after floor mats became trapped under the accelerator and were linked to accidents that allegedly caused dozens of deaths.

Toyota's mishandling of the initial problem and other reports of sudden, unintended acceleration led to the recall of more than 12 million vehicles worldwide, a US congressional probe, more than $50 million in fines from US regulators and public apologies by its chief.

Toyota has since worked hard to regain its reputation for safety, while at the same time suffering from the impact of the economic crisis, a strong yen and the devastating 2011 quake and tsunami.

The Japanese firm managed to regain its position as the world's number one automaker in the first half of 2012, stealing back the lead from US giant General Motors.

Wednesday's recall was the second blow for Toyota this week.

It said Tuesday that sales to China plunged nearly 50 percent last month as it suffers the impact of a territorial spat between Tokyo and Beijing that appears to be hitting trade between the economic giants.

On Tuesday, Toyota rivals Nissan and Honda also said their September sales in China -- the world's biggest vehicle market -- dropped by 35.3 percent and 40.5 percent, respectively.

The two countries have for weeks been locked in a festering row over the islands in the East China Sea controlled by Japan but claimed by China.

With a report from AFP

[ratchet23]

Parang ito yung problem sa vios namin. Yung drivers side panel, the three power window switches are always stucked when switched upward. Di nagrereturn sa neutral position. Yung driver window switch lang matino. Kaya i always make sure to lock the windows using the lock switch. Baka may active nakaswitch up sa windows while driving.

But our vios was manufactured here not in japan and thailand. Kasali kaya?

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

[ronki]

Parang ito yung problem sa vios namin. Yung drivers side panel, the three power window switches are always stucked when switched upward. Di nagrereturn sa neutral position. Yung driver window switch lang matino. Kaya i always make sure to lock the windows using the lock switch. Baka may active nakaswitch up sa windows while driving.

But our vios was manufactured here not in japan and thailand. Kasali kaya?

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

afaik, locally made mga vios dito sir, pero if you have doubts, walang masama pacheck sa casa

[Chikselog]

Yung mga first batch ba ng 2nd gen Vios, made in PH na?

[myk384]

Yung mga first batch ba ng 2nd gen Vios, made in PH na?

All second gen Vios dito na sa PH.

[Autobeat]

c/o Interaksyon.com: Gutierrez said the company as soon as possible will start identifying owners of affected vehicles. They will be informed through mail.

Just curious, how will Toyota be able to contact current owners, in cases where 1st owners have already sold their units? When buying 2nd hand Toyota units, is there a way to have Toyota Phil's database updated so that the new owners are the ones contacted in case of recalls?

[ratchet23]

afaik, locally made mga vios dito sir, pero if you have doubts, walang masama pacheck sa casa

Di ba CKD ang vios and parts are still sourced from thailand, dapat kasama din.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

[vinj]

Just curious, how will Toyota be able to contact current owners, in cases where 1st owners have already sold their units? When buying 2nd hand Toyota units, is there a way to have Toyota Phil's database updated so that the new owners are the ones contacted in case of recalls?

I guess the best would be to put out ads and a link to website where you can input your vehicle chassis number to see if it's included in the recall.

[jaymd]

unahin na muna ng toyota yun leaking fuel tank issue nila. kakatawag lang ng friend ko yun innova vvti nila nagleak na din tangke. 2007 model ata yun

[ratchet23]

it's official. kasama ang vios sa recall

Toyota PH recalls Camry, Altis, RAV4, Vios and Yaris

Toyota Motor Philippines has announced a special service campaign for Camry, Corolla (Altis), RAV4, Vios and Yaris models made from 2006 to 2010 due to a faulty power window master switch.

According to TMP, the sliding electrical contact point in the driver-side power window master switch "may experience a 'notchy' or sticking feeling during operation, which causes the button to get stuck." TMP warns that if the vehicle is serviced in a non-Toyota dealer and a commercially available lubricant is used to deal with the problem, the switch assembly may melt. We assume that if something like a switch assembly could melt, it's quite possible that it could also start a fire.

"As a preventive measure, we will inspect the power window master switch and apply specialized grease or replace specific component if deemed necessary, at no cost to the customer," said TMP vice president for corporate affairs Rommel Gutierrez. "This program will be offered at all Toyota dealers only."

Though TMP failed to disclose how many units they are recalling, Toyota Motor Sales USA is reporting that it is recalling 2.5 million vehicles for the same problem, while wire reports say that, globally, the recall is affecting 7.4 million vehicles.