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Toyota Recalls 280,000 Vehicles Due to Faulty Neutral Function
February 23, 2024
Around 280,000 pickups and SUVs in the U.S. have been recalled by Toyota as a result of the engine potentially not disengaging properly when in neutral, according to CNN.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Japanese carmaker said, “Certain parts of the transmission may not immediately disengage when the vehicle is shifted to the neutral position.” It added that “this can allow some engine power to continue passing through to the wheels.”
Due to this fault, the vehicle could “inadvertently creep forward at a low speed when it is on a flat surface and no brakes are applied, leading to an increased risk of a crash,” the carmaker said.
This recall impacts some Toyota Tundra, Lexus LX 600, and Sequoia vehicles produced between 2022 and 2024. Owners of the recalled vehicles will be notified by the end of April, and the software for the transmission will be updated, according to Toyota.
This recall is one out of three in the U.S. that the carmaker revealed on Wednesday.
Toyota said it was recalling a further 19,000 vehicles over a separate software problem that may lead the rearview image to “not display within the period of time required by certain US safety regulations after the driver shifts the vehicle into reverse, increasing the risk of a crash while backing the vehicle.” This recall affects some Mirai and Lexus LS, LC, and ES models in North America, produced from 2023 to 2024.
On top of this, around 4,000 Toyota Camry and Camry Hybrid vehicles are being recalled due to safety problems with the head restraints on rear fold-down seats that “increase the risk of injury during certain collisions.”
The company also recalled around 1 million vehicles in the U.S. in December 2023 because of a potential defect that could lead to the passenger airbag failing to deploy in an accident. The recall impacted 15 Toyota and Lexus models from 2020 to 2021, such as the Toyota Camry, RAV4, Sienna, and the Lexus RX350 and ES350.
Despite being one of the world’s largest carmakers in terms of sales, Toyota is a risk of being brought down by safety problems and endless recalls.
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