Toyota recall 7.4 million cars
Discussion
http://news.sky.com/story/995692/toyota-recall-7-4...
A defect with some Toyota models' electric windows has led the company to recall 7.4 million vehicles across the world.
A total of 138,000 vehicles have been recalled in the UK - where Toyota's Yaris, RAV4, Auris and Corolla models are affected.
In total, the Japanese car maker will recall 1.39 million cars in Europe, 1.4 million in China and 2.47 million in the US.
The company said uneven application of grease during the assembly process has caused a problem with some electric window switches.
"It has come to our attention that on certain RAV4, Auris, Yaris and Corolla models built between September 2006 and December 2008 the possibility exists that the PWMS, located in the driver’s door, may over time begin to feel uneven or notchy when it is operated," Toyota said in a statement on its UK website.
"Continued operation in this condition may cause the switch to stick or become inoperable.
"The switch is not designed to be lubricated with commercially available lubricants - application of these lubricants could lead to overheating and/or melting of the switch assembly."
There has been one reported case of this in Britain, the company added.
A statement on Toyota's US site said if lubricants are applied to the switch, "smoke could occur and lead to a fire under some circumstances."
The problem was caused by an uneven application of the grease during the switch assembly process.
A defect with some Toyota models' electric windows has led the company to recall 7.4 million vehicles across the world.
A total of 138,000 vehicles have been recalled in the UK - where Toyota's Yaris, RAV4, Auris and Corolla models are affected.
In total, the Japanese car maker will recall 1.39 million cars in Europe, 1.4 million in China and 2.47 million in the US.
The company said uneven application of grease during the assembly process has caused a problem with some electric window switches.
"It has come to our attention that on certain RAV4, Auris, Yaris and Corolla models built between September 2006 and December 2008 the possibility exists that the PWMS, located in the driver’s door, may over time begin to feel uneven or notchy when it is operated," Toyota said in a statement on its UK website.
"Continued operation in this condition may cause the switch to stick or become inoperable.
"The switch is not designed to be lubricated with commercially available lubricants - application of these lubricants could lead to overheating and/or melting of the switch assembly."
There has been one reported case of this in Britain, the company added.
A statement on Toyota's US site said if lubricants are applied to the switch, "smoke could occur and lead to a fire under some circumstances."
The problem was caused by an uneven application of the grease during the switch assembly process.
PumpkinSteve said:
Toyota have really been going downhill. I bought three new Toyotas between 2007-2011, and I stopped once it became apparent that their cars had become about pure profit margin (I know, I know. They're a company in it to make money). Greedy 
s.
Uhm... Surely a recall like this points to the fact that they're committed to rectifying even the smallest mistakes? Recalling 7m vehicles, and suffering all the bad press that it brings, for an electric window switch that may fail, and due to stupid users may cause a fire sounds pretty committed.s.Honda raised a recall with the window switch a few days ago.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-198...
Is it the same switch?
Would a European car manufacturer have bothered?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-198...
Is it the same switch?
Would a European car manufacturer have bothered?
And what else are they going to fix while the car is 'in dry dock' for its window switch to be replaced? 
The wife's Jazz had a recall for driver's door leccy window switch replacement - it wasn't waterproof, with attendant risk of shorting and fire, the letter said... This was soon after the time of the "just going down the shops, can't stop to talk!" jokes about drivers the brand of cars under discussion answering their phones. Mere conjecture for a time (especially as they did it twice at consecutive annual services), but then...
There was another recall for the Jazz, due to faulty lighting switches (risk of sidelights and headlights downing tools, apparently...) - we got the car back with the steering cowl and steering wheel undisturbed (as mucky as it was before) from this one
!
Perhaps Toyota have learnt about the benefit of bushels and hiding lights under them from Honda (he said conspiratorially)
. Or perhaps they read an old CAR magazine from 1980 where a former car company junior manager spills the beans quite spectacularly including a simple dodge along the lines I'm alluding to regarding getting the cars 'in' under the guise of repairing a simple potential fault to fix a significant possible fault (brakes was the example given) 
.
/tin foil hat
The wife's Jazz had a recall for driver's door leccy window switch replacement - it wasn't waterproof, with attendant risk of shorting and fire, the letter said... This was soon after the time of the "just going down the shops, can't stop to talk!" jokes about drivers the brand of cars under discussion answering their phones. Mere conjecture for a time (especially as they did it twice at consecutive annual services), but then...
There was another recall for the Jazz, due to faulty lighting switches (risk of sidelights and headlights downing tools, apparently...) - we got the car back with the steering cowl and steering wheel undisturbed (as mucky as it was before) from this one
!Perhaps Toyota have learnt about the benefit of bushels and hiding lights under them from Honda (he said conspiratorially)
. Or perhaps they read an old CAR magazine from 1980 where a former car company junior manager spills the beans quite spectacularly including a simple dodge along the lines I'm alluding to regarding getting the cars 'in' under the guise of repairing a simple potential fault to fix a significant possible fault (brakes was the example given) ./tin foil hat
Krikkit said:
Uhm... Surely a recall like this points to the fact that they're committed to rectifying even the smallest mistakes? Recalling 7m vehicles, and suffering all the bad press that it brings, for an electric window switch that may fail, and due to stupid users may cause a fire sounds pretty committed.
Probably cheaper overall than just half a dozen American litigation claims...Captain Muppet said:
One reported case in the UK of "the PWMS, located in the driver’s door, may over time begin to feel uneven or notchy when it is operated, continued operation in this condition may cause the switch to stick or become inoperable."
Oh no. The sky is falling in.
I take it the report you read didn't mention the fire risk associated with it then?Oh no. The sky is falling in.
currybum said:
This would not be done if it was just a quality issue that resulted in a broken switch that would eventually need replacing. Recalls like this are only done if there is a safety risk (fire, catastrophic lighting or breaking failure).
Yes, but the "fire safety risk" appears to simply be a case of "it might catch fire if some idiot sprays a lubricant that's not suitable for plastics and/or electrical switches onto it. I somewhat doubt Toyota could be found responsible for that, even in today's ridiculous litigation culture. Captain Muppet said:
One reported case in the UK of "the PWMS, located in the driver’s door, may over time begin to feel uneven or notchy when it is operated, continued operation in this condition may cause the switch to stick or become inoperable."
Oh no. The sky is falling in.
Oh no. The sky is falling in.
Chap on R4 this morning from Toyota said that, in the US, melting constituted a "fire hazard", hence the recall. But their engineers have not actually managed to get it to catch fire despite trying.
kambites said:
Yes, but the "fire safety risk" appears to simply be a case of "it might catch fire if some idiot sprays a lubricant that's not suitable for plastics and/or electrical switches onto it. I somewhat doubt Toyota could be found responsible for that, even in today's ridiculous litigation culture.
Exactly. There are plenty of bits of a car which could fail / explode / catch fire if one hoses them down with WD40 or suchlike. PumpkinSteve said:
Toyota have really been going downhill. I bought three new Toyotas between 2007-2011, and I stopped once it became apparent that their cars had become about pure profit margin (I know, I know. They're a company in it to make money). Greedy s.
So you have Toyota who are recalling millions of cars for what is a minor fault.s.At the same time it is likely there are other manufacturers sitting on knowledge of far worse faults (BMW thefts for example) but decide to keep them quiet from customers.
And yet you think Toyota are the greedy ones.
aw51 121565 said:
And what else are they going to fix while the car is 'in dry dock' for its window switch to be replaced?
The wife's Jazz had a recall for driver's door leccy window switch replacement - it wasn't waterproof, with attendant risk of shorting and fire, the letter said... This was soon after the time of the "just going down the shops, can't stop to talk!" jokes about drivers the brand of cars under discussion answering their phones. Mere conjecture for a time (especially as they did it twice at consecutive annual services), but then...
There was another recall for the Jazz, due to faulty lighting switches (risk of sidelights and headlights downing tools, apparently...) - we got the car back with the steering cowl and steering wheel undisturbed (as mucky as it was before) from this one !
Perhaps Toyota have learnt about the benefit of bushels and hiding lights under them from Honda (he said conspiratorially) . Or perhaps they read an old CAR magazine from 1980 where a former car company junior manager spills the beans quite spectacularly including a simple dodge along the lines I'm alluding to regarding getting the cars 'in' under the guise of repairing a simple potential fault to fix a significant possible fault (brakes was the example given) .
/tin foil hat
I've read this post four times now and I haven't got the foggiest what you're on about The wife's Jazz had a recall for driver's door leccy window switch replacement - it wasn't waterproof, with attendant risk of shorting and fire, the letter said... This was soon after the time of the "just going down the shops, can't stop to talk!" jokes about drivers the brand of cars under discussion answering their phones. Mere conjecture for a time (especially as they did it twice at consecutive annual services), but then...
There was another recall for the Jazz, due to faulty lighting switches (risk of sidelights and headlights downing tools, apparently...) - we got the car back with the steering cowl and steering wheel undisturbed (as mucky as it was before) from this one
!Perhaps Toyota have learnt about the benefit of bushels and hiding lights under them from Honda (he said conspiratorially)
. Or perhaps they read an old CAR magazine from 1980 where a former car company junior manager spills the beans quite spectacularly including a simple dodge along the lines I'm alluding to regarding getting the cars 'in' under the guise of repairing a simple potential fault to fix a significant possible fault (brakes was the example given) ./tin foil hat
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