Toyota Australia recalls almost 15,000 86s, Subaru 3000 BRZs

Toyota Australia has issued a recall notice for almost 15,000 of 17,000 locally delivered 86 two-door coupes to remedy a potential fault that could affect the car's steering.

The fault, first reported in late 2013 according to Toyota Australia, could cause the electrical power steering system (EPS) in 14,903 cars built between April 2012 and March 2015 to lose its power assistance without warning, making the car harder to steer.

The recall also affects some 3000 owners of the 86's conjoined twin, the Subaru BRZ. Both cars are all but identical in all aspects.

The issue is peculiar to Australian-spec cars fitted with driver's knee airbags in the lower part of the instrument panel.

"During normal driving operation, the EPS rotation angle sensor terminals may wear over time. This wear of the connector terminal plating accumulates debris which may oxidise and become non-conductive," said Toyota in statement.

"Under this condition if the driver's knee contacts the knee airbag lower cover, the EPS wire harness routed behind the cover also moves significantly, which allows the terminal to contact the debris resulting in electrical contact failure.

"The loss of power steering assist will increase the steering effort at low speeds which may increase the risk of an accident."

Parts won't arrive until September, when owners will be contacted in writing.

Meanwhile, Subaru says that the cars retain manual steering capability even if the power assistance for the steering is lost.

"Nevertheless, Subaru Australia has decided to carry out this recall out of an abundance of caution, following notification from the factory, Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI)," it said.

Toyota Australia says that 62 instances of the failure have been reported, with no accidents or injuries attributed to the fault.

The fix for both vehicles includes replacing the electric control unit and wiring harness, which can be performed in less than an hour at a dealership.

Parts won't arrive until September, when owners will be contacted in writing, according to both companies.

This is the first recall for the 86/BRZ in its four-year history.

Both companies are expected to launch mid-life updates of the cars in November this year.

Is your Toyota 86 or Subaru BRZ affected by this recall? Let us know in the comment section below.