Toyota RAV4 Recall - Information & Updates

And the car industry is not immune from being saddled with these potentially damaging problems. Apart from Ford's recent problems with brake hoses and brake booster valves on E-Gas Falcons the other ‘big two’ carmakers have had their fair share of recalls. Holden has had five recalls for its VE Commodore and Statesman range since its introduction in 2006, involving things like fuel vapor lines, fuel lines and defective valves on LPG cars. Toyota Toyota had a range of recalls for its Camry, HiLux, RAV4, Yaris and LandCruiser over the past three years. Most, like a headlight dimmer switch on a Camry, have been minor. Others, like the potential fire hazard stemming from a poorly installed insulator pad on a Yaris, raised alarm bells among some customers. Nissan Last week Nissan was forced to recall 11,743 Maximas and 4972 Muranos because of a vibrating air intake in the engine bay. Audi Even the luxury German brands are not immune. Last year Audi had to recall its TT for a piece of rear side trim in its cars that unless fixed, could potentially injure passengers. Mercedes-Benz This year Mercedes-Benz has recalled its M-Class off-roader for a possible glitch in its electric rear hatch. It was also forced to recall S-Class sedans fitted with active body control because of problems with the front lower ball joints on its suspension. On some high-mileage vehicles, the front suspension could fracture on rough roads. Faulty left and right windows in the Viano van also required the replacement. BMW Of the German carmakers, BMW has fared better. It has not had a official government recall since 2006. Volvo Volvo has had three recalls this year of its S80, XC70, V70 and new XC60 for engine cooling fan problems and windscreen wiper problems with the S80 and XC70. Jaguar Jaguar, once widely ridiculed for its poor quality cars, has come a long way over the past few years. Jaguars these days have no less, or no more, problems with recalls than some of the other luxury brands. Last year it experienced some minor problems with the XF range involving wiring and rear seatbelts. In all cases, recalls by carmakers are handled quickly and responsibly. If you want to check out whether your vehicle has had a recall, go to www.recalls.gov.au

The company admits there is a potential problem with the rear suspension of the popular SUV but says it has no plans for a safety-related recall. Instead, it intends to notify owners of more than 65,000 cars by letter, advising an inspection at a Toyota dealership. In the USA, the RAV is the subject of a major recall involving more than 778,000 vehicles -- the others are the Lexus HS250h sedan not sold here -- that continues a long string of safety scares for the world's best selling carmaker. Toyota recalled more than 3 million vehicles last year in the USA, including a group of RAVs built in 2007 and 2008, because there was potential for their airbags to fire without warning. The RAV is also being investigated by the Federal government over door fires potentially linked to electric-window switches. In Australia, there was a recall in November involving 21,792 locally-made Camrys over a steering issue. In the latest case involving the RAV4, the problem has been traced to insufficient tightening of rear-suspension nuts after a wheel alignment. This can lead to wear and potential failure of a rear-suspension arm. Six case of failure have been reported in Australia but company spokesman Beck Angel says there have been no crashes attributable to the problem. Even so, owners of 66,377 RAVs built between October 2005 and November 2010 will be contacted by Toyota Australia. “The rest of the regions -- Japan, Oceania, Europe, Asia and others -- will conduct a customer review,'' she says. ``North American dealers conduct a rear wheel alignment before the cars go to the customers. Other regions don't do that. So the problem is more likely in North America. “In Australia, the customer review is more precautionary.'' Toyota says the problem is attributed to insufficient tightening of the rear suspension bolts. No accidents attributable to the problem have been reported to Toyota. Ms Angel says in Australia, 66,377 RAV4s, built from October 2005 to November 2010, are affected. Toyota will notify owners by letter and request a vehicle inspection at a Toyota service centre. There is concern that some vehicles have changed owners and may not be able to be contacted by Toyota. ``We will notify all automotive groups and associations to capture those cars that are no longer on our records,'' Ms Angel says.

The voluntary recall has been issued for the Santa Fe diesels over the risk of a fuel leak and possible fire. Hyundai Australia issued the voluntary recall on 9000 Santa Fe 2.2-litre R diesels built between September 1, 2009 and December 13, 2011. The defect involves a lack of clearance between the engine cover assembly and fuel return hose which could cause wear in the hose, leading to a fuel leak and the risk of fire.  However, company spokesman Ben Hershman says not every vehicle will be affected. "There have been no incidences of any problems caused by this issue in Australia to date," he says.  "Owners should present the car to their dealer who will inspect all hoses and replace any if there are signs of wear," he says. "They may also install a small clip to the return fuel hose to act as an additional protection barrier removing the possibility of interference." Owners of affected vehicles will be contacted by letter.  Meanwhile, Toyota has issued a voluntary safety recall of 22 RAV4 vehicles over a possible steering problem.  The recall involves a defect in a prototype instrument panel reinforcement or steering column support bracket which may have been installed in some RAV4 vehicles. A welded section in the bracket could separate, causing noise. In the worst case, steering operation may be affected. There have been no reported incidents in Australia.  Owners of the affected vehicles will be notified by telephone and mail. Any authorised Toyota dealer will replace the unit with a new one at no charge to the owner.