Toyota Motor North America, Inc.: Steering
Toyota Motor North America, Inc. reported this defect to federal regulators on Jul 29, 2010 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 372,593. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2000-2004 AVALON VEHICLES. DUE TO IMPROPER CASTING OF THE STEERING LOCK BAR, THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT A MINUTE CRACK MAY DEVELOP ON THE SURFACE OF THE LOCK BAR. SUCH A CRACK MAY EXPAND OVER A LONG PERIOD OF REPEATED LOCK AND UNLOCK OPERATIONS, AND EVENTUALLY THE LOCK BAR COULD BREAK.
The risk
SHOULD THE STEERING LOCK BAR BREAK, THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD LOCK AND THE DRIVER WOULD LOSE THE ABILITY TO STEER THE VEHICLE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE STEERING INTERLOCK DEVICE FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 7, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
5 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 Toyota Avalon | 205 | 3 | 0 | 27 |
| 2003 Toyota Avalon | 293 | 2 | 2 | 49 |
| 2002 Toyota Avalon | 116 | 1 | 2 | 32 |
| 2001 Toyota Avalon | 134 | 2 | 1 | 34 |
| 2000 Toyota Avalon | 173 | 2 | 2 | 43 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 10V345000.
Full record for the 2004 Toyota Avalon → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →