Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing: Engine and Engine Cooling
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing reported this defect to federal regulators on Nov 9, 2011 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 420,326. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004 AVALON VEHICLES; 2004 AND 2005 CAMRY, CAMRY SOLARA, HIGHLANDER, AND SIENNA VEHICLES, 2006 HIGHLANDER HYBRID; 2004 AND 2005 LEXUS ES330 AND RX330; AND 2006 LEXUS RX400H VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM JUNE 1, 2004 THROUGH MARCH 31, 2005, EQUIPPED WITH THE 1MZ-FE OR 3MZ-FE ENGINE. THE AMOUNT OF ADHESIVE AGENT APPLIED BETWEEN THE OUTER RING AND THE TORSIONAL RUBBER DAMPER (INNER RING) IN THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY MAY BE INADEQUATE. IF THE ADHESIVE IS INSUFFICIENT, THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT THE OUTER RING MAY BECOME MISALIGNED AND IT MAY NOT PROPERLY ROTATE WITH THE INNER RING, CAUSING NOISE AND/OR ILLUMINATION OF THE BATTERY DISCHARGE INDICATOR LIGHT.
The risk
IN SOME CASES, THE BELT FOR THE POWER STEERING PUMP MAY BECOME DETACHED FROM THE PULLEY WHICH COULD RESULT IN A LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND A SUDDEN INCREASE IN STEERING EFFORT, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
The remedy
TOYOTA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL CHECK THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY TO IDENTIFY WHETHER IT WAS PRODUCED BY THE U.S. SUPPLIER. IF SO, THE DEALER WILL REPLACE THE PULLEY WITH A NEW ONE AT NO CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING EARLY JANUARY 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
15 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 Lexus RX Hybrid | 154 | 5 | 0 | 15 |
| 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid | 370 | 6 | 7 | 34 |
| 2005 Lexus ES330 | 141 | 2 | 2 | 34 |
| 2005 Lexus RX330 | 165 | 3 | 1 | 16 |
| 2005 Toyota Camry | 721 | 5 | 10 | 223 |
| 2005 Toyota Camry Solara | 92 | 1 | 1 | 22 |
| 2005 Toyota Highlander | 224 | 6 | 4 | 35 |
| 2005 Toyota Sienna | 1,130 | 12 | 8 | 39 |
| 2004 Lexus ES330 | 174 | 2 | 2 | 35 |
| 2004 Lexus RX330 | 287 | 5 | 1 | 37 |
| 2004 Toyota Avalon | 205 | 3 | 0 | 27 |
| 2004 Toyota Camry | 638 | 3 | 11 | 199 |
| 2004 Toyota Camry Solara | 161 | 1 | 2 | 24 |
| 2004 Toyota Highlander | 286 | 5 | 3 | 32 |
| 2004 Toyota Sienna | 2,062 | 10 | 8 | 51 |
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 11V539000.
Full record for the 2006 Lexus RX Hybrid → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →