autoevolution
 

Toyota RAV4, Lexus HS 250h Recalled Over Tie Rod Failure. Again

More often than anyone would have liked, safety recalls are one of the harshest realities of our beloved automotive world.
Toyota RAV4, Lexus HS 250h 11 photos
Photo: Toyota
Toyota RAV4Toyota RAV4Toyota RAV4Toyota RAV4Toyota RAV4Lexus HS 250hLexus HS 250hLexus HS 250hLexus HS 250hLexus HS 250h
Blame the supplier, blame the manufacturer, blame the engineer, in the end, the truth of the matter is that recalls have become commonplace in the 21st century. The latest automaker to be hit by a large-scale campaign is Toyota, which is calling in an estimated 337,449 cars from model years 2006 - 2011.

As per the recall report published on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website, the models in need for a visit to the service department are the 2006 to 2011 Toyota RAV4 and Lexus HS 250h. The manufacturer adds that recalled vehicles were produced between October 31, 2005 - September 07, 2010 and July 06, 2009 - August 26, 2010.

A statement from Toyota reads that “affected vehicles have rear suspension arms (rear tie rods) with adjusting lock nuts that may have been improperly tightened after servicing.” If the tie rods get loose, the suspension arm may be damaged and rust. This condition leads to the failure of the suspension arm, a problem that leads to “an abrupt change in the vehicle's alignment.”

Curiously enough, Toyota performed a 780,584-strong recall in 2013 to fix the problem it mentioned a paragraph above. On the same vehicles. But because the dealers were not properly trained to perform the repairs, the problem came back to haunt Toyota. Curious what did Toyota do back then to fix the issue? The vehicles had their rod nuts replaced and the rods coated in epoxy.

Fast-forward to the present day and, unsurprisingly, Toyota is advising dealers to “replace both rear suspension arms and encapsulate the locknuts, free of charge.” The recall will start on September 30, 2016, and affected owners are advised to get in touch by dialing the following number: 1-800-331-4331.

What can we learn from this, then? Well, it’s always best to replace a defective part or assembly on your car rather than repair it.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories