By Rita R. Robison
Toyota is recalling nearly 500,000 Tacoma trucks, manufactured from Sept. 14, 2004, through Aug. 29, 2008.
Over time, steering wheel vibration may damage the spiral cable assembly that powers the driver’s air bag module, Toyota said in a statement on the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration website. If damage occurs, the air bag warning lamp will illuminate and the air bag may become deactivated.
In a crash, the driver’s side air bag may not deploy, increasing the risk of injury to consumers.
Toyota also is recalling about 70,500 Camry sedans made during the 2009 model year and about 116,000 Venza crossovers made during the 2009 through 2011 model years, to replace their stop lamp switches.
During installation of the switch on one of the North American assembly lines, silicon grease may have reached the inside of the switch and caused an increase in electrical resistance, Toyota said.
This could cause warning lights to illuminate, keep the vehicle from starting, or prevent it from shifting out of "park," the automaker said.
Toyota will notify owners in both of the recalls, and dealers will replace the defective parts, free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin in early April 2012. Owners can call Toyota at 800-331-4331 for information.
That’s a surprising amount of recalls. I sure hope Toyota comes out with solutions to those problems quickly. It’d be a bad idea to keep buyers waiting.