On April 19, 2010 Toyota announced that it would conduct a safety recall voluntarily on about 9,400 2010 Lexus GX 460 sport utility vehicles in an effort to update the software that is contained in the vehicle’s Vehicle Stability Control system. Owners of other Scion, Lexus, or Toyota vehicles need not be concerned with this recall.
The Vehicle Stability Control system helps to control the loss of traction due to rear or front wheel slippage while cornering.
The objective of the recall is to provide an increased level of quality and safety, while surpassing or at least meeting all regulations of the government. Toyota engineers have preformed tests that have confirmed the Vehicle Stability Control performance problems that have been raised, and they are confident that the new update to the Vehicle Stability Control software redresses the concern.
The Vehicle Stability Control software update will be available to all of the numerous Lexus dealers throughout the country by April 31st. After the update to the software is available at dealerships, vehicle owners will be encouraged to bring their 2010 GX 460 to a Toyota dealer at their earliest possible convenience for a no cost update. The update should take about 1 hour depending on the work schedule of the dealer.
As soon as Toyota heard about this issue, Lexus dealers acted quickly to resolve the situation. These dealers will now reach out to customers personally to set up appointments to accomplish this modification. This will be yet another opportunity for Lexus dealers to demonstrate their exemplary customer satisfaction record.
Beginning in early May, Lexus dealers will begin mailing letters to GX 460 owners who are included in this recall. Lexus dealers will provide a courtesy vehicle to anyone who has purchased a 2010 GX 460 and may be concerned about driving it until the recall work has been completed.
In addition Toyota have also announced another voluntary recall of about 600,000 1998 to 2010 Toyota Sienna minivans in order to address any possible corrosion in the spare tire carrier cable.
This recall applies to 2WD minivans that are driven in colder climates that are subject to road salt usage and are equipped with a spare tire. Vehicles that are currently registered in Washington DC and numerous eastern and central states are affected.
The prolonged and continuous exposure to road salts can cause excessive corrosion of the carrier cable in some of these vehicles and may. Under such conditions, the cable could fail and the spare tire might become separated from the vehicle which would cause a road hazard for following vehicles which would increase the chances of an accident.
Toyota is currently working on a remedy for this condition. Meanwhile, Toyota is sending Sienna customers a notice that instructs them to bring their vehicle to a dealership for a free inspection.
Should a Toyota Sienna owner have already paid for repairs of their tire carrier cable as a result of this problem prior to receiving the notification from Toyota, Toyota has instructed the car owners to mail a copy of the repair order, Proof of payment and proof of payment to Toyota for consideration of reimbursement. If you have been injured by a recalled Toyota you may contact Attorney Emery Brett Ledger at www.ledgerlaw.com or 800-300-0001.
