Toyota has decided to recall 870,000 Sienna minivans in the United States and Canada because of corrosion problems.
The announcement came on April 16, a day after the world's biggest automaker said it would suspend production and worldwide sales of its Lexus GX 460 and would conduct safety tests on all its SUVs due to reports of rollover risk.
The recall affects 1998 through 2010 Sienna minivans that Toyota said could experience corrosion in the spare tire carrier cable if they have been operated in cold climates with high road salt use.
"In the worst case, the carrier cable may fail and the spare tire could become separated from the vehicle, a road hazard for following vehicles that increases the likelihood of a crash," Toyota said.
A spokesman for Toyota, Brian Lyons, said the company did not know of any accidents or injuries associated with the defect, but was checking.
Toyota said it is currently working to develop a remedy for the problem.
"Until this remedy is developed, customers will receive an interim notice instructing them to bring their vehicle to a dealership for a preliminary inspection," it said.
"Once the remedy has been developed, customers will receive a secondary notice advising the customer of the remedy availability."
The recall involves about 600,000 minivans in the United States and another 270,000 in Canada, the automaker said.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2010
