It News: Toyota recalls 138,000 cars in UK

Toyota recalls 138,000 cars in UK

Potential fault with electric window switch prompts free check and remedy.
By Paul Hudson and Andrew English10:23AM BST 10 Oct 2012

Toyota has recalled 138,000 cars in the UK because of a potential fault with the master switch for the electric windows.
It affects certain RAV4, Auris, Yaris and Corolla models built between September 2006 and December 2008.
There has been one reported case in the UK but no reported accidents related to this issue.
The recall comes only days after Japanese rival Honda recalled 77,000 CR-V cars made at its Swindon factory between 2002 and 2006, due to an electrical fault with the master switch for the electric windows that could potentially lead to a fire.
Toyota says that the power window master switch (PWMS) on the driver's door may over time begin to feel uneven or notchy when it is operated. The switch is not designed to be lubricated with commercially available lubricants and that application of these could lead to overheating and/or
melting of the switch assembly.
All affected owners will be contacted by Toyota GB within the next six weeks and asked to take their cars for a free check at a main dealer. If the PWMS is operating properly it will be given a special, non-conducting lubrication; if the PWMS is notchy it will be replaced with a new unit. The work should take no more than one hour.
The Toyota website will have a page enabling owners to check if their vehicle might be affected. Its customer relations department can be contacted on 01737 367600.
A recall for about seven million cars worldwide for a faulty window switch is not the most heinous of crimes, you might think, although electric window faults can be more serious than they first appear.
In addition to last week's CR-V recall, Honda was forced into a recall a few years ago after a faulty window switch overheated and caught fire.
It's not been a good week for the Japanese car maker, however, with the announcement of a serious fall in sales in its crucial Chinese markets. And while this recall is unlikely to affect the company's fortunes on its own, it's part of a drip feed of engineering failures which is starting to affect buyers previously unshakable belief in the cars that used to be regarded as the most reliable in the world.
Fiat's Tipo hatchback became embroiled in controversy after its electric windows trapped limbs and necks, with potential fatal results.