Toyota RAV4 concern: 66,000 Australian vehicles linked to US recall
Toyota Australia will inspect 66,377 Toyota RAV4 SUVs built between July 2005 and November 2010 due to concerns over a rear suspension arm flaw that led to a voluntary safety recall of the model by Toyota USA.
Toyota USA yesterday announced the recall of 760,000 Toyota RAV4 models built from 2006 to early 2011. The US announcement aided Toyota Australia's decision to start its own inspection campaign, although, unlike Toyota USA, the local division is not technically calling the campaign a 'recall'.
In a US press release, Toyota said it had determined that, "if the nuts on the rear suspension arm are not tightened following the proper procedure and torque specification during a rear wheel alignment service, excessive play may occur at the threaded portion of the arm, followed by rust formation".
If the situation occurs, the threaded portion of the rear suspension arm could wear, causing the arm to separate.
Toyota Australia's Beck Angel confirmed to CarAdvice there have been six reported cases of excess noise stemming from the part and two cases of arm separation.
Toyota USA says it is currently developing a remedy for the issue, while Toyota Australia is contacting affected vehicle owners to organise vehicle inspections and carry out repairs where necessary.
The Toyota RAV4 has long proved a popular vehicle in Australia, ranking third highest for SUV sales in the month of June, behind Mazda CX-5 and Ford Territory, and fourth overall for SUVs in 2012 sales year to date.
0
