Toyota announced that it is recalling as many as 6.5 million vehicles from all over the world. This number is equal to about 2/3 the carmaker's total annual production. The reason? A faulty power window switch. It can overheat, melt, and ultimately lead to fires, ABC reported. Almost a dozen cases of defects have already been noted by the Japanese carmaker.
The affected cars, mostly in North America, had parts of their cars burned. One woman in the US also reported a burn on her hand because of the faulty window switch. The recall involves 2.7 million vehicles in North America, 1.2 million in Europe, and 600,000 at home in Japan.
Toyota cars involved in the recall are the Yaris, Corolla, Matrix, Camry, RAV4, Highlander, Tundra, and many others, USA Today noted. Apparently, the defect was caused by improperly sprayed grease during the manufacture of the electrical contact modules. Moisture could then enter the modules leading to short circuits.
This recall is Toyota's second in less than a decade and they had promised quicker response compared to the disaster of 2009. Then, the recall snowballed to include problems with floor mats, brakes, and sticky gas pedals, Stuff reported. The current recall involves dealers replacing defective internal circuits and another application of heat-resistant grease. This will be done free of charge to customers, of course.
This Toyota recall is just the latest in a string of catastrophic automotive scandals. Last year, General Motors had to recall vehicles for defective ignition switches. Japanese manufacturer Tanaka also had to issue a recall for its air bags. And more recently, the recent admission of Volkswagen AG that they had rigged their vehicles to pass emissions tests.
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