Toyota and Nissan have announced new vehicle recalls.
Toyota is calling back 615,000 Sienna minivans in the US to fix a lever problem that could cause vehicles to shift out of park mode “without the driver depressing the brake pedal”.
Toyota said that it was aware of 24 “minor accidents” due to the issue.
Meanwhile, Nissan said it is recalling 908,900 vehicles globally due to a flaw in an accelerator sensor but added that no accidents had been reported.
Toyota’s recall applies to models made during 2004 to 2005 and 2007 to 2009
Nissan said the accelerator pedal’s sensor could become unstable, leading to a less-than-intended acceleration. It added that in a worst case scenario, the engine could stall.
Its recall affects Infiniti M, Serena, X-Trail, Lafesta and Fuga models produced in Japan between 2004 and 2013.
Toyota’s recall applies to models made during 2004 to 2005 and 2007 to 2009.
This is the second time in a month that Toyota has issued a recall of its vehicles in the US market.
Earlier in September, Toyota issued a recall for more than 780,000 vehicles in the US to address a suspension defect in its RAV4 and Lexus HS 250h models, on fears that an initial recall last year did not fix the problem
Toyota has decided to recall 780,584 vehicles in the US for a second time to address a suspension defect that may not have been fixed after a recall last year.
The rear suspension arm in affected vehicles may rust, leading to eventual failure, if nuts are not tightened properly during service.
The US safety watchdog said this could “cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash”.
The models affected are the RAV4 sport utility vehicle and the Lexus HS 250h.
The RAV4 models covered by the recall were manufactured between 2006 and 2011, and the Lexus vehicles affected are the ones made between October 2005 and September 2010.
Toyota is recalling 780,584 vehicles in the US for a second time to address a suspension defect
Toyota first recalled the vehicles in August last year to carry out repairs on the affected parts.
However, in a letter sent to dealers, which was posted on the safety agency’s website, Toyota said that it had received reports “indicating that some vehicles experienced symptoms of the recalled condition after being inspected or repaired”.
“Upon investigation, it was discovered that some inspections were not adequate and portions of the repair procedure may not have been performed correctly,” it added.
As part of the new inspection it has asked its dealers to replace suspension arms if any rust is found on them.
“After the inspection or replacement, the rear suspension alignment will be set and the arms will be sealed with an epoxy,” it said.
Toyota said it would then apply labels on the arms to indicate that they are no longer adjustable.
The recall comes just as Toyota has been trying to rebuild its image after a spate of recalls due to safety concerns in the past few years.
Toyota is voluntarily recalling more than 7 million vehicles worldwide, including some Yaris, Corolla and Camry models, over faulty window switches.
Toyota said these would include 1.39 million vehicles across Europe, 2.47 million in the US and 1.4 million in China.
It is the biggest single one since Ford recalled 8 million vehicles in 1996.
Toyota said there had been no reports of accidents, injuries or deaths as a result of the window problem.
Toyota is also recalling 459,000 vehicles in Japan, 650,000 vehicles in Australia and Asia, as well as hundreds of thousands from across the Middle East, and from within Canada.
The range of Toyota cars affected include certain models of the Yaris, Vios, Corolla, Matrix, Auris, Camry, RAV4, Highlander, Tundra, Sequoia, xB and xD produced between 2005 and 2010.
The company said in a statement that the problem lay with the electric window switch that controls the windows for the driver and passengers.
It says that on certain models the switch may not operate smoothly and could then end up becoming stiff or not working.
Toyota says that applying oil to the switch could cause it to overheat and possibly melt.
It will be contacting drivers with the affected models over the coming weeks and asking them to bring their car in for checks to see if there is a fault.
