More Headaches for Toyota Drivers: Defective Spare Tire Cable Recall Issued for Sienna Minivan
As if faulty hybrid brakes, sticky gas pedals, and millions of dollars in government fines weren't enough, Toyota can add a defective spare tire cable product recall to its growing list of consumer issues.
News reports state that 600,000 Toyota Sienna minivans manufactured from 1997 to 2010 are part of a new recall, due to risk of the spare tire carrier cable becoming corroded and breaking, and the spare tire falling out onto the road. While the concern is centered around vehicles originally sold in cold weather states where road salt is used, Florida motorists who drive a pre-owned Sienna should contact Toyota for instructions, or they can call the NHTSA Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236. Defective tire accidents can cause serious injury and death to motorists -- not just for the drivers of the affected vehicles, but for other motorists who share Florida's highways and roads with them.
As experienced Florida tire defect attorneys, we are keenly aware that the safety of spare tires can easily be overlooked -- sometimes with disastrous results. Spare tires are stashed away out of sight, in car trunks, on the backs of SUVs, and underneath minivans, where drivers don't think about them until they get a flat. In Florida, the extreme heat can cause spare tires to deteriorate from the inside, and a seemingly new or unused spare tire can actually be unsafe to use. (Read more on Florida driving and tire date coding, an important driving safety issue that most consumers are unaware of.)
Toyota recently agreed to pay $16.4 million in fines, the largest government penalty ever against an automaker, for not revealing information re: the sticking gas pedal recall. Defective accelerators that consumers have reported caused their Toyotas to "run away" uncontrollably at horrifically high speeds have been blamed in fatal car accidents around the country.
In addition, Toyota has recalled and stopped manufacturing the Lexus GX 460 and the Land Cruiser Prado after Consumer Reports branded the luxury SUV with its dreaded "Don't Buy: Safety Risk" bullet, citing read-end stability issues on turns that could increase risk for roll-over SUV accidents.
Toyota Recalls 600,000 Sienna Minivans
The Auto Channel April 20, 2010
Toyota Sienna recall spare tire cable corrosion
Examiner.com April 17, 2010
Lexus to Recall S.U.V. in Another Black Mark to Reputation
The New York Times April 21, 2010
Don't Buy: Safety Risk--2010 Lexus GX 460
ConsumerReports.org April 13, 2010
