Toyota said on Wednesday 4 March 2020 that its fuel pump recall now stretches to 3.2 million vehicles worldwide. In the United States alone the count is 1.8 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles, Reuters reported. When the company first raised the problem in January, the American figure was 696,000.
That is a jump of more than 1 million vehicles in about two months, and it pulls in cars well beyond the original net. January’s recall was built around 2018 and 2019 models. The expansion reaches back to the 2013 model year.
What can go wrong
The low-pressure fuel pump can stop working. When it does, the engine may start to run roughly and then stall. According to Toyota, it may then refuse to start again, which raises the risk of a crash. Owners have described rough running, failure to start and a loss of power at low speeds.
The company opened its own investigation in June. By January it had told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of 66 field reports and 2,571 warranty claims tied to the vehicles first recalled. Toyota said the reports came more often from warmer parts of the southern United States. Zacks Equity Research noted that about 118,000 vehicles in the January recall should not have been included at all.
The long list of models
CNET’s roundup shows how wide the net has become. On the Toyota side it covers the 2018 and 2019 Camry, Highlander, Sequoia, Tacoma and Tundra, plus the 2017 to 2019 Sienna, the 2018 Avalon and Corolla, the 2014 FJ Cruiser, and the 2014 and 2015 4Runner and Land Cruiser.
Lexus owners fare no better. The expansion takes in the 2018 and 2019 ES 350, IS 300, IS 350, LC 500, LC 500h, LS 500 and LS 500h, along with the RC 300 and RC 350 and the 2017 to 2019 RX 350. Older cars are in as well: the 2013 to 2015 LS 460, the 2013 and 2014 GS 350, the 2014 IS F, the 2014 and 2015 GX 460 and LX 570, the 2015 NX 200t, and the 2017 RC 200t.
Notably, the age spread is wide. Several of these cars are six or seven years old, which is a long time for a pump to be quietly failing.
What owners get
Dealers will fit an improved pump at no charge. Anyone with an older car who has already paid to replace the part will be offered a reimbursement. Newer 2018 and 2019 vehicles still sitting unsold on dealer lots cannot be handed to customers until the work is done.
Owners of the newly added vehicles should receive a letter starting 13 March. Zacks reported that Toyota aims to have contacted everyone affected by May 2020.
Sources
- Toyota recalls 3.2 million vehicles worldwide over fuel pump problem
- Toyota recall expands to 1.8M cars for fuel pump issues – CNET
- Toyota Recalls 3.2M Vehicles Worldwide Over Faulty Fuel Pumps (Zacks Equity Research)
