Toyota Avensis, Prius & Corolla recall affects 75,000 UK cars

Toyota is recalling 75,000 Corolla, Avensis and Prius models in the UK – and 2.7 million worldwide – to fix a steering fault.

Last month, Toyota revealed a recall for the Auris, RAV4 and Yaris to fix a fault with electric window switches, and just to make sure those cars weren’t the only faulty Toyota’s, they’ve managed to find a fault with the steering on the Corolla  Avensis and Prius. Oh, and the Prius might have a water pump problem.

To be fair to Toyota, they’ve learnt from ‘Sticky ThrottleGate‘ that proactive response in quick sticks is preferable to procrastination on any possible faults, so they are to be applauded for bring 2.7 million cars (75k in the UK) in for a check as soon as possible.

The recall affects certain Avensis and Corolla models built between July 2001 and March 2009 and Prius built between July 2003 and April 2009 where the possibility of a fault in a component of the steering system which could cause knocking or rattling and reduced response.

So far there have been nine reported cases in Europe affecting the steering , but there are no reports of accidents and the steering will still work even if the fault is apparent. In case you need to know, the problem is:

Due to insufficient hardness treatment of some of the extension shafts, the splines that connect the extension shaft to the steering gearbox may deform if the steering wheel is frequently and forcefully turned to the full left or full right position while driving at slow speeds.  This deformation may create increased internal clearance and the splines may eventually, over time, wear out.

In addition to the steering issue, the Prius could also end up with a failed water pump. If that does happen then you’ll get a warning light and there’s a possibility the car could stop altogether. So far there have been three reported cases in Europe.

Toyota are contacting all affected owners to get their cars in to their Toyota dealer as soon as possible to make the checks on the potentially faulty components. If the work is needed it will take about an hour for the steering fault and 1.5 hours for the water pump.

Toyota’s web site in the UK is hosting a registration and VIN number lookup so you can check if your car’s affected, but of you need more information you can call Toyota Customer Relations on 0800 1388744.