Toyota Recall 2011 Affects 550,000 Vehicles Around The World

Toyota Recall 2011

Toyota Motor Corp. announced Wednesday that it will be conducting a voluntary safety recall involving 550,000 of Toyota cars worldwide to replace the crankshaft pulley on the V6 engine.

"There is a possibility that the outer ring of the crankshaft pulley may become misaligned with the inner ring, causing noise and/or illumination of the discharge warning light. If this condition is not corrected, the belt for the power steering pump may become detached from the pulley and the driver may notice a sudden increase in steering effort. There are no reports of accidents or injuries related to this condition," Toyota wrote.

The recall covers approximately 283,200 Toyota and 137,000 Lexus vehicles which include the following models: 22004 Toyota Avalon, 2004-05 Camry, 2004-05 Highlander, 2006 Highlander hybrid, 2004-05 Sienna, 2004 ES330, 2004-05 RX330 and 2006 RX400h.

Around 447,000 of these vehicles are in North America, 38,000 in Japan and another 25,000 in Australia and New Zealand.

"Toyota is currently working on obtaining the necessary replacement parts. Once the replacement parts have been produced in sufficient quantities, Toyota will send an owner notification by first class mail advising owners to make an appointment with an authorized Toyota or Lexus dealer to have the crankshaft pulley inspected and if necessary, replaced at no charge. The owner notifications will be mailed by first class mail beginning in January, 2012," Toyota added.

Customers can read Toyota's FAQ about the recent recall HERE.

Just last February, Toyota recalled 2.17 million vehicles for gas pedals that become trapped on floor hardware. It has also made several recalls last year for various problems.