Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) has informed consumers and the National Consumer Commission (NCC) about the recall of 518 vehicles across five different models.
These models were sold from 2022 onwards, and the recall relates to a combination meter programming issue affecting 16 RAV4 vehicles, 4 Corolla Cross models, 391 Corolla Hatch models, 21 Crown models, and 86 GR Corollas.
All affected models were sold through Toyota’s national dealer network, and were sold as follows:
- Corolla Hatchback: from 7 October 2022 onwards;
- Crown: from 17 October 2022 onwards;
- GR Corolla: from 16 February 2023 onwards.
- Corolla Cross: from 2 July 2024 onwards; and
- RAV4 PHEV: built from 8 July 2024 onwards.
The models concerned were fitted with a combination meter system that displays vehicle information, including warning and indicator lights, gauges and messages, on their 12.3-inch driver instrument clusters.
“Due to improper programming of the combination meter, unnecessary data may be repeatedly written to a memory device while the meter is operating,” the NCC explained.
“This may cause the memory device to deteriorate earlier than intended. If this occurs, the monitor may fail to display information when the vehicle is started.”
It also warned that if a malfunction occurs when the monitor is not functioning, a driver may fail to notice the relevant warning indicators that would normally be displayed on the screen, which could increase accident risk.
Affected vehicle owners have been advised to visit their nearest Toyota dealership to have the combination meter assembly reprogrammed at no additional cost.
“The NCC urges consumers to take product recall notices seriously and ensure that affected vehicles are immediately presented to the supplier for necessary repairs,”, said Acting NCC Commissioner, Hardin Ratshisusu.
Consumers with questions relating to this recall can also direct these to the NCC via email at [email protected].
Major recalls becoming a problem for Toyota
The Japanese auto giant has had several major recalls so far this year, with several thousand vehicles being recalled through the NCC for a range of faults.
These faults range from minor and almost negligible to major and life-threatening, and span most of Toyota’s local offerings.
Most recently, the carmaker recalled 2,208 vehicles for the same fault as the recall above, with a fault in the manufacturing process of the combination meter, leading to incorrect fuel indicator correction values written into its memory.
A week earlier, hundreds of Toyota Land Cruiser 300 models and Lexus LX600 vehicles were recalled for a major fault with their shared V35A 3.4-litre twin-turbocharged V6 petrol engine.
The NCC explained that during a certain production period, engine machining debris may not have been completely removed during manufacturing, which resulted in the contamination of the engine assembly.
Should this machining debris adhere to the main bearings and the engine remain in operation under high loads for a sustained period, these bearings may fail.
Before this recall, Toyota South Africa Motors and Lexus South Africa Motors recalled a combined 6,525 vehicles for a fault with the Parking Assist Electronic Control Unit (ECU), which forms part of the Panoramic View Monitor (PVM) system.
The fault in the software in the Parking Assist ECU could cause the rear-view image to briefly freeze when reverse gear is selected shortly after the vehicle is started, or fail entirely.
In March, Toyota recalled 1,846 Land Cruiser LC300 models for an error in the programming of the Transmission Electronic Control Unit (T-ECU), which may lead to the unit not detecting and reporting errors originating from the LC300’s transmission.
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