Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) and Lexus South Africa Motors (LSAM) have recalled hundreds of vehicles in South Africa due to a major engine fault.
The carmakers notified the National Consumer Commission (NCC) about the recall affecting 507 Toyota Land Cruiser 300 models and 124 Lexus LX600 vehicles, which share a common V35A engine.
The affected vehicles were sold through nationwide authorised Toyota dealerships from December 2022 to May 2024, with some exported to neighbouring countries like Botswana and Namibia.
“According to Toyota, both Lexus and Land Cruiser vehicles are equipped with a V35A engine that contains crankshaft main bearings, which allow the crankshaft to rotate within the engine while it is running,” explained the NCC.
“During a specific production period, engine machining debris may not have been completely removed during manufacturing, resulting in contamination of the engine assembly.”
It went on to explain that should this machining debris adhere to the main bearings and the engine continues to operate under high loads for a sustained period of time, the bearings may fail.
This would result in heavy engine knocking, rough engine operation, difficulty starting the motor, or a complete engine stall.
“An engine stall while driving may lead to a loss of motive power, increasing the risk of an accident when driving at higher speeds,” warned the NCC.
Consumers in possession of the affected vehicles have been urged to visit their nearest Toyota dealership for an inspection and the necessary repairs, which may include an engine swap.
“We understand that the issue with these vehicles is an engine problem, the V35A engine,” said NCC Spokesperson, Phetho Ntaba.
“The manufacturing firm and the NCC request that the owners submit their vehicles to any authorised dealership to have engines replaced at no cost to the consumer.”
Consumers with questions relating to the combined recall can contact the NCC at [email protected].
Yet another Toyota and Lexus recall in South Africa
The latest recall marks the third of the year for Toyota and Lexus, which recalled nearly 2,000 individual vehicles in March, and another 6,525 in June.
It is also the third time the manufacturers have recalled Land Cruiser and LX models in particular.
March’s recall was due to an error in the programming of the Transmission Electronic Control Unit (T-ECU), which may have caused it to fail to detect and report errors originating from the transmission.
The Toyota and Lexus SUVs share a 10-speed automatic transmission that uses linear solenoids to control gear shifts.
According to TSAM, if a solenoid fails, the T-ECU and Engine ECU may not detect or report the failure, leading to over-revving, damage to the transmission, and loss of power at high speeds.
“If certain damage occurs to the transmission housing, there is also the possibility for transmission fluid to leak from the housing,” noted the NCC at the time.
“This could increase the risk of a crash or fire if an ignition source is present.”
Last month’s recall of vehicles across the Toyota and Lexus stables related to another ECU fault; however, this time it was for a Parking Assist ECU failure.
According to Toyota, the software in the Parking Assist ECU may cause the rear-view image to briefly freeze when reverse gear is selected shortly after the vehicle is started, or fail to display entirely.
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