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NHTSA safety recall

Recall 10V218000: STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM

TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC. · Reported to NHTSA May 21, 2010

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov
Units potentially affectedThe manufacturer's own estimate of how many vehicles or items of equipment may contain the defect. It is not a count of failures, and not every unit in the range is necessarily affected.
3,800
Model years coveredModel years in our database that NHTSA matched to this campaign. Whether an individual vehicle is covered still depends on its VIN.
6
Models covered
4
Grouped from the model years above
Reported to NHTSA
May 21, 2010
Production Aug 20, 2009 – May 13, 2010

What this recall covers

NHTSA's campaign record, quoted as published

The defect

TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009 AND 2010 LEXUS LS460 AND LS600 VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM AUGUST 20, 2009 THROUGH MAY 13, 2010. A PROGRAMMING CHANGE OF THE STEERING CONTROL ECU FOR THE VARIABLE GEAR RATIO STEERING (VGRS) SYSTEM CAN CAUSE IMPROPER ACTIVATION OF THE STEERING SYSTEM PROTECTION LOGIC DESIGNED TO PROTECT THE SYSTEM WHEN LARGER THAN NORMAL STEERING INPUTS ARE APPLIED AT A FULLY TURNED POSITION.

The risk

IMPROPER ACTIVATION OF THE STEERING SYSTEM PROTECTION LOGIC CAN CAUSE THE STEERING WHEEL TO BECOME OFF-CENTERED UP TO 90 DEGREES. THIS MAY OCCUR AFTER THE DRIVER HAS FULLY TURNED THE STEERING WHEEL IN ONE DIRECTION THEN QUICKLY ATTEMPTS TO TURN IT BACK TO THE CENTER POSITION. SHOULD THIS OCCUR WHILE DRIVING, THE RISK OF A CRASH IS INCREASED.

The remedy

TOYOTA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND LEXUS DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE STEERING CONTROL ECU FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 12, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.

Notes

OWNERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO <A HREF=HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV>HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV</A> .

A safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.

Campaign details

Identifiers and dates as filed with NHTSA

Manufacturer
TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.
Manufacturer's campaign number
Not recorded
NHTSA campaign number
10V218000
Units potentially affected
3,800
Report received
May 21, 2010
Production range
Aug 20, 2009 – May 13, 2010
Campaign type
Vehicle
Federal safety standard (FMVSS)
Not recorded

Vehicles covered

6 model years across 4 models

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.