Engineering news
Quality problems once again seem to be afflicting Japanese carmakers, as Toyota announced a recall of thousands of its iQ models to carry out a modification of the software used to manage the vehicle’s electric power steering system (EPS).
The British subsidiary of the Japanese automotive giant announced that it is working with the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency to contact registered owners of the iQ and keepers by letter to advise them of the procedure for taking their vehicle to an authorised Toyota repairer for the work to be carried out.
News of the recall follows Nissan’s recent decision to recall some 2.4 million vehicles worldwide including some cars produced at its plant in Sunderland because of an ignition problem that could stall the engine. Honda also recalled cars because of problems with airbags earlier this year.
Toyota’s most recent concerns affect certain iQ vehicles produced between September 2008 and October. When driving on certain roadside safety side strips or “rumble strips”, signals received by the EPS sensors may be incorrectly interpreted by the EPS control unit, triggering the EPS warning light. Should this happen, the driver would need to apply extra effort to steer the vehicle, the company said.
This issue has only been observed in very specific circumstances in Japan. No cases have been reported in Europe. No accidents related to this issue have been reported, Toyota said.
The repair involves the update or replacement of the EPS control unit software. The job will take approximately two hours to complete and customers will not be charged, Toyota said. Approximately 12,000 UK-registered vehicles are affected by the recall.
Toyota said it would ensure that vehicles produced before last month but not yet delivered to customers would be checked and the necessary repair undertaken before delivery.
The latest recall follows quality problems experienced by Toyota in the US and Europe in the early part of the year that saw the company come under intense pressure from the US government.
Some industry observers at the time speculated that Toyota’s problems would lead to further recalls by Japanese carmakers as they worked to resolve any issues while the automotive industry endured a tough time.