Toyota Announces Voluntary Recalls

TORRANCE, Calif., – Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. today announced that it will conduct two voluntary safety recalls.  One involves approximately 133,000 MY 2006-2010 Highlander Hybrid and MY 2006-2008 Lexus RX 400h vehicles.  The other involves approximately 102,000 MY 2006-2011 Lexus IS 350, IS 350C, and GS 350 vehicles.

In the involved Toyota Highlander Hybrid and Lexus RX 400h vehicles, transistors within the hybrid system's inverter assembly can experience heat damage due to variations in characteristics of the transistors’ parallel circuits.  Should this occur, various warning lights on the instrument panel will illuminate, and in most cases the vehicle will enter "limp home mode."  In limited instances, the hybrid system will shut down and resulting in the vehicle stopping while the vehicle is being driven.

In the involved Lexus IS 350, IS 350C and GS 350 vehicles, bolts used to secure the variable valve timing control device can become loose, causing the vehicle to stop while being driven.  Early warning for this condition can be an abnormal noise just after start-up.

Owners of vehicles subject to these recalls will receive a notification by first class mail.

Detailed information is available to customers at www.toyota.com/recall and www.lexus.com/recall and by calling the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331.