A number of Toyota car owners in Malta will be having their vehicles recalled because of a fire risk posed by electric window switches.
Their cars are among 7.4 million being recalled worldwide. Toyota Motor Corp said yesterday that the call primarily affects the US where 2.47 million vehicles will be affected.
The number in Malta is not yet known. A spokesman for Michael Debono Ltd, Malta’s official Toyota centre, has still to receive a general list of all vehicles, identified by chassis number, that are affected worldwide.
“We will then submit this list to Transport Malta who will pick out which vehicles were sold or are present in Malta. Once we have this list we will be able to establish the exact number of vehicles and whether they were sold by us, used car dealers or imported directly by owners.”
Michael Debono Ltd will then carry out the appropriate modifications free of charge.
Meanwhile, Toyota’s international spokeswoman said “the process to repair (the power window switch) is not an extensive one” and will involve putting heat-resistant lubricant on the switches or exchanging them.
Toyota has declined to disclose how much the recall would cost or how it might affect its earnings.
The spokeswoman said the first time the problem was reported was in September 2008 in the US. The cars affected are certain RAV4, Auris, Yaris and Corolla models built between September 2006 and December 2008.
A statement on the US Toyota website said a special fluorine grease will be applied to the driver’s power window master switch (PWMS).
It said the driver’s side master switch may experience a “notchy” or sticky feel during operation.
“If commercially available lubricants are applied to the switch in an attempt to address the ‘notchy’ or sticky feel, melting of the switch assembly or smoke could occur and lead to a fire under some circumstances.”
The fault may be caused by an uneven application of the grease during the switch assembly process at the supplier’s.
If the grease is not applied evenly, frequent use of the switch and normal operation may cause it to become carbonised and eventually result in the deterioration of its lubricating properties.
The move comes as Japan’s biggest automaker tries to rebuild trust following a series of recalls between 2009 and last year in which it pulled back around 10 million vehicles. It is also struggling with plummeting Chinese sales as a result of a Sino-Japanese territorial dispute.