Toyota Recalling 600,000 Sienna Minivans

TORRANCE, CA - Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. on April 16 said it will launch a voluntary safety recall involving approximately 600,000 first- and second-generation Sienna 2WD minivans sold in the United States to address potential corrosion in the spare tire carrier cable.  

This condition may appear on certain MY 1998 through 2010 Siennas that have been operated in cold climate areas with high road salt use. Continued prolonged exposure to road salts may cause excessive corrosion of the carrier cable in some of these vehicles.  In the worst case, the carrier cable may fail and the spare tire could become separated from the vehicle, a road hazard for following vehicles that increases the likelihood of a crash, Toyota said. 

Toyota said it is currently working to develop a remedy for this condition. Until this remedy is developed, customers will receive an interim notice instructing them to bring their vehicle to a dealership for a preliminary inspection. 

Once the remedy has been developed, customers will receive a secondary notice advising them of the remedy availability. 

"Toyota is listening to its customers attentively, and we want to make sure their voices are heard," said Steve St. Angelo, Toyota chief quality officer for North America. "As part of that commitment, we are providing free inspections of the spare tire carrier cable even in states that are not included in this recall. We are also working diligently to develop a remedy as soon as possible." 

In addition to the District of Columbia, vehicles originally sold or currently registered in the following cold climate states with high road salt usage are covered by this recall: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin and West Virginia. 

Owners of vehicles in other states will receive a separate "special service campaign" notification that includes details on how to obtain an inspection if they desire. Toyota will perform the same inspection and repair for those vehicles at no charge. The inspection will take approximately 30 minutes, depending on the dealer's work schedule, Toyota said.