Auto powerhouse brands Toyota and Lexus have suffered some damage to their normally strong reputations due to two recalls over two unrelated issues. Toyota announced the recalls early in February 2024 and almost 150,000 vehicles are affected. Owners will have to take their cars in for the issues to be sorted out, and no one appreciates the inconvenience that this causes or the time it takes to resolve. On the company’s side, it’s going to cost a lot of money to resolve and the profit figures are going to look a bit lower at the end of the quarter.
Toyota and Lexus have hit some bumps in the road
Trusted Japanese auto brand Toyota, known for reliability, durability, and safety, has had to issue a recall for a total of 147,000 vehicles over two different problems across three models. The issues affect two Toyota models and one that belongs to Lexus, which is owned by Toyota, and both have safety risks that need to be eliminated as soon as possible by carrying out non-compliance safety recalls.
The owners of the vehicles affected by the potential faults will be notified by post from the beginning of April 2025. Until then, Toyota will need to coordinate the recall process with dealerships and make the necessary parts and labor available for the replacements.
What are the reasons behind the 2 safety recalls?
The issues that Toyota needs to rectify are two completely different problems, but they both have to do with safety risks. Drivers who purchased any of the models listed below can prepare for a notification that their car needs to go into a dealership to have parts replaced. It’s not clear how long each procedure is going to take, but owners will find out more closer to the time.
The largest recall affects the rear brakes in 2 Toyota models
The biggest batch being recalled is 106,000 MY 2024-25 Tacoma four-wheel drive vehicles in the United States fitted with 16-inch brakes and 17-inch wheels (and Ford recently had to go through a similar proces to recall three times that figure at 300,000). The issue has to do with the rear brake hoses, which can be damaged over time in certain conditions, such as a build-up of dirt and mud in and around the rear wheels.
A brake fluid leak can occur if the hoses get damaged, and this has serious repercussions as it increases the risk of a crash. To fix the problem, dealerships will replace both rear brake hoses with stronger hoses at no cost.
The other recall has to do with seatbelts in Lexus and Toyota models
The second recall has to do with seatbelts at the second-row center seat and 41,000 cars will have to go in to be attended to. A part may have been damaged during manufacturing, which would mean that it wouldn’t meet safety standards in terms of strength requirements, Toyota reports. It also means that passengers seated in this spot will be at a greater risk of injury or death in the event of a crash.
The affected models in North America are the 2025 MY Toyota Camry and Lexus NX, and certain 2024-25 MY Lexus RX. The Toyotas and Lexuses will need to be inspected at a dealership and if the second-row center seatbelt webbing is found to be faulty, the seatbelt assembly will be replaced at no cost to the owner.
All affected models
The full list of makes and models affected in both recalls is as follows:
- 2025 MY Toyota Camry
- 2025 MY Lexus NX
- 2024 MY Lexus RX
- 2025 MY Lexus RX
- 2024 MY Toyota Tacoma
- 2025 MY Toyota Tacoma
Remain well informed to check if your vehicle is being recalled
Up-to-date information about recalls and affected models can be found on either the Toyota or Lexus websites (toyota.com/recall and lexus.com/recall), or on the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website (nhtsa.gov/recalls). Car owners will need to have their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) or license plate information at hand.
Keep in mind that the information sometimes changes, such as recall dates, so if it’s important to know what’s happening, then drivers should check periodically. Ford drivers had to follow a similar process to keep up with EcoBoost recalls, which Ford eventually got sued over.