Toyota Motor Corp. will stop selling its Lexus LS sedans for about three weeks as it works to develop a fix for its steering system, the company said today.
On Friday, Toyota issued a recall affecting about 3,800 late 2009 model and some 2010 model year Lexus LS 460 and LS 600h L vehicles to address an issue with the steering system; the steering wheel can become off-centered. Toyota will install a new steering computer to address the problem.
Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons said the company was suspending sale of the vehicles on dealer lots until it comes up with repair parts, which likely won’t be completed until late June.
But Toyota has fixed the problem in Japan, where the vehicles are assembled, and will be sending upgraded Lexus LS sedans that dealers can sell. Dealers should receive them by mid-June, Lyons said.
“If the steering wheel is fully turned in one direction to the end of its travel (full lock position) and then very quickly turned in the opposite direction, the driver may observe that the center position of the steering wheel is temporarily off-centered,” Toyota said Friday in explaining the problem. The system corrects itself in about five seconds.
Toyota reacted after getting just one complaint, and has received no reports of injuries or accidents. Slammed by a series of problems, the company has been working to recall vehicles much faster and to be more responsive to consumer and regulator concerns.
Toyota also said it is recalling 4,500 vehicles in Japan for the same issue. It also is issuing recalls in other countries for the vehicles.
Toyota has sold roughly 4,000 LS sedans in the United States in 2010.
To avoid the condition, Toyota advised drivers against quickly turning the steering wheel in the opposite direction, especially if the steering wheel was turned to the full lock position.
(Source: Detroit News)
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Surprise, surprise! This WAS a good company. This IS now a dangerous company, their image tarnished with lies and cover ups effecting peoples lives. If you have a family or value your own life, don’t get into one no matter how cheap they sell it to you.