Toyota Issues Recall over Faulty Engine Part

Toyota announced a voluntary safety recall Wednesday, affecting 424,200 vehicles.

The Toyota Camry is one of the vehicles being recalled. (Courtesy Toyota)

Toyota announced the recall to replace the crankshaft pulley, as part of the V6 engine found on 283,200 Toyota and 137,000 Lexus vehicles.

According to a statement released today, the outer ring of the crankshaft pulley may become misaligned with the inner ring. This malfunction would then cause "noise and/or illumination of the discharge warning light."

Toyota said a failure to repair the part may cause the belt for the power steering pump to detach from the pulley, causing an "increase in steering effort" for the driver. No related accidents or injuries have been reported.

The vehicles recalled include the 2004 Avalon; 2004-5 Camry, Highlander, Sienna and Solara; 2006 Highlander HV; 2004-5 Lexus ES 350 and RX 330; and the 2006 RX 400h.

ATVN spoke with Toyota Safety and Quality Communications Manager Brian Lyons, who said the problem occurred when one of two suppliers which develop the pulley experienced a production problem for a six-month period in late 2004.

Lyons said 80 reports had been filed globally since the problem was discovered with three common complaints: abnormal engine noise, the illumination of the battery discharge light and problems with steering. Fifty of these reports came from the Japanese market, while the other 30 came from the U.S. and other countries.

Currently, there are not enough replacement pulleys to service all of the vehicles being recalled. Once there are a sufficient number of parts, Toyota will notify car owners beginning January 2012 advising them to make appointments with Toyota or Lexus dealers to inspect their engines. If necessary, the crankshaft pulley will be replaced free of charge.

"We will look at the pulley, identify if it is a suspect pulley and replace it," said Lyons.

Until the parts become available, car owners experiencing abnormal noise from the engine should schedule an appointment for an inspection.

The nearest Toyota dealer to USC is on 1600 S. Figueroa and the closest Lexus dealer is located at 9230 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills.