Toyota and Yamaha announce large-scale recall

March 24, 2017 | 16:40
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Toyota and Yamaha Vietnam, two big automotive manufacturers from Japan, recently submitted their report to Vietnam Competition Authority (VCA) on their recall programmes for the Toyota Lexus RX200t, Lexus RX350, and Yamaha YZF-R3 models.

According to Toyota’s report on the Lexus RX200t and Lexus RX350, the resistance value of the electronic control unit (ECU), which is used to control the rear door’s electronic motor, was designed without sufficient capacity. If there is an obstacle while opening or closing the rear doors, overcurrent may happen to the motor circuit and ECU may be broken, which would result in the rear doors not being able to automatically open or close through the control knob on the dashboard or the key.

To mend the problem, Toyota has launched a recall programme on all Lexus RX200t and Lexus RX350 units on the Vietnamese market which were imported from 2015 to 2016. The detailed information is on the table below:

In addition, the Lexus RX200t and Lexus RX350 units that were not imported by Toyota Vietnam, if users require it, Toyota Vietnam may consult with its mother company in Japan to check the VIN. In case their VIN is on the list of recall, Toyota Vietnam will also check and replace the defective ECU for free.

All the checking and replacement is implemented by Toyota Vietnam for free. It is estimated that each will last for 1.4 hours and would take place between December 5, 2016 and December 5, 2017 in all Vietnamese Toyota Lexus dealerships in Vietnam.

At the end of 2016, 20 Lexus RX cars were also recalled. According to Toyota's global announcement, these vehicles are equipped with a hybrid-type front passenger air bag inflator (made by Takata) that contains compressed gas and propellant in the same combustion chamber. The burst disc in some inflators may have been improperly welded and/or misassembled. In these defective pieces, the disc membrane can burst from the pressure of the stored compressed gas in the inflator, which will allow the gas to escape and result in the air bag’s random partial inflation.

There have been reports of airbags inflating in vehicles that were stationary or unoccupied. This issue may be extremely dangerous as an airbag that inflates unpredictably can lead to injuries and crashes.

Also in March 2017, VCA received Yamaha’s announcement of recalling Yamaha YZF-R3 motorbikes. This recall programme originates from two faults.

The first fault was detected when owners found evidence of gasoline leak on the ground, under the motorbike’s fuel tank. By checking the defective motorbike, Yamaha has concluded that the leaks resulted from a cracked weld between the support bar brackets and the fuel tank. This was due to the inappropriate design that may cause some cracks when riding. Yamaha promises to check and replace the support bar brackets and fuel tank if necessary.

Besides, some motorbike owners complained that they could not start the engines, or the engines stalled while riding. The reason is that the contact inside the battery lock was oxidized because its plastic casing keeps water inside after rains or washing the motorbikes. To fix this, Yamaha will replace the battery locks.

The recall programme affects 880 Yamaha YZF-R3 motorbikes produced from June 4, 2015 to October 31, 2016. Each turn of fixing and replacement will last for one to two hours between February 23, 2017 and August 23, 2017 at all Yamaha Motor Vietnam dealerships and authorised service centres all over the country. The repairs are all free.

Previously, at the end of 2016, Yamaha also recalled 110,250 Yamaha Nozza Grande motorbikes due to technical defects. Some customers had complained that their motorbikes vibrated when operating at low speed.

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By By Trang Vu

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