Toyota's Quality Control In Question: Japanese Auto Giant Recalls 100K Cars In US Over Engine Debris Fears

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Tuesday that Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp TM is recalling over 100,000 vehicles in the U.S. over concerns that debris in its engines might cause them to stall and cause loss of driving power.

What Happened: The recalled 2022-2023 Tundra and Lexus LX600 vehicles are equipped with V35A engines. Debris from the manufacturing process might not have been cleared from these engines during production and this may cause a loss of motive power, the auto safety regulator said. Sudden loss of motive power can increase the chances of a crash, particularly at higher speeds.

The company does not have an immediate solution but is working on it, the regulator said, adding that the automaker is not certain of the percentage of vehicles in the recall population that may have the defect.

Nearly 98,600 vehicles within the scope of the recall are Tundra pickup trucks and about 3,500 are luxury SUVs from Toyota’s premium Lexus brand. Some vehicles involved in the recall were also distributed to Puerto Rico, the company said in a letter to dealers.

Why It Matters: The recall comes amidst other concerns with Toyota’s manufacturing processes. Toyota said on Monday that it is suspending shipments and sales of the Corolla Fielder, Corolla Axio, and Yaris Cross models in Japan following an internal investigation. The investigation revealed that seven models, including some discontinued since 2014, were tested using methods that deviated from government standards.

Despite confirming no performance issues that violate laws and regulations, Toyota opted to halt shipments and sales of the three current models.

In December, Daihatsu, a Toyota subsidiary, halted shipments after an investigation revealed safety test manipulations involving 64 models and 3 engines. The affected models included both domestic and overseas vehicles, such as the Yaris and Avanza.

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