Toyota Motor Corp. said today is recalling 2.17 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles sold in the U.S. for carpet and floor mat flaws that could interfere with the gas pedal. Wednesday it recalled 1.28 other vehicles around the world.
Included in the recall are 769,000 Highlanders, Highlander Hybrids, and Lexus RX330s, RX350s and RX400hs sport-utility vehicles, with model years ranging from 2004 to 2007. Toyota’s November 2009 recall of SUVs to fix floor mats that could shift out of position and jam the accelerator are also expanded to include 1.38 million more vehicles.
In China, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) urged Toyota Motor Corp. on Thursday to explain what was behind its recent recall.
Li Yuanping, a spokesperson for AQSIQ, asked Toyota to “make a full explanation and provide detailed technical descriptions” following its claim that vehicles that were sold on the Chinese market were not defective.
Toyota said on Wednesday that it would recall more than 1.7 million vehicles worldwide because of faulty parts, such as defective engines and fuel devices.
The Japanese automaker said that the recall includes 1.277 million vehicles in Japan and a combined 411,000 vehicles in North America, Europe and other markets. The recall covers sedans such as the Crown and the Lexus.
AQSIQ summoned officials from Toyota China and asked the company to provide free repairs for defective cars in China.
Further, AQSIQ is asking its branches to scrutinize China’s imports of Toyota’s defective vehicles. Toyota has yet to respond.
“AQSIQ will make further investigations in response to Chinese consumers’ complaints.” Li added.
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