Car & Driver: Toyota Recalls 337,000 RAV4, Lexus HS Models for Potential Suspension Failure

Toyota is recalling 337,449 RAV4 and Lexus hybrid models for the third time to fix rear suspension parts that may loosen and rust, according to filings with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The 2006–2011 RAV4 and 2010 Lexus HS250h have rear tie rods that can loosen, rust, and separate, leading to an “abrupt change in the vehicle’s alignment,” according to the original August 2012 recall of 780,584 cars. But filings show Toyota hadn’t grasped the root of the problem until now and its dealers weren’t yet properly trained to perform the repairs.

At first, Toyota was only inspecting the tie rod nuts and replacing those that were loose. Later, in a second recall in August 2013, dealers coated the tie rods in epoxy and replaced those that were corroded. Now, after receiving more reports of failed tie rods from owners who had completed the recalls, each of the remaining cars will have both left and right tie rods replaced and coated in epoxy, regardless of rust. The 337,449 cars name in this action are those that either have not been previously repaired or were repaired without new replacement tie rods. Toyota said it has received at least 99 warranty claims and complaints of tie-rod failures. Owners will get recall letters in the mail starting late September.

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In February, Toyota recalled 1.1 million RAV4 models for seatbelts that could tear.

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