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Toyota adds more than 1.1 million vehicles to previous fuel pump recall

A Toyota and Lexus recall that previously listed nearly 700,000 potentially affected vehicles has been amended to include more than 1.1 million new rides. Overall, more than 1.8 million cars, trucks, crossovers, and SUVs are part of a voluntary recall regarding fuel pumps that might stop working.    On January 13, 2020, Toyota announced a safety recall for 695,541 Lexus and Toyota models. It included the Toyota 4Runner, Camry, Highlander, Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Sienna, Tacoma, Avalon, Corolla, and Tundra, plus the Lexus LS 500, LC 500, RC 350, RC 300, GS 350, IS 300, ES 350, LX 570, GX 460, RX 350 NX 300, RX 350L, and GS 300. The Avalon, Corolla, NX 300, RX 350L, and GS 300 in the initial recall were specifically 2019 model years, while the rest were 2018-2019.  Today, March 4, 2020, Toyota stated it has expanded the recall to approximately 1.8 million vehicles total. Toyota did not provide a specific number, but here is the full list of potentially affected cars:  2013-2015 Lexus LS 460 2013-2014 Lexus GS 350 2014 Toyota FJ Cruiser, Lexus IS-F 2014-2015 Toyota 4Runner, Land Cruiser; Lexus GX 460, IS 350, LX 570 2015 Lexus NX 200t, RC 350 2017 Lexus IS 200t, RC 200t 2017-2019 Toyota Sienna; Lexus RX 350 2018 Lexus GS 300 2018-2019 Toyota Avalon, Camry, Corolla, Highlander, Sequoia, Tacoma, Tundra; Lexus ES 350, GS 350, IS 300, IS 350, LC 500, LC 500h, LS 500, LS 500h, RC 300, RC 350, RX 350L On these vehicles, a low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank could fail. If this fuel pump fails while the vehicle is in use, the vehicle could sputter and stall. Without warning of the impending malfunction, other than some lights on the dashboard, this could present a dangerous situation for the driver.  For all affected vehicles, Toyota and Lexus will replace the faulty parts with "improved" fuel pumps. Notifications will start in May. Recalls Lexus Toyota

Toyota recalling 10k vehicles to fix wiper switches

Toyota has announced a voluntary recall covering approximately 10,000 cars in the United States. Affected models include the 2013-14 Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2013-14 Avalon and Avalon Hybrid, and the brand new 2014 Corolla.
The problem, as Toyota explains it, is that, "During manufacture of the wiper switch assembly in the involved vehicles, certain contacts on the switch terminal could have been manufactured incorrectly." This could lead to a short in the circuit when the wiper switch is moved between "off" and "mist," and thus, cause the windshield wipers to stop working. Not good.
Toyota will contact owners via first class mail, and the vehicles can be repaired at dealerships, free of charge. Have a look below for the automaker's official statement.

Toyota to pay $11 million after trial for fatal Camry crash

Years after Toyota's unintended acceleration fiasco, the company is still making headlines for cars with sticky gas pedals. A federal jury in Minnesota decided yesterday that Toyota should pay $11 million for its role in the crash of a 1996 Camry that resulted in three deaths and sent a man to jail. A stuck pedal caused the Camry of Koua Fong Lee to accelerate uncontrollably and impact an Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera, killing its driver and his nine-year-old son, and paralyzing a six-year-old girl, who later died of her injuries. Two other passengers in the Olds were seriously injured. Lee spent nearly three years in prison on a charge of vehicular homicide, until the unintended acceleration recall erupted. He filed a motion for a new trial and won, and then joined the suit against Toyota filed by the victims and their families of the 2006 crash that left him imprisoned. The jury found Toyota 60 percent responsible for the accident, with the remaining 40 percent of blame going to Lee. Toyota has denied that the 1996 Camry, which wasn't included in the company's sweeping accelerator pedal recalls, was at fault. Toyota released a statement saying the company respects the jury's decision but believes the evidence clearly showed the vehicle wasn't the accident's cause. The company said it will study the record and consider its legal options. Under Minnesota law, the way the jury allocated fault means Toyota is responsible for paying all damages, minus 40 percent of the amount awarded to Lee, said Lee's attorney, Bob Hilliard. That brings Toyota's total liability to $10.94 million. Lee will receive $750,000 of that total. During the trial, Hilliard, told jurors there was a defect in the car's design. He said the Camry's auto-drive assembly could stick, and when tapped or pushed while stuck, it could stick again at a higher speed. He also accused Toyota of never conducting reliability tests on nylon resin pulleys that could be damaged under heat and cause the throttle to stick. "This is what makes the car go. This is what turns it into a torpedo, a missile, a deadly weapon," Hilliard said during his closing argument. Toyota said there was no defect in the design of the 1996 Camry. The company's attorney, David Graves, suggested that Lee was an inexperienced driver and mistook the gas pedal for the brake. Toyota also noted that Lee's car was never subject to the recalls of later-model Toyotas.