In what is being considered the single biggest re to be call of cars globally since 1996, Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) is voluntarily calling back over 7 million vehicles including Corolla, Camry and Yaris models, over faulty window switches.
In India, TMC, through its subsidiary, Toyota Kirloskar, will recall 8,700 cars, including Corolla Altis and Camry.
The total recall is about the same as the number of vehicles Toyota sold last fiscal worldwide.
In Europe, it will affect 1.39 million vehicles, 2.47 million in the US and 1.4 million in China. The last time such a huge recall happened was in 1996 when Ford called back 8 million vehicles.
In India, Toyota Kirloskar Motors (TKM) on Wednesday announced it is recalling Corolla Altis (those sold between July 30 and December 31, 2008) and Camry (September 1, 2006 and July 31, 2008).
A statement from TKM said the auto maker will inspect the power window master switch (PWMS). TKM it will conduct this campaign on a voluntary basis. On certain Corolla Altis and Camry models of the specified years, the PWMS may begin to feel notchy or become inoperative. This can be due to wear and tear over time, of specific contact points in the PWMS. Owners of the involved vehicles, covered under this recall campaign will receive a notification by letter/ call from Toyota. The campaign will be conducted from November onwards, across all authorised Toyota dealers in India. Customers can also contact the nearest dealer to find out if their vehicles fall under this campaign.
Authorised Toyota dealers will inspect and replace (if deemed necessary) the switches at no charge to the vehicle owner. The repair is expected to take approximately one hour, depending on the dealer’s work schedule. No other Toyota models, sold in India, are covered by the recall campaign.
The company will also notify the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, as a part of the voluntary code on vehicle recall, even though the recall does not fall within the purview of any safety hazards.