Toyota’s Dubai-based dealer office has released a statement that the 2002-2007 Lexus LX 470, the 1999-2004 Toyota Avalon and the 2000-2001 Toyota Corolla are being recalled in the UAE. Only a few GCC-spec Corolla models are affected, while the Land Cruiser seems to have escaped the recall here.
Alongside an earlier-announced recall for 39,000 Lexus LX 470 4x4s built between 2003 and 2007, Toyota has also announced the global recall of all Land Cruiser models between 2003 and 2007. UAE media reports put the global number of affected Land Cruisers at around 40,000, for a total of almost 80,000. That number seems to suggest that only the V8 version is affected.
Toyota has announced a voluntary safety recall involving approximately 373,000 2000-2004 Toyota Avalon sedans sold in the United States to address the possibility that the vehicle’s steering lock bar could break under certain conditions.
The Korean-built Kia Picanto was voted the most reliable new car in the United Kingdom in a survey by UK consumer watchdog magazine Which? Car. Incidentally, the UK-built Land Rover LR3 placed last in the list.
In continuing recall woes for Toyota, the Japanese firm has announced that it will recall about 270,000 Toyota Crown and Lexus LS, GS and IS models worldwide, but only those fitted with the 4.6-litre V8 and the 3.5-litre V6 engines. Apparently some of these motors were built using faulty valve springs that may cause the car to stall while driving. Around 180,000 of these cars will be recalled outside Japan.
Al-Futtaim Motors, the exclusive distributor for Toyota in the UAE, welcomed Australia’s Victoria Premier, the Honourable Mr John Brumby to the flagship Toyota showroom in Dubai Festival City to view the Australian built Toyota Camry.
Bad news hit several automakers over the past few days, not least of which is Toyota’s continued pounding due to recalls. Hyundai and Suzuki have also joined the recall craze, while Hummer suffers from bad news of a different kind.
If you haven’t heard, Toyota now holds the record for the largest single recall ever. Involving nothing more than replacing overlong accelerator pedals that are prone to get stuck when a floor-mat slips under it, the recall was extended to an additional 2.3 million vehicles in the United States, up from the 3.8 million that were already recalled. Word is now that the recall will extend to 2 million cars in Europe, while Toyota offices around the world are in talks with various countries to make the recall global.
Today marks the launch of the fourth generation ‘Land Cruiser Prado’, by Ebrahim K. Kanoo, the sole distributor of Toyota and Lexus vehicles in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The new Land Cruiser Prado, a mid-size, authentic 4WD vehicle, continues the tradition of the Land Cruiser brand that is esteemed in more than 170 countries and regions around the world.
While the 2010 Toyota Prado has officially been launched in Europe and Australia, the UAE and other GCC countries will have to wait for a month or two for its local debut. Meanwhile, the new 3-door version of the Prado has surfaced in some promotional Toyota footage.