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Toyota Recalls 140,000 Lexus Vehicles

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This past Friday Toyota Motor Corporation announced that it plans to recall about 139,000 Lexus vehicles with potentially hazardous engine faults from the U.S. market. The automobiles in question are 2006-2008 GS, IS, and LS models powered by Toyota’s 4.6 and 5 liter V8 engines and 3.5 liter V6 engines.

This is not the first time the world’s number one automaker has been forced to recall large batches of its vehicles, a track record that has reinforced allegations of the company’s lack of regard for safety protocols in its manufacturing processes. Despite the recent recall, however, Toyota insists the risks associated with the engine problem- faulty valve springs, are minimal. In a statement released last Thursday, Lexus stated, “in extremely rare instances, the engine may stop while the vehicle is in operation.”

The statement continued to say that the problem could have been caused “due to slight variations during the manufacturing process,” when “some foreign material may have contaminated the valve springs resulting in potential breakage.” Vehicle owners are encouraged to continue driving their vehicles, but to contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to initiate the recall process if they notice problematic symptoms such as vibration, rough idling, unusual engine sounds or poor performance.

In addition to the vehicles being recalled in the United States, Toyota announced a global recall of about 270,000 cars for the same issue. The automaker will recall about 90,000 top of the line luxury Lexus and Crown sedans in Japan alone, and about 180,000 more vehicles worldwide.

As of yet, no accidents or injuries related to the faulty valve spring problem in the recalled automobiles have been reported.

Photo from daniel dionne via flickr

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