Toyota Motor Corp yesterday said it would recall about 6.5 million vehicles worldwide to fix power window switches that might short circuit and potentially lead to a fire.
About 2.7 million of the recalled vehicles are in North America, with 1.2 million in Europe and 600,000 in Japan, Toyota said in an e-mail. The recalled models produced outside of Japan include the Yaris, Corolla, Camry, RAV4 and Highlander.
Toyota said it is not aware of any crashes caused by the fault, which resulted from inconsistent application of a sprayed-on grease on electrical contact points in the power switch. Debris can accumulate where insufficient grease is applied and result in a short-circuit, causing the switch assembly to overheat and melt, potentially producing smoke and leading to fire, the company said.
The carmaker got one report of a customer in the US receiving a burn on the hand, and 11 reports of where the switch and door trim were burnt.
Toyota dealers will inspect the switch and apply heat-resistant grease, the company said, adding that the internal circuit board will be replaced if the switch is not operating normally.
The recalled vehicles were produced between January 2005 and August 2006, and August 2008 and June 2010, in Japan, Toyota said.
The cars also include those manufactured outside of Japan between August 2005 and August 2006, and January 2009 and December 2010, it said.
Toyota has been working to regain its reputation for safety after the recall of millions of cars for various problems, including the recent airbag issues at Takata Corp.
Shares of Toyota yesterday gained 2 percent to close at ￥7,467 in Tokyo.
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