15th April, 2014
Daniels Ekugo
Toyota Nigeria Limited, franchise holder of Toyota brand in Nigeria has started recalling the Hilux, RAV4 and Yaris models in the Nigerian market.
Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) last week said some 3.5 million vehicles were being recalled globally to replace a spiral cable that could be damaged when the steering wheel is turned.
The fault could cause the air bag to fail in the event of a crash, while the Yaris were recalled to check for a fault in the seat rails that could cause the seat to slide forward in a crash, risking injury for the driver or passengers.
The models recalled are Hilux 2005 to 2010 models; RAV4 2006 to 2008 models, while the Yaris are 2006 to 2008 model.
Number of vehicles affected by the company’s recall in Nigeria is yet to be ascertained as the company is still collating and would make known the exact figure and VIN numbers through sponsored advertisements in local media across the country.
Kunle Ade-Ojo, Executive Director, Toyota Nigeria Limited, said on Tuesday that as part of a global voluntary quality measure, it was taking the precaution of replacing the spiral cable on Hilux and RAV4 and the seat track on the Yaris models.
“We don’t know the number of vehicles that are affected in Nigeria as we are still collating. Customers will be notified via advertisement to book their car into the nearest Toyota dealer for repairs at our own cost. The recall campaign will only be implemented in Nigeria after collation and goes onwards,” he said.
According to him, “The vehicles remained safe to drive and there was absolutely no need for concern”.
The Executive Director stressed that Toyota Nigeria’s recall campaign was pre-emptive and it has not received any issues recorded locally.