JANUARY 2009 -- Toyota is conducting a safety improvement campaign involving 26,501 early 2004 MY Sienna vehicles.In the event the retention clip used to secure the floor carpet cover is missing, the cover can interfere with the operation of the accelerator pedal if the acceleration pedal is depressed to nearly the full throttle position. If this occurs, the accelerator pedal can become stuck which could result in a vehicle crash. Dealers will replace the retention clip and floor carpet cover at no charge. The manufacturer will begin notifying owners in early February 2009. Owner notification is expected to be completed by early April 2009. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-888-270-9371, if they have any further questions. This action is deemed a safety improvement campaign and is not being conducted under the safety act. However, Toyota has informed NHTSA that it will provide the modifications described above at no cost. This recall was the subject of an Engineering Analysis, EA08-014, conducted by the Office of Defects Investigation.  09V-023

JANUARY 2009 -- Toyota is recalling 134,895 MY 2006-2007 Yaris vehicles equipped with driver and front passenger seat belt pretensioners, which are designed to be activated in response to a severe frontal impact. When the sensor detects a severe frontal impact, the front seat belts are quickly drawn back by the retractors so that the belts snugly restrain the occupants. The involved vehicles contain a center pillar sound insulatorlocated underneath each front seat belt pretensioner. In the event of seat belt pretensioner deployment, the gas generated may affect the sound insulators. In the worst case, if the sound insulators ignite, this condition will result in a post-collision fire. Dealers will modify the vehicle free of charge. The modification will entail removal of the small urethane center pillar sound insulators (sponge) underneath the driver and front passenger seat belt pretensioners. The recall is expected to begin during February 2009. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-888-270-9371.   09V-031

Yahoo News -- January 28,2009 -- Toyota said Wednesday it will recall almost 1.3 million vehicles worldwide due to a defect that could cause a foam pad near the seat belt to ignite during collisions.

The Japanese automaker said the recall includes 134,900 model-year 2006 and 2007 Yaris subcompacts that were sold in the U.S. Toyota Motor Sales USA said it is working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to recall the vehicles.

Toyota spokesman said in "severe front-end collisions," the mechanism that tightens the vehicle's seat belt expels a gas that could cause a sound-insulating foam pad nearby to ignite. In a worst-case scenario, the problem could cause a fire, he said.

However, ... said no cases of either have been reported where this actually happened in the U.S., and no other vehicles are affected.

The recall affects about 1.28 million vehicles worldwide that are based on Toyota's Yaris platform.

MORE RECALL INFO:    Toyota Yaris

APRIL 2008 -- Toyota is recalling 662,178 MY 2003-2004 Corolla, Corolla Matrix and Pontiac Vibe vehicles equipped with power windows. The driver and front passenger door glass bolts may loosen and come off, causing the door glass to separate from the window regulator. Due to the components becoming loose and possibly rattling, an abnormal noise may be heard from the driver and/or front passenger door when operating the power windows. The door glass may separate from the window regulator, bind and shatter during operation of the power windows, causing driver distraction and/or injury. Dealers will replace the driver and front passenger door glass bolts with newly designed bolts free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during May 2008. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-888-270-9371. This recall was the subject of an Engineering Analysis, EA08-004, conducted by the Office of Defects Investigation. 08V-162

APRIL 2008 -- Toyota is recalling 90,189 MY 2008 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid vehicles equipped with a third row seat. These vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208, "Occupant Crash Protection." The non-driver designated seating positions (DSP) on these vehicles are equipped with seat belt assemblies that have a feature that converts the retractor from an emergency locking retractor (ELR) to an automatic locking retractor (ALR). The belts convert to the ALR mode after the webbing has been fully withdrawn from the retractor. The system is designed so that as the belt is released into the retractor, the system remains in the ALR mode so that a child restraint system can be tightly secured. However, for the two third row seating positions on these vehicles, the ALR mode deactivates before the webbing is fully retracted, so that it will not lock when certain rear-facing child restraint systems that have a short seat belt routing path are installed in the vehicle. This can allow the seat belt webbing to spool out during normal driving maneuvers, which could affect the stability of a child restraint installed at those seating positions. As such, this could discourage the use of a child restraint and in the event of a crash, the child may not be adequately protected possibly resulting in injury. Dealers will install a newly designed seat belt component free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided an owner notification schedule for this campaign. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331. This recall was the subject of an investigation, OA-208-071120E, conducted by the Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance. 08V-181

DECEMBER 2007 -- Toyota is recalling 15,616 MY 2007 Tundra 4-wheel drive pickup trucks. Due to the improper heat treatment of the slip yokes that had been reworked during the manufacturing process, the hardness of the slip yoke may be insufficient. In this condition, there is a possibility that the yoke may break causing the propeller shaft to separate at the joint and come into contact with the road surface or the fuel tank which could result in a loss of vehicle control or a fuel leak. Dealers will inspect the slip yoke and replace the propeller shaft if necessary. The recall is expected to begin during January 2008. 07V-579

NOVEMBER 2007 -- Toyota is recalling 34,343 MY 2006 Lexus GS and IS vehicles. High stress areas may have been created in two specific fuel pipes located in the engine compartment. Combined with other factors such as the presence of corrosive agents in fuel, a crack may form over time leading to fuel leakage from the fuel line(s). Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire. Dealers will replace the two involved fuel lines with newly designed lines free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during December 2007. 07V545

NEWS:    2004-2006 Toyota Sienna

MORE RECALL INFO:    Toyota Sienna

NEWS:    Toyota recalls 90,000 Highlander SUVs over seat belt problem

Toyota recalling about 90,000 Highlander sport utility vehicles over seat belt problem

NEW YORK (Associated Press/CNNMoney.com)- May 2,2008 - Toyota Motor Corp. plans to recall about 90,000 Highlander sport utility vehicles in the United States.

The Japanese automaker wants to fix a problem that could prevent the seat belt in a third-row seat from securing a rear-facing child seat.

Toyota spokesman ....said Friday the company had issued a stop sale of the 2008 Highlander SUV and hybrid version with third-row seats to retrofit changes to the seat belt.

There have been no complaints or injuries tied to the seat belts.

The vehicles under the recall were built between May 2007 and March 2008. .... says owners will be notified of the recall in June, and dealers will install a newly designed seat belt component.

MORE RECALL INFO:    Toyota Highlander

NEWS:   Toyota and GM recall 662,000 cars in U.S.

DETROIT (Reuters) - April 10, 2008 - Toyota Motor Corp and General Motors Corp are recalling more than 662,000 vehicles sold in the United States due to defects in power windows, the two companies said on Wednesday.

Toyota will recall 539,500 Corolla and Matrix vehicles for the 2003 and 2004 model years, it said in a statement.

GM said it would recall 122,598 Pontiac Vibe hatchbacks, which share the same platform with Toyota's Matrix and are built by GM in a joint venture with the Japanese automaker.

On vehicles equipped with power windows, the driver and front passenger glass bolts may loosen and cause the door glass to separate from the window regulator, Toyota said. Vehicles equipped with manual windows are not subject to the recall.

Toyota will notify vehicle owners by mail, beginning in late April. It advised owners to contact their local Toyota dealer for inspection and repairs.

Replacement of the driver and front passenger door glass bolts will be done at no charge, Toyota said.

MORE RECALL INFO:    Pontiac Vibe    Toyota Matrix    Toyota Corolla

NEWS:   Toyota recalling 15,600 Tundra pickups

DETROIT (Reuters) -- December 14, 2007 -- Toyota Motor Corp said on Friday that it is recalling 15,600 Tundra pickup trucks in the United States because a rear propeller shaft may separate at the joint.

The recall involves 2007 model-year Tundra four-wheel-drive pickup trucks.

"There is a possibility that a joint in the rear propeller shaft may have been improperly heat treated, resulting in insufficient hardness," Toyota said in a statement.

This may cause a section of the rear propeller shaft to separate at the joint, it added.

No injuries or accidents have been connected to the recall.