Toyota Avalon 2000-2004 recall in U.S.

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.

Toyota says that “because of improper casting of the steering lock bar, which is a component of the steering interlock system, there is a possibility that a minute crack may develop on the surface. Such a crack may expand over a long period of repeated lock and unlock operations, and eventually the lock bar could break. If this occurs, the interlock system may become difficult to unlock when stationary.”

If the vehicle while being driven is steered to the right in a fast tight corner, a broken and loose lock bar may move toward the steering shaft. If the engagement hole in the shaft happens to line up at the specific time the broken lock bar has moved, this could cause the steering wheel lock bar to engage, locking the steering wheel, and increasing the risk of a crash.

As part of the recall, Toyota will replace the steering column bracket on involved vehicles, a procedure that takes about two hours to complete. Toyota will notify U.S. owners beginning in late August 2010 to bring their vehicles to their local Toyota dealer for replacement of the steering column bracket for free. It stands to reason that old American-built Avalon models in the GCC are also affected, although their numbers are very few in the UAE.