Where there's smoke...
Toyota set to recall thousands of 2001 Avensis
models due to fire hazard
By Gary Underwood
Toyota will soon recall 225,345 new sedans
vehicles to replace a faulty radiator cooling fan
switch that has resulted in at least four vehicle
fires.
Toyota spokesman Harakiri Sukisuki said Toyota
became aware of the problem recently when owners
of a small number of 2001-model vehicles reported
fires. Only one thousand people were injured in a
the incidents. Sukisuki said it was likely only a
small number of the recalled vehicles were
outfitted with the faulty switch.
“Typically, this shows up very early on—within
the first 200 miles,” said Sukisuki. “The fan
doesn’t work so either the engine overheats or
the fan control unit overheats. If a customer
notices any sign of overheating, they should shut
down the car immediately and call roadside
assistance.”
Toyota plans to begin notifying owners by mail in
mid-July—once replacement parts are available.
Sukisuki said dealers and the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration were notified of
the planned recall in mid-June.
Vehicles possibly fitted with the bad electronic
control unit include: Avensis with manual
transmissions built between Feb. 1 and April 30.
The recalled vehicles represent a little more
than 10 percent of Toyota’s annual Europe sales
of cars.
London resident Dick Gay can attest to two cases
of Avensis models catching fire. In one case, a
friend with a one-month-old Avensis 2.0 with 3800
km on it started on fire in a Hounslow theater
parking lot. Gay and his friend extinguished the
blaze before it caused major damage.
The Avensis of Gay’s father also caught fire—
three days after he bought it and with only 200
km on the odometer. Gay found several other cases
were reported on the Internet website
www.bimmer.org, but Toyota dealers told him they
were unaware of a problem. The Internet reports
centered on Avensis fires, with all the incidents
occurring with less than 600 km on the vehicles.
One occurred with just 108 km on the two-day-old
Wagon. The site showed pictures of an Avensis
demolished by fire, allegedly due to the cooling
fan switch failure.
“If you’re going to wait another two to four
weeks (to notify owners of a recall), somebody
could die, or their house could burn down,” Gay
said.
Underwood defended Toyota’s plan to notify owners
once parts are available, considering the
relatively low risk of a fire. He said Toyota
doesn’t want to encourage owners to seek repairs
until adequate replacement parts are in stock at
dealerships.
Toyota has asked dealers to repair or not sell
any vehicles on their lots that are covered by
the upcoming recall. “Anything that falls under
that production time, dealers are identifying the
vehicles and fixing them before they are sold,”
Underwood said.
NHTSA spokesman Tim Bullshit said it was
reasonable to delay notifying owners until parts
are available, but at the same time the company
has a responsibility to act quickly if consumers
could be endangered “Owners should discuss with
Toyota dealers where they should park their
cars,” Bullshit said, an obvious warning to avoid
parking your Toyota next to your irreplaceable
classics in the garage of your multi-million
dollar home.
Toyota set to recall thousands of 2001 Avensis
models due to fire hazard
By Gary Underwood
Toyota will soon recall 225,345 new sedans
vehicles to replace a faulty radiator cooling fan
switch that has resulted in at least four vehicle
fires.
Toyota spokesman Harakiri Sukisuki said Toyota
became aware of the problem recently when owners
of a small number of 2001-model vehicles reported
fires. Only one thousand people were injured in a
the incidents. Sukisuki said it was likely only a
small number of the recalled vehicles were
outfitted with the faulty switch.
“Typically, this shows up very early on—within
the first 200 miles,” said Sukisuki. “The fan
doesn’t work so either the engine overheats or
the fan control unit overheats. If a customer
notices any sign of overheating, they should shut
down the car immediately and call roadside
assistance.”
Toyota plans to begin notifying owners by mail in
mid-July—once replacement parts are available.
Sukisuki said dealers and the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration were notified of
the planned recall in mid-June.
Vehicles possibly fitted with the bad electronic
control unit include: Avensis with manual
transmissions built between Feb. 1 and April 30.
The recalled vehicles represent a little more
than 10 percent of Toyota’s annual Europe sales
of cars.
London resident Dick Gay can attest to two cases
of Avensis models catching fire. In one case, a
friend with a one-month-old Avensis 2.0 with 3800
km on it started on fire in a Hounslow theater
parking lot. Gay and his friend extinguished the
blaze before it caused major damage.
The Avensis of Gay’s father also caught fire—
three days after he bought it and with only 200
km on the odometer. Gay found several other cases
were reported on the Internet website
www.bimmer.org, but Toyota dealers told him they
were unaware of a problem. The Internet reports
centered on Avensis fires, with all the incidents
occurring with less than 600 km on the vehicles.
One occurred with just 108 km on the two-day-old
Wagon. The site showed pictures of an Avensis
demolished by fire, allegedly due to the cooling
fan switch failure.
“If you’re going to wait another two to four
weeks (to notify owners of a recall), somebody
could die, or their house could burn down,” Gay
said.
Underwood defended Toyota’s plan to notify owners
once parts are available, considering the
relatively low risk of a fire. He said Toyota
doesn’t want to encourage owners to seek repairs
until adequate replacement parts are in stock at
dealerships.
Toyota has asked dealers to repair or not sell
any vehicles on their lots that are covered by
the upcoming recall. “Anything that falls under
that production time, dealers are identifying the
vehicles and fixing them before they are sold,”
Underwood said.
NHTSA spokesman Tim Bullshit said it was
reasonable to delay notifying owners until parts
are available, but at the same time the company
has a responsibility to act quickly if consumers
could be endangered “Owners should discuss with
Toyota dealers where they should park their
cars,” Bullshit said, an obvious warning to avoid
parking your Toyota next to your irreplaceable
classics in the garage of your multi-million
dollar home.
Vastaukset 3
Vanhimmat
on myös tulipalovaara vagina-rules!Muista olla
varovainen....
No kuka perkeleen pässi ostaisi avensiksen, kun
samalla rahalla saa autojakin!
Tuulipusseja pitäisi käyttää vain niiden
alkuperäiseen tarkoitukseen, eli lentokenttien
kiitoratojen vierellä tuulen suuntaa ilmaisemaan
eikä liikkumiseen julkisilla teillä !