Toyota launches voluntary recall for 600,000 1998-2010 Sienna minivans

Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A announced today that it has launched a voluntary Safety Recall involving approximately 600,000 units of the first and second generation Sienna 2WD minivans sold in the United States. The recall focuses around a potential corrosion in the spare tire carrier cable.

“This condition may appear on certain 1998 through 2010 model year Siennas that have been operated in cold climate areas with high road salt use,” Toyota said in a statement. “Continued prolonged exposure to road salts may cause excessive corrosion of the carrier cable in some of these vehicles. In the worst case, the carrier cable may fail and the spare tire could become separated from the vehicle, a road hazard for following vehicles that increases the likelihood of a crash.”

Toyota said it currently doesn’t have a remedy for the issue but is working to develop one. In the mean time customers will receive a interim notice instructing them to bring their Siennas to a dealership for a preliminary inspection. Once a solution is developed, Toyota will send out a secondary notice advising the customer of the remedy availability.

– By: Stephen Calogera