Toyota Recalls 550,000 Vehicles Over Steering Issues

A new Toyota recall is set to steer more than half a million car owners to their local dealers for maintenance.

The company announced Wednesday a voluntary recall for certain Toyota and Lexus vehicles with six-cylinder engines.

The problem lies in the crankshaft pulley, which may become misaligned and trigger a warning light. If the problem isn't fixed, drivers may find it a lot harder to steer.

More than 70 reports of the problem have arisen since 2007, but there have been no accidents or injuries to date, Toyota says.

Toyota's recall affects 283,200 Toyota-brand vehicles in the United States, and 137,000 Lexus vehicles.

That's on top of another 100,000 vehicles worldwide.

Models affected by the Toyota recall are the:

• 2004 Avalon;
• 2004 and 2005 Camry, Highlander, Sienna, and Solara; and
• 2006 Highlander HV.

Recalled Lexus models are the:

• 2004 and 2005 ES330 and RX 330; and
• 2006 RX400h.

Owners of these models should keep an eye on their mailboxes beginning in January. Toyota says it will send letters when replacement parts are ready, offering inspections and service free of charge.

If the problem pops up before then, owners should contact a Toyota or Lexus dealer for inspection, Toyota says.

The Toyota recall is more bad news for the company, which has faced production problems since Japan's earthquake and tsunami disaster last spring.

Toyota's profit declined more than 18 percent between July and September, the company announced Tuesday.

With this latest announcement, about 14 million vehicles worldwide have now been subject to Toyota recalls.

Related Resources

• Toyota recalls 550,000 vehicles on steering (Reuters)
• Toyota Recall and Lawsuits (FindLaw)
• Hybrid SUV Recall: Toyota and Lexus Vehicles Affected (FindLaw's Common Law)