More automotive recalls: Honda, Ford and Toyota

Three auto giants – Honda, Ford and Toyota – have recently announced safety recalls affecting thousands of vehicles in Canada.

Honda will recall 14,640 model years 2009 and 2010 Fit vehicles in Canada to replace lost motion springs – components within the engine valvetrain. According to Honda, the lost motion springs, which are compressed by rocker arms in normal engine use, may bend or break over time, resulting in abnormal engine noise and potentially causing engine damage or stalling. There have been no reported accidents, injuries or vehicle crashes related to this issue in Canada. Owners of affected vehicles are encouraged to take their vehicles to an authorized dealer as soon as they receive notification of this recall from Honda by mail in early March. Owners of these vehicles can determine if their vehicle requires repair by calling 1-888-946-6329.

Ford Motor Company said it would recall about 144,000 F-150 models in the United States and Canada from the 2005 and 2006 model years to fix airbags that could deploy because of a short circuit. The Associated Press reported that Ford said a mistake in the assembly of the trucks at its Norfolk, Va., plant from November 2004 through June 2005 could cause an airbag wire in the steering wheel to short circuit. According to the Associated Press, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration cited 77 injuries resulting from airbags deploying when they weren’t supposed to. Ford said it would notify owners of the vehicles affected by the recall in early March.

Toyota Canada Inc. (TCI) will conduct a safety recall of approximately 850 model years 2006 and early 2007 GS 300 and GS 350 all-wheel drive vehicles to modify the shape of the plastic pad embedded in the driver’s side floor carpet.

“In the event that the floor carpet around the accelerator pedal is not properly replaced in the correct position after a service operation, there is a possibility that the plastic pad embedded into the floor carpet may interfere with the operation of the accelerator pedal. If this occurs, the accelerator pedal may become temporarily stuck in a partially depressed position,” the company explained.

TCI will also carry out a safety recall of approximately 17,000 2004 through 2006 and early 2007 RX 330, RX 350 and RX 400h vehicles, and approximately 13,000 2004 through 2006 Highlander and Highlander HV vehicles to replace the driver’s side floor carpet cover.

“If the forward retention clip used to secure the driver’s side floor carpet cover, which is located in front of the centre console, is not installed properly, the cover may lean toward the accelerator pedal and interfere with the accelerator pedal arm. If this occurs, the accelerator pedal may temporarily become stuck in a partially depressed position,” the company added.

The auto giant is also amending its safety improvement and safety recall campaigns that were initiated in the Fall of 2009 to address the potential risk of an unsecured or incompatible floor mat interfering with the accelerator pedal. The models added to the safety improvement campaign include: 16,000 2003 through 2009 4Runner vehicles; 99,300 2006 through 2010 RAV4 models; and 850 2008 through 2011 Lexus LX 570 vehicles.

Toyota said that it is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to these conditions.

Owners affected by the recalls will be notified by first class mail. The issues will be fixed by Toyota and Lexus dealerships at no charge to vehicle owners. Customers seeking detailed information and answers to questions should contact the Toyota Customer Interaction Centre at 1-888-TOYOTA-8 or Lexus in Canada at 1-800-265-3987.