Toyota recalls 6.5 million cars for window switch defect

This Wednesday, the Toyota Motor Corp. made an announcement concerning recalling 6.5 million vehicles all over the world for fixing a power window switch defect. The recalled models include Corolla, Yaris/ Vitz subcompact, Camry etc. out of the total count, there are 2.7 million in North America, 1.2 million in Europe and 600,000 in Japan. The automaker said that it wasn’t aware if the glitch was causing crashes. Toyota said that the power window switch’s modules might not have been consistently lubricated at the time of the manufacturing process. Wear and tear of the electrical contact points can result in debris which can accumulate resulting in a short circuit. This can in turn result in overheating and melting of the switch assembly leading to fire.

Other models that might be recalled include RAV4, Highlander, Matrix, Sequoia, Scion xB and Tundra which were produced in the time between January 2005 and December 2010.
A separate recall has been issued in japan for 140,000 Crown Majesta models. This is to fix a glitch because of which the hood might open inadvertently. Earlier Toyota had recalled around 10 million cars with faulty air bags related to a number of accidents.

The Japanese automaker has also been in news for its commitment to stop producing carbon emitting cars by the year of 2050. This is one of the many targets set by Toyota. Another pledge is to sell 1.5 million hybrid cars every year by 2020. Toyota said it aims at increasing the use of hydrogen – based production methods and renewable energy at the factories. The company also said about it planning to sell 30,000 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles after 2020. While unveiling many of its environmental targets, Toyota said that ‘Prius hybrid’ would be the next in its line of more fuel efficient cars. The Japanese car manufacturer hopes a good boost in its sales with its environment friendly models amid a rise in oil prices. Toyota plans on reducing the car emission by 90 percent of the 2010 levels. However, the company hasn’t mentioned anything about making electric cars.

Image Source: reutersmedia.net