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From: OvarianTumor on 17 Apr 2010 18:01
But good news!

You can drop off your minivan at the dealers and get it looked at for
free!

As long as you can leave it for 2 to 4 days.

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"Toyota to recall 600,000 Sienna minivans over corrosion worries"

By Peter Whoriskey
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, April 17, 2010; A14



TOYOTA SAID FRIDAY evening that it is recalling 600,000 of its popular
Sienna minivans to address potential corrosion in a cable that holds
the spare tire in place, opening another front in a controversy over
quality that has surrounded the automaker since this fall.

Just hours before announcing the Sienna recall, the company disclosed
that it had replicated a problem in its Lexus GX 460 that was
initially revealed in tests by Consumer Reports. The magazine labeled
the GX 460 a "safety risk" after finding that it slides during certain
high speed maneuvers. Toyota has halted production and sales of the
sport-utility vehicle and is pursuing a fix.

"We were able to simulate the slide," Lexus spokesman Bill Kwong said.
Engineers "are evaluating potential remedies."

Toyota's reputation has been clobbered this year by the recall of
millions of vehicles stemming from reports of unintended acceleration.
The company has already invested in a television advertising campaign
and offered deep discounts in order to hold onto customers.

The broadening troubles this week, first with the GX 460 and now the
Sienna, will complicate those efforts.

The Sienna recall affects vehicles only in cold-weather regions --
including Maryland, the District and Virginia -- where exposure to
road salts could corrode a cable that holds the spare tire in place on
the bottom of the vehicle. The problem affects certain 1998 through
2010 model year Siennas, the company said.

In the worst case, the company said, the spare tire could fall off the
vehicle, creating "a road hazard for following vehicles that increases
the likelihood of a crash."

The company said it is developing a remedy for the problem. In the
meantime, it is instructing customers to bring their vehicles into a
dealership for inspection, which would take about 30 minutes depending
on the dealer's workload.

"Toyota is listening to its customers attentively, and we want to make
sure their voices are heard," Steve St. Angelo, Toyota's chief quality
officer for North America said in a statement. "As part of that
commitment, we are providing free inspections of the spare tire
carrier cable even in states that are not included in this recall. We
are also working diligently to develop a remedy as soon as possible."

Vehicles originally sold or currently registered in the following
places are covered by the recall: the District, Connecticut, Delaware,
Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan,
Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin and West Virginia.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/16/AR2010041603635.html
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