Toyota Issues Recall for Lexus RX350, Alphard Units

Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) announced the recall of 149 Lexus RX350s and 80 Alphard units over the weekend.

TMP said that the Lexus SUVs scheduled for recall require a reprogramming of their engine control unit (ECU), which potentially causes harsh shifting to the ‘Drive’ setting in the SUVs in question.

TMP said that it will notify affected RX350 owners about the recall so they can bring their vehicle in to a qualified Lexus dealership that can do the reprogramming at no cost to the owner.

The Lexus RX 350 recall affects cars produced between December 4, 2017 and December 25, 2018.

Meanwhile, the Alphards may have seatbelts assembled incorrectly, and may require replacement.

According to TMP, the subject Alphards have seatbelts that have two types of locking mechanisms, one of which is the reason the recall. If used, the restraint provided by the problematic seatbelt may not be enough to protect an occupant from collision, leading to serious injury.

Here is the actual statement from Toyota about the Alphard recall:

“The subject vehicles are equipped with seat belt assemblies that have two types of locking mechanisms. One of the locking mechanisms in certain seat belts may not have been assembled correctly. This can cause an occupant to not be restrained properly in certain crashes, increasing the risk of injury,”

The Alphard recall affects those units manufactured from August 20 to September 6, 2019. A number of Vellfire and Coaster units are also affected.

TMP also plans to inform the Alphard owners to bring in their units for inspection. TMP will replace the seatbelt if necessary.

The tentative date of recall completion is December 31, 2022 for the Lexus RX350 and December 31, 2020 for the Alphard.

In the past, the RX350 has been recalled for faulty passenger airbag and airbag sensor assemblies.

Past recalls for the Alphard include brake master cylinder cup replacement, crankshaft pulley inspection/replacement, front passenger airbag inflator replacement, anti-lock braking system (ABS) actuator inspection, and update of electric parking brake ECU program.

Toyota remains to be the bestselling car brand in the Philippines, with six cars in the top 10 for 2019 including the Vios, Hilux, Innova, Fortuner, HiAce, and Wigo.

In 2018, Toyota vehicles took the top six spots in the country’s bestselling list.

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