Vehicle recalls are never an enjoyable experience for the manufacturer or for the customers who have purchased the affected vehicles. Nearly every time a recall takes place it’s due to an issue that can create an unsafe situation for the car and anyone inside the vehicle. Over the years many recalls have taken place, some were caused by accidents that occurred which were caused by a manufacturer oversight or defect and others that have been the result of the discovery of a potentially harmful situation. Thankfully the recall we’re about to discuss is of the latter form.

To preface this correctly this will be the third time these vehicles have been recalled for a similar issue. Thankfully the manufacturer is being diligent in handling the issue, but for customers who own these vehicles it may give them pause to try and sell their vehicle in order to buy one that doesn’t have the same problem over and over again. This recall is being issued by Toyota for 337,000 RAV4 and Lexus HS250h models. The RAV4 models are from 2006-2011 and the Lexus is the 2010 model and these vehicles were first recalled in 2012.

In 2012 the recall was issued because the rear suspension was wobbly on these vehicles. This was quickly fixed and the owners were able to move on with their vehicle only to find that in 2013 another recall was issued for the same vehicles for a similar problem. This time the rear suspension wasn’t wobbly, instead the nuts used to adjust the rear wheel alignment weren’t tightened properly which could cause serious problems with the vehicles. This prompted the second recall and since then this group of vehicles has been able to drive around without any recalls being issued.

Now a new recall for this same group of vehicles is being issued because a discovery has been made that could result in a serious problem. The result of this problem could be that the driver could lose control of the vehicle which could be a dangerous situation that results in a collision or even a death. The problem now is that rust can form on the suspension arm threads of the nuts used for the rear wheel alignment if they weren’t tightened properly. This rust can cause the accident just described and Toyota will replace both rear suspension arm assemblies at no charge to ensure these affected vehicles are repaired properly.

Current owners of affected vehicles will be contacted to be able to have these rear suspension arm assemblies replaced. So far no collisions have been reported as a result of this issue and Toyota would like to keep it that way. While this seems to be an annoyance to consumers to have the vehicles recalled for the third time with a similar issue, it’s important for Toyota to be out in front of this recall and make sure these affected vehicles are repaired and made safe for driving once again.