Toyota recalls over 100,000 vehicles over stalled engine concerns

Nick Robertson and The Hill

1 day ago

FILE – The company logo highlights the grille of a Tacoma pickup truck. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

(The Hill) — Toyota will recall about 100,000 vehicles over concerns that loose debris inside the engine could cause it to stall or otherwise fail, federal regulators announced last week.

The recall covers about 3,500 Lexus LX SUVs from 2022 and 2023 and just under 100,000 Toyota Tundra pickup trucks from the same timeframe, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said.

The select vehicles were built with V35A engines, which were potentially not cleared of all manufacturing debris during assembly. This means some of the debris could come loose and damage the engine, per the agency.

The manufacturing issue was solved on later models, though a recall is the only way to remedy the issue for cars already on the road.

Loose debris could “lead to potential engine knocking, engine rough running, engine no start and/or an engine stall,” NHTSA wrote in its report.

A solution to the problem was not made immediately clear in the recall report, and it’s possible that impacted vehicles could need their engines disassembled to ensure there is no debris inside them. Any repair would be at no cost, the agency said.

The administration did not note any injuries or deaths related to the defect and said the problem was discovered in March 2022 engine failure reports. 

Vehicle owners will receive official notice of the recall at the end of next month, according to the regulator’s filing.