Just when we thought that Toyota has cleared its ‘recall’ episode, it all comes back again with the whacking news that the firm is about to recall a whopping 373,000 Avalon (2000-2004 model) sedans in U.S.A. The reason for this recall is said to be a faulty steering lock.
Toyota claims that the car’s steering lock bar can crack causing a break. In case this happens, the steering column interlock system can become difficult to unlock when the car is parked thus, making it impossible to move the car. The fault may also lead to a fatal accident when the driver is in a right-hand turn with “sufficient lateral acceleration” thus, engaging the lock and disabling steering control. Toyota claims of no such accidents yet though and has announced to replace the faulty steering column bracket for free.
Source: Autoblog