Independently-serviced models affected by Toyota recall

UAE Toyota and Lexus owners who have serviced certain models with non-Toyota brake fluid have been asked to take their cars to the dealer after the carmaker announced a global recall of 1.5 million cars.

Toyota has issued a recall of over 1.5 million vehicles.

Toyota and Lexus owners who have serviced certain models outside the Al-Futtaim service centre network are being asked to bring the cars to the dealer after a recall affecting 1.5 million cars worldwide was announced.

The models affected in the US include the 2005-2006 Avalon, 2004-2006 non-hybrid Highlander and Lexus RX330, and 2006 Lexus GS300, IS250, and IS350 vehicles. There is no recall in the UAE.

According to Toyota, a small amount of break fluid could slowly leak from the brake master cylinder, resulting in the illumination of the brake warning lamp. The fault could cause the brake pedal to feel spongy, and braking performance to "gradually decline", the carmaker said.

Al Futtaim motors, which sells Toyota and Lexus cars in the UAE, has said the fault only occurs if the car has been serviced with non-Toyota brand brake fluid.

The company is asking anyone who has had their vehicle independently serviced to visit the service centre to have the brake master cylinder cup replaced with a newly designed version.

Toyota has also announced a second recall over speedometer defects that affects over 1,800 units of Toyota's Voxy and Noah models. Neither of these models have been sold in the UAE.

The world's largest auto maker, which was battered by a global safety recall crisis earlier this year, today said it would recall 740,000 cars in the United States and 600,000 in Japan to fix the problem.

It was also recalling 50,000 autos in Europe, 60,000 in China, 30,000 in Australia and 50,000 in other Asian nations, according to a Toyota spokesman in Japan.