Toyota fixing 1.3 million vehicles over oil leak

Tuesday, March 2, 2010
TOKYO (AFP) - – Embattled Toyota said Tuesday it is voluntarily fixing 1.3 million vehicles in North America for engine oil leaks but denied the campaign is a recall because it did not affect safety.
"It is what we call a service campaign," said Toyota spokeswoman Mieko Iwasaki in Tokyo. For the past five months, she said, "we've been carrying out repairs step by step, sending letters to owners and dealers."
The company had first informed North American dealers and car owners of the campaign in October and launched its third phase last week to voluntarily repair the defect, a crack in an engine hose.
In an email statement received early Tuesday in Tokyo, the company said the problem "may cause oil to leak from the VVT-i oil hose producing abnormal engine noise and the oil pressure light to illuminate."
"This is not a safety recall, and submitting a Defect Information Report to the (US) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is not required."
Japan's biggest car maker has come under fire for its global recalls of more than eight million vehicles for accelerator and brake system defects, and has been accused of dragging its feet on making the safety flaws public.
Toyota executives were due to face a US Senate panel grilling later on Tuesday after company president Akio Toyoda last week apologised in a US House hearing and did the same in Beijing on Monday.
Toyoda, back from China, on Tuesday again apologised.
"We have caused worries and troubles to customers," Toyoda told Japanese reporters in Nagoya in central Japan, Jiji Press reported.
"I am grateful for the opportunity of direct dialogue in the United States. I think I made a proper explanation in China, too."
The Toyota spokeswoman meanwhile said the company had already repaired the oil leak problem free-of-charge in 342,200 Avalon, Camry and RAV4 models and 374,000 Lexus ES 350 and RX 350 vehicles in the United States.
In the latest phase of the US campaign started on February 22, she said Toyota wrote to owners and dealers of 128,800 Avalon and 89,000 RAV4 vehicles, asking them to bring their cars in for the one-hour repair job.
"Separately in Japan we announced in October the repair of 45,000 vehicles for the same cause. The models include the Harrier and Estima," she said.