Toyota 86, Subaru BRZ recall:: almost every car to come in for power-steering fix – UPDATE
UPDATE: This article originally noted the Toyota recall only. Subaru details have now also been added.
It's a bittersweet week for Toyota. Having only just wrapped up the first media drive of its refreshed 86 coupe, the company is now preparing to recall almost every example sold in Australia.
Of the 17,000-plus 86 coupes sold since its Australian launch in 2012, nearly 15,000 - those built between April 2012 and March 2015 - are being recalled over concerns the vehicle could experience a loss of power steering assistance.
Likewise, the Subaru BRZ, twin to the Toyota 86, has been recalled for the same issue. In Subaru's case, the recall affects 3016 vehicles from the 2013 to 2015 model years.
Subaru's allocation of vehicles from the joint 86/BRZ program is far smaller than Toyota's, but the company has confirmed that the above number is every vehicle sold for those model years.
In both cases, the car makers report that an "improper" wire harness layout could cause the power steering harness to interfere with the cover of the driver's knee airbag in Australian models.
"If this happens, there could be an electrical contact failure which may result in the loss of power steering assist. A warning light would then illuminate on the dashboard along with a short audible warning whilst manual steering would be maintained," Toyota's recall announcement reads.
Subaru, in its own separate statement, adds: "It is important to note that even if the power assistance for the steering is lost, the vehicle retains manual steering capability. Nevertheless, Subaru Australia has decided to carry out this recall out of an abundance of caution, following notification from the factory, Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI)."
Toyota says there have been 62 reports of power-steering assist loss in Australia, but no accidents or injuries. Subaru reports three for the BRZ, likewise with no injuries or accidents.
Replacement parts are expected to arrive by late September, with owners to be contacted mail. Repair work is expected to take just over one hour.
MORE: 2017 Toyota 86 DRIVEN in Japan
MORE: all Toyota 86 news and reviews
MORE: all Subaru BRZ news and reviews
The VIN table below outlines affected models:
MODEL | MODEL CODE
| WMI
| VDS
| VIS
| PROD
| |
FROM
| TO
| |||||
86
| ZN6
| JF1
| ZN6K72
| DG002006
| DG015716
| 9 April 2012 through to 18 March 2015
|
EG018002
| EG023149
| |||||
FG025022
| FG029639
| |||||
ZN6K81
| DG002013
| DG015715
| ||||
EG018001
| EG023148
| |||||
FG025003
| FG029637
|