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Take your Avalon, Sequoia for checkup

JEDDAH: Toyota in Saudi Arabia announced that beginning March 1 it would allow customers who purchased Avalon and Sequoia to take their vehicles in to be checked for faults.

Toyota Motor Corporation 's Middle East Representative Office ( TMC ) said in a statement that its local agent Abdul Latif Jameel Co. (ALJ) will initiate this special service campaign to install a small precision-cut steel reinforcement bar into the accelerator pedal assembly of Avalons manufactured between January 2005 and January 2010 and Sequoias manufactured between November 2008 and January 2010.

The response has come following a demand made by Consumer Protection Association (CPA) on Sunday that the Saudi government force ALJ to recall and check for faults in cars it sold locally.

In its statement, the CPA has reminded the government of a decree issued in 2001 that makes it compulsory for a carmaker and its local agents to recall all models that were proven to show faults.

Referring to Toyota Motor Sales USA's actions, TMC said in the statement that there are no concerns reported to date over Avalon and Sequoia in the Middle East relating to the accelerator pedal issue. In the United States, in extreme cold weather conditions, when the heater is used, condensation may form on the surface of a friction device. If this occurs, there is a possibility that, in the worst case, the accelerator pedal returns slowly or does not return to its idle position.

TMC has confirmed that two models, Avalon and Sequoia are unlikely to experience the same potential accelerator issue due to the climatic conditions in Saudi Arabia.

Separately, ALJ is currently changing free of charge the oil hoses of some models of Toyotas and Lexuses. An agent on ALJ 's toll free number said owners of Toyota's Aurion and Privia models produced between 2005 and 2009 and Lexus RX350 and ES350 models, also produced between 2005 and 2009, can get their car's oil hose changed. Customers can go to any Toyota maintenance center and get the part changed. According to the agent, the campaign, which started last month, will continue for three years.

Meanwhile, Toyota said Sunday that it will soon announce plans to deal with brake problems in its prized Prius hybrid amid reports it has decided to issue a recall for the latest model in Japan.

Separately, the company has told dealers in the United States it is preparing to repair the brakes on thousands of Prius vehicles there, according to an e-mail sent by a company executive. It was unclear whether Toyota planned a formal US recall.

"We will make an announcement soon on the action we plan to take," spokeswoman Ririko Takeuchi said, commenting on media reports on Sunday that the company has decided to issue a Japan recall. Takeuchi did not confirm those reports.

The Prius is the world's top-selling gas-electric hybrid and its fuel efficiency has drawn intense interest amid concerns about global warming and dependence on fossil fuels.

By Shaheen Nazar

© Arab News 2010