Toyota Recalling 6.5 Million Vehicles Worldwide Over Faulty Power Window Switches

Toyota announced it will recall approximately 6,500,000 vehicles globally for faulty power window switches that may short circuit and potentially cause a fire.

2.7 million vehicles are in North America, 1.2 million in Europe and 600,000 in Japan, Toyota said on Wednesday. The recalled models built outside of Japan include the Toyota Camry, RAV4 and Highlander.

The fault was caused by inconsistent application of a sprayed-on grease on electrical contact points in the power switch. As a result, debris can accumulate where insufficient grease is applied and can cause a short-circuit. The switch assembly may then overheat and melt, potentially producing smoke and leading to a fire, Toyota said.

The automaker added that it isn’t aware of any crashes caused by this fault. However, Toyota got one report of a customer in the United States receiving a burn on the hand, and 11 reports of burnt switch and door trim.

To fix the issue, Toyota dealers will inspect the switch and apply heat-resistant grease, with the operation estimated to take about 45 minutes. If the switch isn’t operating normally, the internal circuit board will be replaced, the company said.

The recalled vehicles were built in Japan between January 2005 and August 2006, and August 2008 and June 2010. The list also includes cars manufactured outside of Japan between August 2005 and August 2006, and January 2009 and December 2010.

Story references: Bloomberg