Toyota, the world's largest car manufacturer, has been throughout the years as having the most economical and reliable vehicles. However, a recent announcement just changed that as they are recalling more than half a million minivans due to a sliding door issue. The minivans affected are Toyota Sienna's from the year models between 2011 and 2016.
The Sliding Door Mechanism Has Tendencies To Overheat
The problem is that the sliding doors for the affected Sienna models have a tendency to suddenly open while moving. This being caused when the automatic sliding door mechanism gets impeded or is disrupted while opening, the circuit might overload, which in turn may open a fuse in the car and cause the door from not latching on properly once closed. The doors not properly latching once closed can be very dangerous once the vehicle is moving as the movement might cause it to slide open and cause accidents of the occupants falling off especially at high speeds.
No Known Accident Or Fatality Has Been Reported Yet
Toyota has not given any comment yet whether the defect has caused any incident or fatality. They are set to recall 850 thousand units all over the world; 744 thousand of which will be coming from the U.S. market and 60 thousand from Canada. Toyota Sienna owners worldwide are being requested to go to Toyota.ca/recall and check if their "vehicle identification number" or "VIN" is included among the units to be recalled.
Toyota's Decision To Come Clean Was A Risky But Necessary Step
Toyota has made a good decision of immediately announcing and recalling the affected vehicles before any serious incident happens. This was a risky step for the company as it may affect their image. However, coming out clean is a risk that some auto manufacturers failed to do, not until other parties did find them out.
