Its Recall Mondays: Chevy, GMC, Lexus, Mazda And Toyota Are In The Hot Seat

1. MANUFACTURER: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

NO. OF IMPACTED CUSTOMERS: 337,449

SUMMARY:

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2006-2011 Toyota RAV4 vehicles manufactured October 31, 2005, to September 7, 2010, and 2010 Lexus HS250h vehicles manufactured July 6, 2009, to August 26, 2010. The affected vehicles have rear suspension arms (rear tie rods) with adjusting lock nuts that may have been improperly tightened after servicing. As a result of being loose, the arm may have thread damage and may rust, possibly leading to the failure of the arm and an abrupt change in the vehicle's alignment.

CONSEQUENCE:

Failure of the rear tie rod could cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

REMEDY:

Toyota will notify owners and dealers will replace both rear suspension arms and encapsulate the locknuts, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin September 30, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are G0V for Toyota vehicles and GLK for Lexus vehicles. Note: This recall supersedes recall 13V-383, in which some vehicles were only inspected, sealed, and did not have both arms replaced. The affected vehicles were previously recalled under 13V-383, but did not have both rear suspension arms replaced at that time. Those vehicles need to have both arms replaced as part of this recall remedy.

2. MANUFACTURER: General Motors LLC

NO. OF IMPACTED CUSTOMERS: 367,808

SUMMARY:

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the ball joints in the windshield wiper module may corrode and wear over time, possibly resulting in one or both of the windshield wipers becoming inoperative.

CONSEQUENCE:

Inoperative windshield wipers may reduce the driver's visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.

REMEDY:

The remedy for this recall campaign is still under development. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 25302.

3. MANUFACTURER: Mazda North American Operations

NO. OF IMPACTED CUSTOMERS: 190,102

SUMMARY:

Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2007-2012 Mazda CX-7 vehicles manufactured February 14, 2006, to May 9, 2012. In the affected vehicles, water may enter the front suspension ball joint fittings. If the water is contaminated with salt, such as from driving on snowy roads that have been treated, the ball joint may corrode and separate from the lower control arm, resulting in a loss of steering control.

CONSEQUENCE:

A loss of steering control can increase the risk of a crash.

REMEDY:

Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace both front lower control arms, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. Mazda will send interim notices to owners beginning around October 10, 2016. Follow-up notices will be sent when remedy parts are available. As a priority, Mazda will first address all affected 2007-2008 vehicles as well as 2009-2011 vehicles currently registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia. West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. The remaining vehicles will be addressed when parts are available. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 9716H