Toyota Fuel Pump Recall Grows To 3.3M Cars That Could Abruptly Stall

4 years, 1 month ago - 29 October 2020, motor1

A new recall adds 1.5 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles to two previous recalls for the same issue.

Toyota issued a new recall today that affects 1.5 million vehicles under both Toyota and Lexus brands. The potential problem is related to the fuel pump, and if this sounds familiar, it's because this is the third such recall from the Japanese automaker this year. All total, the fuel pump issue could affect a staggering 3.3 million vehicles dating all the way back to 2013.

The latest recall doesn't state which models are added, but it does offer a comprehensive list of all years and models affected. Toyota advises certain vehicles in the following ranges could experience problems.

2013-2015 Lexus LS 460
2013-2015 Lexus GS 350
2014 Toyota FJ Cruiser, Lexus IS-F
2014-2015 Toyota 4Runner, Land Cruiser
2014-2015 Lexus GX 460, IS 350, LX 570
2015 Lexus NX 200t, RC 350
2017 Lexus IS 200t, RC 200t GS 200t
2017-2019 Toyota Highlander; Lexus GS 350
2017-2020 Toyota Sienna and Lexus RX 350
2018-2019 Toyota 4Runner, Land Cruiser
2018-2019 Lexus GS 300, GX 460, IS 300, IS 350, LS 500h, LX 570, NX 300, RC 300, RC 350
2018-2020 Toyota Avalon, Camry, Corolla, Sequoia, Tacoma, Tundra
2018-2020 Lexus ES 350, LC 500, LC 500h, LS 500, RX 350L
2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback and Lexus UX 200
2019-2020 Toyota RAV4

According to the recall, fuel pumps on affected vehicles could suddenly fail. This would obviously send up a bevy of warning lights on the dash, but on the safety side, it would likely cause the engine to stall. A stalled engine could lead to a loss of power assist for braking and steering, which could certainly result in a dangerous situation especially if the engine quits at higher vehicle speeds. The fix is a replacement fuel pump, which Toyota will handle free of charge to affected owners.

The initial recall occurred in January 2020. 696,000 vehicles from the 2018-2019 model year were included, but in March a second recall expanded the list to 1.83 million vehicles going back to the 2013 model year. According to Toyota, affected owners from the first two recalls were notified earlier this year. Owners of the latest vehicles added to the recall will be notified by December.