Toyota Motor Corp. will replace an oil hose in nearly one million U.S. vehicles because potential leaks could harm the engine, reports say.
The automaker informed dealers across the U.S. that the rubber oil hose on some on Camry, Avalon, Rav4 and Lexus vehicles dating from 2005 to 2009 and equipped with V6 engines may develop a small hole, causing a leak and potential damage to the engine, Reuters said after obtaining a copy of the letter sent to dealers.
A spokesperson for the company told Reuters the hose is not a safety concern and the vehicles will not be recalled.
Owners of the some 933,800 can have the hose replaced free of charge until March 31, 2013, it said.
Toyota Canada Inc. was not immediately able to confirm whether a similar repair order would be issued to Canadian dealerships.
A slew of safety concerns have plagued the automaker with a once-unrivaled reputation for quality. Unintended acceleration problems eight models have been linked to 39 deaths and braking issues in three others models have led to the recall of 8.5 million of Toyota vehicles globally.
Toyota executives are slated to appear before a Senate committee on Tuesday for a third round of hearings on the company’s handling of consumer complaints related to sticky gas pedals.
Late on Friday, Toyota Canada said it would welcome the opportunity to address the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities.
NDP and Tory MPs have publicly called on the government to haul Toyota officials before lawmakers after parliament resumes this week.
