Toyota and Chrysler issue recalls for cars

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Apr 11, 2008 | by Associated Press

Toyota Motor Corp. and Chrysler LLC issued recalls this week for hundreds of thousands of cars.

Toyota is recalling 539,500 Corolla and Matrix passenger cars because the bolts in the power window system can become loose and ultimately cause a window to shatter.

Toyota said Wednesday it had received reports of 143 cases in which the bolts at the bottom of the power window assembly became loose, caused the window to rattle or led to the window breaking.

Toyota spokesman Joe Tetherow said there had been one minor accident and 15 injuries reported. He said he did not know how many complaints Toyota had received of windows shattering. The affected vehicles are in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. territories, he said.

The recall involves 2003-2004 model year Corolla and Matrix vehicles equipped with power windows. Vehicles with manual windows are not part of the recall.

The automaker said if the window bolts become loose, motorists may hear an abnormal noise from the driver or front passenger door while operating the power windows.

The recall affects only vehicles sold in the United States, Tetherow said.

Toyota will notify owners of the recall in late April. Dealers will replace the driver and front passenger door glass bolts at no charge to owners.

For more information, owners can call Toyota at 800-331-4331.

Chrysler is recalling 212,347 Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Avenger passenger cars worldwide to fix an electrical problem that could lead to engine stalling and other issues.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a posting on its Web site that the recall involves 2007-2008 Sebring and Avenger vehicles with standard tire pressure monitoring systems.

The administration said unused electrical connectors for the monitoring system could become corroded and short circuit, leading to problems starting the engine, a dead battery, an inoperative cruise control or engine stalling.

Chrysler spokesman Max Gates said Tuesday that there have been no accidents or injuries reported. He said Chrysler has received nine reports of engine stalling.

About 180,000 of the recalled vehicles are in the United States. Nearly 15,000 are in Canada, more than 12,000 are in Mexico and the remainder are in European markets.

The recall is expected to begin in mid-April. Dealers will seal the wires for the tire pressure monitoring system at no cost to consumers. Owners can contact Chrysler at 800-853-1403.