Major Toyota recall in South Africa
Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) has announced a recall of over 2,000 Urban Cruiser models due to a manufacturing defect.
The affected vehicles, totalling 2,208, were sold through Toyota’s dealer network in South Africa between January 17, 2025, and June 3, 2025.
Of these, 2,015 units were sold in the local market, while the remaining vehicles were distributed to neighbouring countries.
Specifically, 14 vehicles were sold in Eswatini, 23 in Botswana, 5 in Lesotho, and 151 were exported to Namibia.
The recall stems from a fault identified during the manufacturing of the combination meter, which can result in an incorrect fuel indicator correction value being recorded in the meter’s memory.
TSAM has informed the National Consumer Commission (NCC) and affected customers about this issue.
“As a result, the fuel level indicator in the combination meter may indicate more fuel than actually remaining,” said the National Consumer Commission.
“The low fuel warning light may not turn on as the fuel decreases, so the driver may not notice and run out of fuel, resulting in the engine stalling and the engine not starting.”
The Commission said that consumers who own the affected vehicles are urged to take their vehicles to the nearest Toyota dealership, and all corrective work will be completed at no additional cost.
Last week, TSAM, in collaboration with Lexus South Africa Motors (LSAM), recalled hundreds of vehicles in South Africa due to a significant engine fault.
The two Japanese car manufacturers notified the NCC about the issue affecting 507 Toyota Land Cruiser 300 models and 124 Lexus LX600 vehicles.
These SUVs are equipped with a V35A 3.4-litre twin-turbocharged V6 petrol engine, which is a common faulty component impacting over 600 vehicles.
The affected models were sold through authorised Toyota dealerships nationwide between December 2022 and May 2024, and some of these vehicles have also been exported to neighbouring countries, including Botswana and Namibia.
Previous recalls in 2026
Toyota has recalled vehicles four times this year, once in March, once in June, and two in July.
Earlier this month, Toyota and Lexus issued their third recall of the year, following previous recalls of nearly 2,000 vehicles in March and an additional 6,525 in June.
The first recall for July specifically affects Land Cruiser and LX models, marking the third time these particular models have been recalled this year.
“According to Toyota, both Lexus and Land Cruiser vehicles are equipped with a V35A engine that contains crankshaft main bearings, which allow the crankshaft to rotate within the engine while it is running,” explained the NCC.
“During a specific production period, engine machining debris may not have been completely removed during manufacturing, resulting in contamination of the engine assembly.”
The commission explained that if machining debris accumulates on the main bearings and the engine continues to operate under high loads for an extended period, it could lead to bearing failure.
This failure may cause more than just severe engine knocking; it could result in rough engine operation, difficulties in starting the motor, or even a complete engine stall.
“An engine stall while driving may lead to a loss of motive power, increasing the risk of an accident when driving at higher speeds,” said the NCC.
Owners of the affected vehicles were advised to visit their nearest Toyota dealership for an inspection and necessary repairs, which may include replacing the engine.
“We understand that the issue with these vehicles is an engine problem, the V35A engine,” said NCC spokesperson, Phetho Ntaba.
“The manufacturing firm and the NCC request that the owners submit their vehicles to any authorised dealership to have engines replaced at no cost to the consumer.”
The March recall was triggered by an error in the programming of the Transmission Electronic Control Unit (T-ECU), which may have prevented it from detecting and reporting transmission-related errors.
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