**Toyota vehicles made and sold in South Africa are to be recalled after similar moves in the US, Europe and Asia, a company spokesman has told the BBC.**Leo Kok said none of the problems with brakes or accelerators seen elsewhere have yet been reported in South Africa.
He said the recall was purely preventative and customers could continue driving their vehicles until they were asked to take them in.
Some 23% of vehicles sold in South Africa are Toyotas, he said.
TOYOTA RECALLS: STORY SO FAR
- September 2007, US: 55,000 Camry and Lexus cars in floormat recall
- October 2009, US: 3.8m Toyota and Lexus vehicles recalled due to floormat problem
- November 2009, US: floormat recall increased to 4.2m vehicles
- January 2010, US: 2.3m Toyota vehicles recalled due to accelerator pedal problems (Of those, 2.1m already involved in floormat recall)
- January 2010, US: 1.1m Toyotas in floormat recall
- February 2010, Europe: 1.8m Toyota’s in pedal recall
- February 2010, Japan, US: 200 reports of brake faults in new Prius. None recalled
Toyota’s reputation could be tarnished for years
Earlier on Thursday, the US transportation department opened an investigation into brake problems in the 2010 Toyota Prius.
This latest alarm for the beleaguered carmaker - one of the world’s biggest - follows worldwide recalls of almost eight million cars because of floor-mat and pedal problems.
“We will be included in the recall,” Mr Kok told the BBC’s Focus on Africa programme.
He said all Toyota customers in the country would be contacted and could then take their vehicles in to have the necessary adjustments made.
The seven models being recalled in Europe are the Aygo, iQ, Yaris, Auris, Corolla, Verso, and Avensis, and cover manufacturing dates going back to February 2005.
In the US, they are the RAV4, Corollas, Matrix, Avalons, Camrys, Highlander, Tundra, and Sequoia, and cover dates going back to October 2005.
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