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BULAWAYO – Toyota Zimbabwe says it will recall 93 vehicles, all of the Corolla brand, in order to carry out checks for defective accelerators as part of the massive worldwide recall of some of the automotive giant’s flagship brand names which have been found to have mechanical defects.

Toyota Zimbabwe managing director Ian Howden told local media that they have traced and discovered that the 93 vehicles could be affected by the accelerator problem and these would be returned to the workshops for detailed checks for defects.

“With the recall of Toyota vehicles around the world for a problem with the accelerator, Toyota Zimbabwe advises that fewer than 100 vehicles, all of them Corollas that were sold to the Zimbabwean market by Toyota Zimbabwe and its authorised dealers, will need to be checked and if necessary, have additional parts installed to correct any potential problem. Not all those recalled will need to have the part fitted,” Howden said.

He said the auto maker had used chassis numbers to identify the 93 cars.

“An accelerator part number on the recalled vehicle is checked against a specific range of part numbers supplied by Toyota, and if it falls within the affected range a new part will be fitted to the car. If not, the vehicle will be released. The part is fitted to the accelerator and this will resolve any potential problem for the duration of the vehicle’s lifespan,” Howden explained.

Toyota Zimbabwe has also committed itself to checking any Toyota vehicle in the country and says it will undertake any remedial work under a warranty if the vehicles are found to be defective. Howden said there was no need for Toyota owners to panic.

“Only a small number of cars are involved in this recall and in Zimbabwe the affected cars are Corollas in the 2007-2009 range.

Toyota is one of the most popular brand of vehicles in Zimbabwe, with the majority of them being reconditioned imports from Japanese and South Asian dealerships. Across the world, Toyota Motor Corporation has recalled the 2007-2009 Camry, 2008-2009 Avensis, the 2004-2009 Prius and the 2005-2009 RAV 4.