Better late than never seems to be the guiding principle of Toyota, as the US wing of the Japanese Car manufacturer gets ready to recall 700,000 of its cars due to various bugs.

The recall includes about 495,000 Tacoma trucks made between 2005 to 2009, around 70,500 Camry sedans (2009 model) and about 116,000 Venza crossovers (2009-2011 models). Apparently, the Tacoma trucks between 05 and 09 have problems with their steering wheel spiral cable assemblies.  Toyota said that there is likelihood for friction in some vehicles between the spiral cable and the retainer. This could in the long run cut the connection to the driver’s airbag.

Toyota also said it could cause the airbag warning light to remain lit after the vehicle is started.  But the small irritation of having a light lit on the dashboard is not the real concern here. There could also be more fatal consequences, as the driver’s airbag could get deactivated, preventing it from being deployed during an accident.

The Camry sedans and Venza crossovers are recalled to replace their stop lamp switches. According to the company, during installation of the switch at one of the North American assembly lines, silicon grease may have reached the inside of the switch causing an increase in electrical resistance.  That could cause the warning lights to illuminate unnecessarily. Toyota added that the faulty switch might also prevent the vehicle from starting altogether and shifting out of “park”.

Though the company is adamant that no instances of accidents or injuries from the faulty parts have been reported so far, it is evident from the move that it doesn’t want to take any chances.  Toyota is in the process of obtaining the replacement parts and once it does, it will notify the affected owners and replace the parts for free.

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Toyota’s efforts to make right what went wrong is now showing with the announcement of a recall on over 133,000 Prius models, 14,550 Lexus HS 250h and a new safety precaution in the power steering hose position on some Camrys.

The 2010 model years are in question, Toyota is planning to update the software on the vehicle’s anti-lock brake system (ABS). In normal operation the ABS engages and disengages rapidly, some 2010 vehicles have been reported to show a slow or inconsistent brake feeling when a constant pressure is applied to the brakes on rough or slick roads.

I personally have driven cars for many years with no ABS and had zero problems, but technology is as technology does and if you paid for ABS it should be working 100%.

“We’re committed to doing everything we can – as fast as we can – to restore consumer trust in Toyota, and these recalls are part of this effort,” said Jim Lentz, President and Chief Operating Officer, Toyota Motor Sales. “We regret the inconvenience this recall will cause to Prius and HS 250h owners, and will do our best with the support of our dealers to make sure that it is conducted in the most trouble-free manner possible.”

Only the Toyota Prius manufactured after May 2009 and all HS 250h vehicles are subject to the recall. First and second-generation Prius models use a different ABS and are not affected.

Toyota intends to notify owners of the involved 2010 Camry vehicles throughout the next few weeks of February.

As a safety precaution, Zipcar has removed their 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid vehicles from their car-sharing service. This is in addition to the 2009 and 2010 Toyota Matrix models previously removed due to other safety recalls.

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