Toyota Motor Corp. announced a recall of 6.39 million vehicles around the world on Wednesday due to issues involving almost 30 models in the U.S., Japan, Europe and other countries.
This is the second-biggest recall the automaker has ever issued, according to CBS News.
There were no reported injuries related to the recalls.
Analysts said the announcement shows that Toyota is taking recalls more seriously, The New York Times reported. The Justice Department ended a four-year investigation of the company last month and imposed a $1.2 billion criminal penalty after discovering that Toyota hid information about defects that resulted in sudden, unintended acceleration in models.
"They're making a very bold statement that they're going to stay on top of those recalls, no matter what the impact," said Alec Gutierrez, senior analyst at automotive research firm Kelley Blue Book. "Toyota took this opportunity to say 'We are going to go through the list of all the known problems, and issue as many recalls as necessary.'"
There were different problems that caused the recalls. The cases include 6.76 million vehicles for 27 Toyota models, the Pontiac Vibe and the Subaru Trezia, made from April 2004 through August 2013, CBS News reported.
Toyota reported issues with a defective engine starter, seat rails, the bracket holding the steering column in place, a cable attached to the air-bag module and the windshield-wiper motor. The company said the cable could be damaged when the steering wheel is turned, which could cause the airbag to not activate after a crash. Toyota added that the issue involved about 3.5 million vehicles.
In its report to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Toyota monitored and investigated complaints about issues with seats in Japan that started in 2008, The New York Times reported. The company concluded early this month that "in limited instance" it was possible that even if the springs were broken, the seat might look like it is locked in place, resulting in a recall.
The affected vehicles also include 158,000 Yaris hatchbacks from 2006 through 2010. Additionally, the recall includes 250,000 2007-2010 Yaris Sedans and about 64,000 2008-2010 Scion xDs.
