Toyota Ireland is to conduct a voluntary recall, as part of a global campaign, which will see 6,750 Avensis vehicles and 3,800 Rav4 vehicles recalled.  The vehicles potentially affected were manufactured between Nov. 2008 and Jan. 2011 in the case of the Avensis and Nov. 2005 and Aug. 2010 in the case of the Rav4. No other Toyota vehicles are affected.

The potential problem identified involves the rear suspension arm of the vehicle. If during a maintenance procedure, nuts for adjusting the rear wheel alignment are improperly tightened, it could, over time, lead to free movement between the two portions of the arm with a resultant abnormal knocking noise during driving. Over time, in rare circumstances, this could result in the two portions of the arm separating and as a result the handling of the vehicle may be affected.

There have been no reports in Ireland involving this issue.

Commenting David Shannon, Managing Director of Toyota Ireland said: "This is not a design or manufacturing problem, but rather one which has been identified as having the potential to occur when a vehicle has been serviced. It is a voluntary and purely precautionary measure by Toyota to reassure our customers that their interest is our Number 1 priority. We will be writing to customers to arrange for them to make an appointment with their local Dealer to have their vehicle inspected. In the event of an issue being identified the repair procedures will be carried out at a time that is convenient and which ensures minimal disruption for, and at no cost to, the customer.

The initial inspection will take about 30 mins, and in the event that there is an issue with a vehicle the procedure will involve parts replacement which would take 2/3 hours.

Should any customer have a particular concern then they should contact their local Toyota Dealer or the Customer Service line on 01-419-0222.