Toyota-Lexus recall: defective fuel pumps | CAR ENGINE AND SPORTS

The car maker Toyota has launched a car recall campaign along with its subsidiary brand Lexus. It covers various series, including Toyota Auris, its successor Corolla (see video) and crossover C-HR (see photo gallery). In the case of Lexus, the NX and RX models are affected. Across Germany, the recall campaign has so far involved around 11,800 vehicles. It is not yet known how many cars there are in the world or in Europe. All are from the construction period November 2017 to November 2022. The campaign has not yet appeared in the official recall database of the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA).

The reason for the recall is in the high-pressure oil pump, in which the piston moves in the cylinder. First downwards to create a vacuum and thus suck the fuel through the inlet control valve. The piston then moves up into the cylinder to build pressure, which sends fuel to the engine through the check valve. Due to the improper assembly of the media of certain parts in the high-pressure oil pump, its operation over time can cause two things:

• That the movement of the cylinder causes wear between the cylinder and the pump body, which causes an increase in the load on the two valves mentioned above.
• That valve seat moves inside the pump body, causing more wear and putting more stress on the inlet control valve. This increased stress can cause a crack to form in the weld for the affected valves, which can lead to oil leaks and possible oil odors.

The following series of models are affected by the recall:

• Toyota Auris (Job Code NRE185)
• Toyota C-HR (Job Code NGX10, NGX50)
• Toyota Corolla (Job Code NRE210)
• Lexus NX300 (Werks-Code AGZ10, AGZ15)
• Lexus RX300 (Werks-Code AGL20, AGL25)

The affected Toyota models are all equipped with the 8NR engine. This is a 1.2-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine with 116 hp and a maximum torque of 185 Newton meters. In Lexus the problem occurs in relation to the 8AR engine; also a four-cylinder turbo gasoline engine, but with a displacement of two liters and output values ​​between 238 and 245 hp.

To fix the problem, the vehicles should be taken to an authorized workshop. Depending on the model, the repair takes between ten minutes and almost two hours. It is not yet known when customers will be notified in writing by the manufacturer about recall options. Toyota is running the campaign domestically under regulation 23SD-108.

It is not the first time that Toyota cars have gone to the workshop because of faulty fuel pumps. In 2020, a total of 3.34 million vehicles in the USA and Japan had to be inspected or repaired. In the summer of 2021, a further 316,000 models were recalled worldwide due to fuel pump defects. This time also in Germany, where there were more than 10,000 units at that time. These cars are clearly now in need of a re-inspection, because when asked, a Toyota spokesperson confirmed to us: “The 23SD-108 campaign replaces the 21SMD-041 recall. This was stopped on October 24, 2023.”