Toyota Recalls Corolla, Matrix and Scion xD models

All the recalled cars have 1.8-liter engines.

Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., will launch a voluntary Safety Recall next month with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) involving approximately 95,700 Toyota and Scion vehicles sold in the United States; about 10,000 2009 Pontiac Vibe models are affected as well.

Some of the vehicles were built at New United Motors Incorporated, the plant in California that Toyota will close next March. Pontiac Vibe models ceased production there earlier this month. Other models were built at Toyota City in Japan and Cambridge, Canada.

On some 2009 and 2010 model year Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, and 2008 and 2009 Scion xD vehicles all equipped with 1.8-liter engines, Toyota says that if the vehicle is operated in cold weather, there is a possibility that condensed moisture from the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) port may seep into the brake system vacuum port and freeze.

Over time, ice may accumulate at the vacuum port and in the extreme case, ultimately plug the vacuum port, which supplies the power brake booster. Because of the accumulation of ice, power assist to the brakes would gradually decrease and lead to lengthened vehicle stopping distances.

NHTSA says this could cause a crash and has assigned 09V338000 as its campaign number. However, there are no reported instances of a crash. The problem first arose from field reports in Canada.

Since this defect only manifests itself in extremely low ambient temperatures, according to Toyota, vehicle owners from 19 affected states will begin receiving a “Safety Recall Notification” via first class mail in September, 2009.

Those states are Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Dealers will install a newly designed intake air connector, which relocates the brake system vacuum port. The repair will take approximately one hour, depending on the dealer’s work schedule, at no charge to the vehicle owner.

No other Lexus, Toyota, or Scion vehicles are said to be involved at this time.

Customers with questions or concerns should contact the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331 or the Scion Customer Experience at 1-866-70SCION (707-2466).

Owners may also contact The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), Or Go To http://www.safercar.gov.