More than 28,000 Toyota vehicles have been recalled due to a potentially deadly design issue.
The recall impacts several Toyota Landcruiser models as well as the Toyota Tundra Limited made between 2021 and 2024.
The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts warns the defect affects the vehicle’s transmission control module, which controls automatic gear changes in a car.
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Due to a design issue, the transmission control module may not function properly, causing it to continue to transfer engine power to the wheels when the gear stick is in neutral.
“If the brake pedal or park brake are not applied it may result in unintended vehicle movement if (the) shift lever is not moved to park position,” the department said.
It said this “unintended movement” could increase the risk of an accident which could result in “serious injuries or death to vehicle occupants and/or other road users”.
Owners of affected cars will be contacted by Toyota, and have been asked to schedule an appointment to update the transmission control module software.
This work will be carried out free of charge.
While waiting for the issue to be fixed, customers have been urged to put the vehicle in park rather than neutral when not driving.
More information is available at the department’s website or contact Toyota recall support on 1800 987 366 or recallsupport@toyota.dataresponse.com.au.