Recall wrap: Fire risk for 23,000 Toyota 70 Series workhorses

Toyota Australia has announced a safety recall for 22,971 examples of the Toyota 70 Series LandCruiser built between 2016-2018 because they are at risk of catching fire.

It says a number of “minor incidents” have been recorded in Australia due to the problem, which affects 76, 78 and 79 Series models powered by a 4.5-litre V8 turbo-diesel.

Similar to the issue that affected the Ford Ranger two years ago – and a BMW 530d police patrol car that burned to the ground following a NSW pursuit last year – the problem occurs if dry grass and other debris accumulates behind the exhaust pipe heat shield near the high-temperature diesel particulate filter (DPF).

Toyota says “vegetation may accumulate around the vehicle’s underbody and exhaust system as a result of driving in dry vegetation areas”.

If the vegetation is not removed in accordance with the maintenance instructions in the owner’s manual, Toyota says the PDF system’s periodic regeneration may cause it to combust.

The Japanese manufacturer says it will install modified exhaust heat shields and enable a manual DPF regeneration mode, allowing owners to conduct a DPF ‘burnoff’ in a safe location prior to entering long grass or dry vegetation off-road.

Toyota says it will contact affected owners and that the fitment of a modified heat shield and DPF override function will take about three hours.

Click here to see if your LandCruiser if affected in the recall.

Meantime, Hyundai Australia has issued a recall notice for a total of 96,892 vehicles due to a manufacturing fault that could also pose a fire risk in some models.

The recall affects 68,765 Hyundai i30 (FD) models built between 2006-2010, more than 18,000 Elantra (HD) models built between 2005-2011 and 9393 Santa Fe SUVs built between 2005-2009.

If components inside the anti-lock braking (ABS) system are exposed to moisture they could short circuit, leading to an increased risk of an engine compartment fire, even when the vehicle is switched off since the circuit is constantly powered, says Hyundai.

The Korean car-maker will contact owners to organise free repairs. However, it says in the meantime affected vehicles should “be parked in an open space and away from flammable materials and structures, that is, not in a garage”.

Click here to see if your Hyundai i30, Elantra or Santa Fe is affected.

Also this week, Bentley’s uber-luxury SUV has also been recalled, with 67 examples of the big Bentley Bentayga built between 2018-2020 called back due to concerns the seat belt anchorage in the third row may not withstand the legal load requirements.

Bentley says if the anchorage fails to work during an accident, the occupants wearing the seat belts may not be properly restrained, potentially leading to serious injury or death. The car-maker will contact affected owners to organise free inspection and repair.

You can click here to see if your Bentayga's VIN is included in the recall.