Toyota has issued a recall of about 550,000 worldwide due to a potentially faulty crankshaft pulley. The recall affects around 447,000 units in the U.S.

Vehicles that have been affected by the recall include Alphard (Japan), MY 2004 Toyota Avalon (mainly U.S.), MY 2004-2005 Toyota Camry, MY 2004-2005 Toyota Highlander, MY 2004-2005 Toyota Sienna, MY 2004-2005 Toyota Solara (U.S.) as well as Lexus MY 2004-2005 ES300 and ES330, the RX300, MY 2004-5 RX330 and MY 2006 RX400h.

The company stated that the outer ring of the crankshaft pulley may become misaligned with the damper, causing noise or the illumination of an electrical system warning light. Consequently, the belt for the power steering pump may become detached from the pulley and the driver may experience a sudden increase in steering effort.

According to reports, Toyota has received 79 complaints worldwide concerning the pulley defect. However, the company reassured that there have been no reports of accidents or injuries related to the fault.

via just-auto