The Auto Writer

Take this as Toyota bashing if you want, but the fact remains that Toyota is becoming a lot more like the competition instead of being the trendsetter in upholding quality standards that it once was. Certainly, when it comes to quality and reliability, Toyota is still among the best in the world, but recalls are becoming a more common occurrence.

Most recently, Toyota announced that it was launching a safety recall for approximately 134,900 Yaris vehicles sold in the United States, a step that the automaker is doing in cooperation with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The total number of Yaris recalls worldwide is 1.3 million vehicles, however.

Related to the recall, Toyota issued the following press release:

The Yaris is equipped with driver and front passenger seat belt pretensioners that retract the seat belts to begin absorbing the occupant’s forward momentum when a severe frontal impact is detected. On 2006 through 2007 model year Yaris, Toyota has determined that the seat belt pretensioner deployment may affect the sound insulating foam in the center pillar, following a collision.

There are no reported cases of this condition in the United States and no other Toyota or Lexus vehicles are involved.

Toyota will inform owners of the involved vehicles with a Safety Recall notification via first-class mail beginning in early February. Owners are requested to contact their local Toyota dealer for repair. The repair will take approximately one hour, depending on the dealer’s workload.

Customers with questions or concerns should contact the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331.

The recall of Toyota Yaris models follows on the heels of an earlier recall this month involving select Lexus models. In that report, Toyota had this to say:

On certain 2006 through 2008 model year GS300/350, IS250/350, and LS460/460L vehicles, Lexus has determined that some ethanol fuels with a low moisture content may corrode the internal surface of the fuel delivery pipes. If this condition occurs, the Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) in the combination meter may illuminate. Over time, the corrosion may create a pinhole in the fuel delivery pipes resulting in fuel leakage.

Is this a sign of things to come for Toyota, meaning will there be more recalls as the automaker tries to assert itself as the top auto producer in the world? Let’s hope not, but with additional recalls for the Camry and Highlander in 2008 and for the Scion xB as well as for select Lexus models, the bloom is off of the rose when it comes to Toyota perfection.

Then again, there has never been such a thing as a perfect car company.