July 2, 2018—Toyota Motor North America, Inc. is organizing a safety recall involving Lexus IS and GS models due to the possible risk of a fuel leak which may lead to a fire, The Drive reports.
The vehicles involved include the Lexus IS 350 of the model years 2006-2013, IS 350C of the model years 2010-2014, and GS 350 of the model years 2007-2011 as well as GS 450h vehicles. As per the manufacturer, about 115,000 units are involved in the United States.
The affected vehicles are those equipped with a certain 3.5-liter V-6 gasoline engine. The notice specifically states that “The diaphragm material in the fuel pulsation dampers in this engine may harden over time and crack, causing fuel to leak. A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a vehicle fire.”
As part of the recall procedure, Lexus dealers will replace the fuel delivery pipe with a new unit with improved pulsation dampers at no cost to the owners for all recalled vehicles. Toyota will initiate the process by notifying owners of those vehicles of the recall by first class mail, sometime in early August.
Taking Advantage of Recalls
For many shops, the standard process for dealing with vehicle recalls is to check their information system, see what customers have cars with recalls and then notify them. However, what’s frequently missed is that recalls could mean the loss of business for the shop if a customer is enticed to keep visiting his or her dealership.
While repair shops might only be the first to notify customers regarding recalls, they can also get ahead of losing customers to competitors. The goal, then, is to ensure you retain those customers.
