Toyota has announced a voluntary recall of approximately 95,700 Toyota and Scion cars to correct a problem with the braking system. In extremely cold temperatures, the problem could result in less assistance from the brake booster and more difficulty in stopping the car.
The cars in question are 2009 and 2010 Toyota Corollas and Toyota Matrixs and 2008 and 2009 Scion xDs equipped with the 1.8L four-cylinder engine. No other engines or Toyota or Scion models are affected. Toyota has discovered that in extremely low temperatures, moistures from the Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) system can leak into the brake vacuum port and freeze, closing off the port.
With the brake vacuum port partially or totally blocked by ice, the brake system will loose vacuum pressure and will therefore lose its power-assist, making the brake pedal much harder to apply and increasing the effort needed to apply the brakes and stop the vehicle, which could lead to longer stopping distances and possible accidents.
Because the problem only occurs at very low temperatures, the recall is only being put into effect in 19 states where temperatures typically get low enough to cause a problem. Those states include Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
To remedy the problem, Toyota will install for free a new air intake connector that moves the brake vacuum port away from the PCV port. The repair should take only an hour to complete. Owners will begin getting notices in the mail early next month.
Thanks to: Motor Trend
