Massive Toyota recall affects more than 500,000 vehicles in Canada

Canada AM: What's behind massive car recalls? Auto industry analyst Tony Faria explains what's behind the increase in recalls and whether consumers will see any changes in the industry.

TOKYO - Toyota Motor Corp. is recalling 6.39 million vehicles globally, including more than half a million in Canada, for a variety of problems spanning nearly 30 models in Japan, North America, Europe and other places.

Some vehicles were recalled for more than one problem. The recall cases total 6.76 million vehicles for 27 Toyota models, the Pontiac Vibe and the Subaru Trezia, produced from April 2004 through August 2013.

Toyota Canada issued two separate recall notices affecting a total of 513,401 vehicles on Wednesday as part of the global initiative. One of the recalls affects 360,963 cars and SUVs with a spiral cable assembly that can be damaged when the steering wheel is turned and then, potentially, prevent the driver's airbag from deploying in a crash.

The spiral cable assembly is in a large range of models, including the Corolla, RAV4, Matrix, Yaris, Highlander, and Tacoma, that were from various model years.

No injuries or crashes have been reported related to the recalls announced Wednesday. But two reports of fires are linked to one of the problems, a defective engine starter that can keep the motor running. The engine starter wasn't named in either of Toyota Canada's recalls.

The Pontiac Vibe, which is a General Motors Co. model, is also involved because Toyota and GM made cars at the same plant in California and the recalled model is the same as the Toyota Matrix. It was recalled for a problem with a spiral cable attached to an air-bag.

It is unrelated to a separate GM recall over ignition switches linked to at least 13 deaths.