Almost 5000 Toyota Hilux utes recalled in New Zealand

Vehicle recalls are serious business. Sometimes they prevent fairly dire consequences, sometimes they emerge at the center of some great corporate cover-up sagas. Toyota’s latest recall for the Hilux, however, is neither of these. 

Toyota’s local arm has issued a recall notice over rear number plate brackets on selected Hilux models, namely those built between March 2015 and November 2020. The recall impacts a total of 4855 vehicles.

The brand states that the bracket and mounting point for the rear number plate are vulnerable to cracking under regular stress, potentially forcing number plates to ‘become dislodged’. 

“This is a precautionary measure to replace the original registration bracket due to poor stiffness of the bracket around the single mounting point,” says Toyota New Zealand in a statement.

“There is a possibility that the vibration of driving on a rough (corrugated) road may lead to metal fatigue and cracking, increasing the risk of the number plate becoming dislodged.

“Vehicles will be inspected and, if required, the licence plate bracket will be replaced free of charge by Toyota stores. This work will take approximately 1.5 hours to complete.”

New Zealand isn’t the only country to roll out this recall. Others like Australia have followed suit. Over the ditch, the recall affects a whopping 156,838 vehicles. Curiously, their recall includes Hilux models built to a much more recent date; September 2021.