Toyota Motor Corp said on Monday it would recall about 110,000 of the 2011 Sienna minivans due to a risk that drivers could damage the brake system as they use the parking brake.
The Sienna is an all-new model.
Toyota said it was not aware of any accidents or injuries related to this issue, and that it would notify owners in January of the problem.
But the fix will be delayed until replacement parts are available in February, Toyota said, when it will ask owners to bring the minivans to dealers for installation of new parts.
Toyota said that in some cases drivers had damaged a bracket connected to the brake lights by pressing on the parking brake. That could cause the brake lights to stay on, or in some cases cause the vehicle's regular brake to be partially engaged at all times, causing noise and vibration.
If the condition goes unrepaired, Sienna drivers could experience minimized braking power, Toyota said.
Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons said the auto maker had fixed the problem with a differently designed part on Sienna models made after November 5.
The recall covers about 94,000 vehicles in the United States, 12,000 sold in Canada and 5,000 in Mexico, Lyons said.
The recall is the latest in a string of safety actions that have affected Toyota's once industry-leading reputation for quality in the North American market.
So far this year, Toyota has recalled about 6.75 million vehicles for a range of problems, including with accelerators and brakes on top-selling models like the Camry and Prius.
A study released on Monday by Kelley Blue Book found that 25 per cent of new car buyers considered Toyota in the third quarter. Toyota was tops in that study, closely followed by Ford and Honda. KBB said the results showed Toyota was "slowly recovering from its public-perception crisis."
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