Toyota Australia has recalled hundreds of thousands of superseded Yaris small car and Hilux utilities because of safety concerns.
The company will recall around 179,000 Hilux utes built between April 2004 and December 2009 to replace a spiral cable between the steering wheel and steering column that Toyota says may become damaged with repeated turning of the steering wheel.
The cable is part of the car's supplementary restraint system and, if damaged, may cause the airbag not to deploy in a crash.
Toyota has also recalled 116,800 of its Yaris models built between June 2005 and May 2010 to replace a spring in the driver's seat track that may break with repeated operation to slide the seat back and forth.
A broken spring may prevent the seat being locked in place, or may become stuck and give the false appearance the seat is locked.
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In the event of a crash, the seat could move and increase the risk of injury, Toyota says.
Toyota has made five recalls affecting 6.39 million cars worldwide.
A Toyota spokesman said in both local recalls, neither fault has caused any accidents or injuries in Australia, and it is not expected all cars will have the faults.
Both cars can be used by their owners until repairs occur, but Yaris owners with difficulty locking their seats or Hilux owners whose SRS airbag warning light illuminates should seek Toyota assistance.
Toyota will replace all Yaris driver's seat tracks and all passenger seat tracks in three-door models as a preventative measure.
It will take about an hour in most cases to repair the spiral cable in Hilux models.
All repairs are free of charge.
All affected owners will be notified by Toyota at their last known address and asked to make an appointment for repairs.
For information, phone Toyota on 1800 643 242.
