Toyota recalls 22,000 vehicles over tire monitors

DETROIT (Reuters) – Toyota Motor Corp on Saturday recalled about 22,000 sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks because of tire-deflation monitoring systems that may fail, regulators said.

Toyota Sequoia, FJ Cruiser, Land Cruiser, Tacoma and Tundra vehicles from model years 2008-2011 may have tire deflation monitoring systems that fail to warn drivers, raising the risk of a crash, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a report.

The vehicles affected left their assembly plants with working monitoring systems, but when accessory wheels were installed, the systems were not recalibrated and now lights to warn drivers of low tire pressure may fail, the report said.

The models affected will be repaired at Toyota dealerships at no cost, Toyota Motor Sales, the automaker's U.S. sales branch, told the NHTSA.

Toyota has been plagued by a series of recalls since late 2009 that now total 19 million vehicles worldwide. Two weeks ago, the automaker recalled 2.2 million vehicles for a defect that may cause gas pedals to stick, widening one of the recalls from late 2009.

The recalls have cut into Toyota sales, particularly in the United States, where most of the recalls have taken place.