Toyota Announces Voluntary Safety Recall on 1998-2010 Sienna Minivans

In what is shaping up to be a huge corporate nightmare, Toyota today announced that it will launch yet another voluntary safety recall, this time involving approximately 600,000 first- and second-generation Sienna 2WD minivans sold in the U.S. to address potential corrosion in the spare tire carrier cable.
The Japanese automaker said that the recall affects certain 1998 through 2010 model year Siennas that have been primarily driven in cold climate areas with high road salt use.
Here's how Toyota describes the problem: "Continued prolonged exposure to road salts may cause excessive corrosion of the carrier cable in some of these vehicles. In the worst case, the carrier cable may fail and the spare tire could become separated from the vehicle, a road hazard for following vehicles that increases the likelihood of a crash."
The company said that it is currently working to develop a remedy for this condition adding that until it finds a solution, owners of the affected Sienna minivans will receive an interim notice instructing them to bring their vehicle to a dealership for a preliminary inspection.