Toyota has announced a global recall of over 7.4 million cars due to a power window switch problem that could potentially lead to a fire. Approximately 138,000 Yaris, RAV4 and Auris models in the UK are affected by the recall.

Toyota stresses that the problem has not resulted in any fires to date but a poorly lubricated window switch could become 'sticky' or 'notchy' over time and a fire could result under certain conditions.

Models affected have build dates between September 2006 and December 2008 and Toyota GB will be contacting owners 'within the next six weeks' asking them to bring their car in for checks to see if there is a fault.

The fix should take less than 60 minutes and will be handled free of charge.

Specific vehicle or VIN information is expected to be made available by VOSA by the end of this week. Once available the ownership section of the Toyota website will host a registration look-up function enabling owners to check if their vehicle is within the affected range of production.

If owners require additional information they should contact Toyota Customer Relations on 01737 367600.

Paul Healy - 10 Oct 2012