Toyota said Wednesday it is issuing a voluntary safety recall involving a crankshaft pulley involving hundreds of thousands of Toyota and Lexus cars built from 2004 to 2006.

The recall affects approximately 283,200 Toyota and 137,000 Lexus vehicles.

Toyota said they need to recall these vehicles to replace the crankshaft pulley on the V6 engine as there is a possibility that the outer ring of the crankshaft pulley may become misaligned with the inner ring, which will cause noise and illumination of the discharged warning light.

If misaligned, the belt for the power steering pump can detach from the pulley and the driver may notice a sudden increase in steering effort which can be dangerous.

However, there have been no reports of accidents or injuries related to this condition.

The vehicles involved in the recall are below:

  • 2004 Avalon
  • 2004 and 2005 Camry, Highlander, Sienna, and Solara
  • 2006 Highlander HV
  • 2004 and 2005 ES330 and RX330
  • And 2006 RX400h

Toyota is currently working on a way to fix and replace the pulley by obtaining the necessary replacement parts and once those parts have been produced in sufficient quantities Toyota will start their recall.

Owners of these vehicles will receive first class mail notifications beginning January 2012, advising them to make an appointment with an authorized Toyota or Lexus dealer to have the crankshaft pulley inspected and replaced if needed, at no charge.

Toyota advises owners that happen to hear an abnormal noise coming from the engine compartment to make an appointment with any Toyota or Lexus dealer to have the vehicle inspected.