Vehicle recall R/2012/102

Toyota Avensis and others recall: Tow ball may fracture

DVSA recall R/2012/102 names the Toyota Avensis, Lexus GS and Toyota Previa. It was launched 26 October 2012. It covers vehicles built 8 February 2000 to 2 November 2011.

Recall data updated 22 September 2026

Recall: R/2012/102
Launched: 26 October 2012
Issued by: TOYOTA (GB) PLC
Vehicles: DVSA lists 901 on each model line

What can go wrong

On Toyota Avensis Previa and Lexus GS fitted with a Toyota or Lexus genuine or Brink branded (only on Avensis) detachable towing hitch the possibility exists that the detachable towing ball in some exceptional cases (under severe mechanical stress) might develop a crack. In the most serious case the detachable towing ball might fracture and/or fail.

The fix

Lexus/Toyota dealers will replace the detachable towing ball and housing at no cost to vehicle owners.

Models and build dates

As listed in the DVSA recall file. DVSA lists the same vehicle number on each line: 901. It may be a figure per line or for the whole recall.
Model	Built	Vehicles
Lexus GS	6 January 2005 to 31 October 2011	901
Lexus GS	7 January 2005 to 10 August 2007	901
Lexus GS	26 September 2005 to 2 November 2011	901
Lexus GS	28 September 2007 to 20 May 2011	901
Lexus GS	8 July 2009 to 31 October 2011	901
Toyota Avensis	22 January 2003 to 14 October 2008	901
Toyota Avensis	28 January 2003 to 13 October 2008	901
Toyota Avensis	12 March 2003 to 10 April 2006	901
Toyota Avensis	18 April 2005 to 13 October 2008	901
Toyota Previa	8 February 2000 to 29 October 2004	901
Toyota Previa	31 January 2001 to 5 December 2005	901
Toyota Previa	29 October 2004 to 5 December 2005	901

Is a specific car affected? A recall lists models and build dates, not individual vehicles, so these pages cannot tell you whether one car is included. Enter the registration on the DVSA vehicle recall checker on GOV.UK, or give the vehicle identification number (VIN) to the manufacturer or one of its dealers. Buying used? Ask the seller for proof that any recall work was done.

Other recalls for these models

R/2012/145 Loss of steering 3 December 2012, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Avensis, Toyota Prius
R/2012/085 Rear suspension arm may separate 12 September 2012, Toyota RAV4, Toyota Avensis, Toyota Auris
R/2013/048 Passenger side airbag may fail to deploy correctly 17 April 2013, Toyota Corolla, Lexus SC, Toyota Avensis and others
R/2011/005 Fuel may leak 17 February 2011, Toyota Avensis
R/2010/170 Brake master cylinder may fail. 8 November 2010, Lexus IS, Lexus GS, Lexus RX
R/2010/169 Engine may stall or will not restart. 8 November 2010, Lexus GS

Found one you might buy?

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Source

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA vehicle recall records (RecallsFile.csv), recalls launched 1992 to 2026. Recall data updated 22 September 2026.

Recall wording is DVSA's, with capitals and punctuation tidied and American spellings such as tire, center and windshield given in British English. On this page we also replaced a word that reads as a rating or an endorsement with a plain one. We list a recall when its make and model match a car or van family with at least 1,000 DVSA MOT tests from 2022 to 2025, and when the maker of the vehicle issued it.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. Methodology · Data sources