Toyota, 6 other foreign carmakers ordered to recall over 40,000 vehicles

Seven foreign carmakers have been ordered to recall more than 40,000 vehicles in South Korea for faulty parts, the transport ministry said Thursday.

This is the latest in a series of recall orders issued by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport against both domestic and foreign carmakers. 

The carmakers plan to recall 28 different models totaling 40,222 units. These include Toyota Motor Corp.'s Sienna van and its luxury brand Lexus EX350 sedan, Ford Motor Co.'s Focus sedan and Escape SUV, and Mercedes-Benz's E300 sedan and E300 4Matic sedan, the ministry said in a statement.

The problems range from faulty air bag inflators to faulty door-locking systems and software failures in the dashboard, it said. 

Starting Friday, the owners of the vehicles can visit designated repair and service centers to replace the parts free of charge, it said. (Yonhap)