From wipers to brake lights to air bags, Toyota had what you might call a mess of problems last year.

In January, Toyota sent out a voluntary recall on over 1 million vehicles, from the Corolla, Corolla Matrix, and Pontiac Vibe to the Lexus IS.  They were recalled for various reasons, spanning from circuits shorting and making airbags expand prematurely to windshield wipers not being tight enough to function properly.

While these are only things that would only happen rarely and aren’t as serious as, for example, engine fires, the bigger problem is that it’s not the only recall Toyota has done recently.  Not by a long shot.

The Recall King

The recalls started February 2012 with Toyota RAV4s.  In March, they sent out recalls on a few sedans, trucks, and SUVs, with more cars recalled as the year progressed.  There were recalls on cars like the Lexus, Corolla, Sequoia, Tacoma, and more.

By the end of the year, Toyota had recalled over 5 million cars.  Beyond that, they put forward a $1 billion settlement in fines for a late recall.

While Toyota may have had troubles last year, they are trying to improve safety and conditions in their cars this year.

Tags: 2012, air bag, car, engine, recall, recalled, recalls, safety, toyota, used engine, used engines