NHTSA Expands, Upgrades Toyota Fire Probe

U.S. safety investigators have widened their probe into the cause of power window master switch failures in Toyota Motor Corp. vehicles to more than 1.4 million units.

The switch under investigation, which is located in the driver door armrest, may overheat and cause a fire.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a preliminary investigation in February that focused on 830,000 Camry sedans and RAV4 crossovers produced during the 2007 model year.

The expanded investigation covers 2008 model Highlander hybrid SUVs and 2007-2009 model year RAV4 crossovers, Yaris small cars and Camry and Camry hybrid midsize cars. NHTSA also upgraded the probe to an engineering analysis, often a signal that a recall is likely.