Rostra Cruise Control Safety Warning

[MadMax]

I got a letter from Gulf States Toyota about this, so I Google'd and found in Canada they had a recall on this back in September 2010. I guess it's less of a concern in the US as there is no recall so far, just an advisory letter...

Toyota Canada, through its network of dealerships, offered for sale an accessory cruise control unit manufactured by Rostra Precision Controls, Inc., Model AP800 for 2006-2010 Yaris models. The Rostra accessory cruise control unit is mounted to the left of and below the steering wheel, behind the dashboard (below the cup-holder) with a switch on the steering column to enable the driver to activate it. Rostra has confirmed that, in very rare circumstances, when a mobile two-way radio (licensed for use by emergency personnel, under specific regulatory conditions and frequencies in Canada) is operated in the vehicle, the engine speed (RPM) can fluctuate or vary mildly, and for a short period of time. This can occur when the mobile handheld two-way radio is operated in the "transmit" mode at certain specific frequencies in very close proximity to the Rostra accessory cruise control unit under the dashboard. Also, if this condition does occur, the driver may notice a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) on the dash and a reduction of engine power, allowing the operator to drive the vehicle to the shoulder or another safe location. Toyota has confirmed that this problem is not due to a defect in the vehicle's original equipment nor does this condition occur where a handheld Citizens' Band (CB) radio, cell phone or Bluetooth transceiver is operated in the vehicle. Correction: To ensure continued customer confidence in the safety and quality of their vehicle, Toyota Canada recommends that the Rostra accessory cruise control unit be removed from the vehicle. The removal of the Rostra cruise control unit will be performed at no cost and the original purchase price of the system will be reimbursed to owners. This action is a Customer Satisfaction Campaign and is not being conducted as per the requirements of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act. (Source, and apparently it was based off of a single incident!)

Similar to the noticed above, the letter I got did say I could take the car back to a dealership and have the cruise control removed and I would be refunding the original price for the unit. I'd have to dig out the invoice, but I remember it was pretty damn expensive! I don't use it much, maybe a half dozen times in over 2½ years; and am wondering if it might be worth doing...

Cheers! M2