Toyota will voluntarily recall older Avalons in Canada and the U.S. to replace steering column brackets. (REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao)

Toyota will voluntarily recall about 4,200 older Avalons in Canada to replace steering column brackets after the automaker found the car’s steering lock bar could break under certain conditions.

Because of improper casting of the steering lock bar small cracks can develop in some 2000-2004 model year Avalons, making the bars prone to breakage and shifting.

“If the engagement hole in the shaft happens to line up at the specific time the broken lock bar has moved, this could cause the steering wheel lock bar to engage, locking the steering wheel, and increasing the risk of a crash,” Toyota Canada Inc. said in a release Thursday.

Toyota said it is not aware of any accident to date related to this condition.

The company will notify affected owners by mail starting in late August to replace the steering column bracket at no charge.

Roughly 412,000 Avalons in the U.S. are also being recalled for a similar fix.

The Japanese automaker has been on damage-control ever since it was forced to recalls millions of cars worldwide earlier this year.