Massive recall of Toyota vehicles is expanded

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Dec 16, 2002
Messages
6,815
Location
Huntington Beach, CA
Massive recall of Toyota vehicles is expanded

Updated: Thu Jan. 28 2010 11:31:38 AM
ctvmontreal.ca

The crisis facing Toyota Motor Corp. deepened Thursday as the world's top automaker announced its recall due to faulty accelerators and floor mats was expanding to include Europe and China.

Toyota says it is still unsure how many vehicles in Europe are affected, but it says it has already brought in new parts so that production in Europe will continue as normal.

Thats in contrast to Canada and the U.S., where both production and sales of new vehicles has been halted for at least a week, as the embattled carmaker works on a fix.

In China, Toyota will start a recall in February for 75,500 RAV4 SUVs manufactured there between March 2009 and January 2010. The vehicles there use the same problem accelerator parts that have caused the recent recalls in Canada and the U.S.

Also in China, Ford said it has halted production of some of its full-sized commercial vehicles, because they contain the same gas pedals that are part of the Toyota recall. Ford said the diesel version of its Transit Classic, built by a Chinese joint venture, is the only Ford vehicle involved in the production halt. The Transit Classics are not being recalled.

The announcements Thursday come one day after the company announced an additional recall of 1.09 million vehicles in the United States covering five models:

* 2008-2010 Highlander

* 2009-2010 Corolla,

* 2009-2010 Venza,

* 2009-2010 Matrix

* 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe (both the Matrix and the Vibe were joint ventures between Toyota and General Motors)

Thats on top of the recall issued last week affecting eight models, including 270,000 vehicles in Canada and 2.3 million in the U.S.
That recall included Toyota's:

* 2009-2010 RAV4, Corolla and Matrix

* 2005-2010 Avalon

* 2010 Highlander

* 2007-2010 Tundra

* 2008-2010 Sequoia

* some 2007-2010 Camrys

And all of this weeks recalls come on top of a recall in late 2009 involving 4.2 million vehicles over concerns that floor mats could bend across gas pedals, causing sudden acceleration.

Some of the vehicles in this months recall were already included in the original 4.2 million vehicle recall. Altogether, Toyota has recalled nearly 7 million vehicles across its lineup, a huge blow to the reputation of the long-respected carmaker, says auto industry analyst Tony Faria.

It's an absolute disaster for Toyota which once had this image of being good quality and no problems, Faria told CTVs Canada AM from Windsor.

Now, people are seeing in the media day after day, ongoing problems. And thats raising a lot of doubts in peoples minds, in particular in those 7 million Toyota owners whom this recall affects. Thats 7 million people who might not be buying more Toyota vehicles in the future.

Toyota initially thought the problems it had been hearing about since 2007 were caused by floor mats jamming up against the vehicles accelerator pedals. But Toyota then began receiving reports of sticking accelerator pedal mechanisms in vehicles that didn't have the floor mats installed. There are now concerns that the accelerator pedal itself may be the cause of some problems.

Possibly faulty part made in Ontario

The possibly faulty gas pedal, which has a tendency to stick over time, was manufactured in a plant in Mississauga, Ont. owned by Toyota supplier CTS Corp., according to a report Toyota submitted to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last week.

CTS Corp., based in Elkhart, Ind., says it knows of only a few cases of drivers having problems with accelerators. CTS, which has more than 5,000 employees, says it is working with Toyota to figure out the problem and design a new pedal.

Even as Toyota continues to pinpoint the precise source of this disaster, the effects of the recall continue to snowball.

A number of U.S. car rental companies announced this week they are pulling thousands of Toyotas from their fleets because of the recalls. And GM in the U.S. is offering $1,000 incentives and low financing rates specifically for Toyota customers worried about their recalled vehicles.

Meanwhile, shares of Toyota -- whose earnings only recently returned to the black have been hit hard for the PR disaster.

Toyota insists that the problem being reported with accelerator pedals and floor mats are rare.

They are absolutely safe to drive, Toyota spokeswoman Sandy de Felice told CTV Toronto. Its a very gradual condition that occurs over long usage of your driving in the vehicle.

We remain absolutely confident in our product and in our brand.

What drivers should know

The company is promising to fix or replace the accelerator pedals for the recalled vehicles to avoid the risk of floor mat entrapment. It will also replace floor mats as well for the latest recalled vehicles.

CTV Toronto consumer reporter Pat Foran says the problem with the accelerator appears slowly over time. Some owners have found the pedal becomes gradually harder to push down and then slower to come back up after they release their foot.

Toyota says these cars are safe. But if you feel any friction with your accelerator, where its not popping back as soon as it should, you could have a problem, he said.

In that case, drivers should stop using the vehicle immediately and take it to a dealer to have it inspected.

If the worst-case scenario happens the accelerator gets so stuck, the car keeps accelerating even after you take the foot off the gas -- hit the brakes as hard as you can, put the car in neutral and pull over to the side of the road, Foran advises.

What you should not do is shut your car off while youre driving, because you could lose your power steering and brakes,; he said.

The company says that customers who are concerned that their vehicle may be affected should contact customer service now, before recall instructions are issued.

The Toyota Customer Care Hotline is: 1-800-331-4331. Toyota also has a "Customer Interaction Centre" at 1-888-TOYOTA-8 (1-888-869-6828)
 
M_Rowe_216.jpg
 
IT IS PREVENTATIVE. It affects less than 2,000 vehicles in China only. The toyota recall affects more than 5-6 million vehicles in the US and Europe. There haven't been any reported problems, they stopped production because th part comes fromt he same supplier. There haven't been any known problems attributed to it in china.
 
Originally Posted By: rudolphna
Originally Posted By: robbobster
Interesting choice of a Ford truck picture, since Ford has now stopped production of vehicles in China made with the CTS DBW assembly...


IT IS PREVENTATIVE. It affects less than 2,000 vehicles in China only. The toyota recall affects more than 5-6 million vehicles in the US and Europe. There haven't been any reported problems, they stopped production because th part comes fromt he same supplier. There haven't been any known problems attributed to it in china.


Since only a few (far less than even 100) of the millions of cars Toyota recalled have any reported problem, then you could also say that the Toyota recall is "prevantative".
 
Yes, but there are also many, many deaths on the nations highways every year, and hundreds of them are reported as caused by unintended acceleration - every year, for every automaker. This is public knowledge in NHTSA's database, yet not widely reported.

Here is the NHTSA website so you can see for yourself:
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/
 
Unintended caused by a STUCK gas pedal? I have never been interested in Toyotas, just boring vehicles to me.
 
Originally Posted By: rszappa1
Thats how I feel about Ford....


at least ford makes a sports car. what does toyota have that's even remotely fun to drive?
12.gif
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: robbobster
Originally Posted By: rudolphna
Originally Posted By: robbobster
Interesting choice of a Ford truck picture, since Ford has now stopped production of vehicles in China made with the CTS DBW assembly...


IT IS PREVENTATIVE. It affects less than 2,000 vehicles in China only. The toyota recall affects more than 5-6 million vehicles in the US and Europe. There haven't been any reported problems, they stopped production because th part comes fromt he same supplier. There haven't been any known problems attributed to it in china.


Since only a few (far less than even 100) of the millions of cars Toyota recalled have any reported problem, then you could also say that the Toyota recall is "prevantative".



Thats funny......i guess you could except the Toyota recall is federally mandated and mandatory. NOTHING Toyota is doing here is preventative or voluntary....Get It?!?
 
Originally Posted By: robbobster
Yes, but there are also many, many deaths on the nations highways every year, and hundreds of them are reported as caused by unintended acceleration - every year, for every automaker. This is public knowledge in NHTSA's database, yet not widely reported.

Here is the NHTSA website so you can see for yourself:
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/

Originally Posted By: jmsjags
Originally Posted By: rszappa1
Thats how I feel about Ford....


at least ford makes a sports car. what does toyota have that's even remotely fun to drive?
12.gif

we have to wait for the Toyobaru FT-86 or Lexus LF-A
 
Originally Posted By: gtx510
Originally Posted By: robbobster
Yes, but there are also many, many deaths on the nations highways every year, and hundreds of them are reported as caused by unintended acceleration - every year, for every automaker. This is public knowledge in NHTSA's database, yet not widely reported.

Here is the NHTSA website so you can see for yourself:
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/

Originally Posted By: jmsjags
Originally Posted By: rszappa1
Thats how I feel about Ford....


at least ford makes a sports car. what does toyota have that's even remotely fun to drive?
12.gif

we have to wait for the Toyobaru FT-86 or Lexus LF-A


I just can`t picture Lexus as a sports car!
 
Last edited:
North Syracuse, NY -- Preston G. Prue believes he had an angel on his shoulder Dec. 10 when his 2009 silver Camry raced out of control on Interstate 81.

“It (the accelerator) stuck on me as I’m crossing three lanes of traffic,” Prue recalled Wednesday. “I tried to brake instantly. Forget the brake. I put it in neutral. The engine was roaring out of control and I slipped my foot under the gas pedal and popped it up.”

Prue has owned five Toyotas. Based his experience, the latest, a silver 2009 Camry V6 loaded with "all the goodies," will be his last, Prue said.

The Camry is on a list of eight late model vehicles Toyota has recalled, or stopped selling, because of potential problems with stuck accelerators.

Seven weeks ago, Prue, 60, was driving home with his wife, Daryll, 59, from the Great Northern Mall to North Syracuse. On I-81, about a mile from the Taft Road exit, Prue put on his blinker and began easing the Camry from the far left lane to be ready to exit to the right.

That’s when the gas pedal stuck, he said.

Prue estimates his car got up to 80 mph before he was able to control it.

“I forgot all about the traffic,” he said.

Prue called Fox Toyota, the dealership where he bought the car, right away to report the problem. A Fox mechanic looked the car over, but didn’t find a problem, according to documents supplied by Prue.

Prue said he also reported the problem to Toyota, but a representative there told him the acceleration problem probably came from faulty floor mats bunching up underneath the gas pedal.

“I said this is not the case. This is different,” said Prue, a retired Syracuse police officer who in the course of his career has investigated his share of accidents.

Prue said Toyota has refused to take the car back and return his money. He said he’s stuck with a $31,000 car that he’s afraid to drive, and he can't, in good conscience, sell it to anyone else.

“I’m telling you, they’ve got a throttle problem with the cars,” he said.
 
Originally Posted By: jmsjags
Originally Posted By: rszappa1
Thats how I feel about Ford....


at least ford makes a sports car. what does toyota have that's even remotely fun to drive?
12.gif



I'm sure their F1 cars were a blast. Stefan GP at least thought so as they bought the chassis from Toyota when they exited.
grin2.gif
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top