Toyota recalls and related issues: BusinessWeek-Media owes Toyota an apology
02-16-10, 03:04 PM
#481
Lexus Connoisseur
Toyota Statement on North American Production Adjustments
February 16, 2010 - Torrance, CA - Toyota's North American manufacturing operations are taking measures to keep inventory at acceptable levels.
The Kentucky plant will suspend production on Feb. 26. Three additional days in March-April are possible.
The Texas plant will suspend production the weeks of March 15 and April 12. The Texas plant remains on schedule to begin its second shift on March 1 and to add Tacoma to the production line in late June or early July.
When production is suspended, team members will be participate in training and plant improvement activities. They may also choose to use vacation or take unpaid time off.
Credit: Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc.
February 16, 2010 - Torrance, CA - Toyota's North American manufacturing operations are taking measures to keep inventory at acceptable levels.
The Kentucky plant will suspend production on Feb. 26. Three additional days in March-April are possible.
The Texas plant will suspend production the weeks of March 15 and April 12. The Texas plant remains on schedule to begin its second shift on March 1 and to add Tacoma to the production line in late June or early July.
When production is suspended, team members will be participate in training and plant improvement activities. They may also choose to use vacation or take unpaid time off.
Credit: Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc.
02-17-10, 04:55 AM
#482
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
TOKYO – Toyota is considering a recall of its hot-selling Corolla subcompact after complaints about power steering problems — another blow to the world's largest automaker already reeling from a string of recalls for safety problems.
02-17-10, 06:32 AM
#485
the Prius issues with "the brakes feeling funny" on bumpy/rough roads any ABS will activate and buzz on bumpy roads when you try to brake on them. Ive hit potholes which activate the ABS buzz. People are stupid.
80 complaints about "the steering feeling funny" out of 1.3 million cars
The heck is "feeling funny" suppose to mean?
80 complaints about "the steering feeling funny" out of 1.3 million cars
The heck is "feeling funny" suppose to mean?
02-17-10, 08:37 PM
#486
Lexus Fanatic
Now it's the Corolla's Turn
Well, folks.....here's the latest chapter in the never-ending saga of Toyota investigations....the 2009-2010 Corolla. The power-steering systems are being looked at.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...021704843.html
The U.S. government plans to launch a formal investigation on Thursday into driver complaints about steering problems with the 2009-10 Toyota Corolla, the latest in a series of seemingly unending blows to the struggling Japanese auto giant, once revered as the paragon of auto industry quality.
This Story
U.S. plans formal look at Corolla complaints
Toyota recalls 8 models with defective accelerators, affecting 2.3 million vehicles
The probe will examine more than 150 complaints about the late-model Corollas submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an agency official said Wednesday, speaking on the condition of anonymity because Toyota had yet to be informed of the investigation, which will cover about 500,000 vehicles.
"When driving on the highway (60+ mph), the vehicle will all of a sudden start to wander back and forth in the lane, for a few hundred yards," reads a complaint about a 2010 Corolla received by NHTSA. "Then as quickly as it started, it stops. The wandering has almost created four collisions so far." Last week, NHTSA said it would begin an informal inquiry into the Corolla complaints.
News of the investigation came on the same day that Toyota surprised the auto industry by saying in Japan that it is considering a recall of the Corolla. The announcement marked a reversal of the company's tendency to avoid the mention of a recall until it is announced. Publicly contemplating the recall of the Corolla -- the fifth-best-selling vehicle in the United States in 2009 and the world's top-seller -- indicates a new transparency for the embattled automaker.
So far, Toyota has recalled 7.86 million vehicles worldwide since last fall, mostly in the United States. The recalls focus on unintended acceleration and braking complaints.
Also on Wednesday, Toyota President Akio Toyoda indicated that he would decline an invitation from a House panel to testify on Toyota's troubles, saying that Toyota North America President Yoshimi Inaba would be the better choice to answer lawmakers' questions. This comes only one day after Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), ranking minority member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, threatened to subpoena Toyoda, the grandson of the company's founder. The committee has scheduled a Feb. 24 hearing to address Toyota's problems, but Toyoda is not planning to travel to the United States until March, and then plans to only visit dealerships.
The Corolla steering complaints create a particularly troubling situation for Toyota. Thus far, the automaker's vehicles have had high-profile problems with acceleration, braking and now steering -- all three of a car's key control systems.
"Toyota has hit the trifecta, which makes this a very unhappy time for them," said David E. Cole, chairman of the Center for Automotive Research. "Toyota is still trying to figure out what the real problems are." As a result, Cole said, Toyota has "no choice but to become increasingly transparent."
Toyoda said during a news conference that the company will add a brake-override system to all future vehicles that cuts engine power when the accelerator and brake pedals are depressed at the same time, which the company hopes will halt unintended acceleration.
Toyoda also worked to defuse increasing concern that the unintended acceleration is being caused by an electronic, not mechanical, problem.
"We have conducted rigorous testing under extremes of electromagnetic interference, vibration and other adverse conditions to conclusively verify that the system cannot accidentally induce acceleration," Toyoda said, adding that the company has hired an outside firm to verify test results.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...021704843.html
The U.S. government plans to launch a formal investigation on Thursday into driver complaints about steering problems with the 2009-10 Toyota Corolla, the latest in a series of seemingly unending blows to the struggling Japanese auto giant, once revered as the paragon of auto industry quality.
This Story
U.S. plans formal look at Corolla complaints
Toyota recalls 8 models with defective accelerators, affecting 2.3 million vehicles
The probe will examine more than 150 complaints about the late-model Corollas submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an agency official said Wednesday, speaking on the condition of anonymity because Toyota had yet to be informed of the investigation, which will cover about 500,000 vehicles.
"When driving on the highway (60+ mph), the vehicle will all of a sudden start to wander back and forth in the lane, for a few hundred yards," reads a complaint about a 2010 Corolla received by NHTSA. "Then as quickly as it started, it stops. The wandering has almost created four collisions so far." Last week, NHTSA said it would begin an informal inquiry into the Corolla complaints.
News of the investigation came on the same day that Toyota surprised the auto industry by saying in Japan that it is considering a recall of the Corolla. The announcement marked a reversal of the company's tendency to avoid the mention of a recall until it is announced. Publicly contemplating the recall of the Corolla -- the fifth-best-selling vehicle in the United States in 2009 and the world's top-seller -- indicates a new transparency for the embattled automaker.
So far, Toyota has recalled 7.86 million vehicles worldwide since last fall, mostly in the United States. The recalls focus on unintended acceleration and braking complaints.
Also on Wednesday, Toyota President Akio Toyoda indicated that he would decline an invitation from a House panel to testify on Toyota's troubles, saying that Toyota North America President Yoshimi Inaba would be the better choice to answer lawmakers' questions. This comes only one day after Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), ranking minority member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, threatened to subpoena Toyoda, the grandson of the company's founder. The committee has scheduled a Feb. 24 hearing to address Toyota's problems, but Toyoda is not planning to travel to the United States until March, and then plans to only visit dealerships.
The Corolla steering complaints create a particularly troubling situation for Toyota. Thus far, the automaker's vehicles have had high-profile problems with acceleration, braking and now steering -- all three of a car's key control systems.
"Toyota has hit the trifecta, which makes this a very unhappy time for them," said David E. Cole, chairman of the Center for Automotive Research. "Toyota is still trying to figure out what the real problems are." As a result, Cole said, Toyota has "no choice but to become increasingly transparent."
Toyoda said during a news conference that the company will add a brake-override system to all future vehicles that cuts engine power when the accelerator and brake pedals are depressed at the same time, which the company hopes will halt unintended acceleration.
Toyoda also worked to defuse increasing concern that the unintended acceleration is being caused by an electronic, not mechanical, problem.
"We have conducted rigorous testing under extremes of electromagnetic interference, vibration and other adverse conditions to conclusively verify that the system cannot accidentally induce acceleration," Toyoda said, adding that the company has hired an outside firm to verify test results.
02-17-10, 08:53 PM
#489
Lexus Test Driver
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I'm sick of hearing crap about Toyota. I think people are just looking for problems with Toyota at this point. Sooner or later, there's going to be complaints for the headlight bulbs burning out or getting dim. Safety Hazard!
Why don't we ever hear about the faults of other car companies. I'm pretty sure Toyota isn't the only one.
Why don't we ever hear about the faults of other car companies. I'm pretty sure Toyota isn't the only one.
02-17-10, 08:54 PM
#490
Lexus Fanatic
Well, the government isn't going to get any money from it (unless fines are issued). The media, though, might (?) from people accessing and reading the stories.
And one cannot sue Toyota if there are no cases of accident or injury from steering failures. This investigation is, of course, just starting....at this point, based on complaints, rather than accidents.
And one cannot sue Toyota if there are no cases of accident or injury from steering failures. This investigation is, of course, just starting....at this point, based on complaints, rather than accidents.
Last edited by mmarshall; 02-17-10 at 09:02 PM.
02-17-10, 08:58 PM
#491
Lexus Champion
This is just crazy. I'm not a conspiracy theorist by any means, but I'm not going to chalk this up to coincidence.
So now that the US government partial owns and/or operates two us automakers, it would benefit them if Toyota was to have a lot of problems and stop selling cars. Sounds like it's a crazy theory that the government is behind all of this, but like they say, truth is stranger than fiction.
Things that make you go hmm..........
So now that the US government partial owns and/or operates two us automakers, it would benefit them if Toyota was to have a lot of problems and stop selling cars. Sounds like it's a crazy theory that the government is behind all of this, but like they say, truth is stranger than fiction.
Things that make you go hmm..........
02-17-10, 09:11 PM
#493
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02-17-10, 09:16 PM
#494
Lexus Fanatic
BTW, just an update.......some articles on this subject DO report some accidents/injuries.
Last edited by mmarshall; 02-17-10 at 09:32 PM.
