Toyota Yaris 2009 News

This will go down in automotive history as one of the weirdest automotive recalls of all time.

Toyota issues its seventh recall in six months, doubles up on one from last year.

Toyota has issued a global safety recall on 6.58 million vehicles, with the impact hitting the popular Hilux ute, RAV4 SUV and Yaris small car.Statements issued by Toyota Australia today said that 179,000 of the Hiluxes built between April 2004 and December 2009 have been recalled for a defect that could see a cable between the steering wheel and  column sustain damage when the wheel is turned, activating the airbag warning light and preventing the driver's airbag from deployingA separate safety recall on 118,600 of the Yaris hatches and sedans built between June 2005 and May 2010 is to fix a defective seat track spring on the driver's and front passenger's seats. The statement says the spring can break and become stuck, giving the false impression that the seat is properly locked in place.In the meantime, the Yaris can still be driven but if there is any difficulty in locking the seats in position, owners should contact a dealer to arrange an inspection. The repairs will take about 1.5 hours for the five-door hatch and sedan, and about three hours for the three-door hatch in which the front passenger seat will also have to be removed.The number of RAV4s being recalled is not yet confirmed. Toyota says neither of the problems with the Hilux and Yaris have resulted in any accidents or injuries in Australia. Vehicle owners are being contacted by Toyota, but can get more information on the brand's campaign helpline on 1800 643 242. 

The winning entry in the Toyota-sponsored Clever Film Comp has been yanked from the event site after an online backlash against sexual jokes including a father saying his daughter "can take a good pounding".Dubbed "abuser-generated content", the Toyota Yaris clip features a young woman's boyfriend and father sharing innuendo about her losing her virginity with promises to "have her on her back" and being "ready to blow".The video Clean Getaways won $7000 and judges' praise last week.  "The top 10 entries were all great fun to watch," the judges said on the competition's Facebook site.Facebook member Miranda Staton said the clip was "very offensive and incredibly degrading to women".  Viewer Amanda McK posted that the "matey" agreement between father and boyfriend "has incestuous overtones".Advertising commentator Philip O'Neill blogged that "given the bizarre incestuous overtones" it was "abuser-generated content".  But John Davis was a lone supporter. "I can't help but notice it's only women who are complaining here, nag nag nag," he wrote.Toyota Australia direct marketing and social media manager Todd Connolly told media site Mumbrella: "We wouldn't distance ourselves from it by any means."  While there might be argument about this ad, there seems to be nothing but applause for the Toyota ‘Border Security’ ad, which lampooned metrosexuals and gave hope to rednecks everywhere. 

There's a two-year waiting list of 60 buyers for the $580,00 Ferrari F458 Italia, and luxury brands BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi also had strong sales months.  But its just not the high end of the car market seeing good times return.   New car sales rose 20 per cent last month compared to last November.Bargain buys and the Federal Government's small business tax break for new vehicles are driving sales.  Among the star cars last month were the Holden Cruze, Toyota Corolla, Hyundai i30 and Mazda Mazda3 - all with starting prices around $20,000.Toyota's workhorse HiLux ute was the best-seller for the month, clocking up 4230 sales largely because of the small business incentive package.  More than 85,000 new vehicles hit the road, up 14,000 vehicles compared to November last year.Many businesses are in a last-minute rush to take advantage of government tax incentives for utes and vans, which ends on December 31. "This is an extraordinary result that provides further evidence that the market and the broader Australian economy are showing signs of recovery," Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Andrew McKellar said."Business sales increased an incredible 35.4 per cent during the month; spurred on by the substantial incentives available until the end of the year," he said.  The off-roader segment was one of the most popular with sales surging 44 per cent.Top 10 cars - November1 Toyota HiLux 42302 Holden Commodore 39563 Toyota Corolla 33094 Ford Falcon 28635 Mazda3 25486 Holden Cruze 22747 Mitsubishi Lancer 20238 Toyota Camry 20039 Hyundai i30 199810 Toyota Yaris 1725

 Apart from European hot-hatches such as the Renault Cleo Sport and Peugeot 206 GTi seldom have we seen any manufactures brave enough to bring 3 door hatch variants into our market.  Sure you can get an entry level 3 door Yaris but what about a nice 3 door Corolla Sportivo, um… sorry they don’t come in 3 door in Australia.This pattern seems to have started in the late 80s with the introduction in droves of mass produced front wheel drive hatch backs.  Remember the Pulsar SSS?  Yep that came in 3 door hatch in Japan.  How about the Corolla GTi, or Mazda 323?  Yep 3 door again overseas.At one stage in the early 90s even the iconic Golf GTi was only available in 5 door in this country.  For years Australia has been denied many of the accessories and engine options that are prevalent in Europe, the US, and even the rest of Asia, but they are happy to throw in an extra 2 doors for nothing.  There are some companies that have bucked the trend like Honda, but even they gave in to with the “5 door hatch only” Civic model a few years back.  And now it looks like the Europeans have caught on to this trend.  We are missing out on the 2 door BMW 1 series hatch it seems…Though through the gloom comes the news that Australia will shortly see the new 2 door VW Polo.  A brief hint of fun in a sea of practicality it seams.I really can’t see any reason why the Australian market seems to be so against the 3 door hatch… especially when it comes to the performance market. 

It intends to tickle the Corolla and RAV4 in a similar style to increase buyer interest and win back some of the ground lost through the first half of the year. Toyota sales have been hit worse than the showroom average, even though it is still Australia's favourite brand. The basic Yaris picks up alloy wheels, a six-stack CD sound system, Bluetooth telephone, mats and badges with an 'Edge' badge. Toyota says the result is a $1000 value boost for an extra $500 on the bottom line. Similar stuff is expected when the Edge versions of the Corolla and RAV4 hit Australia. "The strategy allows us to talk to customers on issues beyond price. And it's a lift beyond the base model to give us a lift in the showroom," says Dave Buttner. "We've got a package out of Japan, so the cars are direct from the factory. These are on our base-grade vehicles, and our intention with the Edge models is to get some incremental volume by driving customer value."  

And the car industry is not immune from being saddled with these potentially damaging problems.Apart from Ford's recent problems with brake hoses and brake booster valves on E-Gas Falcons the other ‘big two’ carmakers have had their fair share of recalls.Holden has had five recalls for its VE Commodore and Statesman range since its introduction in 2006, involving things like fuel vapor lines, fuel lines and defective valves on LPG cars.ToyotaToyota had a range of recalls for its Camry, HiLux, RAV4, Yaris and LandCruiser over the past three years. Most, like a headlight dimmer switch on a Camry, have been minor. Others, like the potential fire hazard stemming from a poorly installed insulator pad on a Yaris, raised alarm bells among some customers.NissanLast week Nissan was forced to recall 11,743 Maximas and 4972 Muranos because of a vibrating air intake in the engine bay.AudiEven the luxury German brands are not immune. Last year Audi had to recall its TT for a piece of rear side trim in its cars that unless fixed, could potentially injure passengers.Mercedes-Benz This year Mercedes-Benz has recalled its M-Class off-roader for a possible glitch in its electric rear hatch. It was also forced to recall S-Class sedans fitted with active body control because of problems with the front lower ball joints on its suspension. On some high-mileage vehicles, the front suspension could fracture on rough roads. Faulty left and right windows in the Viano van also required the replacement.BMWOf the German carmakers, BMW has fared better. It has not had a official government recall since 2006.Volvo Volvo has had three recalls this year of its S80, XC70, V70 and new XC60 for engine cooling fan problems and windscreen wiper problems with the S80 and XC70.JaguarJaguar, once widely ridiculed for its poor quality cars, has come a long way over the past few years. Jaguars these days have no less, or no more, problems with recalls than some of the other luxury brands. Last year it experienced some minor problems with the XF range involving wiring and rear seatbelts.In all cases, recalls by carmakers are handled quickly and responsibly. If you want to check out whether your vehicle has had a recall, go to www.recalls.gov.au

Despite new entrants coming into the market, the preference for hybrid vehicles has fallen 74 per cent among private buyers this year, according to the latest VFACTS industry figures on fuel and buyer

Ford has suffered a signficant sales setback over the past 18 months but the company's new chief, Marin Burela, says it has all the ammunition it needs to hit the target in Australia.He believes everything from the baby Fiesta to the homegrown Falcon has been undersold and is pushing a new line to revitalise the showroom action.An upbeat Burela was launching the $20 million Advanced Centre for Automotive Research and Training's environmental wind tunnel, noting the investment highlights the technology and innovation Ford is using to appeal to efficiency conscious consumers."This was once a myth and a dream," he says of the XT Falcon's 9.9-litres for 100km fuel consumption."There are some mainstream large volume four-cylinders that achieve that economy ... you can actually have a large car and be socially responsible."We've also been locked out of certain markets because we didn't have a large car with sub-240g/km emissions."Governments wouldn't even put us on their shopping lists."This Falcon now achieves emissions of 238g/km."I'll be knocking on the door of those governments (departments) and fleets.""For those who choose not to drive a large car, then the Fiesta actually provides better fuel economy than the (Toyota) Prius and at $15,000 less."Behind the positive spin is a simple fact — Ford's marketing hasn't matched its product.The Falcon was awarded Car of the Year by Carsguide and Wheels last year — and was last month outsold by the Commodore by 1554 cars.Ford is touting Paul Gover's assessment of the Fiesta as "the best car in class — simple as that" on a 12m billboard next to Melbourne’s Bolte Bridge — yet the best car in the segment is being outsold by the Toyota Yaris and Hyundai Getz."All we have to do is get Australian customers to accept the world is at their door," Burela says."We'll be advertising in a very focused, very specific way.""We need to get people to drive the cars and judge for themselves."