Toyota Recall - Information & Updates

We'll be alleging in court on behalf of the people of Orange County that Toyota knowingly sold cars and trucks with defects that caused Toyotas to accelerate suddenly and uncontrollably,'' Orange Country District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said.We intend to prove that Toyota ignored, omitted, obfuscated, and misrepresented the evidence that was amassing for many years regarding serious safety defects in their cars.Toyota has already been hit with dozens of lawsuits from owners seeking compensation in the wake of a series of mass recalls due to defects that led to sudden, unintended acceleration. At least 89 class-action lawsuits have been filed against the Japanese auto giant, which could cost it $US3 billion ($A3.28 billion) or more.Toyota has also been called to Washington to answer a congressional investigation and faces scrutiny by regulators and a US federal grand jury investigating whether there is sufficient evidence for criminal charges related to problems with Toyota's brakes and accelerators. Friday's suit is the first filed under consumer protection laws and the district attorney is seeking a civil penalty of $US2,500 ($2,731.94) for every violation of the state's unfair business practices act.These defects exist in hundreds of thousands of Toyotas sold to Californians over the last several years,'' Rackauckas said. Rackauckas said the purpose of the suit is to protect the public from "unlawful, unfair, and fraudulent business practices.''"Toyota has known about these defects but intentionally did not disclose them to California purchasers,'' he said. "Rather than halt the sales of products in California until the problem was fixed, they made a business decision to continue selling and leasing their defective products to Californians.''Toyota said in a statement that it "has not received the complaint and is not in a position to comment on pending litigation''. Toyota has insisted that it has found a solution to the defects that triggered the recall of more than eight million vehicles worldwide, including six million in the United States, and have been blamed for about 50 US deaths.The most high profile case was the death of California Highway Patrol officer and three members of his family whose heart-wrenching 911 call for help has been played repeatedly on national television.Critics question whether the mechanical fixes being applied to recalled vehicles are sufficient or if there's a problem with the electronic engine controls. The Japanese automaker made headlines earlier this week after a Prius owner sought help from police after the car sped uncontrollably along a San Diego freeway. US Federal safety regulators are investigating more than 60 reports of sudden acceleration in Toyota vehicles which had already received the mechanical fix.

Just as things are calming after Toyota's eight-million-vehicle mistakes in the USA and Europe, Mazda is hit with a 90,000-car recall in Japan and China.Australia has again dodged the recall, which only applies to a specific model of the Mazda3 not sold here, but things are looking tougher for even the world's most-admired brands. "The Mazda3 is not affected in Australia," says company spokesman Steve Maciver. "It's only the 1.6-litre engine, which we do not get here."But Toyota Australia was forced to recall the latest Prius hybrid for tweaking of the braking system; elderly Daihatsus have been recalled - ironically, under the Toyota banner; and Great Wall was forced to recall the first batch of its Chinese twin-cab utes to rectify a seat belt problem.Even Suzuki, which has one of the lowest warranty-claim rates in the country, was forced to recall the baby Alto because of a problem with wiring to the stoplights. Suzuki Australia is still sourcing a replacement stoplamp switch and will contact owners.Then there is Toyota USA, which is hit with another cloud over the Lexus GS460. It's a heavyweight SUV which is built up from the Prado and, thanks to an unsafe rating by the influential magazine 'Consumer Reports', sales have been stopped while the company conducts safety tests. It is responding to claims the car can develop a tail slide, leading to a rollover, in an emergency situation. Once again, Toyota Australia is responding with a 'no panic' reply."The Lexus GX460 is not and has never been sold in Australia. Toyota Motor Corporation Japan has advised us that Prado is not affected by the sales stop. It has a smaller engine and significantly less weight overall, particularly over the front wheels, says Toyota and Lexus spokesman, Mike Breen. Toyota is even putting a positive spin on the Lexus development."This is firm evidence of Toyota’s stated intention to respond even more quickly to ensure quality and customer satisfaction. It shows that Toyota is taking the matter seriously and are determined to identify and correct the issue that was identified," Breen says. "Having done that, Toyota Motor Corporation has adopted its normal approach of conducting further tests on other SUVs. These vehicles have already undergone extensive testing and Toyota is confident they meet its high safety standards. Toyota is therefore conducting these tests as an additional measure to ensure customer confidence."And it's not just cheap-and-cheerful car brands that get caught up in recalls. Ferrari is also suffering after recalling more than 2000 of its F355 model fitted with a single fuel pump system and sold in the 1990s. Ferrari says it will be contacting known owners so their cars can be checked for a problem with the fuel system pipes.Porsche, meanwhile, plans to recall 152 of its all-new Panamera flagship, which sells from $270,000 to $365,000. They have to be checked for faulty seatbelt mounting points.

The world's largest carmaker has bowed to global safety pressure and announced a massive recall of its flagship future car, the Prius hybrid.  After bungling a safety threat to more than eight million cars in dozens of countries over a faulty accelerator pedal, Toyota confirmed in Tokyo yesterday that it would recall more than 400,000 hybrids.The local implications of the recall are relatively minor, as Toyota Australia has only sold around 1700 of the latest-model Prius, with cars in dealer stocks taking the total to 2378.   But the damage to the brand's reputation, particularly in Australia where it has been number one for most of the past two decades, is impossible to calculate.Toyota has always stood for rock-solid reliability and safety so the two recalls, particularly the one triggered by fatal crashes in the USA, have done considerable damage to its brand."Toyota Motor Corporation has undertaken a thorough investigation and we are taking the appropriate course of action in the interests of our customers," the head of sales and marketing for Toyota Australia, Dave Buttner, said yesterday as he confirmed the recall of all 2010-model Prius."There have been no accidents linked to this issue reported in Australia. No other Toyota or Lexus models in Australia are affected by this recall."The Prius recall, announced in Japan by company president Akio Toyoda - grandson of the Toyota founder - involves a car that has always stood for the future of Toyota. The Prius is now into its third model and, in Australia, the same petrol-electric power package is fitted inside the Hybrid Camry that went on sale yesterday.The Prius problem was first reported in the USA, where owners complained of a strange feel to the braking system. Only two Australian owners have reported the problem, from 111 complaints worldwide.Toyota says it is the result of a delay that occurs when the car switches from regenerative braking - which captures energy from braking to recharge its on-board batteries - to the conventional braking system.  It says the solution to the problem is a relatively minor software tweak, which will be done free-of-charge to cars in Australia.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration - which is as close to God as bureaucratically possible - has teamed up with NASA - also known to fly close to God - and dumped on accusers who have tried to sue Toyota for sticky accelerator pedals.After a 10-month investigation requested by Congress, the two authorities has found no evidence of electronic problems in runaway Toyotas.Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood yesterday released a statement saying: "The jury is back. The verdict is in. There is no electronic-based cause for unintended high-speed acceleration in Toyotas. Period".NASA examined more than 280,000 separate lines of code embedded in the electronics of potentially affected Toyotas. None contained any flaws capable of causing runaway acceleration, says the report.Toyota in 2010 was the only major carmaker to report falling sales and some blame on the result has been put on the recall crisis. Its 2010 sales fell 0.4 per cent as the total US market grew 11.1 per cent. In January this year, Toyota sales lifted to equal growth of other carmakers but this was achieved by heavy discounting.US officials have been investigating 89 deaths that may be associated with sudden acceleration in Toyota and Lexus vehicles. Authorities have definitively linked only a few of the fatalities to the problem, including four deaths in a Lexus in California in August 2009 that was blamed on a jammed floor mat.Though this week's reprieve is a relief for Toyota, the company isn't completely of the hook."Our conclusion - that Toyota's problems were mechanical, not electrical - come after one of the most exhaustive, thorough and intensive research efforts ever undertaken," says LaHood.The "mechanical problems" - that is, sticky accelerator pedals and pedals that got trapped under faulty floor mats - "remain the only known causes for these kind of unsafe unintended acceleration incidents", says the NHTSA.Now it's up to how the courts and the public view the findings.Toyota says it "welcomed" the findings and "appreciate the thoroughness of their review"."We believe this rigorous scientific analysis by some of America's foremost engineers should further reinforce confidence in the safety of Toyota and Lexus vehicles," Toyota says. "We hope this important study will help put to rest unsupported speculation about Toyota's ETCS-i (electronic throttle system), which is well-designed and well-tested to ensure that a real world, un-commanded acceleration of the vehicle cannot occur."The findings also support Toyota's position that it had identified and fixed the only known safety problems related to two massive recalls in 2009 and 2010. The NHTSA now says driver error may be behind many complaints.

After a series of safety problems that has seen more than eight million cars recalled, including the current model Prius, Toyota may have to target the Corolla’s steering.The United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received 83 complaints about the power steering in 2009-2010 Corolla.  The reports say the cars veer left or right at speeds over 64km/h. Six crashes that resulted in 10 injuries are being investigated. The spate of recalls and safety scares may have an impact on the auto giant’s brand image, and credit agency Moody’s is tipped to be reviewing Toyota’s rating.

Every day there seems to be something new, from extra customer complaints to a damaging internal document which points to deliberate delaying tactics on the safety front.  The total cost of the fiasco is likely to be around $2 billion in lost sales, but no-one can yet say what the safety disaster - everything from faulty accelerator pedals to steering complaints on the Corolla and a brake drama on the Prius - will eventually cost the company in long-term respect.Even in Australia, where Toyota has been largely insulated from the safety problems, apart from the 1700 Prius owners who got a computer tweak to their car's brakes, there are people who are worried about buying a car from the company. And it's early days yet for the full impact on consumer confidence down under.Things are so bad internationally that Akio Toyoda, only recently installed in the top job, will head to Washington to represent Toyota in congressional hearings into the safety failings.  Toyoda is seen as the 'new broom' at the world's largest carmaker, with the potential to turn the company into more than just a brand that mass-produces cars for people who put transport ahead of personality or style. He is already pushing cars like the FT-86 concept, which is expected to be a born-again Sprinter for Gen-Y when it reaches production in 2011.But even he could be tainted, just as Australia's Jac Nasser - once the shooting star at the Ford Motor Company - was brought undone by the unsuccessful campaign to protect the Ford Explorer from a safety crisis in the USA.Toyota has reacted with things like a brake-against-throttle safety switch, but other brands have had that protection against a runaway for years.  It has also set up a new global committee for product quality, which will be chaired by Toyoda, but people are asking why it was not done before.The reason is simple: the Toyota production system is designed to stop faults and flaws before the factory gates. It's so good that it has been copied around the world, and by many companies outside the auto business, for decades.But the safety shortcomings highlighted by the multi-million-vehicle safety recalls show the system is only as good as the people who run it. And Toyota has been caught short.  The Toyota safety story has a long way to run and I am not expecting much good news for a long while yet.

More than 24,000 cars sold in Australia are potentially at risk of a power steering failure, with two cases already reported. Cars covered by the recall, all built in 2004 and 2005, will have the crankshaft pulley on the front of their engine replaced. "The Avalon and Camry V6 were built at our Altona factory but it is  not a manufacturing fault," Toyota spokeswoman Laura Hill said."The crankshaft pulley was supplied by a Japanese component provider and we  will be replacing that part on the affected cars. It takes about 90 minutes for the service staff to complete the job."She said Toyota has identified the problem as insufficient glue being applied to the outer ring of the crankshaft pulley, which could allow movement that would dislodge the drive belt for the power steering.The fault can cause noises from the engine bay and the charging system warning light to illuminate and, in the worst-case scenario, the driver would need much more force than normal to turn the steering. Hill said there have been no reports of steering failure in Australia."We've had one case of a Kluger owner noticing the charge light came on and a Lexus owner has reported the same issue," she said. Toyota Australia said the safety recall was a preventative action and customers can continue to drive their vehicles.The announcement continues a horror year for the world's biggest carmaker, which will lose its place at the top of the global sales charts to Volkswagen and could even slip to third behind General Motors. It has also recently withdrawn its earning forecast.Toyota's production was savaged by the March earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan and that was compounded by recent floods in Thailand that are still affecting vehicle production.Toyota's renowned reputation for reliability has been hammered in the past two years by a succession of recalls related to "unintended   acceleration". More than three million vehicles were returned to Toyota dealerships in the US to fix accelerator pedals that stuck or could potentially be caught in floor mats.In Australia, more than 4800 Lexus IS250s were recalled in February to remedy a potential fuel leak due to a fuel pressure sensor that could work loose and there was an earlier recall for computer tweaks to overcome a braking problem in the Prius hybrid.Recall vehicle numbers: 24,222Toyota Camry V6: 11,235Toyota Avalon: 3591Toyota Kluger: 6966Lexus ES300: 365Lexus RX330: 2065

It's the fourth time this year that the country's top selling brand has been forced into a recall for a safety problem, this time involving the Toyota Kluger and a range of Lexus models.The recall was triggered by a problem in the braking system that can lead to a fluid leak.  A total of 77 cases have been reported by owners in Australia and 17,582 Klugers and another 8201 Lexus vehicles will be recalled in a global total of more than 1.5 million vehicles.Toyota spokesman, Mike Breen, says the company is already working to advise customers and get the vehicles repaired.  The problem can occur because the Toyota braking system on the vehicles involved needs brake fluid containing lubricating polymers. If different fluid is used, a rubber seal at the end of the brake master cylinder can be damaged and allow a fluid leak to develop.  "We're only talking about a trickle of fluid. But the brake warning light can come on," Breen says.The affected Klugers were built between May 2003 and November 2005, while the Lexus vehicles involved are the RX330 SUV built between February 2003 and October 2005, the GS300 built from January 2005 to November 2005, and the IS250 built from September 2005 to November 2005.Breen says Toyota moved quickly to identify the problem, using the new global recall system put in place after the disastrous worldwide recall of 8.5 million cars last year for a faulty accelerator pedal."I'd suggested we picked it up more quickly with the new system. We had to wait for Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan to identify the situation," he says.The latest recall follows one for a steering problem in the LandCruiser, another in September for a faulty tailshaft support in some HiLux models, and one in February for re-calibration of the braking system in the Prius hybrid.The solution for the latest recall is to replace the questionable part in the braking system, then flush the braking system and replace the fluid.

... as Toyota sweeps up the dregs from its 'unintended acceleration' crisis.The action comes after a Federal investigation revealed the major source of trouble was incorrect and faulty floor mats, which had the potential to trap the vehicle's accelerator pedal.Toyota USA has now negotiated a voluntary recall on a range of vehicles built since 2006, including the Lexus GS, RX and LX, as well as the Toyota RAV4 and 4Runner.The total number of vehicles involved is just over 2.1 million, with most to get modified or replacement mats and retention clips.But there will be no impact in Australia, which has a different right- hand drive pedal layout and different floor mats."There is no impact here. No cars in Australia are affected," a Toyota spokesman said yesterday.