The Toyota Recall

[spaceneedle]

I'm curious to read what y'all think will happen next?

LaHood criticizes Toyota response

Posted Tuesday, Feb. 02, 2010

From wire services

The Obama administration's top transportation official sharply criticized Toyota Motor Corp. on Tuesday for dragging its feet on safety concerns over its gas pedals, suggesting that the automaker was "a little safety deaf" to mounting evidence of problems.

U.S. safety officials are also investigating whether electronic throttle systems may have caused sudden acceleration in Toyota vehicles, as alleged in at least seven lawsuits.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told The Associated Press that federal safety officials had to visit Toyota's Japan offices to "wake them up" to the seriousness of the safety issues that eventually led Toyota to recall millions of popular models. "They should have taken it seriously from the very beginning when we first started discussing it with them," LaHood told the AP.

His comments came as Toyota showed just how painful the recall has been for the automaker.

Sales fell 16 percent in January, hurt by Toyota's decision to halt sales while it fixes faulty gas pedals. Most other automakers saw higher sales as the broader industry continued to improve.

Asked for reaction to LaHood's comments to the AP, Toyota said in a statement Tuesday: "Nothing is more important to us than the safety and reliability of the vehicles our customers drive. Secretary LaHood said to us that the soonest possible action would be in the best interests of our customers, and we took his advice very seriously and instituted a recall."

The government is also considering recall-related civil penalties against Toyota, the world's largest automaker, a Transportation Department official told Bloomberg News. The official asked not to be identified because a review of the case isn't complete.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, part of the Transportation Department, is considering whether electromagnetic interference may be causing the throttle system to malfunction, the same official said. As of Monday, the safety agency hadn't found evidence that anything other than sticky or trapped accelerators caused the unintended acceleration, the official said.

Mike Michels, Toyota's U.S. vice president for corporate communications, said in an e-mail Tuesday that he had "no information" on a continuing investigation by NHTSA of the automaker's electronic throttle control system. On Monday, the company began shipping steel shims to dealers as a fix for sticky gas pedals that have caused it to recall about 2.57 million vehicles in the U.S. and Canada.

Toyota has also recalled 5.6 million Toyota and Lexus cars and trucks in North America because of floor mats that might trap gas pedals and cause vehicles to speed out of control. Some vehicles are affected by both recalls.

At least 15 acceleration-related lawsuits seeking class-action status have been filed against Toyota, seven claiming an electronic throttle system called ETCS-i is at fault, Bloomberg News reported. That system uses a computer module to control the engine's throttle using signals sent by a sensor that detects how far the gas pedal is depressed.

Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Wozniak entered the fray Tuesday when he said his 2010 Prius unexpectedly accelerates up to 97 mph while in cruise control. He said he has complained to NHTSA and Toyota for two months.

"The reason that my case is important and urgent is that it is electronic," Wozniak, 59, said from San Jose, Calif. Wozniak's Prius isn't among the recalled cars.

NHTSA tested throttle electronics last year in response to a petition from a 2007 Lexus ES 350 owner who experienced sudden acceleration. The agency denied the petition in October after subjecting the same model of car to "multiple electrical signals" and "magnetic fields."

Toyota said at the time that it was the fifth instance in which the agency rejected requests to investigate vehicles for defects including electronics related to acceleration.

A House Oversight and Government Reform Committee panel plans a hearing on the recalls Feb. 10, followed by the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Feb. 25.

www.star-telegram.com/business/story/1942583.html

[Deleted]

I remember a number of years ago there was a big stink at Renault because the accellerators were becoming stuck on one of the models in certain situations. After the first three or four news reports, though, it got fixed fast. I don't remember how many cars were recalled.

[spaceneedle]

This is what disturbs me about the Toyota situation- if a coverup can be proven, they are going to be in big trouble.

Camry red flag raised in 2004

Tight limits put on probe of problem, suit claims

BY GREG GARDNER
FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER

As early as 2004, authorities investigated reports of unintended acceleration in Toyota's best-selling model, the Camry.

But the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration looked at incidents lasting only 1 second or less.

That limit came after a former official who went to work for Toyota shortly before the investigation began was involved in discussions with former colleagues at the safety agency, according to documents in a lawsuit filed by the estate of Guadalupe Alberto of Flint, who died in 2008 when she lost control of her 2005 Camry.

In March 2004, NHTSA began to examine complaints of sudden surges from owners of 2002 and 2003 Camrys, Solaras and Lexus ES300s, according to a deposition of Christopher Santucci, the Toyota employee who had worked for NHTSA. Toyota and NHTSA did not respond to questions about the 2004 investigation, but a NHTSA report said examination of 139 complaints found no defects.

While the issues in the 2004 investigation have not been tied to current recalls, the case raises questions of whether Toyota, which this week halted sales of eight models over acceleration concerns, can put the issue to rest without repairing older models.

Seven Toyota acceleration probes have been closed, but the company now has at least 5.4 million vehicles under recall.

Joan Claybrook, a former head of NHTSA, said the recalls suggest Toyota should have taken acceleration complaints more seriously.

www.freep.com/article/20100128/BUSINESS01/1280466/1210/business/Camry-red-flag-raised-in-2004

[Deleted]

What a mess is all I can say. It sure is helping out the US car industry.

[spindrift]

Does anyone think this might signal the end of Toyota cars?

[Deleted]

Feb 4, 2010 15:56:31 GMT spindrift said:

Does anyone think this might signal the end of Toyota cars?

Hardly likely at all,when you consider what a fine car they have made for so many,many years...We have owned 2 toyotas,currently own one.Would kill to have back one of the ones we owned for many years,a corolla 5 speed wagon,which we foolishly sold and got top dollar for . Have never had any major problems with and wouldn't hesitate to buy another one,although would be more vigilant after this,of course.
While negligent it seems,the skeptic in me says so much of this media generated stuff is overblown and may even be designed to pump up US car sales.
Just a passing thought.

[bjd]

I agree with Casimira. We have a Toyota (an old one), bought when Toyota was restricted to a quota in France. Never had problems. When I saw in the paper that the US Transport Secretary told everybody who owned a Toyota that they shouldn't take it on the road, I really began to wonder what the guy is thinking. Would he have said the same thing if it had been a Chevrolet?

[hwinpp]

Didn't Audi have a problem with shifting into reverse in the early 80s in America?

They lost everything then but now, 30 odd years later, it's again their most important market outside Germany.

[imec]

Took delivery of my brand new Camry the day the - don't regret it one bit. I totally love this car.

[Deleted]

I don't think that any carmaker has escaped this sort of event. But naturally the biggest carmaker in the world is likely to have the biggest event.

[bjd]

Toyota only became the biggest in the past year or two. Before that it was GM. In today's paper there was an article saying that because Toyota made such good cars, they put themselves on a kind of pedestal and now had a hard time admitting mistakes.

This, of course, implies that if they had made crap cars all along, nobody would have paid attention to another recall.

[imec]

Feb 4, 2010 3:40:49 GMT spaceneedle said:

I
The Obama administration's top transportation official sharply criticized Toyota Motor Corp. on Tuesday for dragging its feet on safety concerns over its gas pedals, suggesting that the automaker was "a little safety deaf" to mounting evidence of problems.

U.S. safety officials are also investigating whether electronic throttle systems may have caused sudden acceleration in Toyota vehicles, as alleged in at least seven lawsuits.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told The Associated Press that federal safety officials had to visit Toyota's Japan offices to "wake them up" to the seriousness of the safety issues that eventually led Toyota to recall millions of popular models. "They should have taken it seriously from the very beginning when we first started discussing it with them," LaHood told the AP.

umm, so a guy speaking on behalf of the Obama administration, now a MAJOR shareholder of GM and Chrysler, criticizes their biggest competitor...

[Deleted]

Never having owned a vehicle in my life (not even a goddamned bicycle), I always find myself detached from these events. Good old Ralph Nader...

[spaceneedle]

Feb 9, 2010 21:04:37 GMT kerouac2 said:

Never having owned a vehicle in my life (not even a goddamned bicycle),

Wear that as a badge of honor, my friend.

[Deleted]

None of the Toyota car owners I know that I've talked to this past week are at all freaked out by this. All seem very confident. Even 2 Prius owners I know,which I was a little surprised at honestly. One couple I know said they would just wait until they received the proper notification for. Blind faith perhaps,but confident indeed.

[traveler63]

Well, here are my thoughts. In the middle of the GM melt down, many of the senators who have Toyota plants were very critical of the bailout and said let the American car companies fail. Now, those same senators are up in arms because they think the Administration is being overly critical about Toyota and if this was happening to an American car maker they would be all over it demanding that the Administration do something. Well, now their respective states have closed plants and they are screaming. I guess what goes around comes around. These plants are employing Americans and I am sorry that they will feel the pinch, but ultimately the profits go to the Japanese car makers and not to American car makers. So those senators obviously do not put the American economy and people first.

[spaceneedle]

Documents: Toyota boasted saving $100M on recall

WASHINGTON - Toyota officials claimed they saved the company $100 million by successfully negotiating with the government on a limited recall of floor mats in some Toyota and Lexus vehicles, according to new documents shared with congressional investigators.

Toyota, in an internal presentation in July 2009 at its Washington office, said it saved $100 million or more by negotiating an "equipment recall" of floor mats involving 55,000 Toyota Camry and Lexus ES350 vehicles in September 2007.

The savings are listed under the title, "Wins for Toyota -- Safety Group." The document cites millions of dollars in other savings by delaying safety regulations, avoiding defect investigations and slowing down other industry requirements.

The documents could set off alarms in Congress over whether Toyota put profits ahead of customer safety and pushed regulators to narrow the scope of recalls. Two House committees are holding hearings this week on the Japanese automaker's recall of 8.5 million vehicles in recent months to deal with safety problems involving gas pedals, floor mats and brakes.

The world's largest automaker has been criticized for responding too slowly to complaints of sudden acceleration in its vehicles, threatening to undermine its reputation for quality and safety.

The documents were turned over to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and obtained by The Associated Press on Sunday. The presentation was first reported by The Detroit News.

A Toyota spokeswoman did not immediately comment.

Kurt Bardella, a spokesman for Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., the top Republican on the Oversight Committee, said the documents raise questions on "whether Toyota was lobbying for less rigid actions from regulators to protect their bottom line."

The new documents show the financial benefit of delay. In the presentation, Toyota said a phase-in to new safety regulations for side air bags saved the company $124 million and 50,000 man hours. Delaying a rule for tougher door locks saved $11 million.

On defect regulations, the document boasts that Toyota "avoided investigation" on rusting Tacoma pickup trucks. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigated the case in 2008 but closed it without finding a safety defect. Toyota agreed to buy back certain rusty pickups, inspect other and extend warranties.

The document lists seven "Wins for Toyota & Industry," including "favorable recall outcomes," "secured safety rulemaking favorable to Toyota" and "vehicles not in climate legislation." Another page lists "key safety issues," including "Sudden acceleration on ES/Camry, Tacoma, LS etc."

In one passage, the document says Toyota "negotiated 'equipment' recall on Camry/ES re SA; saved $100M+, w/ no defect found."

NHTSA had launched an investigation in March 2007 over allegations that floor mats were interfering with accelerator pedals. Toyota told the government a month later that there was "no possibility of the pedal interference with the all-weather floor mat if it's placed properly and secured."

By that August, the government had connected the problem to a dozen deaths and a survey of 600 Lexus owners discovered 10 percent reported sudden or unexpected acceleration. But the recall in September 2007 was limited to 55,000 Camry and ES350 vehicles to replace the floor mats.

The 10-page internal presentation was dated July 6, 2009, less than two months before a high-speed crash near San Diego killed a California highway patrol officer and his family and reignited concerns over sudden acceleration in Toyotas.

In October 2009, Toyota issued its largest-ever U.S. recall, involving about 4 million vehicles, over concerns of pedals getting stuck in floor mats.

The presentation lists Yoshi Inaba, Toyota's chief executive in North America, on its cover. Inaba is scheduled to testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday, along with Toyota president Akio Toyoda and Jim Lentz, president of Toyota Motor Sales USA. The committee is also expected to hear from Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, NHTSA Administrator David Strickland and safety advocates.

The Oversight Committee is holding a hearing Tuesday with Lentz, LaHood and Strickland. A Senate committee is planning a March 2 hearing.

Separately, the government said Sunday it was already investigating reports of sudden acceleration in Toyota vehicles when the nation's largest auto insurer shared complaints about the issue.

The Transportation Department released documents showing that in December 2003 it began investigating 39 complaints of sudden acceleration involving 2002-03 Toyota Camry sedans. That was about three months before State Farm shared with NHTSA complaints of sudden acceleration in 2003-04 Lexus ES300s and 2002-04 Camrys.

The document released by LaHood said the department had received allegations of 26 crashes and 4 injuries involving drivers complaining of their vehicles surging when backing up, pulling in and out of parking spaces and shifting gears.

Reports of deaths in the U.S. connected to sudden acceleration in Toyota vehicles have surged in recent weeks, with the toll of deaths allegedly attributed to the problem reaching 34 since 2000, according to new consumer data gathered by the U.S. government.

www.king5.com/news/business/Documents-Toyota-boasted-saving-100M-on-recall-84921637.html