In October 2009, Toyota recalled nearly five million vehicles because of possible problems with the floor mats. In January 2010, the automaker recalled an additional 2.3 million due to a problem with jump accelerator.
This latest rash of recalls affecting:
* 2003-2009 Toyota 4Runner (603 000 units)
* 2004-2006 Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid (397 000 units)
* 2006-2010 Toyota RAV4 (761 000 units)
* 2008-2011 Lexus LX 570 (17,000 units)
* 2006-2007 Lexus GS 300 and 350 all-wheel-drive models (20,000 units)
* 2004-2007 Lexus RX 330, 350 and 400 h (372 000 units)
Toyota is sending notices to vehicle owners by first class mail and dealers will fix the problem at no cost to the owner. As I write this, Toyota says that he knows nothing of accidents or injuries related to this new series of product recalls. The automaker's official press release is available after the jump.
The results were predictable, because the country went through the same old, almost a quarter century. Only then we went to Audi. And in both cases, each car company has to have some kind of mysterious gremlin cause to accelerate his car would suddenly charged out of control.
But there is a significant difference between the two studies. At that time, Department of Transportation pushed it to driving errors. Officially, they called it "pedal misapplication." But this time, the Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood would not do that. He said it was caused by mechanical problems, ie, sticky pedals and floor mats piled up.
Too bad that the secretary does not have the courage to call it what it is. By identifying the cause of the problem, more people are going to lose their lives.
But nearly seven years ago I wrote a column suggesting Toyota may be the next GM if they are not careful, and even as the company's sales growth continues, there were subtle signs of trouble in sight - especially in his slipping on the quality charts .
But few of the sudden acceleration of crisis, or the number of additional would be recalled that, months have followed expected for months. In 2010, it was not a single Toyota model that is not on the recall list, landed at least once - some several times.
The e-mail that supposedly came from a company called Mama networks cited Toyota damaged reputation by "helping to spread the good news." The email asked for a blog post about NHTSA Release with links to some articles, some Love on social networking sites and "thumbs up" votes for YouTube videos.
For his part, denies Toyota, something to do with the offer, adding that the company has "committed to the highest standards in dealing with the media, journalists and bloggers, and we find any kind of payment for editorials or blogs, unethical and illegal under FCC rules. "
Dear Crissy since an update indicating that the website published by both Network Mommy and Toyota, both of which are not connected with each other to claim contacted. Mommy Networks has since been increased to a mea culpa on his site and well Crissy Toyota Post.
"The jury is back. The verdict is in. There are no electronic-based cause of unwanted high-speed acceleration in Toyotas. Period." LaHood said in prepared statement. This finding is at the end of a 10-month investigation conducted jointly by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and NASA, which was conducted by asking the Congress.
Over 280,000 separate lines of code in the electronics of the potentially affected vehicles Toyota were embedded by NASA, which may cause any acceleration of any errors contained outliers examined, the report said.
This is not to say that the government has found that Toyota is not at fault in any way. LaHood added, "Our conclusion - that Toyota, the problems were mechanical, electrical not come -. undertaken according to final, thorough and intensive research effort ever '
This mechanical problems, namely sticky throttle and pedals, which was caught under faulty floor mats "will remain the only known causes for this type of unsafe incidents of unintended acceleration," said NHTSA. It should prove interesting to see how the courts - to respond to these findings - both public opinion and law.
If a car manufacturer is forced to issue a recall, the defective part or feature of the rule, the fault of the car manufacturer or the OEM supplier to a contract. In the case of the Toyota Tacoma - part of a 110,000-unit recall in 2009 - was the problem appears to the supplier are followed. And now the supplier is forced to pay for their mistakes.
The company in question reportedly is Dana, the Ohio-based OEM supplier provides (among other components) axles and drive shafts for cars, commercial vehicles and construction equipment. In this case, it provided the framework for the Tacoma pickup truck, found rust when exposed to road salt.
Although in 2010, Dana sold the plant that produced the framework for Mexican conglomerate Grupo Porza Metalsa's subsidiary, as the component in question was built before the sale (1995 to 2000), Dana has allegedly been forced to shell out $ 25,000,000 to Toyota about the problem.
