Toyota Recall Gets Personal
By autoguy in Latest News on January 31st, 2010
Yesterday Toyota announced the recall of another 1.9 million vehicles for “pedal entrapment” issues, bringing the total to 9 million cars worldwide. This is the second largest ever, to Ford’s recall of 14 million cars with faulty cruise control switches in 2009. So far in the US, over 2,100 cases of sudden acceleration have been reported, resulting in at least four deaths, 19 pending investigation.
The affected vehicles, according to Car and Driver, are
- 2009-2010 Toyota Carolla
- 2009-2010 Highlander
- 2009–2010 Venza
- 2009–2010 Matrix
- 2009–2010 Pontiac Vibe (same as the Matrix underneath)
As the gas pedal mechanism becomes worn, the pedal becomes harder to push, or slower to return to the idle position, due to resistance from the all-weather rubber floor mats. Except in the worst case of uncontrollable acceleration, this should not occur suddenly but be noticeable over time.
If you own one of the above recall models and experience this defect while driving, experts suggest that you do not pump the brakes. This depletes the vacuum needed by the power brake assembly. Instead, shift your car to neutral, use both feet on the brake pedal, bring the car to a complete stop and turn it off. Remember never to remove the key while driving as this will lock the steering wheel. If you have an engine start/stop button, push it for at least three seconds to turn the car off. And finally, report the incident to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
About ten years ago, Toyota made the decision to use non-Japanese suppliers to produce more cheaply and expand market share. It worked. In 2008, they eclipsed GM as the world’s largest car manufacturer, continuing the trend in 2009 even as the entire market shrank. But it would appear that what they saved in cost, they wasted in quality. In November 2009, the NHTSA mandated a recall, based on four deaths in California of an off-duty highway patrolmen, his wife, daughter and brother-in-law.
That Toyota was forced by American authorities to recall their cars is just the latest in a pattern of denial, according to the LA times. In a scathing expose last month, they alleged that Toyota has known about the problem since 2000, but deemed it more profitable at the outset to deny it, or blame the driver. As cases went to litigation, their denial took the form of out-of-court settlements and non-disclosure agreements, some reaching seven figures. They drew criticism from the courts for ignoring requests for evidence, but chose instead to pay the fines. (So far, Toyota hasn’t shared black box passwords or accident data, claiming that the recording device is a proprietary prototype).
When they found the pedal problem in the Camry and Lexus ES two years ago, their only “repair” was a warning label … on the underside of the floor mat. Even as the deaths in California brought the issue to light, Toyota publicly insisted that no default existed, drawing an uncharacteristically sharp rebuttal from the NHTSA, which called their statements “inaccurate and misleading.”
It is clear that Toyota will not walk away from this without a scratch. Edmunds.com forecast a dip in Toyota’s market share from around 18% (it’s high in 2008) to 14.7%, its lowest point since March of 2006. Sales figures will be released Tuesday, but they are expected to show a decrease of 45% for December and 11.9% for January. Though Toyota is running apology ads in major newspapers on Sunday or Monday, but many industry experts agree that the damage has already been done. Though the typical consumer has a short memory span, this issue will be in the media spotlight long enough for even the shortest memories.
02/03/2010 at 1:44 pm
I was told Toyota is considering recalling all vehicles due to acceleration malfunctions . My father bought a Toyota, can the Toyota be driven before it’s fixed?