As of April 9th, Toyota Motor Corp. announced its intent to issue a recall affecting close to 6.39 million vehicles globally. The Toyota recall is apparently the result of a variety of reported problems spread across nearly 30 different models sold in Japan, the U.S., Europe and other places.
Toyota notes that no injuries or car crashes have been reported related to the recalls announced on the 9th, but two cases of vehicle fires had been reported in relation to one of the problems. That particular issue involves a defective engine starter that can keep the motor running and prevent it from fully shutting off. Some of Toyota’s vehicles were recalled for more than one problem. In total, the recalls involve 6.76 million vehicles including 27 Toyota models, the Pontiac Vibe and the Subaru Trezia, manufactured and sold from April 2004 through August 2013.
The Vibe, a small General Motors Co. crossover model from the discontinued Pontiac line, is also involved in the recall because Toyota and GM built cars at the same plant in California and the Vibe is affected by the same issue as the similar Toyota Matrix. Both vehicles were recalled for a potential problem with a spiral cable attached to an air-bag. This recall is unrelated to a separate GM recall over ignition switches linked to at least 13 deaths.
Subaru is partly owned by Toyota, and the model affected was the same as the Toyota Vitz. With this recall, Toyota also reported problems with seat rails, the bracket holding the steering column in place, the windshield-wiper motor, and a cable attached to the air-bag module. This particular segment of the recall affects a large range of models, including the Corolla, RAV, Matrix, Yaris, Highlander and Tacoma.
Toyota Recalls Quickly after New Policies Following Unintended Acceleration Lawsuits and Penalties
The Toyota recalls were embroiled in a previous, widely-publicized recall crisis in the U.S. starting in late 2009 and continuing through 2010, in relation to a wide range of problems including faulty floor mats, sticky gas pedals and defective brakes. In response, Toyota implemented changes to become quicker to recall potentially problematic vehicles. Last month, the Japanese automaker reached a settlement with the U.S. Justice Department to pay a total of $1.2 billion penalty for concealing information about defects in its cars. Toyota had previously paid fines exceeding more than $66 million for delays in reporting the unintended acceleration problems.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration never found defects in electronics or software in Toyota cars, which had been targeted as a possible cause. The focus in the U.S. auto industry has recently shifted to another major recall problem, this time with defective ignitions in compact cars made by GM.
NOTE: Swope, Rodante P.A. is in no way affiliated with any of the lawsuits mentioned in this blog and has no impact or influence on the outcome of any cases, closed or pending, discussed herein.
References:
NBC Tampa WFLA
Wikipedia.org – 2009-11 Toyota vehicle recalls
