March 8, 2010 at 12:33 a.m.
Filed under:
Autos,
Recalls
By Robert Channick | A
Southern Illinois University professor will go up against Toyota today
in a very public version of their sparring match over the car company’s
acceleration problems.
David Gilbert, associate professor of Automotive Technology at Southern Illinois University, testifies on Capitol Hill about Toyota’s acceleration problems. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) >>
Hoping to debunk a report by the professor linking electronic glitches
to unintended acceleration, Toyota plans to demonstrate its own
findings during a live Web cast Monday. The world’s largest automaker
may have a lot riding on the test.
Presented to Congress last month, the study conducted by David Gilbert,
an assistant professor of automotive technology at Southern Illinois
University, showed how a wiring malfunction could cause Toyota vehicles
to accelerate wildly, something the company has steadfastly denied.
Get the full story »
March 4, 2010 at 5:25 p.m.
Filed under:
Recalls
By Jon Yates | The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Ethan Allen today announced a voluntary recall of approximately 163,000 Roman-style shades because they pose a risk of strangulation. Ethan Allen also added its name to the other retailers joining the voluntary recall announced in Dec. 2009, which recalled more than 50 million Roman-style shades and roll-up blinds.
That recall was prompted because the CPSC reported five deaths and nearly 16 near-strangulations linked to Roman-style shades since 2006, and three deaths linked to roll-up blinds have occurred since 2001. No injuries have been reported in connection with Ethan Allen’s Roman-style shades.
Get the full story at The Problem Solver blog.
March 3, 2010 at 5:05 a.m.
Filed under:
Autos,
Recalls
From Reuters | Nissan Motor Co. said it would recall 540,000 cars worldwide, most in the United States, to address potentially faulty brake pedal pins and fuel-gauge components.
Nissan said five models from 2008 to 2010 model years, including the Titan truck and Armada SUV, would be recalled due to the risk of the brake pedal pins partially disengaging, causing a loss of normal braking ability.
Get the full story: reuters.com
March 2, 2010 at 5:20 p.m.
Filed under:
Health care,
Recalls
By Bruce Japsen | Baxter International Inc. said it is recalling an in-home dialysis
device that has been linked to serious injury reports and at least one
death in the last two years, the company said.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has classified the recall as a
Class I recall, the agency’s most serious, for Baxter’s HomeChoice and
HomeChoice Pro peritoneal dialysis cyclers because the device is causing
an “overfill” of fluid in the patient’s abdomen.
Get the full story »
March 2, 2010 at 11:05 a.m.
Filed under:
Recalls
By Jon Yates | Attorney General Lisa Madigan said in a Feb. 27 press release that her office has received “written assurance from Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. that the company will make special accommodations for customers who feel unsafe operating a vehicle that the company has identified in recent recalls.”
The letter, from Group Vice President and General Counsel Christopher Reynolds, stated that Toyota is advising its dealers to assist car owners during this post-recall period. Possible actions to assist customers include expedited scheduling of appointments for repairs covered by the recalls, the pickup and return of the vehicle by a dealership representative or by a flatbed truck, and driving customers to the dealership or their workplace.
Read more over at the Problem Solver’s blog.
March 2, 2010 at 5:46 a.m.
Filed under:
Autos,
Recalls
A 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt SS Coupe.
Dow Jones Newswires | General Motors Co. said it is voluntarily
recalling 1.3 million compact cars, including the company’s popular
Chevrolet Cobalt model, because the cars’ power steering could fail.
The recall affects the 2005-2010 Chevrolet Cobalts, 2007-2010 Pontiac
G5s, 2005-2006 Pontiac Pursuits sold in Canada and the 2005-2006
Pontiac G4 sold in Mexico. The auto maker told the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration about the recall Monday after finishing
an investigation that began last year.
Get the full story »
March 2, 2010 at 5:42 a.m.
Filed under:
Autos,
Recalls
Associated Press | Toyota is repairing more than 1.6 million
vehicles around the world, including the U.S. and Japan, for
potentially leaky oil hoses — the latest in a spate of quality
problems battering the world’s biggest automaker.
The fix affects 1.3 million vehicles in North America, including
repairs that have yet to be officially announced on 100,000 Highlander
crossovers and 215,000 Sienna minivans, Toyota Motor Corp. spokeswoman
Ririko Takeuchi said Tuesday.
Get the full story »
Feb. 26, 2010 at 4:30 p.m.
Filed under:
Autos,
Recalls
Associated Press | Toyota officially said it will extend nationwide some recall-related services that it was offering to customers only in the state of New York.
The added services will be tailored to a customer’s needs and can include quick scheduling of repairs, pick up and return of their vehicle by the dealer, driving a customer to work, or providing alternate transportation such as a loaner or rental car.
Get the full story »
Feb. 25, 2010 at 4:00 p.m.
Filed under:
Recalls
By Jon Yates | The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Scotsman Group announced a voluntary recall of approximately 43,000 commercial ice cube machines on Thursday, saying they pose a possible fire hazard.
“An electrical component in the product can fail and result in an electrical arc that can pose a fire hazard,” read a Feb. 25 CPSC press release. No injuries have been reported, but Scotsman Group has received four reports of fires and 37 reports of burned or melted components.
Get the full story: Agency recalls 43,000 ice cube machines.
Feb. 24, 2010 at 1:40 p.m.
Filed under:
Autos,
Recalls
Toyota President and CEO Akio Toyoda arrives on Capitol Hill. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Associated Press | Toyota chief executive Akio Toyoda raised his hand and took an oath to
tell the truth, then speaking in English apologized to Congress–and
millions of American Toyota owners–for safety lapses that led to
deaths and widespread recalls for accelerator and braking failures.
“I’m deeply sorry for any accident that Toyota drivers have
experienced,” said the grandson of the founder of the world’s largest
automaker. |
|
See also
• Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda’s speech to a House committee
|
Get the full story »
Feb. 23, 2010 at 3:32 p.m.
Filed under:
Recalls
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled approximately 132,000 tea kettles on Tuesday, citing reports of possible burn hazards from the kettle handles. The product models involved in the recall are the Martha Stewart Collection Enameled Steel Tea Kettle and the Copco and Wild Leaf Tea Co. Bristol model.
Read more at The Problem Solver’s blog: Recall: Martha Stewart Collection Tea Kettles.
Feb. 23, 2010 at 2:25 p.m.
Filed under:
Autos,
Recalls
| Associated Press | Toyota’s top U.S. official says the company’s massive recalls may “not totally” solve the company’s problems with unintended acceleration of some of its most popular cars and trucks.
Testifying before a House committee, Jim Lentz says the company is still investigating the issue, including whether electronics of the gas pedal system may be at fault. Toyota has not found any evidence of that yet, he says. |
|
See also
• Testimony from Toyota USA President Jim Lentz
|
Get the full story »
Feb. 22, 2010 at 4:36 p.m.
Filed under:
Autos,
Recalls
Toyota President Akio Toyoda during a press conference in Tokyo on Feb. 17, 2010 (Junko Kimura/Getty Images)
Associated Press | Facing tough questions in Congress, Toyota Motor Corp. said Monday that federal prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation into the company’s safety problems and the Securities and Exchange Commission was probing what the automaker told investors.
Lawmakers pledged to ask executives about internal documents showing that Toyota visited with regulators who “laughed and rolled their eyes in disbelief” over safety claims.
Get the full story »
Feb. 19, 2010 at 8:03 a.m.
Filed under:
Autos,
Recalls
Toyota President Akio Toyoda answers questions to reporters at the company’s Nagoya, Japan office. (JiJi Press/Getty)
| Associated Press | Toyota President Akio Toyoda said Thursday he will testify at a U.S. congressional hearing next week about the automaker’s massive recalls in the United States.
He will be meeting face-to-face with U.S. lawmakers after enduring criticism that he had responded too slowly to the company’s safety crisis.
Toyoda, the grandson of the Japanese automaker’s founder, said in a statement he looks “forward to speaking directly with Congress and the American people.”
|
|
See also
• Greg Burns: Toyota TV commercial to talk about lessons learned
|
Get the full story »
Feb. 17, 2010 at 6:08 a.m.
Filed under:
Autos,
Recalls
A Toyota service technician performs a recall repair on a Corolla earlier this month. (Justin Sullivan/Getty)
Associated Press | Toyota is considering a recall of its
hot-selling Corolla subcompact after complaints about power steering
problems – another blow to the world’s largest automaker already
reeling from a string of recalls for safety problems.
Company President Akio Toyoda, meanwhile, said he won’t be attending
the U.S. congressional hearing on the automaker’s safety lapses,
entrusting the job to U.S.-based executives – though he did say he
would consider appearing if summoned. He said he wanted to focus his
energies on improving quality worldwide.
Get the full story »
