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Associated Press | Toyota said Tuesday it plans to idle
production temporarily at assembly plants in Texas and Kentucky while
it grapples with massive recalls in the United States.
Toyota spokesman Mike Goss said a plant in San Antonio, Texas, has
scheduled production breaks for the weeks of March 15 and April 12. A
plant in Georgetown, Ky., has scheduled a non-production day on Feb. 26
and may not produce vehicles on three more days in March and April,
Goss said.
Associated Press | Complaints of deaths connected to sudden
acceleration in Toyota vehicles has surged in recent weeks, with the
alleged death toll reaching 34 since 2000, according to new consumer
data gathered by the government.
Complaints to a database maintained by the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration about the popular Toyota Prius hybrid grew by
nearly 1,000 in just over a week.
From Chicago Tribune’s Problem Solver | Trader Joe’s is voluntarily recalling its Chocolate Chip Chewy Granola
Bars because they have the potential to be contaminated with
Salmonella, according to a Feb. 10 Food and Drug Administration press release. No illnesses have been reported in connection with the product.
Read more: chicagotribune.com/problemsolver
By Mary Ellen Podmolik | The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission announced a recall of two
Discovery Kids lamps that may have a defective printed circuit board,
potentially leading to an electrical short and fire and burn hazard.
Associated Press | Toyota executive said Wednesday that dealers have so far reinforced
the sticking accelerator on more than 220,000 recalled vehicles, with
repairs continuing at a rate of about 50,000 vehicles a day.
“Nothing is more important to Toyota than the safety and reliability of
our vehicles, and right now we are completely focused on fixing the
vehicles that have been affected under this recall,” Bob Carter, Toyota
group vice president and general manager, said at the Chicago Auto Show.
A Toyota service technician performs a recall repair on an accelerator pedal from a brand new Toyota Corolla. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
| Associated Press | Federal safety officials say they will look into complaints from Toyota Corolla drivers about difficulty with the steering on their vehicles.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received about 80 complaints from drivers of 2009 and 2010 Corollas. Many say their cars can wander when they drive on the highway, making it hard to stay in lanes |
See also • Toyota recalls 437,000 Prius • State Farm alerted NTSHA in 2007 • Book resale values drop |
A man takes a photograph of a 2010 Prius hybrid at the Toyota showroom in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)
| Associated Press | Toyota says it is recalling about 437,000 Prius and other hybrid vehicles worldwide to fix brake problems — the latest in a string of embarrassing safety lapses at the world’s largest automaker. With the Prius announcement, the number of vehicles recalled globally |
See also • State Farm said it warned NHTSA about Toyota in 2007 |
A couple checks the hatchback of a Toyota Motor Corp.’s new Prius hybrid at the Toyota museum in Toyota, central Japan. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)
Associated Press | Toyota plans to recall about 300,000 Prius hybrids worldwide over a brake problem and will notify the U.S. and Japanese governments Tuesday, a news report said, as a top executive will testify before U.S. lawmakers over recall woes that have tarnished its reputation for quality and safety.
The recall of the gas-electric Prius will cover the latest version of the cars that went on sale since May, Kyodo News agency reported late Monday.
Associated Press | Toyota has told dealers it’s preparing a plan to repair the brakes on thousands of hybrid Prius cars in the U.S.
In a message sent Friday night to dealers, a Toyota group vice
president, Bob Carter, said the company is working on a plan and will
disclose more details early next week. More than 100 drivers of 2010
Prius cars have complained that their brakes seemed to fail momentarily
when they were driving on bumpy roads. The U.S. government says the
problem is suspected in four crashes and two minor injuries.
|
Assocated Press | Toyota’s president apologized for the automaker’s global recalls and promised to beef up quality control by setting up a special committee he would head himself. Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda said the automaker was still deciding what to do to fix braking problems with the popular Prius gas-electric hybrid. Toyoda, grandson of Toyota’s founder, was speaking at a hastily called news conference in Nagoya, Japan, late Friday, which was shown at Toyota’s Tokyo office by satellite feed. |
See also • Toyota expected to recall 270,000 Prius hybrids • Problems put spotlight on car electronics • Ford to fix brake problems on Fusion, Milan • Greg Burns on Daily Show’s Toyotathon of Death |
| Associated Press | Toyota acknowledged design problems with the brakes in its prized Prius, adding to the catalog of woes for the Japanese automaker as it reels from massive gas-pedal recalls in the U.S.
Toyota Motor Corp. said Thursday it found design problems with the antilock brake system and corrected them for Prius models sold since late January, including those being shipped overseas. |
See also • Toyota returns to profit, raises forecast despite recall |
Associated Press | Toyota Motor Corp. has been hit by over 100 complaints in the U.S. and Japan about brake problems with the popular Prius hybrid, the latest in a spate of quality troubles for the automaker as it grapples with massive global recalls.
The Japanese company’s sales are being battered in the U.S. – Toyota’s biggest market – after recalls of top-selling models to fix a gas pedal that can stick in the depressed position.
The new Prius gas-electric hybrid, which went on sale in Japan and the U.S. in May 2009, is not part of the recalls that extend to Europe and China, covering nearly 4.5 million vehicles.
From Motortrend: One of the biggest casualties of Toyota’s recall disaster was the midsize Camry, its perennial longtime top-seller. Camry sales fell 24 percent in January, due in part to the fact that dealers didn’t sell them the last six days of the month, falling behind rival Honda Accord — and also the Nissan Altima and Chevrolet Malibu.
Read the full story: motortrend.com
By Robert Channick and Mike Hughlett | Chicago-area dealers are gearing up for a massive repair backlog — and some customer backlash — after Toyota Motors Corp. announced plans Monday to fix a sticking gas pedal that could cause unintended acceleration in some 2.3 million cars in the U.S.
The 30-minute repair will install a steel reinforcement bar into the pedal assembly in order to reduce friction. With parts and technical manuals expected to arrive beginning Wednesday, many local dealers will offer extended service hours through next week. Few, however, are planning to stay open round the clock, something the company touted in its effort to speed repairs to the vehicles, and its own tarnished image.
Associated Press | Toyota Motor Corp. said it will give details early Monday in the U.S. on how it plans to fix gas pedals in more than 2 million vehicles being recalled there, as the Japanese automaker struggles to reassure anxious owners.
