TOYOTA stops production in USA (Recall)

[Spanrz]

I'm sitting in the USA, just watched the news.

Toyota are stopping the production line of 8 models,
because of the throttle pedal, it jams up with floormats.

It only affects the US at this stage, and 8 models.
It also has a few years variance so it's not just off the line
vehicles either.

Not a good way to start the year.

[snappy]

could they just ditch the floor mats or is it the carpet thats the issue.

[chevypower]

Something tells me it's not just the floor mats - perhaps that was just Toyota trying to play it down.

[burnz]

Originally Posted by chevypower

Something tells me it's not just the floor mats - perhaps that was just Toyota trying to play it down.

my info is that is a bcm problem, which could cost billions to fix/retrofit.

[ltd_on20s]

don't most toyota's have fly by wire setup for throttles now?

[burnz]

Originally Posted by ltd_on20s

don't most toyota's have fly by wire setup for throttles now?

yep thats why i tend to beleive the info i got.

[Chilliman]

Expect the mother-of-all lawsuits later this year. People have died from this problem.

[CAMS290]

Some interesting stories on the runaway Toyotas, http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/RunawayToyotas

[naddis01]

From the link Cam provided...

In the most tragic incident, on the day after Christmas, four people died in Southlake, Texas, a suburb of Dallas, when a 2008 Toyota sped off the road, through a fence and landed upside down in a pond. The car's floor mats were found in the trunk of the car, where owners had been advised to put them as part of the recall.

[mowog]

Another link

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/01/26/b...lected-models/

Clearly Quality engineering is at work here...

[My poor XF]

Is this issue confined to the US or worldwide??

Edit: just re-read it's confined to the us. Though I fail to see how the designs would be different here or elsewere.

[Chilliman]

Originally Posted by My poor XF

Is this issue confined to the US or worldwide??

Edit: just re-read it's confined to the us. Though I fail to see how the designs would be different here or elsewere.

I think that we may well find out sooner or later that its not just confined to the US (especially if it turns out to be an electronic problem). I've heard an unconfirmed report that the problem has surfaced in Europe? I pray that it is a US only problem as so many people that I know (including myself) drive these vehicles at work.

[fg_nitro]

This is as bad as the Firestone Tyre issue with the explorers in the U.S.

I don't care much for Toyota but I do hope no more people die driving the damn things?

Would this effect equipment built in Australia?

[SSD-85]

So the mighty Toyota juggernaut is still a mere mortal after all. I do hope no more lives are lost from this oversight.

[Spanrz]

FORD and another car company are offering a 0% finance offer, on trade in's on Toyota's, in order to get business. LOL!

Hmmmm, Toyota must have a crap load of knives in it's back.

[XR Martin]

It effects Toyotas in Europe and China also.
Only reason why I can think it doesnt effect Aussie ones is because of RHD differences.

But Toyota has a habit of ignoring Australia in regards to recalls

[Romulus]

I heard about this going back a month or so. I was wondering how long it would be before this thread appeared. Some of the phone calls to 911 relating to this issue, and how people handled it (i.e. the driver) is beyond belief. Didn't anyone think of clutching the car or putting the transmission in neutral and applying the brakes? I feel really sorry for the people who lost their lives but geez, how could you not contemplate doing simple things like the ones I've suggested. Even Toyota have advised their customers to disengage the transmission and apply the brakes if the throttle sticks.

This will be a major issue for Toyota me thinks. It's a Firestone/Ford Explorer debacle of epic proportions.

[Ohio XB]

I have been following this since it broke. There have been over 200 accidents and 19 deaths. There have been more than 2,000 incidents of this happening. Also, the pedal was suspect to be defective (without regard to the floor mat) back in November, and even back to 2007 with the Tundra.

Toyota is reporting that the pedal in cars with Drive by Wire are wearing and this causes the engine to return to idle slower than normal. Evidently it also causes acceleration as well. The pedal is produced in Canada by a company based in the US.

There are already class action lawsuits in the works. Toyota was told to stop producing unsafe vehicles until they have a fix for it by a Government agency. Toyota likes to report they took the bold step to stop production when instead they were told they HAD to stop production.

I believe this will be even bigger than the Firestone tire issue with Ford because Toyota has a loftier height to fall from. Everyone expected Ford to have problems but so many Americans feel Toyota can do no wrong.

I am interested to see if the pedal problem results from a manufacturing defect (part vendor issue) or an inherent design flaw (Toyota design flaw).

You can find tons of articles about this by doing a Google search for "Toyota drive by wire recall."

As a Ford employee I just hope that this issue gets an equal amount of media coverage as Ford did with the Firestone tire issue.

I too hope no one else gets put in danger while experiencing such an occurance.


Steve

[Ghiadude]

So toyota have been told to stop producing cars by the very same government that has a financial interest in one of its biggest competitors....free market economy my (another word for donkey)

[Bossxr8]

I've expected Toyota's quality to go down hill bigtime, they have expanded so fast that they have had a mass of engineering jobs they just could not get qualified engineers to fill, so corners are being cut and workloads on existing engineers is increasing.

Now the cracks are starting to appear, and its only going to get worse for them.

And FYI, there are 2 seperate problems here, one is for floor mats sticking under the throttle, and the second one is for sticking throttle pedals that don't fully return to the off position.

[Ohio XB]

Originally Posted by Ghiadude

So toyota have been told to stop producing cars by the very same government that has a financial interest in one of its biggest competitors....free market economy my (another word for donkey)

Your inference is incorrect. The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requires any manufacturer to stop production of a vehicle when a known part to be defective to the point of endangering lives is involved. This same thing has happened to the Big3 over the course of history.

Toyota knew that the floor mats were not the only problem when that issue arrose. You can find articles dated back to October and November that reference a drive by wire issue as well as the pedal being suspect.

Toyota have a solution to the pedal problem, seems shims are to be installed to alleviate any problems.

I don't know how these shims will fix the condensation problem that Toyota has said occurs in the pedal mechanism in conjumction with the AC/heating system blowing on the pedal.


Steve

[vztrt]

Haha Toyota's dodgy quality is effecting Ford Transit vans in China.

http://www.caradvice.com.au/55108/fo...-pedal-issues/

Ford Transit production in China also stopped due to pedal issues

January 30, 2010 by Karl Peskett

It seems that Toyota’s recall issues now extend to other brands, including Ford. CTS Corp, which supplies the accelerator pedals involved in the latest Toyota recalls, also supplies Ford in China for its Transit Classic van.

Toyota says that it is recalling 75,000 cars in China for the same issue, while Ford’s CEO, Alan Mulally, told USA Today that the company is performing due diligence.

“When anybody has an issue in the industry, we check everything about the Ford system and production process,” said Mr Mulally. “It’s our assessment right now that this is very isolated.”

Around 1600 Transits are thought to be affected, but Toyota’s woes also include an unspecified number of vehicles in Europe to be recalled, mostly the RAV4.

CarAdvice will keep you updated as this issue progresses.

[jpd80]

Toyota have a solution to the pedal problem, seems shims are to be installed to alleviate any problems.
Funny thing is changed versions of the pedals are now being sent directly to factories but not to dealers,
Toyota expects to have production rolling again by the third week in February, I wonder how dealers will fare....

[Ohio XB]

Originally Posted by vztrt

Haha Toyota's dodgy quality is effecting Ford Transit vans in China.

http://www.caradvice.com.au/55108/fo...-pedal-issues/

The pedal on 1,600 Transits, built in China for China use only, is merely from the same pedal manufacturer, it is NOT the same pedal. Ford always checks when someone has a recall that any of their parts have anything in common, and in this case it was that 1,600 pedals in China are from the same parts vendor. Ford is checking to see if the problem is related to a manufacturing defect or a Toyota design flaw, compared to the pedal that Ford used on these vehicles.

....but the media appreicates your spin.


Steve

[svo supporter]

While it is not good for Toyota having this problem, there are other manufacturers out there that have their fair share of "mechanical defects" tha can potentially cause loss of life.

There are 2 other manufacturers just off the top of my head that had a brake problem. Do we avoid them?

I'm sure Toyota will fix the problem and will come back blowing their trumpets loud and clear.

[vztrt]

http://www.theage.com.au/business/to...0130-n5g5.html

Toyota recall hits 7.7m cars worldwide
BRUSSELS
January 31, 2010

JAPANESE automaker Toyota has ordered a new mass recall, pulling up to 1.8 million vehicles from Europe, as rival Honda recalled 646,000 of its cars worldwide.

The latest in a series of recalls, which has now hit almost eight million Toyota cars worldwide, was again due to an accelerator problem and covered eight separate models and dates ranging back to February 2005.

Toyota said yesterday that Australian customers were not affected. Honda Australia was not available for comment.

The recall is equivalent to Toyota's entire worldwide sales last year of 7.81 million vehicles.

''The precise number of involved units is still under investigation but may reach up to 1.8 million vehicles,'' Toyota said on the new European recall.

Meanwhile, Honda's worldwide recall, due to a window switch problem, affects Fit/Jazz cars made between 2002 and 2008 in Japan, China, Brazil, Thailand, Malaysia and India.

Honda said that about 10 per cent of its recalled cars would need a replacement switch to prevent overheating and potential fire.

The Toyota models involved are the AYGO, iQ, Yaris, Auris, Corolla, Verso, Avensis and RAV4 series. The company was at pains to state its luxury Lexus models were unaffected.

''We understand that the current situation is creating concerns and we deeply regret it,'' said Tadashi Arashima, president and chief executive of Toyota Motor Europe.

Toyota said parts supplier CTS had begun making pedals based on a new design that resolved the problem and the two firms were testing a remedy.

Toyota's woes went into overdrive last week when it announced a recall of 2.3 million cars in the US due to safety fears related to accelerator pedals. It is also recalling almost 5.3 million US vehicles to replace floor mats that could trap accelerator pedals.

Toyota spokesman Etienne Plas said that ''at least 1.7 million'' of the cars already recalled outside Europe potentially suffered from both problems.

Taking that and the latest European recall into account, that left the total number of vehicles pulled worldwide at 7.7 million.

Toyota, which overtook General Motors in 2008 as the world's top-selling carmaker, has been bedevilled by safety issues that raised questions about whether it has sacrificed quality for quantity.

The company's shares fell on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Friday, closing down 1.96 per cent, having plunged about 14 per cent last week.

AFP

[tezxr8man]

wonder if the old people are still going to buy toyotas coz they'r so reliable??
seriously tho anytime lives are put in danger from faulty parts is a worry

[ebxr8240]

Ohh what a feeling !!!

[vztrt]

http://www.caradvice.com.au/55285/to...-remedy-today/

Toyota to reveal recall remedy today
February 1, 2010 by Tim Beissmann

Toyota is expected to reveal the details of the remedy for its sticking accelerator recall in the US today after finding a solution that has satisfied safety regulators.

Toyota said on Saturday it was in the final stages after reviewing the pedal problem and a solution with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and receiving no objections. Technically, the NHTSA is not responsible for approving repairs but can disapprove them if it considers the repairs inadequate.

An unnamed source close to the fix said the remedy developed by Toyota and pedal supplier CTS Corp involves a spacer that will be placed in the accelerator to combat the sticking. Affected pedals have been found to return slowly to idle position after being pressed and can even get stuck down with age.

Toyota is also developing a new component to be fitted on the assembly lines of its new cars that are yet to leave the factory. Last week Toyota confirmed the production of eight models in North America will be ceased for one week beginning today.

As the story continues to unfold, US government officials have revealed that unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles is suspected of causing crashes that have led to 19 deaths since 2000.
(with Reuters)

[Wretched]

The numbers are in:

Toyota’s U.S. Dealers May Lose $2.47 Billion a Month

and

Racall cost shareholders $ 21 billion