by wildcherry on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 | Automotive, News | No Comments

Here are three ways to stop the vehicle, according to Toyota:

_ Step on the brake pedal with both feet using firm and steady pressure. Do not pump the brakes.

_ Shift the transmission gear selector into neutral. Use the brakes to make a controlled stop by the side of the road.

_ If you’re unable to put the vehicle in neutral, turn off the engine. This will cut off power assist to the steering wheel and brakes, but as long as the key is in the ignition, you will still be able to steer and brake. If you have an engine start/stop button, press it firmly for three seconds to turn the engine off. Do not tap it. If you have a conventional key ignition, turn the ignition key to the ACC position. Do not remove the key from the ignition.

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by wildcherry on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 | Automotive, News | No Comments

Toyota Prius driver James Sikes called 911 about 1:30 p.m. after accelerating to pass another vehicle on Interstate 8 near La Posta and finding that he could not control his car, the CHP said.

“I pushed the gas pedal to pass a car and it did something kind of funny… it jumped and it just stuck there,” the 61-year-old driver said at a news conference. “As it was going, I was trying the brakes…it wasn’t stopping, it wasn’t doing anything and it just kept speeding up,” Sikes said, adding he could smell the brakes burning he was pressing the pedal so hard.

A patrol car pulled alongside the Prius and officers told Sikes over a loudspeaker to push the brake pedal to the floor and apply the emergency brake.

“They also got it going on a steep upgrade,” said Officer Jesse Udovich. “Between those three things, they got it to slow down.”

After the car decelerated to about 50 mph, Sikes turned off the engine and coasted to a halt.

The officer then maneuvered his car in front of the Prius as a precautionary block, Udovich said.

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by wildcherry on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010 | Automotive, News | No Comments

Toyota is offering aggressive incentives for buyers staring March 2010. The New Toyota rebates and incentives include zero percent financing and free maintenance for two years on some makes and models of Toyota cars.

Toyota will offer zero-percent financing for 60 months on some 2010 model year vehicles, including its most popular Camry and Corolla sedans and other vehicles involved in safety recalls, the source told Reuters.

Returning Toyota customers will also receive a complimentary two-year “Toyota Auto Care Premium Package” that includes oil changes and other maintenance services, the source said. Cash rebates ranging from $500 to $3,000 will also be offered depending on vehicles, the source added.

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by wildcherry on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010 | Automotive, News | No Comments

The latest Toyota defect, faulty hoses can cause engine noise and light up the oil pressure light on vehicle dashboards, according to Toyota. In the U.S., the problem also affects the best-selling Camry and two Lexus models.

Repairs on 45,000 vehicles in Japan have already been rolled out since October. The problem affects an additional 230,000 vehicles in 90 other nations, Takeuchi said. The models involved in Japan are the Harrier luxury model, Estima minivan, Blade hatchback, Mark X Zio sedan and Vanguard crossover.

Toyota does not consider the latest repair a recall because the problem doesn’t endanger safety, and categorizes it as a “service campaign,” with owners receiving notices through dealers about the needed repair.

“This is a routine measure,” said Takeuchi. “We are not hiding anything.”

The automaker earlier Tuesday said some 1 million vehicles were affected after the repair for the oil-supply engine hose was expanded overnight in the U.S. to include 2007 and 2009 RAV4 sport utility vehicles and some Avalon sedan models, totaling 217,800 vehicles.

It was unclear when U.S. owners would receive notices on the Highlander and Sienna repairs, but Toyota was making preparations now, Takeuchi said.

Toyota’s quality standards have come under intense scrutiny following global recalls of some 8.5 million vehicles for gas pedal, floor mat and braking problems, mostly in the U.S.

In Europe, the global recalls affects 1.7 million vehicles for the gas-pedal problems, and nearly 53,000 Prius hybrids for the antilock braking glitch, according to an updated tally.

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by wildcherry on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010 | Automotive, News | No Comments

General Motors Co. is recalling 1.3 million Chevrolet and Pontiac compact cars sold in the U.S., Canada and Mexico to fix power steering motors that can fail.

The 2010 GM Car recall affects :

2005 to 2010 Chevrolet Cobalts,
2007 to 2010 Pontiac G5s
2005 and 2006 Pontiac Pursuits sold in Canada
2005 and 2006 Pontiac G4s sold in Mexico.

GM said Monday the vehicles are still safe to drive and never lose their steering, but it may be harder to steer them when traveling under 15 mph.

GM spokesman Alan Adler said it will take time for the automaker to get 1.3 million new power steering motors from the supplier, JTEKT Corp., and GM will notify car owners when the parts are available.
Adler said the failures are rare and the cars can still be driven until motors can be replaced by dealers. Drivers will see a warning light and hear a chime if the power steering fails, but they could be surprised when the steering becomes more difficult.

GM told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about the recall on Monday. NHTSA began an investigation into 905,000 of the models on Jan. 27 after getting 1,100 complaints that the cars lost their power steering assist. The complaints included 14 crashes and one injury.

GM will fix older models first because it usually takes 20,000 to 30,000 miles of driving for the condition to develop, Adler said. GM also will have to repair thousands of vehicles on dealer lots before they can be sold, he said.

“Recalling these vehicles is the right thing to do for our customers’ peace of mind,” Jamie Hresko, GM’s vice president of quality, said in a statement.
Adler said if the power steering assist fails, it usually comes back for a time after the car is shut off and restarted.

The recall comes at a time of heightened interest in auto safety after sudden acceleration problems experienced in some Toyota Motor Corp. vehicles.

Toyota has had to recall 8.5 million vehicles worldwide to fix problems with sticky gas pedals, floor mats that can snag the gas pedal and cause unintended acceleration, and brake software problems with the Prius gas-electric hybrid.

Toyota executives have been summoned to testify before congressional committees investigating the company’s actions and whether NHTSA did enough to make sure the Toyotas are safe.

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by wildcherry on Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 | Automotive, News | No Comments

Mr. Toyoda, grandson of Toyota’s founder, said that he took “full responsibility” for the problems that led to accidents caused by stuck accelerators in Toyota vehicles. He noted that he is a trained test driver and that he had driven the models in question in an attempt to find out what was wrong.

“I will ensure that members of the management team actually drive the cars and that they check for themselves where the problem lies as well as its severity,” Toyoda said.

The Toyota chief pledged a number of changes to his company’s decisionmaking process for recalls. A step will be added to the process to ensure that top management puts customer safety first and that customer complaints from around the world reach headquarters in a timely manner, he said.

He also said that Toyota will form a quality advisory group of outside experts and establish a new Automotive Center of Quality Excellence in the United States.

Going forward, Toyota will install an override in vehicle electronic systems that allow drivers to brake and stop even if accelerator pedals are malfunctioning, added Yoshimi Inaba, president of Toyota’s North American operations.

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by wildcherry on Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010 | Automotive, News | No Comments

Rhonda Smith, a Tennessee woman whose Lexus suddenly zoomed to 100 miles per hour as she drove down a highway in October 2006 testify at congressional hearing today regarding her frightening experience.

She says her car was possessed and she thought it was her time to die.

“I prayed for God to help me. I called my husband on the Bluetooth phone system, I knew … I’m sorry. I knew he could not help me but I wanted to hear his voice one more time,” she said.

The fault is called sudden unintended acceleration (SUA).

Ms Smith says she had both feet on the brake and put the car into reverse, but nothing would slow it down.

“After six miles God intervened as the car came very slowly to a stop,” she said.

Safety record ‘destroyed’

Her husband, Eddie Smith, told the hearing how Toyota then ignored the safety fears, chalking up the problem to the car’s floor mats.

“To Toyota, I say your quality and safety record has been totally destroyed by your past and present words and actions. Now your integrity has come into play,” he said.

The unintended acceleration problems have been linked to up to 30 deaths in the US.

Ms Smith has blasted not only Toyota but also the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for ignoring the problem.

“Shame on you Toyota for being so greedy, and shame on you NHTSA for not doing your job,” she said.

No electronics glitch

Toyota’s US president James Lentz has begun his testimony.

“Put simply, it has taken us too long to come to grips with a rare but serious set of safety issues, despite all of our good-faith efforts,” he said.

“The problem has also been compounded by our poor communications within our company and with regulators and consumers.”

Mr Lentz says almost 1 million cars have now been repaired and that nothing matters more to Toyota than the safety and reliability of its vehicles.

But the company still insists the problems are limited to loose floor mats and sticky accelerators and not an electronics glitch.

“We are confident no problems exist in our electronic throttle systems in our vehicles,” he said.

Tomorrow Mr Toyoda will testify. A copy of his prepared remarks shows he will say he is deeply sorry for any accidents Toyota drivers have experienced.

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by wildcherry on Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 | Automotive, News | No Comments

The Toyota Motor Corp. considering massive recall their top selling Corolla Model after the complaints about the power steering problems. The President Akio Toyoda said that hee won’t be attending the U.S. congressional hearing on the automaker’s quality lapses, entrusting the job to U.S. Corolla Recall steering problems, which is not sold in the UK, said that there’s no decision had been made as it was still looking into complaints over the power.

“I trust that our officials in the U.S. will amply answer the questions, We are sending the best people to the hearing, and I hope to back up the efforts from headquarters.” Akio Toyoda on Wednesday in his third news conference in two weeks.
The Company also denied any cover-up as the U.S. investigates whether it was enough in recalling millions of Toyota cars over the problems affecting other car models. Toyota said there are currently less than 100 potential complaints with the Corolla Recall in the US. The Toyota Corolla

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by wildcherry on Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 | Automotive, News | 1 Comment

TOKYO (AP) – Toyota is looking into possible power steering problems with the hot-selling Corolla subcompact while its president said Wednesday he won’t be attending the U.S. Congressional hearing on the automaker’s safety lapses.

“I trust that our officials in the U.S. will amply answer the questions,” Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda told reporters. “We are sending the best people to the hearing, and I hope to back up the efforts from headquarters.”

He said Yoshi Inaba, who heads Toyota Motor Corp.’s U.S. unit, was more familiar with the U.S. situation and was the best man to deal with the hearing. Toyoda said he was still making plans to go to the U.S., but dates weren’t set.

But in an alarming disclosure of a possible widening of Toyota’s recall crisis, the Toyota executive in charge of quality controls, Shinichi Sasaki, said Toyota was taking seriously the complaints about problems in power-steering in the Corolla, the world’s best-selling car.

He said the company is investigating what might be wrong. There have been fewer than 100 complaints, he said.

Toyota has recalled 8.5 million vehicles globally during the past four months because of problems with sticking gas pedals, floor mats trapping accelerators and faulty brake programming.

The U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is holding a hearing on Feb. 24 on Toyota’s gas pedal problems. The House Energy and Commerce Committee has scheduled one the next day.

Inaba, Toyota Motor North America chief executive, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and NHTSA Administrator David Strickland are expected to testify at both meetings.

The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee has scheduled a March 2 hearing.

Sasaki said drivers may perceive a strange feeling as though they were losing control over the steering, but it was unclear whether the problem was with the shifts in braking systems or a problem with the tires.

Speaking at Toyota’s Tokyo office, he said the company was considering a recall, and was ready to come up with any needed fixes as soon as possible. The number of possibly affected vehicles is unclear, he said.

Toyoda reiterated his promise to put customers first in beefing up quality controls at the world’s No. 1 automaker.

He promised a brake-override system in all future models worldwide that will add a safety measure against acceleration problems that are behind the recent massive recalls.

The system is a mechanism that overrides the accelerator if the gas and brake pedals are pressed at the same time.

“We are not covering up anything, and we are not running away from anything,” Toyoda said.

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by wildcherry on Wednesday, February 10th, 2010 | Automotive, News | No Comments

Japanese carmaker Honda officially recall 437,000 cars globally over concerns of faulty airbags that have been linked to at least one fatality and several injuries.

The recall by Japan’s second largest carmaker comes as Honda rival Toyota battles to contain the fallout from a series of safety recalls affecting more than 8 million vehicles.

The latest expansion of Honda’s airbag recall includes 378,000 cars in the US and 41,000 in Canada announced on Tuesday.

On Wednesday the company added another 17,000 cars in Japan, Australia and elsewhere in Asia, taking the number of affected cars to more than 430,000.

Honda’s latest U.S. air bag recall affects certain 2001 and 2002 Accord sedans, Civic compacts, Odyssey minivans, CR-V small sport utility vehicles and some 2002 Acura TL sedans.

In Japan, the recall covers three models produced in 2001 and 2002, including the Inspire, Saber, Lagreat.

The automaker’s original announcement to NHTSA in November 2008 involved fewer than 4,000 2001 Accords and Civics. The recall was expanded in July of 2009 to 440,000 vehicles including the 2001 and 2002 Accord and Civic, as well as certain 2002 Acura TL sedans.

Honda says owners should take their vehicles to dealerships as soon as they are notified by the company in writing. Notification will begin during the month of February.

Last month Honda recalled 646,000 Fit hatchbacks worldwide because of a glitch that could cause water to enter the power window mechanism, causing components to overheat.

The Fit recall affects 2007-2008 models. The Fit is sold in other countries as the Jazz and City. The recall affects Asia, Latin America, Europe, South Africa and North America. About 140,000 vehicles are affected in the U.S.

In a statement the carmaker said the potentially defective air bag inflators could rupture, “resulting in metal fragments passing through the airbag cushion material and possibly causing injury or fatality to vehicle occupants”.

Fatality

The company said it had been alerted to 12 incidents involving the defect, including one fatality, but added that there had been no new reports since last year.

Honda’s announcement comes at a time of increased attention on car recalls [EPA]
The expanded recall covers models made in 2001 and 2002 of the Honda Accord, Civic, TL, CR-V, Odyssey, Pilot and CL in North America and the Inspire, Saber and Lagreat models sold in Japan.

“We have concluded that we cannot be completely certain that the driver’s airbag inflator in the vehicles being added to the recall at this time will perform as designed,” Honda said.

The company has said it will replace the driver’s side airbag inflator on the cars.

Honda’s latest recall is the third the company has made over the airbag problem since it first went public on the matter in November 2008.

The company’s announcement comes at a time of increased attention on vehicle recalls - particularly those affecting Japanese carmakers.

On Tuesday, Toyota said it would recall more than 440,000 of the 2010 model of its flagship Prius and other hybrid cars due to a braking glitch.

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