Toyota halts US sales of 8 recalled models

[Hush]

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id ... _article=1

Toyota halts US sales of 8 recalled models
Jan 26 08:53 PM US/Eastern
By KEN THOMAS
WASHINGTON (AP) - Toyota is suspending U.S. sales of eight car and truck models to fix sticking gas pedals and halting production lines at plants from Texas to Canada to deal with the problem, the latest to confront the world's No. 1 automaker.

The suspended sales, announced Tuesday, involve a significant portion of Toyota Motor Co.'s fleet and some of its most popular vehicles, including the Camry and Corolla. As part of the plan, Toyota is halting some production at five assembly plants beginning the week of Feb. 1 "to assess and coordinate activities."

There are 2.3 million vehicles involved in the recall, which was announced last week. Toyota has said it was unaware of any accidents or injuries due to the pedal problems associated with the recall, but could not rule them out for sure.

"This action is necessary until a remedy is finalized," said Bob Carter, Toyota's group vice president and general manager.

The Japanese automaker said the sales suspension includes the following models: the 2009-2010 RAV4, the 2009-2010 Corolla, the 2007-2010 Camry, the 2009-2010 Matrix, the 2005-2010 Avalon, the 2010 Highlander, the 2007-2010 Tundra and the 2008-2010 Sequoia.

Aaron Bragman, an auto analyst for the consulting firm IHS Global Insight in Troy, Mich., said Toyota typically sells about 65,000 Camrys and Corollas a month, and the frozen sales could strike the company's bottom line and reputation for quality.

"That's huge if they can't sell these and they don't have a fix identified. They need to go and get a solution to this fast," Bragman said.

Toyota sold more than 34,000 Camrys in December, making the midsize sedan America's best-selling car. It commands 3.4 percent of the U.S. market and sales rose 38 percent from a year earlier. Sales of the Corolla and Matrix, a small sedan and a hatchback, totaled 34,220 last month, with 3.3 percent of the market and sales up nearly 55 percent from December of 2008.

It was unclear how long Toyota would suspend production of the vehicles. In an e-mail to employees, company officials said, "we don't know yet how long this pause will last but we will make every effort to resume production soon."

Toyota officials did not immediately return phone messages.

The automaker said the move would affect plants in Princeton, Ind., Lafayette, Ind., Georgetown, Ky., San Antonio, Texas, and a facility in Ontario, Canada. About 300 workers who build V8 engines at a Toyota plant in Huntsville, Ala., will also be affected, said Stephanie Deemer, a spokeswoman for the plant.

Deemer said workers there would have the option of receiving additional training, take vacation or unpaid leave.

Toyota said no other North American Toyota facility would be affected by the decision.

Toyota dealers said they were concerned the move would hamper sales and were hopeful parts to fix the problem could be distributed quickly.

"They're going the extra mile to reassure people that they really care about the customers," said Earl Stewart, owner of a Toyota dealership in North Palm Beach, Fla. "It is something that's going to be at least a short-term hardship on the dealers, and especially on Toyota."

The auto company said the sales suspension would not affect Lexus or Scion vehicles. Toyota said the Prius, Tacoma, Sienna, Venza, Solara, Yaris, 4Runner, FJ Cruiser, Land Cruiser and select Camry models, including all Camry hybrids, would remain for sale.

Toyota said last week it was recalling 2.3 million vehicles in the U.S. to fix accelerator pedals with mechanical problems that could cause them to become stuck.

The announcement followed a larger recall months earlier of 4.2 million vehicles because of problems with gas pedals becoming trapped under floor mats, causing sudden acceleration. That problem was the cause of several crashes, including some fatalities.

Owners with questions can call the Toyota Customer Experience Center at (800) 331-4331.

[mudshark]

This is INCREDIBLY ballsy of them. Holy crap.


A U.S. automaker would NEVER do this is a million, zillion years. They'd go on selling cars knowing that someone else might get killed in them before they figure out the problem, and the attitude would be "oh well, it's just one or two more settlements to make"....


That's it. Toyota from now on. I love the one I have right now, and now there will definelty be another one when it gets replaced.

[YugoRPK]

Kind of glad I bought Japanese Toyota's now.

[CKOD]

This is INCREDIBLY ballsy of them. Holy crap.


A U.S. automaker would NEVER do this is a million, zillion years. They'd go on selling cars knowing that someone else might get killed in them before they figure out the problem, and the attitude would be "oh well, it's just one or two more settlements to make"....


That's it. Toyota from now on. I love the one I have right now, and now there will definelty be another one when it gets replaced.

nutswinger logic.
GAS PEDALS THAT GET STUCK AND CRASH PEOPLE INTO WALL'S NO BIGGIE, THEY ARE FIXING IT, TOYOTA FOR LYFE.


I bet they had a sneaking suspicion it wasnt the floormats when they had 'issues' with that before...

[Twinsen]

Well considering they've known of the problem since the 2005 model year, making it 5 years of fucking up, I'm not going to use this as their success story. But good on them for finally deciding to recall, instead of not doing it at all. Too bad they waited until people died. Stupid people, I assume. Because you can click into neutral on the little automatic gearshift thingy, I assume. There are a lot of stupid lockouts with automatics, I assume Toyota doesn't lock out neutral while moving, but I don't know for sure. Being stuck in a car with a floored gas pedal would be annoying and worth the recall alone, ignoring that it is a danger issue.

[flip]

This is INCREDIBLY ballsy of them. Holy crap.


A U.S. automaker would NEVER do this is a million, zillion years. They'd go on selling cars knowing that someone else might get killed in them before they figure out the problem, and the attitude would be "oh well, it's just one or two more settlements to make"....


That's it. Toyota from now on. I love the one I have right now, and now there will definelty be another one when it gets replaced.

FAIL

[flip]

The reason the self imposed recall is that it is far cheaper to suspend sales for a week and fix the problem than to have the NHTSA issue you one. This may also prevent a class action suit that could be more far reaching (other models) and be more costly. This is not a "just because we are nice guys looking out for our customers" move. We have had holds on sales to update computers and for headlight concerns on fusions when they first came out. The media just doesn't blow everyone like they do Toyota.

[504ranger]

Damn I just bought a 2010 Tundra in Nov! I haven't heard s--t from the dealer so I gess I'll call. Don't they have a legal obligation to notify everyone?

[flip]

Damn I just bought a 2010 Tundra in Nov! I haven't heard s--t from the dealer so I gess I'll call. Don't they have a legal obligation to notify everyone?

If your vehicle is involved you WILL get a letter if it is registered in your name and your address. The media always knows first before the dealers. We have bitched to ford for years about getting calls about a car being recalled and wanting it fixed asap, we find out 2 days later what the recall is and they release a list of VINs in our primary market area that we are responsible for.

[504ranger]

Yeah I just spoke to the dealer and you are correct Flip they are sending out letters this week. Acording to the service guy unless I'm having problems then they aren't doing anything proactive about it. Seems odd because when people have problem it seems to result in an accident although I'm not sure what I expect Toyota to do about though.
Guess I'll see what the letter says.

[flip]

We've been doing a s--t ton of speed control deactivation switch recalls on several different models back to '92. Part of this recall says says that there is a potential for an underhood fire, you should see how bent out of shape some of these people are 15 y/o vehicle and worried about catching fire now One lady was scared to drive her '95 f150 in to have the recall done becuse it may catch fire when she drives it in. I can't make this s--t up.

[L1A1Rocker]

One lady was scared to drive her '95 f150 in to have the recall done becuse it may catch fire when she drives it in. I can't make this s--t up.

I believe that. When I heard about that I called the dealer on my Excursion to see if it was involved in the recall. Gave my VIN and the Tech guy said I was O.K.

[L1A1Rocker]

Stupid people, I assume. Because you can click into neutral on the little automatic gearshift thingy,

Some people panic but yeah I get what you are saying. Made a nighttime beer run up to the corner store in my wife's Focus and had a misshap. I was waring my flip-flops and apparently stepped in an ant bed on the way to the car. Started biting the s--t out of my foot while I'm cruising down the road, I picked my foot up rather quickly and slapped the bugs off but in the process my knee hit the ignition and flipped the key off. (I did not know that the Focus's lights go off when the ignition is not in the on position) No big deal really as I just bumped the gear shift up to neutral and restarted the car while holding steady on the road.

[delmccormick]

This is INCREDIBLY ballsy of them. Holy crap.


A U.S. automaker would NEVER do this is a million, zillion years. They'd go on selling cars knowing that someone else might get killed in them before they figure out the problem, and the attitude would be "oh well, it's just one or two more settlements to make"....


That's it. Toyota from now on. I love the one I have right now, and now there will definelty be another one when it gets replaced.

Ballsy like doing the recall where the steering/suspension becomes disconnected years ago in Japan, but not doing it in America until the government here forced them?

ETA: From MSN:

The Obama administration said it pressed Toyota to protect consumers who own vehicles under recall and to stop building new cars with the problem.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told WGN Radio in Chicago that "the reason Toyota decided to do the recall and to stop manufacturing was because we asked them to."

[silencertalk]

I have a 2008 Sequoia.

Weird - they don't have a solution. They don't know the cause.

1. punch down the peddle twice to try to unstick it.
2. move to neutral.

Never turn off car. Might lock steering.

[silencertalk]

Oh man, they just interviewed a woman. She said "They told me to step on the brake three times and if that did not work to put it in neutral but the problem with that is I would loose the steering."

What an eeediot. She got everything they told her wrong.

[delmccormick]

Oh man, they just interviewed a woman. She said "They told me to step on the brake three times and if that did not work to put it in neutral but the problem with that is I would loose the steering."

What an eeediot. She got everything they told her wrong.

If you understand the absolute bare mechanical basics about the vehicle you are driving:

1) You already know what to do.

If you really can't even begin to guess what to do:

1) Turn vehicle off, throw keys into back seat.
2) Turn off headlights as necessary.
3) Wait patiently, the car will stop soon.

[Twinsen]

I was thinking of the story that was on the news of the group of people that died in a Toyota due to this. If I remember correctly, they called 911 to tell them that their car was accelerating and now doing 120 and they couldn't stop it. Because instead of trying to cut the engine for a second (risky) or just putting it into neutral, they called the police for help. So they had a long time to figure this out. I liken it to holding the trigger on a belt fed and wanting to stop the string, but keeping the trigger pulled, attaching more links, and screaming for an RO.

If you really can't even begin to guess what to do:

1) Turn vehicle off, throw keys into back seat.
2) Turn off headlights as necessary.
3) Wait patiently, the car will stop soon.

Make sure to point the car at the nearest hard object as well.

[HandyMan]

I just purchased a 2010 Rav. Awesome.

All the people they interview are women. They all sound like they are terrified of driving now. If your Toy takes off, put it in neutral and turn the key to kill the engine, but not lock the steering wheel.

Thing is, most people can't drive a car without power everything.

[Cortland]

I own two automobiles made in America by American companies. Neither has became self-aware, gone WOT without my instruction, and tried to kill me. That's why I buy American.

[silencertalk]

I heard that in cases where it happened, the pedal was starting to stick in advance and there were warning signs.

I just practiced putting my car in neutral. Very easy and I have no problem driving it. That does not mean my Mother would know what to do. I am not going to do any recall until my car is in for normal service.

[silverbulletexpress]

If the throttle sticks, shift into neutral, engine will hit the rev limiter, apply brakes and steer to a safe place to pull over. Once stopped safely then and only then shut engine off.

[silencertalk]

I am not going to do the Toyota recall until I need an oil change. Out of ~3 million cars - what - like 10 have had a problem and 2 people died? During that same period, how many 10s of thousands of people have died in a Toyota from crashing for other reasons? It is not a significant risk relative to the other risks of driving.

In each case, the pedal got sticky for a while before it got stuck. And in no cases is there a documented case of it 'suddenly accelerating.' It was just a stuck pedal, meaning you continue on at the same speed you previously chose to go. So if you want to stop, you just tap the pedal and if it remains stuck then you put it in neutral and stop as normal with the brakes.

When one drives over a nail and their tire blows out, either you panic and crash or you don't. It is up to the driver to be able to deal with sudden situations.

A car is extremely complex and it is amazing these things do not happen far more often.

This is only news because Toyota did the recall to begin with - not because it was some giant error on their part.

If I had 18 year old kids would I let them drive it? Yes. They have to be prepared to flip the car in neutral just as much as they need to be prepared to step on the brakes if the car they are following suddenly panic stops. But sure, I would practice with them.

[delmccormick]

I am not going to do the Toyota recall until I need an oil change. Out of ~3 million cars - what - like 10 have had a problem and 2 people died? During that same period, how many 10s of thousands of people have died in a Toyota from crashing for other reasons? It is not a significant risk relative to the other risks of driving.

In each case, the pedal got sticky for a while before it got stuck. And in no cases is there a documented case of it 'suddenly accelerating.' It was just a stuck pedal, meaning you continue on at the same speed you previously chose to go. So if you want to stop, you just tap the pedal and if it remains stuck then you put it in neutral and stop as normal with the brakes.

When one drives over a nail and their tire blows out, either you panic and crash or you don't. It is up to the driver to be able to deal with sudden situations.

A car is extremely complex and it is amazing these things do not happen far more often.

This is only news because Toyota did the recall to begin with - not because it was some giant error on their part.

If I had 18 year old kids would I let them drive it? Yes. They have to be prepared to flip the car in neutral just as much as they need to be prepared to step on the brakes if the car they are following suddenly panic stops. But sure, I would practice with them.

The thing that is weird is the latest recall has nothing to do with the pedal. They are putting a shim in the throttle assembly which does not have a physical connection to the pedal (like most modern cars, the pedal is connected to a potentiometer that talks to the engine control module and throttle motor). I'm in the car business (not Toyota however), and what keeps popping up in the industry rags is the discrepancy between the first "fix" (floormats/pedal issue) and the second (as above).

Speculation is that they simply don't know what is really wrong, along with further speculation that it is an electronic "ghost in the machine" type issue. Supposedly in a number of these accidents the brakes are perceived to have failed also. An electronic problem would also more easily explain the "unexpected acceleration," versus constant throttle position, as you pointed out.

For the record, I personally would have no problem driving one of the units myself, but would not let my wife and kids do so. Just not worth the risk (especially with the roads covered in snow/ice in our area), no matter how small.

In the end, public perception will be their biggest problem.

ETA - multiple deaths - the off duty CHP (the one recorded on the 911 call that spawned this latest action by the DOT) killed him and 3 other family members - so four just right there. They are now saying this was a known issue back to 1999, and has has U.S. gov't involvement since 2002. I can't remember the source (consumer reports?), but last year Toyota had somthing like 17% of the market and 41% of the unintended acceleration complaints.

ETA2 -Not arguing that it is significant statistically right now.

[Twinsen]

Another Prius recall, incoming!