Toyota suspends sales and production in U.S...

[Tbars4]

Toyota suspends sales, production of 8 models
Jan 26, 2010 06:12 PM
http://content.usatoday.com/communi...ota-to-suspend-sales-production-of-8-models/1

Toyota has told its U.S. dealers to temporarily stop selling eight models with accelerators that may stick, the AP is reporting.

The company is also suspending production of the models for one week, beginning Feb. 1. Five plants in the United States and Canada will be affected.

The models are the RAV4, Corolla, Matrix, Avalon, Camry, Highlander, Tundra and Sequoia.

"Helping ensure the safety of our customers and restoring confidence in Toyota are very important to our company," the company said in a statement. "This action is necessary until a remedy is finalized. We're making every effort to address this situation for our customers as quickly as possible."

Last week Toyota announced a recall of 2.3 million models after reports of accelerators sticking, including an accident in Texas that killed four people.

Drive On writes about the automaker's three-year effort to track the problem.

..Adding video...
http://www.cbs2.com/video/?id=125682@kcbs.dayport.com

...and another link...
http://cbs2.com/business/Toyota.sales.recall.2.1450957.html

 

[JDraper]

oopsie...:wavey:

 

[Joe Dirt]

Wait- I thought Toyotas were made of Angel's hair, purified water, and butterflies?

Yeah- it was just floor mats... Not. And the media was completely absent on it. Way to go. You know if it was Ford, GM, or Chrysler with these issues, they'd be asking for the companies to be shut down.

 

[dogfriend]

Rumor is that they have a problem with the accel pedal assembly supplied by CTS and only affects models assembled in North America.

http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-h...sales-eight-models-not-prius.html#post1047799

 

[jonlax]

Wait- I thought Toyotas were made of Angel's hair, purified water, and butterflies?

Yeah- it was just floor mats... Not. And the media was completely absent on it. Way to go. You know if it was Ford, GM, or Chrysler with these issues, they'd be asking for the companies to be shut down.

they are made out of 3400 lbs of boring. Even a 40 yearold virgin would not get a rise out of any current toyota model. They are sell outs of the performance industry. Way to stay safe in a bad market but they are not getting any sales from me!

 

[ericautopart]

I don't know if they are sell outs of the performance industry. They are working on other models right now, but don't have the market/money to make it happen I'm sure. Either way, yes..they are boring and I'm more than happy to see them go down a little bit but me not buying a Toyota (even though my wife has one) has nothing to do w/ them not having a performance car. GM has a camaro and a vette but I still wouldn't drive a malibu.

 

[jonlax]

I don't know if they are sell outs of the performance industry. They are working on other models right now, but don't have the market/money to make it happen I'm sure. Either way, yes..they are boring and I'm more than happy to see them go down a little bit but me not buying a Toyota (even though my wife has one) has nothing to do w/ them not having a performance car. GM has a camaro and a vette but I still wouldn't drive a malibu.

They had a solid sports cars but threw them away.

supra (gone in the US and made in the 100's if that in japan to keep a super GT spot)

MR2 stopped in the mid 90's

celica (still produced in japan but in the states it was scrapped but who wants that turd? the last one they made that was worth a damn was in 95)

MR-S Cut a few years ago

It seems like they focus on lexus with sports cars.

 

[Tbars4]

..It was also announced they will recall the Pontiac Vibe as it is built on the same platform as the Matrix...
http://money.cnn.com/2010/01/26/news/companies/toyota_recall/index.htm?hpt=T2

"General Motors' Pontiac Vibe, which is essentially the same car as the Toyota Matrix, was also included in the recall. GM is not participating in the order to stop selling the cars because it has already stopped production of Pontiac vehicles as part of its wind-down of the Pontiac brand, a GM spokesman said."

...GM Offers Toyota, Lexus Owners Incentives for Their Recall Woes.
http://wot.motortrend.com/6601321/a...s-incentives-for-their-recall-woes/index.html

"The incentive runs through February and allows Toyota and Lexus vehicle owners to do one of three things when picking up a GMC, Buick, Cadillac, or Chevrolet vehicle: Lessees can wave three car payments totaling $1000; buyers who choose to finance and that qualify can get 0% financing for 60 months; cash buyers can knock off $1000 from their purchase."

 

[williams.cory]

The list is growing!! As of today there are almost 8 million recalls, and its now into the UK and China! Not to mention toyota stocks are dropping, 14% in a week! They are also going to be cutting 750 jobs in the UK.

And check this out, Ford and GM are both offering incentives to the recalled toyota owners! http://abclocal.go.com/wtvg/story?section=news/local&id=7244926


On a side note, toyota sales have dropped 32% since September, and have been sliding down the last 11 months.

 

[gijoecam]

Also, I read yesterday that the Ford Transit sold in Europe will probably be affected too. But as far as I've heard, the Transit and the Vibe are the only two non-Fords being recalled.

I've also heard that they're recalling millions of the same models overseas as well, but haven't seen that in print from a reliable source yet.

I have a couple of *issues* (or at least things worth noting) about how they're handling it.

First, Toyots tried to spin it as though they were being proactive. "See? We're even shutting down our plants to save you, the motoring public." In reality, it's since come out that the federal government forced the recall upon them, and that, in turn, resulted in a stop-sale of the current vehicles, which resulted in them stopping production. They're just trying to spin it like they are the good guys in it.

Second, the timing of the announcements is a little fishy... They did the initial 2.3million and stop production on the eve of Steve Jobs' big announcement at the CES, and the day before the State of the Union address. Additionally, the evening of the SOTU address, they announced that they expanded the original floor mat recall by an additional 1.1 million vehicles. Way to get your bad news buried in the back of the papers.

Third, the supplier of the pedal assemblies (CTS in Indiana) has released a statement that stated they made their parts to Toyota's spec. In other words, they gave the customer what they asked for, right, wrong, or indifferent. Toyota hasn't started finger-pointing, and the media has been going after the big dog for once.

All in all, it's been fun to watch my competition getting some heat for once. I got no sympathy for 'em.

Buy your Ford stock. This year should be interesting.

 

[boggs1227]

hey let me ask a question about toyota and the whole recall thing...

is the problem in the electronics instead of the pedals themselves?

meaning are the recalled cars the ones with " fly by wire throttle bodies " ...the reason i ask is that my colorado is setup like that ...no cable just a pedal sensor .....

 

[dogfriend]

hey let me ask a question about toyota and the whole recall thing...

is the problem in the electronics instead of the pedals themselves?

meaning are the recalled cars the ones with " fly by wire throttle bodies " ...the reason i ask is that my colorado is setup like that ...no cable just a pedal sensor .....

They are the "throttle by wire" assemblies, but my understanding at this point is that it is a mechanical problem with the pedal mechanism - if the pedal becomes worn from a lot of use, there is a possibility it will stick in position. Apparently, it is only pedal assemblies built by CTS for Toyota.

 

[Tbars4]

Toyota dealers to start fixing defective gas pedals this week
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-toyota-recall2-2010feb02,0,1031407.story

"The automaker says it has found a remedy that is 'both effective and simple.' The parts are being shipped to dealerships, which will remain open 24 hours a day to make the repairs."

"Toyota said in a statement that it had found a remedy that was "both effective and simple." Toyota dealers will install a steel reinforcement bar into the pedal assembly that is designed to reduce friction in the mechanism. The automaker said that through "rigorous testing," it had "confirmed the effectiveness of the fix."


Video: Matt Lauer interviews Toyota Pres. Jim Lentz on Today Show
http://www.autoblog.com/2010/02/01/...campaign=Feed:+weblogsinc/autoblog+(Autoblog)

 

[dogfriend]

http://www.tuneyfish.com/blog/cts-pedal-vs-denso-pedal-image-toyota-recall/

 

[JoeCool6972]

Toyota TuRD FTL... :thumbdwn:

I love how those assholes tried to cover up this mess for years, even blamed it's customers, then floor mats, etc. They deserve to go out of business for this fiasco, at least here in the US.

 

[williams.cory]

Toyota TuRD FTL... :thumbdwn:

I love how those assholes tried to cover up this mess for years, even blamed it's customers, then floor mats, etc. They deserve to go out of business for this fiasco, at least here in the US.

Tell me about it. This issue has dated back to 2002, where multiple cases were reported of the unintended acceleration and looked into by the feds.
"It was the tragedy that forced Toyota, which had received more than 2,000 complaints of unintended acceleration, to step up its own inquiry, after going through multiple government investigations since 2002."

"Toyota was still saying it was confident that loose floor mats were the sole cause of any sudden acceleration, issuing an advisory to millions of Toyota owners to remove them. The company said on Nov. 2 that “there is no evidence to support” any other conclusion, and added that its claim was backed up by the federal traffic safety agency. But, in fact, the agency had not signed on to the explanation, and it issued a sharp rebuke. Toyota’s statement was “misleading and inaccurate,” the agency said. “This matter is not closed.”"

So first toyota ignored it, lied about it, and then tried to pull one on the public saying they shut down their plant and stoped sales of all the affected cars because they care about us, when infact they were forced by our government to stop production. You really have to search to find information about this, toyota sure has done a good job keeping it hush-hush and away from the public.

Check out this article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/01/business/01toyota.html?pagewanted=all

Finally someone who isn't afraid to tell it how it is. I'm tired of all this bubbly crap from places like edmunds, cnn, yahoo, etc. who try to cover for toyota, its terrible so many review places are completely biased to foreign car manufacters, they are so in bed with them!
Just keep on drinking that kool-aid they are giving you!

I hate toyota with a passion, *******s!

I just gotta laugh, when this cash for clunkers program was running, the top car pick and most cars bought was a toyota corrola. Now 6 months down the road people are afraid to drive them. Bet they wish they kept their Explorers!

 

[alexk]

I love how toyota claims to have great resale value and today when my mom went to trade her camry in she was offered $8,000. A 2006 with 46K miles.

 

[Tbars4]

...Just my .02...

...Personally, I think this is probably the biggest risk any auto maker has ever taken and it just may be the greatest business move ever in all of automakers history...

...I respect Toyota for the stop production and it wanting to take care of the customers vehicles immediately (In a business sense of time)...I have only owned one Toyota, 77 Hilux 20r, modded with 33's..

...Just so all who read this know where I'm coming from, I have literally owned dozens of Fords and at least a dozen GM trucks...Over the years I have seen several Ford electrical fires caused be ignition, alternator, or cruise control wiring...I am talking this has been a problem for decades...

..These items are not only property damage items of vehicles (as houses and commercial properties had also burned to the ground) but also life threatening problems as people had died in the vehicle and structure fires...Then there is the jumping out of park issue and the Crown Vic issue, and the...I think you get where I'm coming from...

...Does anyone remember how Ford took care of any of these issues and how they remedied these problems???

...GM had the Saddle Tank problem...Their resolve to this life threatening issue was to send owners of these trucks a voucher for $500 toward the purchase of a new GM vehicle and they moved the tank on future models...

...Ford had a similar issue with fuel tanks behind the seat in their F series pick ups...Their resolve was to finally remove that tank on future models...

...I am just saying, if Toyota can withstand this economic setback, they may just earn the respect from all vehicle owners as a company that takes it's customers safety seriously enough not to send the problems to the bean counters (as Ford and GM have repeatedly done so numerous times) and actually may rebound and surpass all auto makers in sales, in a history making pace...
_________________________________________________________________________________

...Today, Toyota also started sending money to their dealers to help in customer satisfaction...Damage control with great business intelligence aimed at the customers and it's money that's not going to their Lawyers...
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2010...alers_7328009.html?boxes=Homepagebusinessnews

"Toyota's dealers, who have started to repair defective gas pedals in millions of U.S. vehicles, are extending hours, making house calls and offering other services as they try to repair the damage to Toyota's reputation."

"Earl Stewart, who owns a dealership in North Palm Beach, Fla., is sending a repair van to the homes of customers for the first time, since some are too nervous to drive their vehicles to the dealership.

Toyota is giving U.S. dealers payments of up to $75,000 to help them offer extra measures like house calls."

...And I heard the Prius may end up on the recall list...

 

[dogfriend]

...And I heard the Prius may end up on the recall list...

The 04 -09 Prius is on the recall list for rubber floor mats. I already have the notice. They will replace the rubber floor mat with a new design and possibly modify the shape of the accel pedal. They haven't finalized the "fix" yet. In reality, it shouldn't be a problem if you hook the mats with the hooks that are provided to keep them in place.

 

[SuRrEaLNJ]

for whatever its worth as an ex Lexus dealership mechanic, at the time we were all 100% convinced it was the floormats that were the cause. I myself once had a close one because a customer had a non retained carpet mat with a oem rubber and a plastic one over that. its not uncomon to see stuff like that in vehicles and they normally are all tangled in the pedals.

My father, stepmother and sister all own toyata products, a sienna, rav, and corolla repectively. my sisters corolla was a car that was purchased with a heavy sway from myself due to my faith in the car.

While this is a major problem one thing we need to realize is that if we ever do know the true story to how this all progressed if we do itll be years from now.

if toyota can remedy this they will survive. even with all of this theyre still in better standing then chrystler and gm IMHO

and the priuses are having a regenerative braking problem to my understanding.