TORRANCE, Calif., August 26, 2010 — Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., today announced that it will conduct a voluntary safety recall involving approximately 1.13 million 2005-2008 Model Year Toyota Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles sold in North America to address some Engine Control Modules (ECM) that may have been improperly manufactured. No other Toyota or Lexus vehicles are involved in this recall.

On vehicles equipped with the 1ZZ-FE engine and two-wheel drive, there is a possibility that a crack may develop at certain solder points or on the electronic component used to protect circuits against excessive voltage (varistor), on the ECM’s circuit board. In most cases, if a crack occurs at certain solder points or on certain varistors, the check engine may illuminate, harsh shifting could result, or the engine may not start. In limited instances, if cracking occurs on particular solder points or varistors, the engine could stop while the vehicle is being driven.
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Neil Roland – Automotive News -

The Senate Commerce Committee voted today to pass a far-reaching vehicle safety bill that has largely won both automaker and consumer support, sending the measure to the full Senate.  The bill passed without objections from any senators.  The legislation, crafted in the wake of Toyota’s safety recalls this year, resembles a House bill that also is now on the floor of that chamber.

Auto-industry lobbyists have said they expect Congress to pass the legislation sometime this summer and that President Barack Obama will sign it.  The Senate panel headed by U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., today approved a number of bill revisions that were sought by the auto industry.  “This is a critical public safety bill that will affect the lives of millions of Americans on the road every day,” Rockefeller said at the hearing. Read the rest of this entry →

The troubles continue to mount for Toyota.  Toyota North America just released a statement saying a U.S. recall of Lexus LS models is planned. 
This move would be the latest in a long series of recall-related headaches for the automaker, which has dealt with a steady stream of such issues since February. 
”Toyota North America is aware that certain 2010 Lexus LS sedans equipped with optional Variable Gear Ratio Steering (VGRS) may exhibit a temporary steering wheel off-center condition, under a specific driving maneuver,” officials explained. “Based on our discussions with TMC, preparations are being made to file a recall in the United States on Friday, May 21.” Read the rest of this entry →

New auto safety legislation proposed in the wake of Toyota’s recall problems is drawing criticism from House Republicans and Michigan Democrat John Dingell, suggesting that changes are in store for the Democratic leaders’ bill.  Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee said almost unanimously today that the draft bill would unduly expand government authority and undercut automakers while they are rebounding from a severe slump.  “I’m not sure it’s time to pile on the auto industry,” Rep. Joe Barton of Texas, the top Republican on the committee, said at the hearing of the subcommittee on commerce.

Dingell, in a statement, said: “As with most first drafts of legislation, the Waxman-Rush bill has provisions that, in my view, require improvement, especially as they relate to the bill’s practicability, both for federal regulators and those subject to federal regulation,” Dingell said in a statement.  Chairman Henry Waxman, the bill’s chief sponsor, said his goal was to have the committee pass a bill that both Dingell and he could support. Read the rest of this entry →

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman have announced plans to work together on legislation to improve automobile safety as a response to the problems experienced by Toyota recently.

Rockefeller’s Bill “will hold automakers to a higher standard and strengthen the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s ability to more effectively protect Americans on the road.”  Waxman wants NHTSA to be assured “the resources, expertise and authority it needs to protect consumers from vehicle safety defects.”  The joint statement they issued did not disclose details of the planned legislation or say when it would be introduced.  Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has endorsed the idea of new legislation.

Toyota has announced a remedy to update the Vehicle Stability Control System software on about 9,400 model-year 2010 Lexus GX 460 SUVs that were recently voluntarily recalled. 

Toyota indicated that it will begin implementing the remedy program at dealerships during the next two weeks.  They also said its franchise dealers would be reaching out to customers shortly to set up appointments to make the system software modification. Mark Templin, Lexus Group vice president and general manager said “Lexus is confident that the update will make the performance of the GX even better for our customers.” 

When Toyota made the recall, they pledged that owners of the recalled Lexus unit could use a courtesy vehicle until the remedy work has been completed. 

They urge customers who have any questions or concerns to contact their local Lexus dealer or Lexus Customer Satisfaction at (800) 25-LEXUS or (800) 255-3987.

Automotive News: April 8, 2010

Toyota Motor corp. knew about flaws that could cause unintended acceleration more than 3 1/2 years before it recalled cars and trucks to fix the defects, according to company timelines.  Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, learned that floor mats could entrap accelerator pedals as early as Feb. 7, 2006, and was aware five months later that pedals could stick, according to documents dated March 24 that were submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and obtained Thursday.  The timelines show what Toyota has said was a slow response that led to the recall of about 8 million vehicles worldwide starting last year to repair the two types of acceleration-related defects.

The first report was from a model year 2005 Prius hybrid “regarding floor mat interference with an accelerator pedal,” according to the documents, which were sent by the carmaker to the safety agency.  Martha Voss, a Washington-based spokeswoman for Toyota, had no immediate comment.  Toyota began recalls for the two pedal-related defects after an Aug. 28 Lexus sedan crash killed off-duty California Highway Patrol officer Mark Saylor and three family members when a floor mat jammed down the accelerator pedal. Read the rest of this entry →

A panel of federal judges on Friday chose Southern California federal court as the location to consolidate dozens of lawsuits filed in the aftermath of Toyota’s recall of millions of vehicles over sudden unexpected acceleration problems.  The decision by the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation centralizes more than 200 lawsuits against Toyota before U.S. District Judge James V. Selna, a 2003 appointee of former President George W. Bush.

Selna, 65, whose court is located near Los Angeles in Orange County, Calif., will hear important pretrial motions for all cases, eventually leading to trial, settlement or dismissal of the lawsuits. More than 130 lawsuits are potential class-action cases filed by Toyota owners who claim their vehicles plummeted in value after the recalls. A key early decision in those cases is whether to establish all similar Toyota owners as a single class, meaning all would be affected by a potential damage award or settlement.

A federal judicial panel on last week began considering whether more than 80 lawsuits against Toyota Motor Corp. can be consolidated into fewer cases and, if so, which courts should handle the litigation.  At least a dozen attorneys from across the country argued before the judicial panel in San Diego regarding the lawsuits, many of them stemming from incidents related to unintended acceleration.  Toyota has recalled about 8.5 million vehicles worldwide since last fall. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said consumers have reported 52 deaths from unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles in this country.

Lawyers argued that the cases should either be held in the eastern district of Kentucky, home to Toyota’s manufacturing headquarters, which is a defendant in many of the actions, or the eastern district of Louisiana or Los Angeles. Los Angeles is where most of the cases have been filed, but there are about 15 possible jurisdictions that could be considered.

Lawmakers Want Toyota to Provide Proof of its Testing Claims

Toyota Motor Corp. has failed to provide congressional investigators with documents to support the company’s contention that its tests have shown no link between electronic defects and unwanted acceleration in its vehicles, two senior lawmakers say. Reps. Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Bart Stupak, chairman of the committee’s oversight panel, asked Toyota today to produce employees with direct knowledge of the company’s testing efforts so the employees can be interviewed next week.

“Despite our repeated requests, the record before the committee is most notable for what is missing: the absence of documents showing that Toyota has systematically investigated the possibility of electronic defects that could cause sudden unintended acceleration,” said today’s letter from Waxman, D-Calif., and Stupak, D-Mich. Read the rest of this entry →