Toyota apologises over recall and plans new safety measures
Toyota apologises to customers over global recall and plans safety measures for new models
Also In The News
|
By Adam Leveridge
Robert Kubica said he already feels at home with the Renault team, despite previously having doubts over his decision to switch to the Anglo-French outfit. |  |
Wednesday, 17, Feb 2010 09:32
By Sarah Garrod.
Japanese carmaker Toyota has apologised to customers following a huge global recall and said it will be introducing a new brake-override system on new motors.
The manufacturer announced plans to install a new mechanism which will cut the engine power when the accelerator and brake pedals are pressed at the same time.
The announcement was made at a press conference led by Toyota's president Akio Toyoda. The beleaguered firm also announced it was looking into possible power-steering problems with the Corolla model, the world's best-selling car; and was considering adding the model to the huge global recall already underway of other models.
Yesterday the US car safety watchdog said Toyota must hand over documents about the recall to check whether the manufacturer made its decision to bring in affected models in a "timely manner". The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said federal law requires all auto manufacturers to notify it within five days of determining that a safety defect exists and promptly conduct a recall.
"Safety recalls are very serious matters and automakers are required to quickly report defects," said US transportation secretary Ray LaHood. The auto safety agency is requiring Toyota to provide documents showing when and how it learned of the defects affecting approximately six million vehicles in the US alone.
The probe will examine how the manufacturer learned of these defects, such as through consumer complaints or factory testing. Investigators are also looking into whether Toyota discovered the problems during pre-production or post-production of the affected vehicles.
"Our top priority is safety and we expect that all manufacturers address automotive safety issues quickly and in a forthright manner," said David Strickland, administrator for the NHTSA. He added that if agency officials determine that an auto manufacturer - in this case Toyota - violated its statutory obligations, the manufacturer could be liable for a maximum of $16.4 million (£10.4 million) in civil penalties.
In his announcement yesterday Mr Toyoda said that he would not be attending a US Congressional hearing into the recalls on February 24th. The company said it had completed preparations for recall repair for the Toyota Sai and Lexus HS250h, and its dealers began notifying owners today about the recall procedures.
In a statement Toyota Manufacturing Corporation (TMC) said it will appoint a person to the post of chief quality officer for each principal geographical region to make the company more alert to customer sentiment.
In regards to the improvements which will be made to the new models, the statement read: "TMC will add a brake-override system, which cuts engine power when the accelerator and brake pedals are applied at the same time, to all future vehicle models worldwide.
"TMC will continue to endeavour to provide products that are safe and reassuring."
The Toyota saga began following reports in the US that accelerator pedals were getting caught under floor mats, causing dangerous levels of acceleration.
Worldwide 8.5 million vehicles have been recalled because of problems linked to faulty accelerator pedals, accelerator pedals getting stuck in floor mats, and braking systems.