Defective Products Archive
Got a Toyota Recall Story? Share it!
February 4th, 2010. By AbiK
I’m amazed at some of the stories out there from folks who are affected by this massive—hell, unprecedented—Toyota recall.
There’s over 5.3 million affected Toyota owners out there, each with his or her own story of how the recall has affected them.
One I heard (or, overheard) yesterday: woman says she’s afraid she might lose her job because she doesn’t want to drive her car to work; apparently her commute is one hour each way… and I’m guessing she had no other means of getting to work other than her Toyota.
If you’ve got a Toyota recall story to share—whether it’s something that happened while you were driving, an issue you’ve had with Toyota or a Toyota dealership, or maybe just the sheer confusion you’re experiencing about whether your car is even safe to drive, let us know…
Share your Toyota Recall story
Toyota Recalls for Idiots
February 3rd, 2010. By AbiK
“Dummies” was already taken so I’m going with “Idiots” (no trademark infringement!). But the Toyota recall—actually make that plural: recalls—needs a down and dirty IKEA-type schematic for anyone to get what the hell is going on.
Why I Need an Idiot Guide to the Toyota Recall
See, this morning, I was tracking the latest info on the Toyota Prius. For the brakes. According to reports, at least 100 complaints have flowed into the NHTSA. About potentially poorly performing brakes. Oh, but wait a minute—didn’t we just see “Prius” listed somewhere on a recall list?
Yes! We did! That was when the Prius was recalled for risk of “floor mat entrapment of accelerator pedals”—but not for sticking accelerator pedals. Are you with me? And that’s on 2004-2009 Prius models.
Now, if we’re talking the Toyota Camry, the recalls are for the 2007-2010 models—BUT Camry Hybrids are not included in that. And if you’re Camry has a VIN that starts with lucky “J”—you’ve won a mini lottery—YOUR Camry isn’t in the sticking accelerator pedal recall. BUT otherwise (lucky “J” folks stay alert here) ALL Camry’s from 2007-2010 are part of both the floor mat recall and the sticking accelerator pedal recall.
See my confusion? So rather than go on here and try to sort out all the other models, let’s skip over to what you’re supposed to do if you have, say, a 2007-2010 Camry without a “J” VIN.
Why I Need an Idiot Guide to the Toyota Recall Remedy
Well, first up, the floor mat recall. Toyota says you’re supposed to take out any removable driver’s floor mat and not replace it with any other floor mat until you receive the vehicle-based remedy. Sounds pretty simple. Then
Toyota Recall: Speed and Greed?
January 28th, 2010. By janem
Perhaps car makers, Toyota in particular, should figure out how crash test dummies can work a worn gas pedal–it might have saved lives. The latest accelerator recall is none too soon: In March 2007 Toyota began receiving reports that pedals were operating roughly or were slow to return to the idle position in the Tundra pickup, and again in December 2008, similar problems with its Aygo and Yaris models.
Toyota reported the Tundra problem was fixed in February 2008 and said it lengthened a part and changed the material to fix Aygo and Yaris, starting in August 2009. But the world’s largest auto maker recently seems to be plagued with even bigger problems.
On its website, Toyota says that “certain accelerator pedal mechanisms may, mechanically stick in a partially depressed position or return slowly to the idle position…it can occur when the pedal mechanism becomes worn and, in certain conditions, the accelerator pedal may become harder to depress, slower to return or, in the worst case, stuck in a partially depressed position.” YIKES!
Just months ago, the company recalled of 4.2 million vehicles due to its gas pedals getting trapped under floor mats, causing sudden acceleration. Several crashes, including a number of fatalities, prompted that recall. This recent recall involves eight models affecting more than 2.3 million vehicles.
Toyota has one of the best track records for building safe cars, so why has it gone off the rails-or I should say, assembly line? Perhaps greed is a component. Analysts say the company’s former president, Katsuaki Watanabe, was a cost-cutting expert with an aggressive growth strategy that landed Toyota into the Number 1 global sales spot two years ago, beating out General Motors.
Wanna know what happened to Watanabe? In 2006, the Japanese government launched a criminal investigation into accidents suspected of being linked to vehicle problems, though nobody was charged. Watanabe later acknowledged overzealous growth was behind the quality problems.
Last year, Watanabe was replaced by Akio Toyoda, the grandson of Toyota’s founder. I bet Toyoda is pissed.
Toyota predicts that 2.19 million vehicles will be sold in North America in 2010, up 11 per cent from 2009. Globally, Toyota said it was planning sales of 8.27 million vehicles this year, up 6 per cent from 2009. But those targets might need to be tweaked somewhat…
Trust in China Should be Toppled in Similar Fashion
January 28th, 2010. By Hunter West
Okay, so China has had its problems with heparin and toothpaste, lead in kid’s toys and tires, cribs and pet food. But you can’t argue with the fact that the Republic of China is an economic powerhouse already and if you’re a manufacturer, you can’t argue with the cheap cost of labor.
They’re talking about having cars built in China now.
If that’s just fine by you, take a few minutes and study the picture here—that’s an apartment building lying down. On its side. Intact. It happened in June while workers were attempting to add an underground (and under building) garage. According to reports, one worker died in the collapse. And as ChinaDaily.com reported, “Improper construction methods are believed to be the reason of last Saturday’s building collapse in Shanghai, according to a report from the investigation team”. Really?
Are you shaking your head yet? This a country that wants to build our cars? Vehicles that will carry our children, our spouses, ourselves? Vehicles that could fail, at a moment’s notice and take out other cars on the road carrying innocent people?
I don’t think so.
The building collapse from last June is yet another example of the apparent greed on the part of the Chinese, so
Biggest News from Detroit Car Show: Driving’s Become a Distraction
January 15th, 2010. By Hunter West
Driver's Ed 2015? "There's your Aplusk Twitter alert!"
Get ready for a new round of lawsuits everybody. Because the nation’s roadways are about to become a lot more dangerous.
Consider this statement from an automotive industry engineer:
“Customers are expecting more and more, especially business people who expect to find in the car what they find in their smart phone,” said Mathias Halliger, the chief engineer for Audi’s multimedia interface systems, in comments published in the New York Times last week. “We should give them the same or a better experience.”
Experience?
Really…
Ford SYNC multimedia system
Let’s get one thing straight. Driving is not a video game. Driving is not a virtual ‘experience’. Driving is being in control of a hurtling goliath of metal weighing several tons hurtling down a road shared by other vehicles, or pedestrians hurrying across an intersection. Kids on bikes. Old men with their walkers.
It’s bad enough that car stereos are more complex, now that you can plug your iPod or mp3 player into the system. Now there are GPS systems that serve to distract drivers even further from the task at hand—which is driving safely.
Many states and cities have banned talking on a cell phone unless a Bluetooth or other hands-free device is used. Texting while driving is so stupid; its stupidity is a foregone conclusion. That’s been banned too, in many areas across the country. As the bans step up, safety advocates have been breathing a sigh of relief.
Well for them—and for the rest of us—this horror movie has just become a whole lot scarier, with automotive
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