NY Times: Toyota Has Pattern of Slow Response on Safety Issues

[marmar]

Toyota Has Pattern of Slow Response on Safety Issues
By JAMES KANTER, MICHELINE MAYNARD and HIROKO TABUCHI

Published: February 6, 2010


Toyota’s recalls and disclosures in recent months are part of a lengthy pattern in which the automaker has often reacted slowly to safety concerns, in some instances making design changes without telling customers about problems with vehicles already on the road, an examination of its record shows.

Toyota received complaints from customers in Europe about sticking accelerator pedals as early as December 2008 and started installing redesigned pedals on new vehicles there last August. Then, last month, similar concerns in the United States led to a pedal recall of 2.3 million vehicles. The European cars have now been recalled, too.

In a Congressional committee meeting on Jan. 27, Toyota officials said they first learned of this problem through reports of sticking pedals in vehicles in England and Ireland in the spring of 2009. But Toyota later acknowledged it had received reports there as early as December 2008.

Three years ago, it recalled 2007 and 2008 Toyota Camrys and Lexus ES 350s because the accelerator could stick under floor mats, a precursor to a much bigger recall last fall. ..............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/business/global/07toyota.html?hp

[ingac70]

1. You would think...

with all those subsidies they got, from Japan and the US, they wouldn't be such pricks, acting like the Big Three in the 70s.

[WinkyDink]

2. I have a 2007 Camry, purchased in 2007. There was no "recall" then; customers were advised not to

use different floor mats, or take their car to the dealer to get those extra ones secured correctly.

[ingac70]

3. toobad the floor mats had nothing to do with it. n/t

[HysteryDiagnosis]

4. Software no doubt. That will be the final outcome imho. Too bad

they don't make the cars able to be accessed by your home network, offer a usb port where you could download new firmware/software, have a wireless capability with which they could upgrade the system or have a rj45 port so your car could be hardwired into your home router and accessed that way.