Toyota Recall

[ABZ-T2]

That was quick Rick! Are they replacing all 3 parts in all vehicles? Impressive!!

ABZ-T2

[ABZ-T2]

If anyone from Toyota HQ is reading this post may I respectfully suggest that you instruct your dealerships not to use the recall as an excuse to offer ridiculously low trade in prices.

What?!! If anything we should be compensated for!! Its not our fault!

ABZ-T2

[Rick D4D]

That was quick Rick! Are they replacing all 3 parts in all vehicles? Impressive!!

ABZ-T2

it was booked in last week for today to have the new seat and carpet fitted, when I dropped the car of last night they told me they would do the recall at the same time.

[Rick D4D]

That was quick Rick! Are they replacing all 3 parts in all vehicles? Impressive!!

ABZ-T2

it was booked in last week for today to have the new seat and carpet fitted, when I dropped the car of last night they told me they would do the recall at the same time.

My car is now done, their was no £15 fuel this time but the manager said this was down to the scale and how quick they have responded to do the recalls and that Toyota will be sending vouchers through the post.

[Paul Mack]

Toyota's reputation for reliability is taking such a hammering that when the current crises are over I believe the company will have to make a big and substantive gesture in order to demonstrate that it has confidence in its own products. As a start it should consider giving all owners affected by the recalls and whose cars are still in warranty an extra year,s warranty. For other owners affected whose cars are out of warranty some form of discounted servicing might be appropriate.

An interesting comment!

But i have to say its a rather odd one to make, will Toyota do such a thing for customers who's cars have NOT caused a problem?

I doubt it, I would not want it nor do I expect them to do so.

Has your car given you cause for concern?

Mine has not, I am still driving the same as before "this terrible" scenario raised its head and am living to tell the tale.

I hear today on the not so national news that HONDA are recalling 400,000 cars due to a fault??????????

Lets see if HONDa get the same "superb" coverage.

I for one am a tad fed up with this thread, its run its course for me.

That's me done guys.

Best wishes

Paul

PS forgot to add, I have had a letter today from Mr T inviting me in to have my car sorted.

I'll see if I can fit in the time over the next month or so cos I am so concerned!

[Rick D4D]

But i have to say its a rather odd one to make, will Toyota do such a thing for customers who's cars have NOT caused a problem?

I doubt it, I would not want it nor do I expect them to do so.

Has your car given you cause for concern?

Mine has not, I am still driving the same as before "this terrible" scenario raised its head and am living to tell the tale.

I hear today on the not so national news that HONDA are recalling 400,000 cars due to a fault??????????

Lets see if HONDa get the same "superb" coverage.

I for one am a tad fed up with this thread, its run its course for me.

That's me done guys.

Best wishes

Paul

PS forgot to add, I have had a letter today from Mr T inviting me in to have my car sorted.

I'll see if I can fit in the time over the next month or so cos I am so concerned!

Very well said Paul and could not agree more, the only reason my car was done today was because it was already booked in for a new carpet and drivers seat and if had not been I would have waited for the dealer to contact me to get this work done.

[don21]

I for one have been banging on about the fact that Toyotas legendary quality and reliabilty are no more.This journalist went along the same lines.

All very well me going on about it but what should Toyota do.We live in a global economy and all car companies source components from dozens of suppliers.

What can Toyota do so they are not at a commercial disadvantage?

Honda seem to manage it notwithstanding the current airbag recall.

[Rick D4D]

I for one have been banging on about the fact that Toyotas legendary quality and reliabilty are no more.This journalist went along the same lines.

All very well me going on about it but what should Toyota do.We live in a global economy and all car companies source components from dozens of suppliers.

What can Toyota do so they are not at a commercial disadvantage?

Honda seem to manage it notwithstanding the current airbag recall.

I am a regular visitor on civinfo and can tell you the latest generation civic is plagued with faults from clutches, flat Battery when the car has been left a few hours, door locking problems and many more. Like I said before people always think the grass is greener but I can tell you for sure that its no greener with a civic than a Auris. You will find that both cars have strengths and weakness and as a package they both compare very similar, but through experience I have found Toyota more approachable and flexible about warranty repairs as Honda would want my car all day (no loan car offered) just to look at condensation in the rear light that only takes 5 minutes. I did not have problems like this when dealing with MR T.

[OldSkoO1]

It is interesting how this recall started in the USA from government pressure. The transport sectary putting pressure on toyota to protect consumers.

Doesn't that fit nicely with the fact that troubled GM motors which has had massive government investment. When you have government ministers putting out media reports urging owners not to drive their cars. When the have an invested interest in GM themselves.

Say no more.

Seems a bit dirty to me. That coupled with not 1 report of a real problem in Europe. Toyota have therefore been unfairly slated in the media.

[happy2]

It is interesting how this recall started in the USA from government pressure. The transport sectary putting pressure on toyota to protect consumers.

Doesn't that fit nicely with the fact that troubled GM motors which has had massive government investment. When you have government ministers putting out media reports urging owners not to drive their cars. When the have an invested interest in GM themselves.

Say no more.

Seems a bit dirty to me. That coupled with not 1 report of a real problem in Europe. Toyota have therefore been unfairly slated in the media.

hi, have only just joined the forum and interested to read all the comments. I did have a problem with the accelerator of my Auris about 18 months ago - it was stuck open and I was approaching a roundabout, luckily nothing coming and managed to stop the other side of the roundabout. The AA came out and said that the throttle was stuck open and towed it away. Toyota kept the car a while and asked me many times if the car mat had been caught (it wasn't as I had removed it) and insisted nothing was wrong. Eventually I took the car back as there's only so long you can insist there's something wrong when they say there isn't. Funny though - they're taking me seriously now! I'm glad that most people posting on here haven't had a problem but I definitely have. My car has been at the dearlers since last week as I was told to take it straight to the garage.

[Parts-King]

Honda seem to manage it notwithstanding the current airbag recall.

Errrr....hang on where did that come from?

I just did a quick search on the VOSA WEBSITE, Honda, from 2000 to 2010, 50 searches per page and got 4 pages of Honda cars, motorcycles and plant equipment ranging from electrical faults, spontaneous combustion to "Reverse gear may unexpectantly engage" I don't remember too much of an ear bashing from the press on those recalls??? Perhaps it's my age???.....

Go check out Ford, Renault and a few others on the VOSA WEBSITE it will open your eyes! Try the Bentley tab, "potential loss of directional control" or "wheel fixing bolts may loosen" or "road wheel may become detached" or "centre rear seat passenger may not be fully restrained" Am I getting boring now? Funny I don't remember much about those recalls on the news

Kingo

[Speed_Chaser]

Toyota kept the car a while and asked me many times if the car mat had been caught (it wasn't as I had removed it) and insisted nothing was wrong. Eventually I took the car back as there's only so long you can insist there's something wrong when they say there isn't. Funny though - they're taking me seriously now!

That's what Toyota does. I've had several problems with my car and they've been trying to deny the faults every time and fixed them only after several visits, when they had no other options.

Best regards, Alex

[balli hi]

I read that report a few days ago......the man is a bafoon

Will the press drag up the self combusting Renaults again? NO

Will the press lampoon Honda for announcing 400,000 cars to be re-called in the USA today for airbag problems? NO

What they will do is knock the company who has one of the best recall rates in the industry, not for the product itself but for producing in the bafoons own words "colossally dull cars"

In the words of somebody I can't remember, "Never let the truth get in the way of a good story"

Kingo

To be fair john when i first read the report i thought it offered in the main a balanced view , leaving his oppinion that toyota make " colossally dull cars " aside

However reading it over again , yes , there is a lot of criticism there and maybe backhanded compliments , so i can see why its got your back up a bit .

I think toyota as a whole will have to take the criticism on the chin and move on , fix the cars , and get back to what they were good at , building first class reliable cars , sure it will take time to recover consumer confidence , and i'm sure they will in time .

I highlighted the bits from the newspaper article that i agreed with and in particular :

Audi spent a lot of time and money denying the problem existed – the classic blunder – only to eventually own up and pay up. In Audi's case, their mismanagement of a technical issue virtually banished them from the American market, though they are back now.

Toyota's PR men, on the other hand, can be seen on telly all over the world brandishing bits of metal – the miraculous "fix" that can make Toyota owners relax again. Like the marketing experts who told Perrier just to pour the lot down the drain and come clean when someone found traces of benzene in their mineral water in 1990, the Toyota managers appear to recognise that you need to act quickly, dramatically and ruthlessly to limit the damage. Hence all that waving of accelerator pedals and apologies.

There is praise of sorts in there , i think.

so maybe there is hope for Toyota to recover , as the reporter explains , Audi have managed to re-establish themselves after they were " virtually banished "

[MarqsM]

Hmmm... It has all become quite interesting and puzzling, hasn't it?

Lest's get point by point:

1. As someone figured it out here previously the toyota got under extreme pressure from US government. Guess why? Do they care about their citizens health so much? I doubt it, otherwsie they would not send them all across the world to fight in wars, they would start caring about the environment, they would start to push for economic cars, healthy food etc. But they don't. It's all about the money folks, nothing more. Toyota has been extremely popular in the "US of A", even though I consider american toyotas as cars of worse quality than European ones (they do not care about interior quality in the USA, they have other POV and priorities). It is not too hard to figure out why toyota has become the biggest seller in the US. Have anyone of you driven a recent american car? They are a laughing stock for me - and I lived in Canada for over a year during a company project so I drove buicks, dodges, chryslers and fords. Piece of crap - that's how I would describe them. Terrible materials, thin sheet metal on the chassis, absolutely no handling (too soft suspension) and great V6 3.0 engine consuming 15 litres of petrol when you can go 60mph max. Not to mention that from GM you get a set of maybe 6 colours (despite of model), so almost every single car on the road looks the same. A mistake.

So if you cannot beat them with quality, do it otherwise. With media campaign and hysteria.Toyota was no.1 so they hit it hard. Real hard.

2. Honda is recalling about 500,000 cars in USA, Taiwan and whereever else due to airbag failure. Please note that people have already died because of that problem. But, mysteriously, the media is quiet about this one. Toyota's problem with accelerator pedal is POTENTIAL. There was no trustworthy report about an accident due to that (except for the story of our felllow forum user above). But honda is not the biggest car manufacturer, they have never been thought to make very reliable cars so there you have it. Almost no coverage, just a simple mention. Like it should be with toyota.

3. Now cars are pushed very fast to the market, just to be ahead of competition. They are not thoroughly tested, they are very complicated and there is always something wrong. In every single one. Think about renault laguna II and megane II when they came out - all the problems with electronic systems making cars unoperable. Citroen C4 picasso likes to run the Battery flat - and since everything is electric (even park brake) try to run it then :) Volvos fail all the time (I had S40 and XC70 so I know).

4. Article by Mr O'Grady. Yup, nothing interesting he wrote. See, the situation OUTSIDE your British Isles is much different. Nobody laugh seriously in the Continental Europe about skoda cars anymore. During the last 10+ years they have managed to come up with a good quality, reliable cars for the fraction price of their German counterparts. Especially in the same company: compare the prices vs. VW, seat (their prices are laughable) and audi but this one is a premium car.

4a. Yes, people used to tell jokes about fiats - but their cars are much better now than 15 years ago (I owned some, so I know what I am writing). About alfa romeo you can still hear this one: "Why every alfa driver greets another one when they pass on the road? Because they see each other every morning at the garage". VW - as its name suggests - was a "people's car". It was a cheap, low quality vehicle. It was for many years considered as the worst of all the german cars - especially in Germany. But now, the tables have turned. They have very good cars (but not without any faults of course) and the opel/vauxhall was the low quality one (they are getting better with the recent models). People still tell jokes about every possible brand and they always will, so what?

4b. Last note to Mr O'Grady. In our part of Europe you can hear jokes about British cars. MG, lotus, rover (especially this one) does not ring a "quality and reliability" bell and never have. You even have a joke about a jag: "Why you need to have 2 jaguar cars: because you have to drive the second one when the first one is getting fixed". Untill VW bought bentley they cars were extremely expensive but the assembly quality was questionalby, to say the least. Every single review described bentley Continental GT as the first "high quality bentley". I believe that even rolls do fail - so what?

If you are all so afraid just sit at home or ride a bike. The chances of getting killed are the same as for driving a "faulty toyota", if not higher.

[Exmeg2]

Toyota informed me by telephone, their website, by letter and via my local dealer that my Auris is within the affected vehicle range to be recalled as a result of reported accelerator pedal problems. Earlier today I handed it over to the dealer and then spent a pleasant half an hour climbing in and out of various new cars in the showroom while I waited for the work to be completed. I was then advised that after the workshop had checked the accelerator pedal it transpired that it was not one of the faulty batch and therefore no action was required. A note to confirm the check was given to me.

In addition to carrying out the pedal check the dealer gave the car a visual safety check followed by a written report. The dealer also removed the drivers non-standard floor mat as a precaution because it did not have any means to prevent it sliding forward.

I am more than satisfied with the actions taken by Toyota as far as my car is concerned and I no longer have any worries about its safety.

[moonstone mart]

Toyota's reputation for reliability is taking such a hammering that when the current crises are over I believe the company will have to make a big and substantive gesture in order to demonstrate that it has confidence in its own products. As a start it should consider giving all owners affected by the recalls and whose cars are still in warranty an extra year,s warranty. For other owners affected whose cars are out of warranty some form of discounted servicing might be appropriate.

Prius brake recall is not going to help their reputation neither. The media are doing their best to make it "first page news"

Its not a recall on the Prius - its just a software improvement done if/when the car is in for service.

Mart.

[Parts-King]

Its not a recall on the Prius - its just a software improvement done if/when the car is in for service.

Mart.

Correct Mart, The Prius brake recall has been downgraded by VOSA from a "safety recall" to a "Service campaign" At no time has anybody been left without brakes, it is a software adjustment to give a different braking feel

Kingo

[balli hi]

If you are all so afraid just sit at home or ride a bike. The chances of getting killed are the same as for driving a "faulty toyota", if not higher.

How comforting !

[Phil0600]

Toyota's reputation for reliability is taking such a hammering that when the current crises are over I believe the company will have to make a big and substantive gesture in order to demonstrate that it has confidence in its own products. As a start it should consider giving all owners affected by the recalls and whose cars are still in warranty an extra year,s warranty. For other owners affected whose cars are out of warranty some form of discounted servicing might be appropriate.

An interesting comment!

But i have to say its a rather odd one to make, will Toyota do such a thing for customers who's cars have NOT caused a problem?

I doubt it, I would not want it nor do I expect them to do so.

Has your car given you cause for concern?

Mine has not, I am still driving the same as before "this terrible" scenario raised its head and am living to tell the tale.

I hear today on the not so national news that HONDA are recalling 400,000 cars due to a fault??????????

Lets see if HONDa get the same "superb" coverage.

I for one am a tad fed up with this thread, its run its course for me.

That's me done guys.

Best wishes

Paul

PS forgot to add, I have had a letter today from Mr T inviting me in to have my car sorted.

I'll see if I can fit in the time over the next month or so cos I am so concerned!

I agree. Over the last week I’ve had three friends and one neighbour all asking me what I think about the problems with Toyota – implying that they thought I’d be very worried and concerned. I assured them that I hadn’t had any problems and would get it checked out in due course. It just shows the power of our media to influence and worry people!

Toyota GB must, at some point in the future, consider seeking some form of legal redress from those in the British media who have sought to exaggerate, sensationalise and dramatise (out of all proportion) what is, after all, a fairly ‘run-of-the-mill’ and ‘precautionary’ re-call. It is a real pity that all other motor manufacturers don’t take a leaf out of Toyota’s book!

Additionally, in the case of the UK, it might have been helpful if the appropriate Government Department had taken the time to establish the relevant facts and to back-up Toyota’s own re-assurances to their “worried” customers – not forgetting their many workers at Burnaston and Deeside!

[Rumbly]

I'm fed up with folk asking if I think my car is safe to drive, of course it is, does'nt worry me in the least, the media coverage this has got is just totally out of proportion, have to say I smell a rat ;) ... how about a lil issue that Ford has ... not heard much about this ...

October 2009 Update: Ford Recalls Another 4.5 million Vehicles Due To Fire Risk

On October 13, 2009, Ford Motor Co. expanded its largest-ever recall by about 4.5 million vehicles equipped with a faulty cruise-control switch linked to at least 550 vehicle fires nationwide, and the destruction of many homes and other properties. Ford has now recalled more than 14 million vehicles in eight separate recalls over a 10-year period because of the problem.

The new recall includes:

1995-2003 model year Ford Windstar

2000-2003 Ford Excursion diesels

1993-1997 and 1999-2003 Ford F-Super Duty diesel

1992-2003 Ford Econoline

1995-2002 Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer

1995-1997 and 2001-2003 Ford Ranger

1994 Ford F53 Motor home vehicles equipped with the Texas Instruments speed control deactivation

* NHTSA Issues Second Recall Notice: On September 9, 2008, the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration recalled millions of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury SUV's pickup trucks, vans and cars. This advisory was the second recall warning this year regarding what NHTSA calls a "defective cruise control switch that could lead to a fire at any time, even while the vehicle is turned off, parked and unattended." Of the 12 million vehicles recalled in the earlier February recall, nearly 5 million still have not been brought in for repair. The agency has received nearly 60 complaints of fires that occurred in the affected vehicles. It is also currently investigating a similar problem in Ford Windstar vans. The agency has received more than 130 complaints of alleged fires in those vehicles.

More HERE

Park one of these in your attached to house garage and it could wipe out you and your whole family while you sleep .. neat eh?

[PADDYLAD]

In answer to your closing comment, I have owned a Renault Scenic previous to my Toyota, and I have got to say Renualts are the biggest pile of steaming brown stuff I have ever had the misfortune of driving. A good driving car, but just a shame that every component was made from sub standard material and felt like it would break after prolonged use. This in conjuction with poor dealerships just makes the experience "UNFORGETABLE". All inherent faults with the car were swept under the carpet until they they were put right at the owners cost or identified by "Watchdog".

In stark contrast to this, I feel Toyota have handled this recall professionally and efficiently and dont deserve the battering they are getting currently. It is only that the cars are normally so reliable that this has made headline news.

[Paul Mack]

In answer to your closing comment, I have owned a Renault Scenic previous to my Toyota, and I have got to say Renualts are the biggest pile of steaming brown stuff I have ever had the misfortune of driving. A good driving car, but just a shame that every component was made from sub standard material and felt like it would break after prolonged use. This in conjuction with poor dealerships just makes the experience "UNFORGETABLE". All inherent faults with the car were swept under the carpet until they they were put right at the owners cost or identified by "Watchdog".

In stark contrast to this, I feel Toyota have handled this recall professionally and efficiently and dont deserve the battering they are getting currently. It is only that the cars are normally so reliable that this has made headline news.

Note from Paddylad says it all.

I rest my case!

Will wash and leather the car Sunday then go out for a nice drive in my TOYOTA!

I promise that's me done with this topic, I am bored now.

Best wishes

Paul

[Rumbly]

Can't help but think a lot of the attention comes from the .. nothing should ever go wrong in this world and if it does somebody needs to be blamed and flogged right now brigade.

In the real world things go wrong, its consequence of existence, no matter how careful you are bad things happen, nobody intented it to happen, nobody went out of their way to make it happen. Spacecraft explode, torpedoes go off inside submarines, aircaraft break and fall out of the sky, pilots make errors and fly into the ground. Humans that design and make stuff make mistakes, humans that operate stuff make mistakes .. you cannot ever be 100% safe .... not ever.

What's important to me is if a manufaturer makes a mistake they stick their hand up and say ... yup we made a mistake and we'll put it right asap. Toyota have done that. We're all human we all make mistakes, IMO what's important is how we deal with these mistakes, and Toyota have behaved honourably by admitting it and getting on with fixing it, so what's the problem?

Drivers also have a responsibility, bearing in mind we all make mistakes it's up to you as a driver to ensure that there is a fair chance you will be able to deal with things going wrong. Anything could go wrong with any vehicle at any time, sometimes it's just not going to be saveable no matter how skilled you are. Other situations will be perfectly saveable if you are reasonably skilled and driving with a proper safety margin. It's up to you to work on your driving skills, the better you get the more situations will be saveable. Its up to you to notice if something reasonably detectable starts to go wrong with your vehicle and do something about it.

I can't help but wonder how many people have noticed a sticky throttle and done nothing about it and continued driving normally without extra safety margins, or having ever investigated & practiced actions to deal with that, then when the accident happens claim it just happened suddenly without any warning and there was nothing could be done?

I've had a throttle stick open on two occasions in my driving carreer. Once in a Jaguar XJ6 auto, dealt with by standing on the brakes really hard and turning off the ignition ... yes I'd already practiced that and can do it without locking the steering. And once on a motorcycle which resulted with me sliding along the road on my backside in a potentially fatal accident, it was down to pure luck that it didn't. That one was entirely my own fault due to lack of proper maintenance, I knew something was wrong and didn't fix it immediately. Had anybody else been involved in the bike accident and suffered injury ... I'd have been to blame, I knew my vehicle was faulty, didn't fix it and continued to drive it .. my fault. But would I ever have admitted that, or have claimed it happen suddenly without warning ... TBH I don't really know the answer to that.

In the real world mistakes get made & bad things happen without any intention on anybodys part. If the mistake is dealt with honourably, IMO Toyota have done so ... get over it and get on with your life.

[boozehound]

i am at toyota now getting the pedal issue sorted out, currently in the waiting area. It doesnt look like im gettin the 15 quids worth of diesel but they are valeting the car for me :D

[Mpatel85]

A bit of perspective into the recall saga and squaring Toyota off against peers:

If you look at the past decade's data on auto recalls, the Japanese big 3 fare much better than their US counterparts, accounting for roughly 20% of recalls in the US as compared with the latter's 80%. Detroit has actually recalled more vehicles than it sold over the last ten years, Toyota (including the latest debacle) has now recalled 55%, Honda 67% and Nissan 108%. On the face of it, Toyota/Honda are streaks the most reliable, but past experience suggests that the maximum impact on an assemblers market share is just 2%, and that has been in very extreme cases like the Ford/Firestone recall after 270 fatalities.

Stats to back up the points made above:

1) In the past 10 years (00-09), the US big 3 accounted for 80% of the 1,100 recalls vs. the Japaneese big 3 at 20%.

2) The frequency of recalls per vehicle is the lowest at Toyota. GM's risk of recall is 2.7x higher than Toyota. (Honda is next best after Toyota).

Name | No of recalls | No of affected vehicles | 00-09 US Sales | % of sold cars recalled

Toyota | 64 | 11.286m | 20.488m | 55%

Nissan | 116 | 9.582m | 8.883m | 108%

Honda | 118 | 9.078m | 13.461m | 67%

Ford | 242 | 44.899m | 41.472m | 106%

GMC | 307 | 44.084m | 29.213m | 151%

Chrysler Group | 232 | 29.705m | 23.585m | 126%

Complaints involving fatalities stand at 0.00036% of Toyota's total sales; but this is DOUBLE at Ford.

Credit to Toyota for stepping up to recall affected vehicles (despite some saying they have known about the problems for some time?). Honda following suit with it's own set of recalls.