Japanese automaker sounds the alarm
Last November Say Educate reported that the Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) was coming to grips with a problem which revealed that several of its cars were involved in serious accidents due to one or more defects. Those accidents have reportedly killed or injured hundreds of people, leading to ABC News and other media outlets to launch their own investigation.
Defective Accelerators
We followed up that earlier report with news that Toyota would be replacing gas pedals on affected models, recalling millions of cars. But that recall may only be the tip of the iceberg as TMC has now suspended the sale of eight of its models. What is more, the eight affected car lines account for 57 percent of Toyota’s sales which means that until a solution is found, then Toyota sales will grind to a slow crawl.
TMC has yet to announce how they will handle a recall which may replace floor mats, gas pedals, or both on certain cars. Indeed, reports this week in Thursday’s edition of The Wall Street Journal indicate that current owners do not know what to do with some people choosing to keep their cars off the road until Toyota offers clarification.
Eight Toyotas
The affected models being recalled and part of the stop sale initative include:
- 2009-2010 RAV4
- 2009-2010 Corolla
- 2009-2010 Matrix
- 2005-2010 Avalon
- Certain 2007-2010 Camry
- 2010 Highlander except hybrid models
- 2007-2010 Tundra
- 2008-2010 Sequoia
Unaffected Models
TMC was quick to point out that no vehicles sold under its two other brands, Lexus and Scion, are affected. Nor are other Toyota models including the Tacoma, Yaris, certain Camrys, Venza, 4Runner, Land Cruiser, FJ Cruiser, Sienna, Solara, and Prius. If you plan to shop for a car this weekend at your Toyota dealership, you may see signs in place on affected models saying “no sale” or “currently unavailable” while unaffected models will still be marketed.
In addition to sales being stopped for a time, Automotive News reports that TMC will be shutting down five North American factories which produce these vehicles until further notice. At the moment, TMC does not have a solution in place which means your dealership is not in the position to handle recall related repairs. If you own an affected model, you will receive notification over the coming weeks on what steps you should take.
The recall comes just as Toyota begins to recover from an industry wide drop in sales last year and its first yearly loss ever. TMC’s fiscal year ends on March 31, with another multi-billion dollar loss expected.
Source: Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc.
Photo Credit: Wikipedia file photo
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