plus 3, Consumer Reports pulls 8 Toyota ratings - WZZM 13 |
- Consumer Reports pulls 8 Toyota ratings - WZZM 13
- Local Toyota dealers expect to take a hit from sales halt - Marketplace.publicradio.org
- L.A. says Petersen Automotive Museum owes $121,000 in parking taxes - Los Angeles Times
- What a driver should do if the accelerator sticks in their Toyota - NorthJersey.com
| Consumer Reports pulls 8 Toyota ratings - WZZM 13 Posted: 30 Jan 2010 11:47 AM PST (BY JUSTIN HYDE, FREE PRESS WASHINGTON STAFF) - Toyota will announce plans next week for repairing 2.3 million vehicles under recall for accelerator pedals that could stick, but the timeframe for completing the repairs has yet to be finalized, the company said Friday. The Japanese automaker took another public relations hit when Consumer Reports, one of the most-watched arbiters of automotive quality, pulled its "recommended" ratings from the eight Toyota models whose sales have been halted until Toyota provides a repair. The magazine also advised shoppers to avoid used models under the recall. Toyota was also summoned to a U.S. House Oversight committee hearing next Thursday on the recall. It had already been asked to provide data and testify at a Feb. 25 hearing by a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee headed by Michigan Rep. Bart Stupak after committee staffers explored the issue with Toyota earlier this week and were left with several questions. Combined with a recall of 5.4 million vehicles because of floor mats that could also lead to sudden acceleration, Toyota now has 5.6 million vehicles under recall. The automaker had been working on two possible repairs dealers could perform for the accelerator pedal flaw and had discussed options with federal regulators. CTS, the supplier that made the pedal at the center of the recall, said it is building replacement pedals in its factories. "We will not start recalling and repairing vehicles, but we will be able to tell people what our plans are and a tentative start date for those plans," said Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons. Toyota's European operations said Friday its recall for the same problem would cover up to 1.8 million vehicles, but the automaker did not plan to stop production of the affected models as it had in North America. The six plants where the models are built in the United States and Canada halt production for at least one week starting Monday. Consumer Reports said its yanking of the recommended label was necessary because "our position is that you shouldn't compromise on safety," said Jim Guest, president of Consumers Union, which issues Consumer Reports. The move also applied to the Pontiac Vibe, which Toyota had built for GM until this year. GM said Friday the Vibe was safe to drive and it was waiting for more information from Toyota. Also on Friday, Hyundai and Chrysler joined Ford and General Motors in offering incentives for Toyota owners to buy their vehicles. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Local Toyota dealers expect to take a hit from sales halt - Marketplace.publicradio.org Posted: 27 Jan 2010 09:56 AM PST by Annie Baxter, Minnesota Public Radio St. Paul, Minn. — Toyota's problems with 8 popular models are likely to put a financial squeeze on the car-maker's dealers in Minnesota and the rest of nation. Toyota announced late Tuesday it would halt sales of some of its top-selling models to fix gas pedals that could stick and cause unintended acceleration. Last week, Toyota issued a recall for the same eight models affecting 2.3 million vehicles. The recall and halt in production affect some of Toyota's top-selling cars, such as the Corolla, and the Camry, the most popular car in the U.S. Most affected are 2008 or 2009 models, but older versions of some models are also involved. Cars made in Japan, including the Prius, do not have the problem. Toyota is telling customers it's working quickly to fix the problem and will notify owners once a recall remedy has been put in place. The automaker says that drivers of the recalled cars do not need to do anything yet, unless they experience problems. Meanwhile, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that dealers have a legal obligation not to sell any vehicle identified as defective until the problem is addressed. "They're not happy," said Scott Lambert of the Minnesota Automobile Dealers Association. He said Minnesota is home to 16 dealerships that sell Toyota products. According to Experian Automotive, a research firm, Toyota's share of the Minnesota new auto sales market was about 14 percent in 2009, based on car registrations. Lambert said Toyota dealerships are probably pretty frustrated right now. "They suddenly have a lot of their inventory that is frozen in place right now in a cold Minnesota day," Lambert said. Doug Sprinthall, director of new car operations at Walser Automotive Group, a major Twin Cities Toyota dealer, said Toyota has kept its focus on safety in the whole process and says they followed the proper channels in reporting the gas pedal problem. "It stinks, we're going to lose sales, and it'll be expensive, but really it's an example of the system working properly," Sprinthall said. He said Walser is considering ramping up staffing in its repair shops for car owners affected by the recall. That rush of activity will stand in contrast to the lack of action on the sales lots. "We're not going to be all that busy in the next week or two, but if you take the big picture view, this is all going to get worked out," he said. Michelle Krebs of the car shopping Web site Edmunds.com expects dealers to have a lot of trouble in the short term. "Dealers are not allowed to sell 8 of the best-selling models, including the number one car in the country, the Toyota Camry, so they will be squeezed right off the bat," Krebs said. But Krebs said the long-term effects are harder to gauge. She said a lot depends on brand loyalty, and how well Toyota handles the problems. "Toyota, in its early days of Lexus, had a recall right out of the shoot, and they handled it so well, and treated customers so well, that it actually worked to their advantage," she said. "They pampered the customers." Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons said the automaker's priorities for dealing with the issues follow this order. "We will focus on fixing vehicles owned by our customers, and as time allows and parts allow, we will fix vehicles currently on the dealers lots, so they can be sold, and lastly we can direct any remedy towards production, and that's assuming the production remedy is different from the recall remedy," Lyons said. The company has also created a FAQ page to help customers understand the problem and the recall. Duluth resident Pat Archer will be eager to see how things pan out. She bought a Toyota Corolla in August. She's 75, and doesn't drive much, but she can't do without the car, and that particular model will be subject to a recall. "It's a very nice car, and I really like it, but if there's something wrong, I want to get it fixed," Archer said. She's somewhat concerned about the safety of driving, but she trusts that Toyota will remedy the problem well, and the current problems are not souring her on the Toyota brand, which she's bought before. "My other car I had perfectly wonderful luck with, and I never had any major, major problems with it," she said. But some Twin Cities dealers are counting on customers shopping away from the Toyota brand. Colton Ray is the new car manager at Wayzata Nissan. He says foot traffic has doubled in the past couple of days, and a few customers have cited concerns about Toyota's problems as they turn to Nissan. "We don't wish anything bad on Toyota, but we've definitely captured some business here and converted some loyal Toyota clientele to the Nissan product," Ray said. Ray said in the past couple of days, that's meant two extra sales for him. (MPR's Sunny Thao contributed to this report) Broadcast DatesFive Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| L.A. says Petersen Automotive Museum owes $121,000 in parking taxes - Los Angeles Times Posted: 29 Jan 2010 11:58 PM PST Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Los Angeles Times, 202 West 1st Street, Los Angeles, California, 90012 | Copyright 2010 Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| What a driver should do if the accelerator sticks in their Toyota - NorthJersey.com Posted: 27 Jan 2010 03:46 PM PST Toyota Motor Corp. has stopped selling and building eight models, saying there's a possibility that their accelerator pedals may get stuck in a partially depressed position or return slowly to the idle position. The automaker and experts have advice for drivers if a vehicle's accelerator pedal sticks: Consumer Reports magazine's instructions is simple: First, brake hard. Then put the car in neutral. When you come to a stop, turn off the engine. The engine may keep revving loudly while you try to stop, but don't turn it off if you can avoid it. Turning off the engine means you lose power-assisted steering and brakes, and if you turn the key too far, you could lock the steering wheel. The revving isn't good for the transmission, but that's not important, said John Heywood, director of MIT's Sloan Automotive Lab. Consumer Reports has a video demonstration on its Web site at http://tinyurl.com/yegvesp DON'T PUMP THE BRAKES. PRESS FIRMLY AND STEADILY. Toyota warns that pumping the brake pedal will deplete the vacuum assist, which boosts the braking force using power from the engine. If that's depleted, you'll need to put much stronger pressure on the brake pedal, and it still might not be enough force to stop safely. "If the engine really goes to wide open throttle it's really scary," Heywood said. "You have to jam your foot on the brake really hard." IF ALL ELSE FAILS, TURN OFF THE ENGINE. If you can't put the vehicle in neutral, then turn the engine off. This will not cause loss of steering or braking control, but the power assist to these systems will be lost. Toyota advises: —If the vehicle is equipped with a conventional key-ignition, turn the ignition key to the accessory (ACC) position, but don't remove the key from the ignition, because that will lock the steering wheel.
—If your start your car by pressing a button instead of turning a key, push and hold the start-stop button for at least three seconds to turn off the engine. Do not tap the button. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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