Answers to Questions About Prius and the Toyota Recalls
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By MICHELINE MAYNARD
Published: February 4, 2010
Here are some answers to question about the recent problems at Toyota:
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U.S. Starts Inquiry Into Brake Problems on Prius (February 5, 2010)
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Q. What is the problem that led to the Prius investigations?
A. The investigations focus on a new version of the antilock brake systems on the 2010 Prius, which was introduced in Japan and the United States last spring. There have been 124 reports of problems in the United States, and 77 reports in Japan. The problem does not appear to affect earlier versions of the Prius because the brakes were redesigned for the 2010 model.
In a statement, Toyota said, "Some customers have complained of inconsistent brake feel during slow and steady application of brakes on rough or slick road surfaces when the antilock brake system (ABS) is activated in an effort to maintain tire traction. The system, in normal operation, engages and disengages rapidly (many times per second) as the control system senses and reacts to tire slippage."
Owners are reporting that the brakes fail to work immediately when the car is on a bumpy or slippery surface, or when it drives over potholes. Toyota said Thursday that it had already identified the cause of the problem and corrected it on cars built since January. Nikkei, a Japanese news service, said Toyota planned to recall 270,000 cars in the United States and Japan, but there has been no announcement yet from Toyota.
Q. What is the latest on the cars involved in the two big recalls that Toyota has announced?
A. Toyota is beginning to send letters to consumers who are involved in the recall for sticking gas pedals. It is asking owners to wait until they receive a notification letter before making an appointment at their dealerships.
In the floor mat recall, Toyota has begun issuing notices to owners of the Lexus ES 350, IS 250 and IS 350, as well as the Toyota Camry and Avalon.
Q. Which vehicles are involved in the recalls?
A. The sticking pedal recall involves Toyota division vehicles, including all 2009-10 Matrixes, 2005-10 Avalons, 2007-10 Tundras and 2008-10 Sequoia vehicles. Some 2009-10 RAV4s and Corollas, 2007-10 Camrys and 2010 Highlanders models are involved.
No Lexus or Scion vehicles are involved, and the Prius, Tacoma, Sienna, Venza, Solaris, Yaris, 4Runner, FJ Cruiser, Land Cruiser, Highlander hybrid and the Camry hybrid are not involved. Also, Camry, RAV4, Corolla and Highlander vehicles with Vehicle Identification Numbers, or V.I.N., that begin with "J," meaning that they are built in Japan, are not affected by the accelerator pedal recall.
The floor mat recall involves the 2007-10 Camry, Tundra and ES 350; 2005-10 Avalon; 2004-09 Prius; 2005-10 Tacoma; 2006-10 IS 250 and IS 350; 2008-10 Highlander; and 2009-10 Venza and Matrix.
Q. What kind of repairs will Toyota make?
A. For the sticking pedal recall, Toyota will install a stainless steel reinforcement bar, like a shim, into the pedal assembly. It is designed to keep the pedal from sticking and will assure that it returns into place. The company says drivers will not notice any different feel to the accelerator pedals.
For the floor mat recall, Toyota has asked owners to remove their mats and not replace them. It plans to reconfigure the accelerator pedal so that it cannot get caught on the floor mats. On Camry, ES 350 and Avalon, Toyota also will reshape the floor beneath the pedals.
The company will install a brake override system on the affected Camry, Avalon, and Lexus ES 350, IS 350 and IS 250. This system cuts engine power in case the accelerator and brake pedals are applied at the same time. The system already exists on the Prius and other hybrids.
Q. I've been reading reports about the defects, and I think I might have a problem with my car. What should I do?
A. Contact your dealer, contact the car company and file a complaint with the Office of Defects Investigation at N.H.T.S.A. Instructions can be found at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/. In filing your complaint, be as specific as possible about any incidents in which your car was involved. Complaints to the government are added to the public files on each car model, which also can be viewed at the agency's Web site.
EU investiga falla en el Prius de Toyota
Autoridades iniciaron una averiguación por problemas en el freno del auto híbrido de Toyota; las fallas del Prius son aparte de los 8 modelos retirados del mercado por la automotriz japonesa.
VIDEO
EU ha registrado 124 reportes de conductores que tienen problemas con los frenos del Prius. (Foto: Reuters)
ARTÍCULOS RELACIONADOS
Toyota prevé impacto de 2,000 mdd
Expertos consideran que la revisión de los autos implica un golpe letal a la automotriz japonesa.
Honda, preocupada por el efecto Toyota
La empresa dijo que el retiro de autos de su rival podría afectar a otras marcas japonesas.
Toyota revisaría 30,000 autos en México
Los modelos RAV4, Matrix, Camry, Highlander, Tundra, Sequoia y Corolla serían los afectados.
Toyota, en más problemas por el Prius
En Estados Unidos se han presentado más de 100 quejas por los frenos del automóvil híbrido.
ENFOQUE 5 razones para usar autos híbridos
En los próximos años la tendencia de las automotrices acelerará hacia la combinación de tecnologías.
Por: Chris Isidore
NUEVA YORK — La Administración Nacional de Seguridad de Tráfico en Carreteras de Estados Unidos (NHTSA, por sus siglas en inglés) anunció hoy que iniciaba una investigación formal en torno a los problemas del sistema de frenado del híbrido Prius de Toyota.
La automotriz aún está por anunciar la retirada de los vehículos, el cuarto modelo que más vende en EU y el más vendido en Japón; pero admitió que un fallo en el software es el causante del problema. Asimismo aseguró que buscaba la mejor manera de repararlo.
El Prius, que se fabrica en Japón, no forma parte de los ocho modelos retirados recientemente del mercado por problemas en el pedal del acelerador; estos modelos se fabrican en plantas norteamericanas.
La NHTSA informó que su Oficina de Investigación de Defectos había recibido 124 reportes de conductores que habían tenido problemas con los frenos del Prius, 4 de esos reportes afirmaban haber terminado en choque. Los investigadores han hablado ya con los consumidores y realizaron trabajo de campo preliminar.
Por otro lado, el secretario del Departamento de Transporte estadounidense, Ray LaHood , dialogó el miércoles con Akio Toyoda, presidente de Toyota, quien le aseguró que la automotriz tomaba muy en serio las inquietudes relativas a la seguridad y ésta estaba entre las prioridades de la empresa.
Autoridades iniciaron una averiguación por problemas en el freno del auto híbrido de Toyota; las fallas del Prius son aparte de los 8 modelos retirados del mercado por la automotriz japonesa.
VIDEO
EU ha registrado 124 reportes de conductores que tienen problemas con los frenos del Prius. (Foto: Reuters)
ARTÍCULOS RELACIONADOS
Toyota prevé impacto de 2,000 mdd
Expertos consideran que la revisión de los autos implica un golpe letal a la automotriz japonesa.
Honda, preocupada por el efecto Toyota
La empresa dijo que el retiro de autos de su rival podría afectar a otras marcas japonesas.
Toyota revisaría 30,000 autos en México
Los modelos RAV4, Matrix, Camry, Highlander, Tundra, Sequoia y Corolla serían los afectados.
Toyota, en más problemas por el Prius
En Estados Unidos se han presentado más de 100 quejas por los frenos del automóvil híbrido.
ENFOQUE 5 razones para usar autos híbridos
En los próximos años la tendencia de las automotrices acelerará hacia la combinación de tecnologías.
Por: Chris Isidore
NUEVA YORK — La Administración Nacional de Seguridad de Tráfico en Carreteras de Estados Unidos (NHTSA, por sus siglas en inglés) anunció hoy que iniciaba una investigación formal en torno a los problemas del sistema de frenado del híbrido Prius de Toyota.
La automotriz aún está por anunciar la retirada de los vehículos, el cuarto modelo que más vende en EU y el más vendido en Japón; pero admitió que un fallo en el software es el causante del problema. Asimismo aseguró que buscaba la mejor manera de repararlo.
El Prius, que se fabrica en Japón, no forma parte de los ocho modelos retirados recientemente del mercado por problemas en el pedal del acelerador; estos modelos se fabrican en plantas norteamericanas.
La NHTSA informó que su Oficina de Investigación de Defectos había recibido 124 reportes de conductores que habían tenido problemas con los frenos del Prius, 4 de esos reportes afirmaban haber terminado en choque. Los investigadores han hablado ya con los consumidores y realizaron trabajo de campo preliminar.
Por otro lado, el secretario del Departamento de Transporte estadounidense, Ray LaHood , dialogó el miércoles con Akio Toyoda, presidente de Toyota, quien le aseguró que la automotriz tomaba muy en serio las inquietudes relativas a la seguridad y ésta estaba entre las prioridades de la empresa.
Toyota retirará 30.000 autos en México
Redacción
BBC Mundo
Los modelos de Toyota que deben ser revisados en Estados Unidos son ocho y en México siete.
Toyota pedirá el retiro de circulación de unos 30.000 vehículos en México con el fin de ajustar el pedal del acelerador en siete de sus modelos, informó este miércoles el director de ventas en ese país, Adolfo Hegewisch, en medio de un llamado a revisión en el mundo por desperfectos.
El ejecutivo aclaró que no se ha reportado ningún problema específico en el país y que no está en riesgo la vida de ningún cliente, sino que la compañía está actuando en coordinación con la autoridades.
Los clientes mexicanos serán informados del retiro a partir del 8 de febrero, cuando las partes lleguen al país y los vehículos sean seleccionados de acuerdo a su fecha de fabricación y al número de lote.
El director indicó que los dueños que estén preocupados por la seguridad de su auto recibirán una instalación gratis de una pieza de alta precisión en el acelerador.
Los modelos que serán llamados a revisar en México son: Radford, Matrix, Camry, Highlander, Tundra, Sequoia y Corolla, fabricados entre 2007 y 2010.
Toyota vendió casi 52.000 autos en 2009 en México, según cifras de la compañía.
Impacto en EE.UU.
Horas antes, el secretario de Transporte de Estados Unidos, Ray LaHood, emitió un comunicado en el que le pidió a los dueños de cualquier modelo de la automotriz Toyota que esté llamado a revisión que contacten a sus concesionarios para que estos lo arreglen lo antes posible, rectificando una declaración anterior.
NHTSA (la Agencia Nacional de Seguridad en la Carretera) seguirá presionando a Toyota para asegurar que están haciendo todo lo que han prometido para que sus vehículos sean seguros. Seguiremos investigando todas las posibles causas de estos problemas de seguridad
Ray LaHood, secretario de Transporte de EE.UU.
En un principio, LaHood declaró ante un comité del Congreso que su consejo es que "si alguien posee uno de estos vehículos, deje de conducirlo y lo lleve a un concesionario de Toyota".
Tras conocerse las primeras palabras del secretario de Transporte, las acciones de Toyota en la Bolsa de Nueva York registraron una caída de más del 7%.
Poco después LaHood se vio obligado a rectificar sus palabras.
"Lo que dije fue claramente un error", explicó LaHood en declaraciones a los medios de comunicación.
"NHTSA (la Agencia Nacional de Seguridad en la Carretera) seguirá presionando a Toyota para asegurar que están haciendo todo lo que han prometido para que sus vehículos sean seguros. Seguiremos investigando todas las posibles causas de estos problemas de seguridad", añadió LaHood.
Llamado a revisión
Al tiempo de estas declaraciones, el servicio de atención al cliente de la firma en EE.UU. seguía contactando a propietarios de esa marca para que lleven su vehículo al concesionario para ser reparado.
Toyota aconsejó no conducir el auto si ya tuvo algún problema.
Un portavoz de Toyota le dijo a BBC Mundo que los dueños de algunos de los modelos llamados a revisión pueden llevar su vehículo al concesionario conduciendo, siempre y cuando no hayan experimentado un problema hasta el momento.
Mientras que aquellos que ya han tenido algún problema o sienten que lo pueden tener, no deben manejarlo, sino llamar a su concesionario para que lo recoja y lo arregle.
Su explicación es que se trata de un problema que toma cierto tiempo en desarrollarse, "no es algo que aparecerá de un día para otro".
Toyota lleva retirados en EE.UU. más de dos millones de autos de ocho de sus modelos más populares, entre ellos el Camry, Corolla y Rav4, y un total mundial de más de ocho millones.
Mientras que las ventas mensuales de Toyota cayeron un 16% y su participación en el mercado estadounidense está en su nivel más bajo desde enero de 2006, siendo superado por Ford Motor General Motors.
Además, las ventas mensuales de esta compañía japonesa en EE.UU. cayeron por debajo los 100.000 vehículos por primera vez en más de una década.
Prius
Por otro lado, Toyota también está lidiando con quejas recibidas en Norte América y Japón acerca del pedal de freno en su modelo híbrido Prius, e informó que lo está investigando.
El Prius tiene problemas en el freno y no en el acelerador.
Prius no está implicado en la revisión por problemas en el acelerador.
El Departamento de Transporte de Estados Unidos indicó que recibió 100 reportes de fallas en los frenos del Prius, mientras que en Japón se reportaron 14 casos.
Tres conductores alegaron que dicho problema resultó en accidentes con heridos.
La automotriz japonesa, la más grande del mundo, está afrontando críticas de que no ha hecho lo suficiente para que sus vehículos sean seguros.
La retirada masiva de autos le puede costar a la firma hasta unos US$2.000 millones en ventas y en pérdida de producción, así como una caída en los pronósticos para 2010.
Redacción
BBC Mundo
Los modelos de Toyota que deben ser revisados en Estados Unidos son ocho y en México siete.
Toyota pedirá el retiro de circulación de unos 30.000 vehículos en México con el fin de ajustar el pedal del acelerador en siete de sus modelos, informó este miércoles el director de ventas en ese país, Adolfo Hegewisch, en medio de un llamado a revisión en el mundo por desperfectos.
El ejecutivo aclaró que no se ha reportado ningún problema específico en el país y que no está en riesgo la vida de ningún cliente, sino que la compañía está actuando en coordinación con la autoridades.
Los clientes mexicanos serán informados del retiro a partir del 8 de febrero, cuando las partes lleguen al país y los vehículos sean seleccionados de acuerdo a su fecha de fabricación y al número de lote.
El director indicó que los dueños que estén preocupados por la seguridad de su auto recibirán una instalación gratis de una pieza de alta precisión en el acelerador.
Los modelos que serán llamados a revisar en México son: Radford, Matrix, Camry, Highlander, Tundra, Sequoia y Corolla, fabricados entre 2007 y 2010.
Toyota vendió casi 52.000 autos en 2009 en México, según cifras de la compañía.
Impacto en EE.UU.
Horas antes, el secretario de Transporte de Estados Unidos, Ray LaHood, emitió un comunicado en el que le pidió a los dueños de cualquier modelo de la automotriz Toyota que esté llamado a revisión que contacten a sus concesionarios para que estos lo arreglen lo antes posible, rectificando una declaración anterior.
NHTSA (la Agencia Nacional de Seguridad en la Carretera) seguirá presionando a Toyota para asegurar que están haciendo todo lo que han prometido para que sus vehículos sean seguros. Seguiremos investigando todas las posibles causas de estos problemas de seguridad
Ray LaHood, secretario de Transporte de EE.UU.
En un principio, LaHood declaró ante un comité del Congreso que su consejo es que "si alguien posee uno de estos vehículos, deje de conducirlo y lo lleve a un concesionario de Toyota".
Tras conocerse las primeras palabras del secretario de Transporte, las acciones de Toyota en la Bolsa de Nueva York registraron una caída de más del 7%.
Poco después LaHood se vio obligado a rectificar sus palabras.
"Lo que dije fue claramente un error", explicó LaHood en declaraciones a los medios de comunicación.
"NHTSA (la Agencia Nacional de Seguridad en la Carretera) seguirá presionando a Toyota para asegurar que están haciendo todo lo que han prometido para que sus vehículos sean seguros. Seguiremos investigando todas las posibles causas de estos problemas de seguridad", añadió LaHood.
Llamado a revisión
Al tiempo de estas declaraciones, el servicio de atención al cliente de la firma en EE.UU. seguía contactando a propietarios de esa marca para que lleven su vehículo al concesionario para ser reparado.
Toyota aconsejó no conducir el auto si ya tuvo algún problema.
Un portavoz de Toyota le dijo a BBC Mundo que los dueños de algunos de los modelos llamados a revisión pueden llevar su vehículo al concesionario conduciendo, siempre y cuando no hayan experimentado un problema hasta el momento.
Mientras que aquellos que ya han tenido algún problema o sienten que lo pueden tener, no deben manejarlo, sino llamar a su concesionario para que lo recoja y lo arregle.
Su explicación es que se trata de un problema que toma cierto tiempo en desarrollarse, "no es algo que aparecerá de un día para otro".
Toyota lleva retirados en EE.UU. más de dos millones de autos de ocho de sus modelos más populares, entre ellos el Camry, Corolla y Rav4, y un total mundial de más de ocho millones.
Mientras que las ventas mensuales de Toyota cayeron un 16% y su participación en el mercado estadounidense está en su nivel más bajo desde enero de 2006, siendo superado por Ford Motor General Motors.
Además, las ventas mensuales de esta compañía japonesa en EE.UU. cayeron por debajo los 100.000 vehículos por primera vez en más de una década.
Prius
Por otro lado, Toyota también está lidiando con quejas recibidas en Norte América y Japón acerca del pedal de freno en su modelo híbrido Prius, e informó que lo está investigando.
El Prius tiene problemas en el freno y no en el acelerador.
Prius no está implicado en la revisión por problemas en el acelerador.
El Departamento de Transporte de Estados Unidos indicó que recibió 100 reportes de fallas en los frenos del Prius, mientras que en Japón se reportaron 14 casos.
Tres conductores alegaron que dicho problema resultó en accidentes con heridos.
La automotriz japonesa, la más grande del mundo, está afrontando críticas de que no ha hecho lo suficiente para que sus vehículos sean seguros.
La retirada masiva de autos le puede costar a la firma hasta unos US$2.000 millones en ventas y en pérdida de producción, así como una caída en los pronósticos para 2010.
Prius Adds to Toyota's Woes as Stock Drops in Tokyo
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By MICHELINE MAYNARD
Published: February 3, 2010
The hybrid-electric Prius has long been Toyota's "green car," the symbol of the automaker's engineering prowess and its big bet on the kind of car consumers will want to buy for decades to come.
Enlarge This Image
Jim Wilson/The New York Times
A new Toyota dealership in Oakland, Calif., is dealing with customers' concerns about recalls.
Multimedia
Video
LaHood Criticizes Toyota
Micheline Maynard on the Latest Troubles for Toyota
Related
LaHood Backtracks on 'Stop Driving It' (February 4, 2010)
(February 5, 2010)
In a Prius Preserve, Shaken Fans (February 4, 2010)
Wheels: Apple Co-Founder: My Prius Has a Problem, Too
Add to Portfolio
Toyota Motor Corp
Go to your Portfolio »
Enlarge This Image
Alex Wong/Getty Images
Secretary Ray LaHood facing questions about Toyota after a Wednesday appearance before a House subcommittee.
But on Wednesday, the Prius was drawn into the mounting crisis for Toyota, as Japanese officials ordered the company to investigate problems with the brakes on the 2010 model. American safety officials also said they had received dozens of similar complaints.
The problems seemed to weigh on the company's stock as markets opened in Asia Thursday morning, with Toyota down nearly 5 percent in early trading in Tokyo.
The new questions surrounding the Prius raise doubts about a different problem in a model that was not part of the recent global recalls of more than nine million vehicles.
"Prius is the gold standard," said Brian Johnson, the senior global auto industry analyst with Barclays Capital in Chicago.
"We know Toyota puts its best engineering and its best talent into that car," added Mr. Johnson, a Prius owner whose wife and mother-in-law also drive Priuses. "This hits at its flagship."
Adding to its woes, the transportation secretary, Ray LaHood, said Wednesday that owners of recalled Toyotas should stop driving their vehicles, though he quickly backtracked on the comments.
More questions are being raised about other models as well.
On Wednesday, Representative Edolphus Towns, Democrat of New York and chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, asked the president of Toyota's North American operations, Yoshimi Inaba, for more information about the small Tacoma pickup.
Mr. Inaba is scheduled to testify next week before the committee, which will hold the first of two Congressional hearings on the Toyota recalls.
The Tacoma, built in the United States, was involved in a recall for problems with floor mats but was not included in the second recall, over sticking accelerator pedals. Even so, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received more than 170 complaints about unintended acceleration on 2006-10 Tacoma trucks. Mr. Towns, in a letter, asked why the Tacoma had not been included in the second recall.
The reason, Toyota said Wednesday, is that Denso, a Japanese supplier, makes the Tacoma's pedals, and they are not part of the sticking-pedal recall. The recalled models have pedals from an American supplier.
"Even if five years from now this is all a statistic fluke for Toyota, while the narrative plays out, you will see consumer anxiety," said Mr. Johnson, the Barclays analyst.
Toyota has sold 1.2 million Priuses worldwide since 1997, about half in the United States. Last year, it was Toyota's third-best-selling American car, behind the Camry and the Corolla.
Earlier Prius models were involved in the recalls, in which buyers were advised to remove floor mats so they would not block accelerator pedals.
But the 2010 model avoided that recall, and no Prius models have been part of Toyota's recall for sticking pedals. Like the Tacoma, they are equipped with pedals from the Japanese supplier.
Toyota received thousands of advance orders for the new Prius went it went on sale in Japan last May. Federal safety officials there received their first complaint about brakes on the car two months later.
The company said Thursday that it had received 77 reports of braking problems related to the newest Prius model.
At least 14 cases have been reported to the government, Japan's Transport Ministry said, with drivers complaining of brakes momentarily failing at low speeds, especially on slippery surfaces. The ministry said that its request to Toyota to investigate the Prius brakes was routine.
In addition, in the United States, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported at least 136 complaints involving the brakes on the 2010 Prius.
Four of the American cases involved a crash, and two of those resulted in injuries, according to the agency's database.
Many of the complaints are from drivers who say their vehicles surged forward or temporarily lost braking after driving over a pothole or another uneven surface. Many say it is a recurring problem.
There are almost no similar complaints about braking for earlier models of the Prius, including the 2004-9 versions that were included in the floor mat recall, although the safety agency has held two other defect investigations on the Prius, over stalled engines and headlights.
comments
Sign In to E-Mail
Single Page
Reprints
Share
By MICHELINE MAYNARD
Published: February 3, 2010
The hybrid-electric Prius has long been Toyota's "green car," the symbol of the automaker's engineering prowess and its big bet on the kind of car consumers will want to buy for decades to come.
Enlarge This Image
Jim Wilson/The New York Times
A new Toyota dealership in Oakland, Calif., is dealing with customers' concerns about recalls.
Multimedia
Video
LaHood Criticizes Toyota
Micheline Maynard on the Latest Troubles for Toyota
Related
LaHood Backtracks on 'Stop Driving It' (February 4, 2010)
(February 5, 2010)
In a Prius Preserve, Shaken Fans (February 4, 2010)
Wheels: Apple Co-Founder: My Prius Has a Problem, Too
Add to Portfolio
Toyota Motor Corp
Go to your Portfolio »
Enlarge This Image
Alex Wong/Getty Images
Secretary Ray LaHood facing questions about Toyota after a Wednesday appearance before a House subcommittee.
But on Wednesday, the Prius was drawn into the mounting crisis for Toyota, as Japanese officials ordered the company to investigate problems with the brakes on the 2010 model. American safety officials also said they had received dozens of similar complaints.
The problems seemed to weigh on the company's stock as markets opened in Asia Thursday morning, with Toyota down nearly 5 percent in early trading in Tokyo.
The new questions surrounding the Prius raise doubts about a different problem in a model that was not part of the recent global recalls of more than nine million vehicles.
"Prius is the gold standard," said Brian Johnson, the senior global auto industry analyst with Barclays Capital in Chicago.
"We know Toyota puts its best engineering and its best talent into that car," added Mr. Johnson, a Prius owner whose wife and mother-in-law also drive Priuses. "This hits at its flagship."
Adding to its woes, the transportation secretary, Ray LaHood, said Wednesday that owners of recalled Toyotas should stop driving their vehicles, though he quickly backtracked on the comments.
More questions are being raised about other models as well.
On Wednesday, Representative Edolphus Towns, Democrat of New York and chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, asked the president of Toyota's North American operations, Yoshimi Inaba, for more information about the small Tacoma pickup.
Mr. Inaba is scheduled to testify next week before the committee, which will hold the first of two Congressional hearings on the Toyota recalls.
The Tacoma, built in the United States, was involved in a recall for problems with floor mats but was not included in the second recall, over sticking accelerator pedals. Even so, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received more than 170 complaints about unintended acceleration on 2006-10 Tacoma trucks. Mr. Towns, in a letter, asked why the Tacoma had not been included in the second recall.
The reason, Toyota said Wednesday, is that Denso, a Japanese supplier, makes the Tacoma's pedals, and they are not part of the sticking-pedal recall. The recalled models have pedals from an American supplier.
"Even if five years from now this is all a statistic fluke for Toyota, while the narrative plays out, you will see consumer anxiety," said Mr. Johnson, the Barclays analyst.
Toyota has sold 1.2 million Priuses worldwide since 1997, about half in the United States. Last year, it was Toyota's third-best-selling American car, behind the Camry and the Corolla.
Earlier Prius models were involved in the recalls, in which buyers were advised to remove floor mats so they would not block accelerator pedals.
But the 2010 model avoided that recall, and no Prius models have been part of Toyota's recall for sticking pedals. Like the Tacoma, they are equipped with pedals from the Japanese supplier.
Toyota received thousands of advance orders for the new Prius went it went on sale in Japan last May. Federal safety officials there received their first complaint about brakes on the car two months later.
The company said Thursday that it had received 77 reports of braking problems related to the newest Prius model.
At least 14 cases have been reported to the government, Japan's Transport Ministry said, with drivers complaining of brakes momentarily failing at low speeds, especially on slippery surfaces. The ministry said that its request to Toyota to investigate the Prius brakes was routine.
In addition, in the United States, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported at least 136 complaints involving the brakes on the 2010 Prius.
Four of the American cases involved a crash, and two of those resulted in injuries, according to the agency's database.
Many of the complaints are from drivers who say their vehicles surged forward or temporarily lost braking after driving over a pothole or another uneven surface. Many say it is a recurring problem.
There are almost no similar complaints about braking for earlier models of the Prius, including the 2004-9 versions that were included in the floor mat recall, although the safety agency has held two other defect investigations on the Prius, over stalled engines and headlights.
However, there are more than 100 complaints about 2004-9 Prius models accelerating suddenly, some leading to minor crashes. In one case, a 2007 Prius drove over the edge of a retaining wall in Seattle.
Multimedia
Video
LaHood Criticizes Toyota
Micheline Maynard on the Latest Troubles for Toyota
Related
LaHood Backtracks on 'Stop Driving It' (February 4, 2010)
(February 5, 2010)
In a Prius Preserve, Shaken Fans (February 4, 2010)
Wheels: Apple Co-Founder: My Prius Has a Problem, Too
Add to Portfolio
Toyota Motor Corp
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In some of the more recent instances, drivers specifically insisted that the pedal was not caught under the floor mat.
To be sure, virtually every vehicle sold in America is the subject of complaints; the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration hears from 30,000 consumers each year. But complaints about Toyotas are being scrutinized more closely in light of the recalls.
John Hanson, a Toyota spokesman, said the company was looking into the reports but had not received word of an investigation by federal regulators.
"We're trying to figure out if there's a trend," he said. "A report is just that, a report. There are many reports we can't explain."
The 2010 Prius has a new type of regenerative brake system different from the ones used in previous years' models. With regenerative braking, energy from the wheels is used to help recharge the car's battery.
However, the Prius and other hybrid models also rely on complex electronic systems that combine regenerative braking with conventional brake pads, so that the battery can absorb as much energy as possible while the pads do most of the work of stopping the car.
Given the Toyota recalls, questions have come from many quarters about those electronic systems. The company has emphatically denied that electronic systems are responsible for complaints of stuck pedals on eight other models, which do not include the Prius.
On Wednesday, Mr. Towns asked Mr. Inaba of Toyota to provide the House committee with information about the electronic systems, which the owners of a number of Tacoma models mentioned in their complaints to the safety agency. Mr. LaHood also said his department was examining Toyota's electronics but declined to be more specific.
Some of the Tacoma owners wrote to the agency after Toyota's floor mat recall last fall, saying that was not the reason for problems with their cars. One owner wrote of an incident that left rubber burn marks in the parking lot of a Starbucks.
"This can't be a floor mat problem unless the floor mats are alive," wrote the unnamed owner of a 2008 Tacoma.
James Bell, executive market analyst at Kelley Blue Book, which tracks used-car values, said the Prius questions were making it that much harder for Toyota to put an end to its crisis.
"It just really is kind of cementing in a lot of public perception and sentiment that this story is just going to have a new chapter every day," he said.
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In some of the more recent instances, drivers specifically insisted that the pedal was not caught under the floor mat.
To be sure, virtually every vehicle sold in America is the subject of complaints; the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration hears from 30,000 consumers each year. But complaints about Toyotas are being scrutinized more closely in light of the recalls.
John Hanson, a Toyota spokesman, said the company was looking into the reports but had not received word of an investigation by federal regulators.
"We're trying to figure out if there's a trend," he said. "A report is just that, a report. There are many reports we can't explain."
The 2010 Prius has a new type of regenerative brake system different from the ones used in previous years' models. With regenerative braking, energy from the wheels is used to help recharge the car's battery.
However, the Prius and other hybrid models also rely on complex electronic systems that combine regenerative braking with conventional brake pads, so that the battery can absorb as much energy as possible while the pads do most of the work of stopping the car.
Given the Toyota recalls, questions have come from many quarters about those electronic systems. The company has emphatically denied that electronic systems are responsible for complaints of stuck pedals on eight other models, which do not include the Prius.
On Wednesday, Mr. Towns asked Mr. Inaba of Toyota to provide the House committee with information about the electronic systems, which the owners of a number of Tacoma models mentioned in their complaints to the safety agency. Mr. LaHood also said his department was examining Toyota's electronics but declined to be more specific.
Some of the Tacoma owners wrote to the agency after Toyota's floor mat recall last fall, saying that was not the reason for problems with their cars. One owner wrote of an incident that left rubber burn marks in the parking lot of a Starbucks.
"This can't be a floor mat problem unless the floor mats are alive," wrote the unnamed owner of a 2008 Tacoma.
James Bell, executive market analyst at Kelley Blue Book, which tracks used-car values, said the Prius questions were making it that much harder for Toyota to put an end to its crisis.
"It just really is kind of cementing in a lot of public perception and sentiment that this story is just going to have a new chapter every day," he said.
Behind Toyota's Recall: Focusing More on Quantity than Quality
By Bill Saporito Thursday, Feb. 04, 2010
Toyota Camrys and Avalons at a manufacturing plant in Georgetown, Ky.
John Sommers II / Reuters
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Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told a congressional panel on Wednesday morning that people should stop driving their Toyotas, then later toned down his comment to a repair advisory. Maybe it's just Washington's new toughness in dealing with Big Business, but LaHood's shot was clearly a sign that respect for the king of cars is no longer in effect.
(Comment on this story.)
The damage done to Toyota by its recall of more than 5.3 million autos is clearly accumulating: U.S. sales dropped 16% in January, and the company's stock surrendered $21 billion in value in a single week. The latest development is the automaker's admitting to design problems with the brakes in its prized Prius. The Department of Transportation is threatening the company with fines for being slow to react to the problems — a pair of faults that can cause sudden, dangerous acceleration — though the DOT itself is being criticized for the same reason. Lawyers, who are never slow to react, are swarming. One class action alleges that jammed accelerators in Toyotas have caused 16 deaths and 243 injuries. Customers who once wouldn't think about looking at another brand now have reason to.
(See the 50 worst cars of all time.)
Toyota has now made two recalls in the U.S. The first, involving 4.9 million cars, was triggered by a problematic floor mat that could come loose and jam the gas pedal open. The second, of 2.3 million vehicles on Jan. 21, concerned a problem with the gas-pedal mechanism itself. Toyota told drivers to remove the floor mats; its fix for the sticky pedal requires a free 30-min. shop repair. The DOT has urged owners of the 11 recalled models to use caution and get to a dealer. Still unknown: whether an electronic problem is also a culprit in sudden acceleration. Toyota says it isn't.
The parable of Toyota may be that the tortoise became the hare. Over decades, Toyota built its reputation and market share in tiny increments through its renowned "continuous improvement" method. In the Toyota mantra, quality was always first, because it led to lower costs, which would eventually lead to higher market share. Eventually.
(See the top 10 product recalls.)
But in the '90s, Toyota set out to become the world's top auto company. Being the best and being the biggest created a tension that Toyota couldn't resolve, says MIT operations expert Steven Spear: "If quality is first, it drives a certain set of behaviors. If market share is the goal, it drives a different set of behaviors." Even as Toyota was catching up to the global No. 1, General Motors, the reputation of its cars was slipping. Spear, who has apprenticed in Toyota factories, says the problem was that the "Toyota way" — in which knowledge accumulated by élite cadres of engineers and assembly workers over many years is shared across the company — was diluted by the demands of production. "Even in the late '90s, people in Toyota would say, 'This is going to bite us in the ass,' " says Spear. "They just didn't know when."
Now they do. "We have to strengthen quality control," says Shinichi Sasaki, executive vice president for quality. It's a startling admission from a company that made reliability its quest. Toyota will fix its manufacturing problem. Restoring its reputation is going to take a lot longer.
By Bill Saporito Thursday, Feb. 04, 2010
Toyota Camrys and Avalons at a manufacturing plant in Georgetown, Ky.
John Sommers II / Reuters
Comment
Digg
MORE
36
Share
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told a congressional panel on Wednesday morning that people should stop driving their Toyotas, then later toned down his comment to a repair advisory. Maybe it's just Washington's new toughness in dealing with Big Business, but LaHood's shot was clearly a sign that respect for the king of cars is no longer in effect.
(Comment on this story.)
The damage done to Toyota by its recall of more than 5.3 million autos is clearly accumulating: U.S. sales dropped 16% in January, and the company's stock surrendered $21 billion in value in a single week. The latest development is the automaker's admitting to design problems with the brakes in its prized Prius. The Department of Transportation is threatening the company with fines for being slow to react to the problems — a pair of faults that can cause sudden, dangerous acceleration — though the DOT itself is being criticized for the same reason. Lawyers, who are never slow to react, are swarming. One class action alleges that jammed accelerators in Toyotas have caused 16 deaths and 243 injuries. Customers who once wouldn't think about looking at another brand now have reason to.
(See the 50 worst cars of all time.)
Toyota has now made two recalls in the U.S. The first, involving 4.9 million cars, was triggered by a problematic floor mat that could come loose and jam the gas pedal open. The second, of 2.3 million vehicles on Jan. 21, concerned a problem with the gas-pedal mechanism itself. Toyota told drivers to remove the floor mats; its fix for the sticky pedal requires a free 30-min. shop repair. The DOT has urged owners of the 11 recalled models to use caution and get to a dealer. Still unknown: whether an electronic problem is also a culprit in sudden acceleration. Toyota says it isn't.
The parable of Toyota may be that the tortoise became the hare. Over decades, Toyota built its reputation and market share in tiny increments through its renowned "continuous improvement" method. In the Toyota mantra, quality was always first, because it led to lower costs, which would eventually lead to higher market share. Eventually.
(See the top 10 product recalls.)
But in the '90s, Toyota set out to become the world's top auto company. Being the best and being the biggest created a tension that Toyota couldn't resolve, says MIT operations expert Steven Spear: "If quality is first, it drives a certain set of behaviors. If market share is the goal, it drives a different set of behaviors." Even as Toyota was catching up to the global No. 1, General Motors, the reputation of its cars was slipping. Spear, who has apprenticed in Toyota factories, says the problem was that the "Toyota way" — in which knowledge accumulated by élite cadres of engineers and assembly workers over many years is shared across the company — was diluted by the demands of production. "Even in the late '90s, people in Toyota would say, 'This is going to bite us in the ass,' " says Spear. "They just didn't know when."
Now they do. "We have to strengthen quality control," says Shinichi Sasaki, executive vice president for quality. It's a startling admission from a company that made reliability its quest. Toyota will fix its manufacturing problem. Restoring its reputation is going to take a lot longer.
Toyota says Prius had brake problems, may order recall in Japan
04:09 AM
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By David Dewhurst/Toyota
Updated: 5:11 a.m. ET to add report of possible recall in Japan.
Now Toyota is acknowledging that there were design problems with the antilock brake system in the new Prius, which went on sale last year.
Yesterday, we were hit with the story that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is starting to look at more than 100 complaints about brakes on the latest version of the Prius. That's on top of all the problems with the accelerators in the eight models that were recalled, an issue that so far hadn't involved Prius.
In Japan, Toyota spokeswoman Ririko Takeuchi said today that the design issues were found and corrected for Prius models sold since late January, the Associated Press said. But it is still considering what to do about buyers who already bought the Prius.
Bloomberg is reporting that Toyota may order the model's recall in Japan. But there was no mention of a recall in the U.S. where Prius has been a hit, especially among the environmentally conscious.
In December, Drive On reported how braking problems had been reported in the third-generation Prius both the U.S. and Japan:
The brakes are different than on most cars because they are regenerative, drawing power from the friction of stopping the car to recharge the car's battery for its hybrid engine.
At the time, the Detroit Bureau, an independent news web site that broke the story, quoted Toyota as saying, "We are aware of the complaints filed with NHTSA. The agency has not opened an investigation. We are investigating the issue based on Internet traffic, customer comments to Toyota Customer Relations, and NHTSA complaints. It is too early to speculate the final conclusion(s) of our investigation and subsequent actions."
04:09 AM
Yahoo! Buzz
Share
Save
Share
5
21
Comments
2
Recommend
CAPTION
By David Dewhurst/Toyota
Updated: 5:11 a.m. ET to add report of possible recall in Japan.
Now Toyota is acknowledging that there were design problems with the antilock brake system in the new Prius, which went on sale last year.
Yesterday, we were hit with the story that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is starting to look at more than 100 complaints about brakes on the latest version of the Prius. That's on top of all the problems with the accelerators in the eight models that were recalled, an issue that so far hadn't involved Prius.
In Japan, Toyota spokeswoman Ririko Takeuchi said today that the design issues were found and corrected for Prius models sold since late January, the Associated Press said. But it is still considering what to do about buyers who already bought the Prius.
Bloomberg is reporting that Toyota may order the model's recall in Japan. But there was no mention of a recall in the U.S. where Prius has been a hit, especially among the environmentally conscious.
In December, Drive On reported how braking problems had been reported in the third-generation Prius both the U.S. and Japan:
The brakes are different than on most cars because they are regenerative, drawing power from the friction of stopping the car to recharge the car's battery for its hybrid engine.
At the time, the Detroit Bureau, an independent news web site that broke the story, quoted Toyota as saying, "We are aware of the complaints filed with NHTSA. The agency has not opened an investigation. We are investigating the issue based on Internet traffic, customer comments to Toyota Customer Relations, and NHTSA complaints. It is too early to speculate the final conclusion(s) of our investigation and subsequent actions."
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