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At a time when the news is full of reports of cars accelerating out of control and crashing, drivers texting behind the wheel and car roofs crushed in deadly rollovers, here’s some welcome news: the number of people killed in U.S. traffic accidents is the lowest since 1954.
Toyota’s recent recall of 2.3 million cars and sport utility vehicles over “sticking” accelerator pedals follows a larger recall last October of 4.2 million vehicles for possible floor mat entrapment. The recalls have created an undercurrent of fear of confusion among Toyota owners, many of whom no longer feel their cars are safe to drive.
Toyota has found itself in a rather sticky situation. With more than eight million cars and trucks worldwide falling under a massive recall due to sudden unintended acceleration, the Japanese carmaker is looking for some sort of solution to pacify a growing anxious consumer base. Last fall, it blamed floor mats for the problem. Last month, Toyota announced the problem also fell on the vehicles’ gas pedals.
It can take years for a company to build up a reputation as a maker of good, reliable products. But that stellar reputation can quickly tarnish when lives are at stake. Just ask Toyota Motor Sales (TMS). The Japanese automaker has already launched an image-mending campaign aimed at countering the negative vibe customers may have following the company’s recall of 2.3 million vehicles in the U.S. due to reports of sticky gas pedals that have caused unintended acceleration. The Jan. 21 recall follows a fall 2009 Toyota recall of floor mats because of concerns that gas pedals could stick to the mats, causing unintended acceleration.
All the news about Toyota’s record-breaking recalls and its week-old production and sales suspension have made it easy to forget about the Pontiac Vibe, the hybrid car that General Motors manufactured for the 2009 and 2010 model years.
Indiana-based CTS Corporation is cooperating with Toyota by sending new gas pedal assemblies to replace the ones Toyota claims are potentially defective, but the supplier says that the new pedals won’t solve the sudden acceleration problem that afflicts so many Toyota vehicles.
Yesterday, Toyota ran full-page advertisements in more than 20 major American newspapers to tell customers that its decision to suspend production and sales of many of its top-selling vehicles is just a “Temporary pause. To put you first,” as the headline proclaims.
Toyota announced that it will recall more than a million other cars and trucks in the United States over concerns that the vehicles could accelerate suddenly and unintentionally.
In its latest recall involving 2.3 million vehicles, Toyota said that the throttle assemblies in eight models could wear over time, causing the gas pedal to stick in open position, return to idle too slowly, or generally become less responsive. Today, the manufacturer of those throttle mechanisms, CTS Corporation, issued a statement firmly insisting that its parts are not responsible for any of the unintended acceleration incidents involving Toyota vehicles.
Last week, Toyota announced a recall of approximately 2.3 million cars and trucks in the United States because of faulty throttle assemblies that could wear over time, causing the accelerator pedal to stick or return to idle too slowly. This week, Japan’s Yomiuri newspaper reports that Toyota is expanding that recall to include about 2 million vehicles in Europe.
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