A huge recall was released by Toyota Motor Corp. on selected Toyota models in relation to recently found defective gas pedals that have been attributed on a number of accidents.
The massive recall Toyota announced came on Tuesday 26th of January as some eight assorted sold Toyota models totaling above 2 million have been revealed to wildly accelerate without warning because of defective gas pedal parts.
Listed below are the car models being recalled by Toyota:
Avalon (2005-2010)
Camry (2007-2010)
Corolla (2009-2010)
Highlander (2010)
Matrix (2009-2010)
RAV4 (2009-2010)
Sequoia (2008-2010)
Tundra (2007-2010)
A number of Camry models such as the Camry Hybrid has not been found to have the same problem. Unlisted Toyota models such as the Yaris, Land Cruiser, Tacoma, Prius, etc. are deemed safe and will continue to be on sale.
Because of this, Toyota has decided to suspend the manufacture of these particular models on six assembly plants throughout North America.
This has costed Toyota Motors Corp. both substantial profit loss and their reputation as a reliable car manufacturer. In terms of sale, Toyota has sold more cars than any other car company in the world, making them number one. However, because of this impediment, the popular Japanese car manufacturer’s future sways on edge.
Toyota’s European market can also undergo a similar recall because a few parts of the gas pedals that are used in North America are also used on some Toyota models in Europe. It is said that only one supplier from the United States made the defective gas pedal part.
The recall is also being related to the previous episode regarding the auto giant that took place in Japan in 2006. The incident involved the Japanese government conducting a criminal investigation on Toyota because of a number of accidents that took place and were traced to manufacturing problems. Toyota executives and workers did not get charged but this incident has come back to haunt the company in some ways.
Following the recall, Toyota’s shares fell 4.3 percent.
In a previous statement, Toyota declared a forecast sale of 2.19 million cars in the US and Canada and above 8 million car sales worldwide for this year. Due to this recent embarrassment, however, plenty are skeptical that Toyota would meet that target.
The crisis Toyota is now going through is also being blamed on the growth strategy of Katsuaki Watanabe, the company’s former president. One particular piece of the strategy involved increased and fast production which is said to have played a role poor quality control. In 2009, Watanabe was succeeded by the grandson of Toyota’s founder, Akio Toyoda.
There have already been reports from several safety firms that over 2,000 incidents of sudden acceleration involving cars made by Toyota and at least six deaths were also reported.
Toyota’s image may have been tainted because of this lapse but it is still a leader when it comes to green technology as it continually releases brand new models of the Prius.
