This is a day of vindication for Toyota after the U.S. government investigation shows no links between electronic throttles and unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles.

A 10-month probe ordered by Congress was conducted after the recalls issued of about 8 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles in the U.S. over defective floor mats and accelerator pedals. No doubt that these recalls have somewhat tarnished the brand in the eyes of many American consumers and their long touted reputation for quality. Despite all of the so-called incidents and media exploitation, Toyota remains to stay in the game as the largest automotive maker. Hopefully this new finding will truly turn things around for Toyota as they report a recent 39 percent slide in quarterly profits.

“There is no electronic-based cause for unintended high-speed acceleration in Toyotas,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement.

Although Toyota has been cleared of their electronic throttles having any type of involvement with unintended acceleration, regulators have said that they may impose requirements for vehicles to have braking systems that counteract instances of unintended acceleration.

Causes of unintended acceleration were previously identified with sticking accelerator pedals and misplaced or loose floor mats by NHTSA and NASA engineers. This accounted for over 18 million vehicles. Toyota still faces many civil lawsuits as a result of the recalls despite the investigation uncovering no justified flaws that would warrant another recall.

[sources: Autonews, CNN]

Toyota has announced yet another recall this time upwards of 1.7 million vehicles around the world with 245,000 of those being Lexus vehicles in the United States. The majority of effected vehicles are in Japan but include U.S. versions of the 2006-2007 Lexus GS 300/350, 2006-early 2009 Lexus IS250 and 2006-2008 Lexus IS350.

The recall was announced after the discovery that a fuel pressure sensor may have not been tightened properly during assembly resulting in a possibility of it loosening over time and causing a fuel leak. Owners of the recalled vehicles will be notified by mail asking them to bring the vehicle in for inspection. If no leak is detected, service technicians will properly tighten the fuel pressure sensor. If a leak is noticed, they will replace the gasket between the two parts and properly install the sensor.

Toyota still remains to be the largest automaker despite the recent recalls with a global sales rise of 8% to over 8.4 million vehicles sold beating General Motors’ 8.39 million in 2010.

Owners of the involved vehicles with questions or concerns should contact Lexus Customer Satisfaction at 1-800-25LEXUS (1-800-255-3987) or visit www.lexus.com/recall.

A 1997 Toyota 4Runner. Photo: AutoPhoto

The hits keep coming for Toyota, but  this latest round was hardly unexpected.  Back on May 7, the NHTSA began an investigation into Toyota for covering up steering defects in 4Runner, compact pickup and T100 models built between 1989 and 1998.  The models, which were found to have a defective steering rod, were recalled in Japan in 2004.  Despite 41 documented complaints from U.S. customers, the same recall wasn’t initiated on these shores until the third quarter of 2005, nearly one full year later.  According to Autoblog, a federal grand jury in New York has subpoenaed Toyota for any and all documents relating to this steering rod recall.

Toyota’s original explanation for the delay centered on the difference between driving in the United States and driving in Japan.  Japanese drivers are harder on steering components, thanks to narrow roads and tighter corners.  Toyota also claimed to be unaware of the 41 complaints about steering defects filed with the NHTSA.

The current maximum fine from the NHTSA is $6,000 per vehicle affected, so the question becomes, “How many trucks did Toyota sell in the U.S. between 1989 and 1998?”  Multiply that number times $6,000, and you have the amount of the next check Toyota will be writing to the NHTSA.

Automotive recalls seem to be a hot lately topic especially after Toyota’s recent recalls for a so-called “sticky gas pedal”. Amidst the sticky gas pedals for Toyota you will find there have been other recalls in the history of the automobile that were much greater than ones we see today. A recent post on autointhenews.com showcases a chart from the auto insurance center of the 12 largest auto recalls in history. You will not find Toyota topping the list, but interestingly enough Ford has taken the crown in this category. Following Ford, as you may have guessed, is General motors. After that, the infamous Toyota recall.

Enjoy!

Via: Auto Insurance Center

Toyota has posted a $2.2 billion (209.4 billion yen) profit for their fiscal year which ended on March 31^st. This amount is a big improvement over the previous year’s 437 billion yen loss. Despite the massive recalls and media attacks against Toyota, they have managed to stay well above water.

Toyota still expects next year to be an even greater improvement. Toyota is still under fire as government agencies continue investigations on the unintended acceleration issue and timeliness of the corrective actions.

Toyota had to pay up a $16.4 million fine levied by the U.S. government recently. Toyota will continue to be the center of attention but many analysts predict they will be just fine out of this whole ordeal just as they have recently reported their $2.2 billion profit.

[source: NYTimes]

The latest turn of events in the Toyota recall debacle, hence dubbed “Pedal-gate” has Toyota situated squarely in the cross-hairs of a none-too-amused NHTSA and potentially facing the largest fine (to-date) in automotive recall history, a hefty $16.4 million dollars! Toyota is accused of knowingly trying to conceal a “dangerous defect” in it’s vehicles and “slow reporting” of the faulty accelerator problem to the NHTSA; if these accusations pan out Toyota could be held directly responsible for several motorists’ deaths, exposing the auto manufacturer to a spate of litigation and class action lawsuits.

The news of the impending fine was announced yesterday by the Transportation Secretary who stated that the $16 million dollar fine was the stiffest penalty that the US government could levy against Toyota for concealing the pedal problem that has led to the recall of almost 10 million Toyota  vehicles worldwide.

Toyota’s official response to the news of the NHTSA Penalty was as follows:

“While we have not yet received their letter, we understand that NHTSA has taken a position on this recall. We have already taken a number of important steps to improve our communications with regulators and customers on safety-related matters as part of our strengthened overall commitment to quality assurance.  These include the appointment of a new Chief Quality Officer for North America and a greater role for the region in making safety-related decisions.”

What are your thoughts?

Toyota is not having a good start to 2010 and next few months do not look all too promising either after the U.S. Transportation Secretary asks owners of recalled Toyotas to stop driving them. From the recent sticking gas pedal recall, to a massive 16% in sales decline, to a recent Prius brake investigation underway, Toyotas light at the end of the tunnel is being extinguished.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has just announced that Toyota owners should stop driving cars affected by recall and take them to the dealer. Now, I think this is a bold statement on part of the Ray LaHood considering the massive panic that this recall has already caused. In LaHood’s statement to a house committee today he said, “My advice is if anyone owns one of these vehicles stop driving it and take it to Toyota dealer because they believe they have a fix for it.” He also added that “We will also be investigating the electronic components that are in these cars and if they’re not safe, we’ll have Toyota take a look at that.”

Toyota has been cooperative in the recent investigations to get to the bottom of the pedal recall issue(s). Toyota’s reputation seems to be on the line with no “quick fix” that will make everything back to the way it was.

Will you be taking your recalled Toyota into the dealership this week after LaHood’s statement? Does this ruin the perception of Toyota that you had before the recall? Post your comments below!

The Internet is buzzing with an overload of information in regards to the recent Toyota recall for a sticky gas pedal. ABC news has chipped in to highlight stories shared by those confused consumers and owners of affected Toyota vehicles. Below is the ABC story by Kate Snow with an exclusive video report.

By KATE SNOW
Jan. 28, 2010—

From Georgia to Michigan, Toyota dealers are overwhelmed. A problem with sticking gas pedals has forced the carmaker to recall some of its most popular models, and then they told dealers to stop selling eight models.

Millions of Toyota owners are now in the dark.

“We’ve got customers calling and they want to know what to do,” said dealer Steve Crane of Stone Mountain Toyota in Georgia. “As soon as we know what to do, we’re gonna tell them.”

At Page Toyota in Southfield, Michigan, it’s the same refrain. Owner Bob Page told ABC News, “We really don’t have a good answer for them now.”

Theresa Stevens just bought one of those recalled vehicles, a 2010 Toyota Highlander, and she wants answers.

“It’s a worry for me, and I am hoping that the situation will be resolved,” she said. “I am hoping I don’t have to give up this car because I really like it.”

Some dealers are inspecting cars, and others are sending customers home, telling them to call an 800 number. We tested out that corporate number and found that the automated message is out of date — it did not include cars that were recalled overnight.

After being hung up on once, we waited over half an hour for an operator who didn’t have many answers. When asked what a customer should do if they have a car that’s affected by the recall, the Toyota representative said, “Umm… you should be expecting some information in the mail soon about what to do next.”

About a million people have gone to Toyota’s Web site looking for information. The company tells people if they have a sticking accelerator, it can be controlled with a few steps: “STEPPING ON THE BRAKE — DO NOT PUMP — SHIFT THE TRANSMISSION INTO NEUTRAL.”

Practicing Safe Driving

Toyota owner Joe Bosch has been practicing those steps in his 2009 Corolla. “I hit the break, put it in neutral,” he said. “but I wouldn’t want it to happen on the highway.”

Despite the nervousness, we did find some loyal drivers today. Customer Ladonna Lewis told us, “It’s a quality product.”

But confused customers do wish Toyota would send a letter to car owners, explaining what exactly is going on.

Copyright © 2010 ABC News Internet Ventures

[source: ABC News]