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We reported last week that Toyota was once again circling the drain, this time over braking issues with its Prius hybrids. The company had received a number of complaints about the loss of braking force in 2010 Prius hybrids when driving over bumpy or icy surfaces.

At the time, Toyota acknowledged the reports and determined that it would investigate the matter further:

In certain 2010 model year Prius vehicles, Toyota has received reports that some customers have experienced inconsistent brake feel when the vehicle is driven over potholes, bumps or slippery road surfaces.

Toyota is currently in the process of confirming these reports and investigating the vehicle driving conditions under which the reported phenomenon occurs. It would be premature to comment until the investigation has been completed.

It appears that Toyota's investigation is now over and the company is taking steps to correct the issue that affects Prius hybrids built before January 2010. As a result, 133,000 Toyota Prius hybrids and 14,500 Lexus HS 250h hybrids will be recalled in the U.S. In total, over 400,000 hybrids globally will be recalled due to update the ABS software.

“We’re committed to doing everything we can – as fast as we can – to restore consumer trust in Toyota, and these recalls are part of this effort,” said Toyota Motor Sales CEO and President Jim Lentz. “We regret the inconvenience this recall will cause to Prius and HS 250h owners, and will do our best with the support of our dealers to make sure that it is conducted in the most trouble-free manner possible.”

Lentz went on discuss that Toyota prides itself on its safety record. “Our company is undertaking a top to bottom review to ensure that our vehicles meet our own high standards of safety and reliability, now and for the future. We are taking steps to implement more stringent quality control across the company, to investigate customer complaints more aggressively and to respond more quickly to any safety issues we identify.”

In the mean time, Toyota is currently blanketing the airwaves to reaffirm the buying public that its cars are safe to drive and that it is committed to safety.

Interestingly, Ford has also announced a safety recall of its Fusion and Mercury Milan hybrids for a similar braking issues. The Ford announcement didn't get much attention with all of the focus being directed at Toyota over the past three weeks.



http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=17639

Flashwing

While I'm not happy to hear about recalls like this, I do take some satisfaction in being able to point out that the RX8 isn't the only vehicle that's ever had a serious recall. I know there's been hundreds of recalls worse than the RENESIS but nobody pays attention to any of those. The media has done a real good job at nailing Toyota to the wall...not for the better in my opinion.

ASH8

Maybe so Todd, all makes have their issues, BUT, Toyota have taken far too long to act, that has been their HUGE Mistake.

Deaths, accidents and a silent Toyota for years...what do they expect.

911SC

I love my 120K mile Rav4, I hate Toyota/Lexus customer service. The sludge in my sisters Lexus was her fault they told her. She didn't change the oil on time, she did, she used sub-par oil and filters, the Lexus dealer did the oil changes, she must of used some oil additives, she didn't. What she did do is dump the pig. No more Toyota/Lexus for us. They are the new old GM. They are so big they don't give a rats ***. Well, I hope it comes back to bite them. Hard.

pking1122

Say what you want about the RX-8, but the truth is Mazda stands behind this car. I just got my car back yesterday because it flooded (my fault). So when I get to work, a coworker (owner of an 09 Tundra)sees me driving in who knew I had work done on the car. So he asks me if I had to push my car to work. I tell him, no and I also have no problems with the brakes or the gas pedal. I have full ability to stop my car when I want to. He says, thats good. I say, no thats great. Toyota owners have had a pompous heir about the reliability of their cars for years, and this is a huge dose of reality for them. No car is perfect, and more importantly, no brand is either. I hate badge ******.

Marc_GS

I totally agree with this sentiment. When I had my Celica GT-S, everytime I would bring it in to the dealer the attitude was "what did YOU do to break this perfect car".

And, by the way, that car was LESS reliable than my RX-8. In the ~60k miles I had it, it had the following work done:

-1 alternator
-3 water pumps
-1 belt tensionner
-1 serpentine belt

On my 1st RX-8 (leased from new), the only things that ever actually failed were the neutral switch in the transmission, the e-brake handle cover and the button for the center console. Yes, there were several recalls, but I see that as Mazda standing behind the product. Let's face it, Mazda could have chosen not to update the flashes, including the OMP volumes, and let the engines die just outside of warranty. Instead they instituted a fix, rolled it out within a recall that included an evaluation of each and every motor (resulting in several warranty replacements) and then extended that same warranty. You would NOT see this type of attitude at Toyota!

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

My 2002 Corolla blew it's engine due to sludging, and it was a painful process to get them to replace it under warranty, then they took 2 months to complete the 8hr rebuild, fighting with the service manager on time-line the entire way, and I got it back, only to have it fry the transmission a short time later. THAT was diagnosed as no fluid due to draining out from the transaxle seal installed in the wrong location. I ended up having to sue them, because the warranty side of the business insisted it was dealer fault, and the dealer insisted that it was warranty.

One of the lines during the whole process that stuck with me the most was from a rep at Toyota Corp, who stated to me: "We have no control over our dealers" (independantly owned/operated). Through the entire mess, I got nothing but a massive impression that Toyota didn't care about owners post-purchase.

It is no surprise that they have had so much trouble addressing this issue. They aren't set up to be able to handle customer complaints of any level, much less massive safety issues and bad press.

It does make me wonder how many other owners out there actually DO or HAVE had problems with their Toyotas, but gloss over it insisting it is a 'reliable car' in spite of that, because that is what the commercials and the opinion of the unwashed masses is. (vs stupid 8 owners that insist that water in the tail light or a broken visor means that their 8 is unreliable)


Too long sitting in the comfort of "most reliable" lulled Toyota into being asleep at the wheel, and they didn't wake up when they hit the rumble strips.

MICHGoBlue

Where's the clutch pedal recall for the RX-8?!?!

Do I need to call my local news station for their little "investigative reporting" for Mazda to realize, oh, metal stress shouldn't happen on a part that gets used everyday?!?!

My rant is done.

200.mph

iTrader: (9)

+1^

Shoafb

Lets put this into perspective. There are approximately 27 million Toyota vehicles on the road in the United States. there have been a liitle over 2000 reported incidents of possible Toyota accelerator problems. That means at this time the odds of experiencing a Toyota accelerator problem are 13,500 to 1.

Here are a few other odd for comparison:

Odds of fatality slipping in bath or shower 2,232 to 1
Odds of being considered possessed by satan 7000 to 1

Want to bet there have been more then 2000 Renesis replaced out of the FAR fewer then 27million rx8s being out there?

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

I hear Toyota says that they will be "unstoppable" in the professional race series this year..like F1 and NASCAR.

ambulanceonfire

iTrader: (3)

I think this is exactly why manufacturers are reluctant to state recalls. It gets blown way out proportion and everyone starts crying wolf. Given this i think that Mazda will be ever more reluctant now to state a recall because they'll get tossed under the bus with Toyota.

tmak26b

This whole thing is completely retarded (Sorry Sarah and Bristol) and media driven. If you ask most Toyota owners, they would have no problem getting another one. They have less than 200 incidents out of 2 million cars they built, the odds of a car running away from you is less than getting a new engine for a RX-8. While I believe there were some car issues, but some of them were Darwin driven.

Shoafb

Even more ballfling is this NHTSA chart showing complaints from 99-2009

Toyota/Lexus is nowwhere near the top of the list.... Ford is... So why is Toyota getting drug in front of congress?

http://www.safetyresearch.net/Library/SUAComplaints.pdf

911SC

Remember the run-away Audi's from the 1980's? Still, Toyota customer service sucks.

77mjd

For whoever said Toyota has gotten too big...therefore not giving a rats *** after the purchase, I think you are 100% right...and now it has come back to bite them in the ***. Usually the bigger the company, the worse the customer service is.

SamiRX-8

Just look at this... She said that changing the gear to R at 160 km/h didn't help... How the hell did she managed to change to R at that speed , and even if she did, her gearbox would have gone in pieces, and she with them...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM6hi5R0PNw

Shoafb

Upon hearing her story Mr. Toyoda should have come back with....

"We have decided the best course of action is to let God handle all unintended accelaration issues in the future"

nycgps

iTrader: (1)

Cuz

Toyota = Japanese

Ford/Gm = USA

get it ?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_gm_recall

Who said Japanese car is loaded with problems ?

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

If anyone was wondering how susceptible the unwashed masses are to the media:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100302/..._toyota_poll_1

nycgps

iTrader: (1)

Well, I gotta say I believe in Toyota now more than ever.

I think the Toyota family is pretty responsible. thats why as soon as they sense something is wrong, they kicked the older CEO out and replace it with the one right now (which is Toyota's family.)

They put this CEO in to keep the family business running. I think no one cares more about your family's business than the family member(s) themselves.

I will buy a Toyota. Im going to sell my FIT soon, and I might replace it with a Toyota.