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Toyota chief was unaware of complaint
Posted by: | CommentsAkio Toyoda, the president of Toyota, did not know of the problems of sudden acceleration in his company’s cars that have been linked to more than 30 deaths in the US until the end of 2009, even though thousands of complaints had been pouring into the company and regulators for years.
Giving evidence to the Congressional Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Mr Toyoda issued a profound apology to the American people for Toyota’s safety failings and admitted that they had occurred because the company had expanded too quickly.
New quality control standards would be put in place, as well as mechanisms to enable the company to pay closer attention to customer feedback, he said.
Reading from a prepared statement, which had been issued to the media the day before, Mr Toyoda said: “My name is on every car. You have my personal commitment that Toyota will work vigorously and unceasingly to restore the trust of our customers.”
Mr Toyoda said: “I am deeply sorry for any accident Toyota drivers have experienced.”
Toyota Tundra Complaints
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s one ugly truck all right. Problem is, it can be a little uglier than the buyer expects. Tundra is one of the models that is putting a pretty big blemish on Toyota’s reputation for quality, reliability and customer service.
Biggest problem? The brakes. A design oversight can cause the front rotors to warp and wear prematurly. Toyota’s response has been to keep quiet and hope the problem goes away. Not likely.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an investigation into whether there is a dangerous rust problem with the frames on about 218,000 Toyota Tundra pickups from the 2000-1 model years.
The agency said the investigation was prompted by five complaints from consumers who say brake lines were broken as the result of a rust problem with the frame. There were also 15 complaints that “the under body mounted spare tire separated from the rear cross member.”
Steve McNally of York, Me., said he had to sell his 2000 Tundra because the rust was so bad it couldn’t pass the state safety inspection. In a complaint filed on the Web site of the Center for Auto Safety, he said he was driving on Interstate 95 when “without warning, the back end of the truck suddenly lifted up off the pavement while traveling at 65 m.p.h. When I regained control of the vehicle, I looked into the rear-view mirror to see a tire bouncing erratically across several lanes of northbound traffic. Cars were braking and swerving to avoid a collision.”
Toyota Motor Co. is recalling 3.8 million vehicles from model years 2007-2010 because unsecured or incompatible floor mats can interfere with the accelerators.
The rubber mats, Toyota told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), can cause accelerators to get stuck in the wide-open position, causing high vehicle speeds, difficulty in stopping and possible crashes, leading to injuries and fatalities.
Toyota undertook a voluntary safety campaign in 2007 to remove all-weather floor mats from certain Toyota Camry and Lexus ES350 models, the auto maker told NHTSA. Renewed complaints, however, have caused Toyota to investigate other models as well, it said.
Affected models include the Lexus ES350, model years 2007-2009; the Lexus IS, 2006-2010; the Toyota Avalon, 2005-2009; the Toyota Camry, 2007-2010; the Toyota Prius, 2004-2009; the Toyota Tacoma, 2005-2009; and the Toyota Tundra, 2007-2010.
Toyota will send letters to owners, advising them to remove their driver’s-side floor mats and not to replace them until the auto maker develops model-specific mats. When such mats are available, Toyota will install them free of charge.
Automakers to Guarantee ‘Cash for Clunkers’ Claims Following Dealer Complaints
Posted by: | CommentsEight months after the federal government stepped in to bail out U.S. auto giants, the beleaguered companies are turning the tables and helping the government bail out itself.
Major auto manufacturers have stepped up to guarantee their dealers’ “Cash for Clunkers” transactions, following complaints that thousands of dealer claims have been delayed or rejected by the federal government.
General Motors announced Thursday that it will immediately start providing “cash advances” to dealers equivalent to the rebates that are being processed, and will do so for the duration of the program. The Transportation Department said Monday will be the last day.
“We want to do all we can to provide customers with timely new vehicle deliveries and dealers the liquidity they need to run their businesses.
But in the meantime, dealers have complained that not only are their applications being held up, but many are being returned to them on technical grounds.
Rep. Joe Sestak, D-Pa., recently wrote to President Obama warning that a failure to fix the problem would “undoubtedly” force many dealers out of business.
The White House spokesman said that applications that were incomplete or inaccurate had to be returned, or else the government would have been processing claims in violation of the law. The spokesman said the administration held Web seminars and provided detailed instructions in an attempt to avoid incomplete applications.
Under the Clunkers program, passenger car owners are eligible for a voucher worth between $3,500 and $4,500 if they trade in their gas guzzlers for new, fuel-efficient vehicles.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Wednesday assured dealers that they will be reimbursed.
Attorney General Files Complaints Against Car Warranty Callers
Posted by: | Commentshe Attorney General’s office has filed two more lawsuits in federal court against companies believed to be placing illegal telemarketing calls about car warranties to Arkansas consumers.
The lawsuits were filed Tuesday against Explicit Media Inc. of Florida and SVM Inc. of Nevada, according to a news release from the AG’s office.
They are the latest in a string of lawsuits filed against telemarketing companies purporting to offer automobile warranties to consumers.
The most recent complaints detail multiple violations of both federal and state telemarketing laws: making calls to Arkansans listed in the Do Not Call database; “robo-calling,” or using prerecorded messages for commercial purposes; and caller ID “spoofing,” displaying false or misleading telephone numbers on consumers’ caller ID systems.
GM India immune to bankruptcy shock
Posted by: | CommentsGeneral Motors ‘bankruptcy issue that had hit the headlines a couple of days back shook the automotive industry to its core. It was quite natural that the focus suddenly shifted to GM India, the Indian subsidiary of General motors, as a normal fall-out of this piece of news. Armed before-hand to fend off the concerns, GM India came up with the most logic explanations that cleared the air of doubt about company’s stability.
They said that the bankruptcy petition filed by the parent establishment will actually strengthen US manufacturer as the judge has the power to waive the obligations and contracts that’s unaffordable to the company. This will help the brand to reemerge like a phoenix and become more competitive.
Moreover, General motor considers Indian market as a key area to bank on in their revival strategy. General Motors’ decision to enter small car segment will actually help the GM India. This gives the Indian subsidiary extra confidence to go ahead with the small car projects in India.
As the parent establishment views India as a mini car market that would attract demand for small car from other world markets, GM India is sure that the Indian customers, suppliers, dealers and all other stakeholders will read what is written on the wall. This positions GM India at a safer place to confront the itches of bankruptcy issue related to its parent company to serve other markets across the world.
Indian Builds Affordable Compact Car
Posted by: | CommentsTata nano: Now you can buy the long awaited and revolutionary cheapest car in the world, nano , from Tata Motors, the leaders in cars and automobile manufacturers from India and a business tycoon.
After all the hurdles and ifs and buts, Tata Nano, the “People’s car” is finally launched in India in a grand ceremony in Mumbai.
The base model of Tata nano is the real 1 lakh car. It will have no air conditioning or power windows.
The second model of nano is, nano CX and it will have a powerful air conditioner.
The third model of nano is, nano LX and it will have both AC and power window.