Toyota studies electronics again, trip undecided
Toyota has still not decided whether its president will appear before the U.S. Congress, the automaker said Monday, but it promised to look again into possible electronic problems with its vehicles.
Toyota Motor Corp. has been criticized as being slow in responding to the unfolding recall crisis, which has ballooned over the past four months to 8.5 million vehicles globally with problems with gas pedals, floor mats and brakes.
Calls have been growing for Toyota President Akio Toyoda to answer questions from U.S. lawmakers. Toyoda told reporters last week that he planned to go to the U.S., mainly to talk to American workers and dealers.
Toyota said Toyoda will talk to reporters Wednesday in Tokyo about the progress of the recall of more than 400,000 Prius cars, whose braking software is being replaced.
Criticized for initially being largely invisible, Toyoda has appeared at two recent news conferences, where he has apologized for the recalls and promised to be more responsive to customers.
Toyota said Wednesday's news conference will also address the company's approach to quality. Toyota officials refused to give other details.
Details for Toyoda's U.S. trip are still being worked out, and it was unclear when a decision could come, according to Toyota.
In Washington, Republican Representative Darrell Issa has said Toyoda should testify before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Feb. 24.
In a letter to the committee last week, Toyota attorney Theodore Hester said the company has carried out "exhaustive and robust" tests, and does not think there are any electronics problems with its vehicles, but promised to look into it again.
"In the spirit of the recent commitment made by Mr. Toyoda that our company will review all safety issues and potential safety issues with renewed vigor, we will be re-examining these complaints," it said of reports of sudden acceleration.
In Japan, where brand loyalty to Toyota remains relatively strong, the world's biggest automaker has been trying to send a message of remorse to assuage consumers as well.
On Monday, it rolled out a new Japan compact model called Passo without the usual fanfare for Japanese automakers, such as an unveiling ceremony with entertainment and a news conference by executives.
Toyota suddenly canceled the planned event last week, acknowledging celebration was inappropriate amid the recalls.
Toyota in Tokyo said it had not yet received a notice from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about worries the series of recalls may next expand to the Corolla.
"We have yet to be contacted by the NHTSA regarding what has been reported in the press about a power-steering issue in the Corolla," Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco said. "Should we be contacted about any investigation by NHTSA related to any of our products, we will cooperate fully."
NHTSA has said it is looking into complaints from drivers about difficulty with the steering in 2009 and 2010 Corollas which say they can wander while driving on highways.
Federal officials routinely look into such complaints, and there is no reason to think a Corolla recall may be imminent. But Toyota's safety woes are drawing intense scrutiny these days.
In addition to the Feb. 24 hearing, the House Energy and Commerce Committee has scheduled a Feb. 25 hearing with Toyota Motor North America chief executive Yoshi Inaba, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Administrator David Strickland.
Toyota plans to recall 300,000 Priuses
Toyota plans to recall about 300,000 Prius hybrids worldwide over a brake problem and is likely to notify both the U.S. and Japanese governments Tuesday, news reports said, as a top executive will testify before U.S. lawmakers about defects that have tarnished its reputation for quality and safety.
The recall of the gas-electric Prius will cover the latest version of the cars that went on sale from May last year, Kyodo News agency reported late Monday.
Kyodo, which did not identify its sources for the information, said the automaker planned to notify authorities in Japan on Tuesday and probably also in the U.S. on the same day. The recall will cover about 270,000 of the hybrids sold in the two countries — 170,000 in Japan and 100,000 in the U.S., Kyodo said.
Japan's Nikkei business daily carried a similar report about Toyota's recall plans on its Web site, saying the automaker would notify authorities in Japan on Tuesday and was also likely to do so in the U.S. at about the same time.
Toyota Motor Corp. spokeswoman Ririko Takeuchi said no decision on a Prius recall has been made. Kenji Sugai, an official in Japan's Transport Ministry section in charge of recalls, said it had not been informed of any such plan by Toyota.
The automaker is still weighing its options on how to handle the Prius repairs in the U.S., but it intends to begin fixing them soon, according to a person briefed on the matter who asked not to be identified because the remedy hasn't been made public.
Toyota has said among its options are a service campaign in which owners would be notified to bring their cars in for repairs, or a full-fledged safety recall. Toyota is communicating with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on how to handle the fix.
A service campaign wouldn't have the stigma of a safety recall, but regulators may press for the recall.
The reports follow others in Japanese media recently that the world's largest automaker has decided to announce a recall early this week as a way of regaining damaged consumer trust. Toyota has already recalled more than 7 million other cars for repairs in the U.S. and other countries over a sticky accelerator and floor mats that can get caught in the gas pedal.
The company has consistently only said it will soon announce plans to deal with the braking problem in the Prius.
At least 100 drivers of Prius cars in the U.S. have complained to Washington that their antilock brakes seemed to fail momentarily while driving on bumpy roads. The Japanese government has also received dozens of complaints. The U.S. says the problem is suspected in four crashes that caused two minor injuries.
Toyota says a software glitch is behind the problem. The company says it has already fixed vehicles that went on sale since last month. It has also said that the brakes will work if the driver keeps pushing the pedal.
The Prius is the world's top-selling gas-electric hybrid and its fuel efficiency has drawn intense interest amid concerns about global warming and dependence on fossil fuels.
Toyota has sold a little more than 300,000 of the vehicles in about 60 countries since May, according to the company — and any recall was likely to eventually affect most of those cars.
Kyodo also reported that recalls and other measures in other countries will follow those in Japan and the U.S.
Toyota sales expert Yoshimi Inaba will appear before the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Wednesday along with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Administrator David Strickland. The name of the hearing: "Toyota Gas Pedals: Is the Public at Risk?"
Inaba was hand-picked from semiretirement by Toyota President Akio Toyoda last year to head the North American operations and help steer Toyota through the company's biggest earnings slump in its 72-year history as global auto sales dived.
General Motors Co. said Monday it will start shipping parts to dealers this week to fix about 99,000 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibes equipped with the same sticky gas pedal systems as Toyota's. The Vibe is essentially the same car as a Toyota Matrix, built by a joint venture between the two automakers. The Vibe also is covered by the floor mat recall, and GM is urging customers to take out removable mats and put them in the trunk until a fix is ready.
