Safety Recalls aren’t necessarily indicative of quality and durability, but they eventually damage brand reputations.
Toyota is recalling almost three million cars including Prius hybrid and Corolla models around the world because the hybrid engine can shut down suddenly or steering can fail completely. The gigantic recall is caused by a bad cooling pump in the hybrid system and a defective steering shaft in hybrids and other cars. More than 1.5 million vehicles are being recalled in Japan, with at least another 1.2 million in other parts of the world.
In the U.S. owners of 670,000 2004-2009 model Prius cars are being asked to return to dealerships so that technicians can look at the splines on a steering shaft that can deform and break because of a manufacturing safety defect that did not properly harden the steel. In Europe, ten year’s worth of Prius, Avensis and Corolla cars are being recalled.
Moreover, in the U.S. 350,000 of these same Prius vehicles are also being recalled to replace the water pump for the hybrid system. The electrically driven pump circulates coolant through the hybrid components to provide cooling. The water pump can fail, turning on a variety of warning lights in the instrument panel. In some cases the hybrid suddenly shuts down wile being driven.
Toyota has the dubious distinction of paying the highest fines ever – almost $50 million – for covering up safety defects for unintended acceleration on millions of cars. Now the potential safety defect is the opposite – Prius’s stop running.
See:
- Toyota Motor Fined Another $32.425 Million for Safety Defects
- Toyota Adds 150,000 Lexus Models to Deadly Floor Mat Recall. NHTSA Says Filing Lacks Required Info. Another Cover-up?
- Toyota Recalls Prius for Bad Electric Steering Again
- Toyota Recall Study Finds Adversarial Relationship with NHTSA
- DOT Releases Long Delayed Toyota Unintended Acceleration Report, Exonerates Self, Claiming It Was Right All Along
- BMW Follows Toyota by Paying $3 Million Fine for not Reporting Known Safety Defects within Five Days to NHTSA
- Volvo Fined $1.5 Million for Not Reporting Safety Defects
