AutoTribute » reliability/quality

First Class-Action Lawsuit Against Toyota Over Pedal Recall

Kwame Owusu — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:18:24 +0000

Toyota has made some history these past few weeks, and we’re not talking about the good kind of history. Stuck in recall hell, today marks another day that the Japanese automaker makes history: Two law firms, Parker Waichman Alonso and the Becnel Law Firm, have teamed-up in a bid to present Toyota its first-ever class-action lawsuit.

The law firms hopes to attain class action status, which, according to them, is “intended to benefit all residents of the United States who purchased a Toyota vehicle of model years 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and/or 2010 that is subject to the recalls.”

The lawsuit alleges that, as a result of these recalls, Toyota owners lost the use of their vehicles, and sustained, among things, economic losses and severe emotional distress. The complaint charges Toyota with breach of implied warranty and negligence, and seeks compensatory, punitive and exemplary damages for the Class, as well as equitable and declaratory relief.

Given that the Toyota Camry and Corolla have been two of the best selling cars in North America in the past decade, this lawsuit is bound to be huge. So far the automaker has recalled a total of 2.3 million vehicles in North America over defective pedals. Worldwide, the recall tallies up to 7.5 million vehicles.

Source: The Auto Channel, via Autoblog

Peugeot/Citroën Affected by Toyota Gas Pedal Recall

Tim Howard — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 23:45:29 +0000

Toyota’s gas pedal recall nightmare has now become viral. It has spread beyond North America, and now not even other automakers are safe. PSA, the parent company of Peugeot and Citroën, is recalling approximately 90,000 Peugeot 107 and Citroën C1 minicars fitted with the defective gas pedals.

Apparently, PSA has a joint venture with Toyota in the Czech Republic that produces the 107, C1 and the related Toyota Aygo. The 107 and C1 minicars share the same electronic pedal assembly design used in the 2.3 million Toyotas being recalled in North America, as well a 1.8 million vehicles in Europe. In total, the Japanese automaker is recalling 7.5 million vehicles worldwide.

It’s probably safe to assume that CTS, the North American supplier thought to be the only manufacturer of the defective pedals, is not sorely responsible for the defects. Rather, the defect is likely more of a design problem than a manufacturing one.

Source: The Guardian, via Autoblog

Toyota Europe Recalling 8 models, 1.8 million Cars

Kwame Owusu — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 00:02:37 +0000

After announcing that it will expand its recall to Europe, Toyota provided official numbers today. Similar to the U.S. recall, the European recall involves eight models: the Auris, Avensis, Aygo, Corolla, iQ, RAV4 Verso and Yaris. All of these vehicles are affected by defective accelerator pedals. In total, about about 1.8 million vehicles need fixing.

Model years

AYGO (Feb 2005 – Aug 2009)
iQ (Nov 2008 – Nov 2009)
Yaris (Nov 2005 – Sep 2009)
Auris (Oct 2006 – 5 Jan 2010)
Corolla (Oct 2006 – Dec 2009)
Verso (Feb 2009 – 5 Jan 2010)
Avensis (Nov 2008 – Dec 2009)
RAV4 (Nov 2005 – Nov 2009)

Unlike in the U.S., Toyota Europe will not halt the production of any models because replacement parts are already being used at its various assembly plants.

Source: Automotive News, via autoblog

Honda Recalls 646,000 Fit/Jazz and City Cars

Kwame Owusu — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 23:31:42 +0000

The new year is off to a rough start for Japan’s two largest automakers. Joining Toyota in recall hell, Honda announced that it will recall 646,000 units of its Fit, Jazz and City models globally over a faulty window switch after a child died when fire broke out in a car last year. The recall consists of 140,000 units in the United States and covers other areas including South America, Europe, South Africa and Asia, but not Japan.

“The recall will start towards the end of February. Now we will start talking to customers and dealers as to how we set up that recall,” a Honda UK spokesman told Reuters on Friday.

The recall will fix a defective master switch, which could cause water to enter the power window switch and cause a fire. According to the spokesman, there have been three reported cases of fires due to the defect, two in the United States and one in South Africa.

With all the attention focused on Toyota’s recalls, we’re betting that Honda is looking for an easy ride.

Source: Reauters

Lexus Gets "Best in Initial Quality" in JD Power Survey; Porsche and Cadillac Close Behind

Kwame Owusu — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 11:25:00 +0000

J.D. Power and Associates has released the results of its 2009 Initial Quality Study and named Lexus the top manufacturer for initial new car quality, with Porsche, Cadillac, Hyundai and Honda following closely behind. Domestic automakers Chrysler, General Motors, and Ford improved on average by 10% this year compared to last.

Cadillac moved up from its 10th in 2008 to 3rd in 2009. Similarly, Hyundai moved up from 13th in 2008 to 4th this year. However, it was Suzuki that saw the greatest leap, jumping from 32nd in 2008 to 9th this year.

Overall industry quality improved for the second straight year. The industry averaged 108 reported problems per 100 vehicles, down from 118 in 2008. Click here to see the full ranking.

2009 Ford Models Have Fewer Problems than Honda Vehicles

Kwame Owusu — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 00:25:00 +0000

According to a study conducted by the RDA group of Bloomfield Hills, new Ford models had fewer problems in their first three months of operation than Honda models. The study showed that the automaker was neck-and-neck with Toyota in terms of the initial quality of 2009 model year vehicles. Furthermore, Ford is in a statistical tie with both Honda and Toyota when it comes to customer satisfaction.

“This is truly a significant accomplishment for us,” said Bennie Fowler, group vice president for global quality at Ford.

Ford does have a lot to be proud about – the automaker is the only one of the Detroit automakers not to ask for government aid, its Ford Fusion hybrid is number one its class, and despite the global recession, it is performing relatively well in the European market. Keep it up, Ford.

[Source: Detroit News]

The Japanese Freeloaders – False Reliability

Kwame Owusu — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 05:03:00 +0000

There has been an article I have been wanting to write for quite some time, and now that the results from the reliability studies conducted by JD Powers and Consumer reports are in, I guess now is a good time to write it. You’re probably wondering what I mean by “Japanese freeloaders”…Well, I’m using that to refer to certain Japanese automakers that are getting a “free walk” with the reliability of their cars mainly because they are Japanese.

And who are these automakers, you ask? All other Japanese automakers (not including their luxury brands) besides Toyota and Honda. Ask any random American about reliability and they wouldn’t hesitate to group Nissan, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Suzuki and Isuzu with the likes of Toyota and Honda. These random Americans are in effect saying that these brands are more reliable than any American brand. But a careful analysis of the reliability of brands over the years will reveal that they were no better (if not worse) than their American counterparts. the reliability of Pre-Renault Nissans, for instance, were atrocious! And even today these brands still lag behind the American brands (based on the 2009 JD Powers reliability study).

So what gives? Ignorance, possibly. The public has been led (whether accidentally or intentionally) to believe that any Japanese automaker, by default, has better reliability than any American automaker. Even though it is Toyota and Honda that are to be applauded for the reliability of their cars, the other Japanese automakers also benefit (undeservingly) from the image of quality earned by these two automakers. In contrast, mention the name Buick or Ford to any random American and they would tag them, without hesitation, as unreliable, even though Buick topped Lexus in the latest JD Power survey and Ford is very near Honda on the list.

Another way these Japanese freeloaders benefit from their “false reliability” is that while the public has a good image of them, they can continue to improve
this image by actually improving the quality of their cars without any deterrence. The American automakers, on the other hand, have to incur huge costs just to prove that they actually do make quality, reliable cars. And until they can prove this, fewer Americans will buy their cars. I bet they wish they were Japanese.