Toyota is certainly having its problems. Today the once peerless auto manufacturer announced its third major recall in as many weeks, this time on the brake system of its best-selling Prius hybrid. As one safety issue after another has been discovered, the Japanese car manufacturer has been scrambling to protect its image with Philadelphia consumers. A public apology by the company president was followed by a blanket of print and television ads meant to reassure nervous consumers. Sticky accelerators and delayed brakes have sparked the most recent recalls, but media and Congressional reviews of Toyota safety records indicate they're just the tip of a very large iceberg.
Among the other safety issues reported in various Toyota models over the past ten years are:
- Headlights that shut off without warning.
- Engine stalls that occur without warning, sometimes while the car is in motion.
- Battery fires that have incinerated vehicles.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received more than 100 complaints about safety issues in Toyota vehicles. At last count, 29 lawsuits had been filed against the auto-maker on behalf of U.S. and Canadian customers.
What seems to stun many is not only Toyota's abysmal safety record but the company's obdurate and defensive response toward product liability. Some industry watchers have postulated that a 1990 change in Toyota's corporate emphasis from product quality to market share may be at the root of its current problems, which are worldwide. A 1996 incident involving a steering mechanism design flaw in Toyota's 4Runner seems instructive. Despite knowledge of the flaw and the risk it posed, it was eight years before Toyota issued a recall to fix the problem and then only after a serious personal injury accident prompted a police investigation. Toyota's current problems with faulty accelerators and non-responsive brakes have been known since 2007 and 2008, yet the company is only now addressing these issues, again after personal injury car accidents have forever changed lives.
Next time: What Philly Toyota owners need to know about their legal rights
