[mkc15]

I think this is not as serious as being projected by media. People are hyping this to promote US cars(hence economy) I guess. I would still trust Toyota.

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by Maximum_torque

Does this mean that Toyota cars in India are faulty too?

If that is the case then it could be a grave situation. Though, I think Indian drivers can adjust to any kind of situation.

We might be able to adjust to the situation but imagine this happening to a noob driver even though he is an Indian.. Not at all good my friend! So if the Indian cars are faulty too then Toyota will have to call the customers to get it fixed!!

Originally Posted by mkc15

I think this is not as serious as being projected by media. People are hyping this to promote US cars(hence economy) I guess. I would still trust Toyota.

Good point!! But still Toyota themselves claiming that the European models might also be affected would make the news sound authentic.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Thanks guys, that just about sums up the entire news that I got to read today in a newspaper.
My colleague, who owns a 2007 Camry says he got a call from the dealer to fix his car.
While this is a good move by Toyota, it does hurt its image of bullet-proof reliability. It was only the other day I saw an ad on TV that stated that 80% of the Toyotas sold in the past 20 years still ply on the roads today!!

Originally Posted by vinaydas

it takes a company with a great deal of commitment which is absent in most other companies to take such drastic steps on a massive scale to ensure such events do not occur again in the future.
for that i have even more respect for Toyota Now

Somehow, I disagree.

See guys, a recall is always inevitable irrespective of which company it is! Every company, even the not-so-reliable companies would recall their cars if the fault is a major one like the 'gas pedal getting stuck'!(?) That's a huge fault there!

What sets Toyota apart is that other cars will have minor faults like badly interior trim that would come off. But Toyota doesn't make cars that needs constant care, attention and service. That's why their cars are considered 'bullet-proof'!

[RX135]

Originally Posted by vinaydas

it takes a company with a great deal of commitment which is absent in most other companies to take such drastic steps on a massive scale to ensure such events do not occur again in the future.
for that i have even more respect for Toyota Now

Originally Posted by mkc15

I think this is not as serious as being projected by media. People are hyping this to promote US cars(hence economy) I guess. I would still trust Toyota.

Are you kidding? I hope, you are not.

Open your eyes and search the internet. Even though the news is announced today, I had read about this "auto-accelerating" Toyotas few months back. They were all discarded promptly as a media gimmick aimed at hurting Toyota interests and resurrecting flagging US auto industry. Looks like, people seem to trust only when they crash in an ill-fated car or when Toyota recalls their models from the market.

[Nitin]

Originally Posted by mkc15

I think this is not as serious as being projected by media. People are hyping this to promote US cars(hence economy) I guess. I would still trust Toyota.

You can't be serious about this!
Do you even know why the recall happened? If not, here's why. A family of 5 went off the cliff in California while driving a Corolla ( I belive that was the car), and the reason was that the gas pedal got jammed.

With a few million cars being recalled, and this includes Toyota modela, the Pontiac Vibe (since it shares its platform with the Matrix) and even many Lexus models, this has got to be more than just a hype to promote US cars.

[teamveevee]

Originally Posted by Maximum_torque

Does this mean that Toyota cars in India are faulty too?

Today Toyota issued recalls on models in Europe and China. So there is a good chance the cars sold in India are also fualty. But even if that is the case, it is not mandatory in India. So they dont need to worry until it is fixed every where else.

Originally Posted by RX135

I had read about this "auto-accelerating" Toyotas few months back.

It is confirmed today the "Auto-acceleration" is different from "jammed gas pedal", that is the reason they halted sales. Brake pedal supplier identified the issue with gas pedal and fix is on its way, but Toyota, yet to find a solution for "Auto-Acceleration" issue.

[Superleggera]

Just a media hype alone cannot force toyota to issue a recall - Its really a serious issue. Few lines from CBS news:

Koeppen reported on a shocking crash occurred on a highway near San Diego.

In a 911 call, the caller said, "Our accelerator is stuck."

The operator replied, "I'm sorry?"

The caller said, "Our accelerator is stuck."

Behind the wheel of a runaway Lexus was Mark Saylor -- an off-duty California Highway Patrol officer. His wife and daughter were passengers, along with his brother-in-law, who was on the phone with 911.

Saylor's brother-in-law said in the 911 call, "We're approaching the intersection. Hold on. Pray."

Moments later, the car hit an SUV, plowed into an embankment and burst into flames. Everyone in it killed.

[Fraz33r]

Recent Update is: (Models Confirmed to be involved )
Toyota's 2009-2010 RAV4,
Corolla and Matrix models;
the 2005-2010 Avalon;
2010 Highlander;
2007-2010 Tundra
2008-2010 Sequoia;
2007-2010 Camrys (only those with gas pedal assemblies made by a specific Toyota supplier).
No Lexus or Scion models are involved.

This recall is separate from an earlier recall, announced in November, to fix a problem in which the gas pedal can get stuck in the cars' removable floormat. This latest recall is unrelated to an earlier, and still ongoing, recall of 4.2 million cars to fix a problem in which the gas pedal could get hung up on the car's floor mats. Most of the cars -- 1.7 million of them -- involved in this recall are also covered by that one.

SOURCE: CNN Money

It seems Toyota has not found the solution so far, and they have been forced to stop the production until this issue is addressed.

[vnabhi]

Well last night's TV news said that Toyota has stopped selling all 8 models with immediate effect till the defects are ruled out.
My colleague,who owns a 2009 Camry said that he got a letter from Toyota a few months ago to remove the floor mats from the front, as it was then suspected that they were causing the issue.
But the TV news 2 days back says that Toyota later discovered that it was a bigger issue than that.

[Superleggera]

You answered one of my questions vnabhi. Current I'm having a 2009 Corolla, rented for a week from Hertz which is not having front floor mats. I didn't notice the missing floor mats when I took the car and after two days I noticed this and was thinking that for a safer side I should have informed them that the floor mats were missing .

From your post its obvious that that would have removed it from the car before renting it to customers.

[Fraz33r]

EDIT: Toyota has issued a statement, what it will do to address the issue.

Toyota Vehicles : Toyota Recall January 2010: Voluntary Safety Gas Pedal Recall / Toyota

IMO It is a huge dent to the toyota profile in the US; and guess who is going to benefit from it?

[VIPER_SRT]

Toyota seriously denied the fact that it might faulty ECU's or electronics or Gas pedals earlier until all these unfortunate incidents came into limelight. This will be a major setback for Toyota in future.

[Mayavi]

They recalled vehicles in China, Korea and Europe as well. Did they recall any in India?

[R2D2]

No word from TKM India so far on the recall and whether or not cars in Asia, other than China, are affected. I will send them a customer query via their website regarding my Oct 08 Altis. I must say this issue has dented their reputation big time. Surely Altis owners in Asian countries must be wondering.

My 9G Corolla had a product recall for 2 items - one was the back rest on the rear seat which supposedly came loose under some circumstances and they had to replace the frame. The 2nd was a recall to replace the headlamp/indicator cluster switch.

But those two never had the potential to be as deadly as a stuck accelerator pedal can be. Given their track record and the worldwide headlines I am sure TKM will fix the problem if it affects cars in this country. Quality revolution? Hmm...let us see.

Cheers!

[mrkanitkar]

I contacted the dealer, they say this problem is not in India. They also suggested to send car for check, if I have doubt.