The carmaker hoped findings from two federal studies would put to rest speculation about its electronics system as a source for unintended acceleration. But the results may not prove enough to give Toyota a leg up in its ongoing legal battles.
In an affirmation of Toyota's claims, an exhaustive 10-month federal investigation has found no evidence of an electronic source for sudden unintended acceleration in companpy's vehicles. Indeed, human error was cited as the cause in many cases.
Faulty interior door handles may allow the doors to pop open during a crash. The recall involves F-150 pickups from the 2009-10 model years equipped with chrome interior door handles.
Last year's massive recalls -- and the resulting legal fallout -- have given Toyota's reputation a beating, cutting into its sales. But the company can't blame all of its problems on the recalls. Analysts also point to another issue: A lack of compelling new models.
Automakers recalled more vehicles last year than in any of the last six years. And while Toyota Motors accounted for much of the growth, with problems including unintended acceleration and glitchy brakes, many other car manufacturers also saw their recalls increase.
2010 may be the year of the car recall, with the U.S.'s six-largest suppliers recalling more than 19 million vehicles over the last 12 months. Toyota, which recalled about 7 million cars this year, tops the list. General Motors, at about 4 million, came in second.
The federal government is investigating whether some 384,000 Saturn Ion compact cars should have been included in a recall earlier this year. The recall was for more than one million General Motors models to repair power steering units that could fail.
Topping off a week in which Hyundai, Kia, Toyota, VW, Chrysler and Ford between them recalled hundreds of thousands of vehicles, General Motors today announced it is recalling 100,000 SUVs to repair front row seat belts that may come loose in a crash.
Volkswagen and Chrysler are recalling about 745,000 cars in separate actions to fix problems related to passenger side air bags and possible fuel leaks, according to federal safety officials.
Swedish automaker Volvo is recalling 7,420 sedans and wagons to fix seats that may allow front passengers to move the seats too far forward, putting them at risk of injury in a crash, federal safety officials said Monday.
Driver error, and not a stuck gas pedal, caused a 2005 Toyota Prius hybrid sedan to strike a stone wall in suburban New York this month, local investigators said Monday. Information gathered from the vehicle's "black box" led police to the conclusion.
