Toyota will announce Friday that by September, it expects to have all of its North American plants back to their normal production levels. Then, it can begin attempting to recoup the U.S. market share it lost due to shortages related to the Japan earthquake and tsunami, as well as a slew of recalls.
Toyota is recalling nearly 2.2 million more cars to fix problems related to floor mats that can trap gas pedals and cause vehicles to accelerate uncontrollably. Among the models being recalled: The Toyota RAV4, 4-Runner and Highlander, and the Lexus LX 570, RX 330, RX 350 and and RX 400h.
Toyota managed to hold onto the title of world's No. 1 automaker last year, despite numerous safety recalls that took a toll on its sales. Toyota sold 8.42 million vehicles worldwide in 2010, enough to barely edge out resurgent General Motors, which rang up sales of 8.39 million.
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.
Toyota plans to rev up its vehicle production in the U.S., despite November's 7.3% drop in U.S. sales. The automaker has hired the first of an expected 2,000 workers for a new Mississippi Corolla plant, and says it expects to boost overall capacity utilization significantly from last year's weak levels.
Toyota has asked a federal court to dismiss lawsuits seeking damages related to the recall of millions of vehicles for possible unintended acceleration. The automaker has a simple argument: No one has ever demonstrated what is wrong with Toyota's cars, if anything.
Toyota is facing new accusations that it dragged its feet in issuing a recall. The world's largest auto company recently recalled 270,000 Lexus sedans to fix faulty valve springs that could cause the cars' engines to stall while they are in motion -- a problem it has known about since 2007.
Three months after Toyota executives were hauled before Congress to explain their vehicles' safety problems, the company's chief U.S. sales officer, James Lentz, appeared before lawmakers Thursday to again deny that electronics could possibly be the source of unintended acceleration issues.
Toyota Motor agreed Monday to pay the federal government's record $16.4 million fine for failing to disclose sooner that it knew there were problems with gas pedals in some of its vehicles. Compared with the billions of dollars in losses the company faces the penalty seems small.
Emails the carmaker turned over to the government reveal the internal debate over what to say publicly about its accelerator-pedal problem. Five days before its recall, a Toyota official urges: "The time to hide on this one is over."
Toyota says James Sikes' story of unintended acceleration on a San Diego freeway last week is 'inconsistent' with its preliminary analysis, which found the accelerator pedal operates normally.
Toyota President Akio Toyoda finally breaks his silence as the Japanese automaker struggles with massive recalls and serious damage to its reputation. At a Friday news conference, Toyoda apologized to customers for recalls involving some of its most popular models.
