ID :
104502
Thu, 02/04/2010 - 08:22
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/104502
The shortlink copeid
Toyota probing Prius brake problem in response to complaints
TOKYO, Feb. 3 Kyodo -
Toyota Motor Corp. has received dozens of complaints involving the brakes of
the latest model of its popular Prius hybrid car in Japan and North America and
has launched a probe into the matter as instructed by the Japanese government,
company officials said Wednesday.
The Prius safety issue could spell further trouble for the top Japanese
automaker, already plagued by massive global recalls of other vehicles.
''We've received dozens of complaints through dealers in North America and
Japan,'' one of the officials said. Toyota has been aggressively driving sales
of the Prius, which was the best-selling car in Japan last year, with
pioneering hybrid green technology.
Japan's Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry said Wednesday it
has received 14 complaints related to the brakes on the new Prius hybrid,
following more than 100 similar complaints reported in the United States.
As for the Prius model cars that have been manufactured since last month,
Toyota has already taken measures to fix the problem, according to Economy,
Trade and Industry Minister Masayuki Naoshima, who met Toyota Executive Vice
President Shinichi Sasaki on Wednesday.
He was briefed by Sasaki that the automaker has adjusted a computer in the
system that controls the brakes, Naoshima said.
The reports of the complaints came to light as U.S. Transportation Secretary
Ray LaHood warned Tuesday that the recalls dogging Toyota are not over even as
the auto giant scrambles to put them behind it.
''We're not finished with Toyota and are continuing to review possible defects
and monitor the implementation of the recalls,'' LaHood said in a statement.
In the wake of the recalls of some of Toyota's top-selling models over faulty
gas pedals, a U.S. research firm said Tuesday that Toyota's new car sales in
the United States plunged 15.8 percent in January from a year earlier to 98,796
units, marking the first decline in four months.
On the latest model of the gas-electric Prius hybrid, rolled out last May, data
from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed that it has
received more than 100 complaints of brakes temporarily failing to function on
bumpy or slippery roads, with one crash reported.
A sensor malfunction when the system that controls braking power receives a
strong shock has been cited as a possible cause for the problems.
The Japanese transport ministry also said Wednesday that it has told Toyota to
investigate the matter after receiving information on an accident last July in
Chiba Prefecture which left two people injured.
The complaints in Japan pointed to sudden reductions in braking power while
slowing down on bumpy roads, the ministry said.
Industry minister Naoshima expressed a personal view that rejected an immediate
need for Toyota to recall the Prius model.
''It's still not clear whether (the complaints) will lead to safety problems,''
Naoshima told reporters, while adding that Toyota needs to look into the cases
quickly.
The latest Prius model is not part of the latest recalls of eight models,
including the Corolla and Camry, over gas pedals.
On whether Toyota would recall the Prius model, Toyota's Sasaki told reporters
after meeting with Naoshima and transport minister Seiji Maehara, ''It depends
on the nature of the problem and we are investigating it.''
U.S. regulators are stepping up criticism that Toyota's response to the recalls
in the United States of 2.3 million vehicles on Jan. 21 had been too slow.
U.S. media reports said the NHTSA is considering imposing civil penalties on
Toyota for its conduct.
LaHood confirmed that Transportation Department officials flew to Japan in
December ''to remind Toyota management about its legal obligations'' and held a
meeting again in January at the department to push the automaker to address the
gas pedal problems.
''While Toyota is taking responsible action now, it unfortunately took an
enormous effort to get to this point,'' he added.
On Monday, Toyota announced a remedy for the faulty accelerator pedals and said
it will begin repairing the recalled vehicles in the United States, Canada and
Europe by inserting a steel reinforcement bar. It will also resume suspended
production of the eight recalled models in North America next Monday.
The number of vehicles recalled in the United States was later revised to 2.21
million, but recalls have rapidly spread globally and now total about 4.27
million vehicles in places including Canada, Europe and China. Toyota is also
considering a recall or voluntary repair of about 180,000 vehicles in Latin
America, Africa and the Middle East.
==Kyodo
Toyota Motor Corp. has received dozens of complaints involving the brakes of
the latest model of its popular Prius hybrid car in Japan and North America and
has launched a probe into the matter as instructed by the Japanese government,
company officials said Wednesday.
The Prius safety issue could spell further trouble for the top Japanese
automaker, already plagued by massive global recalls of other vehicles.
''We've received dozens of complaints through dealers in North America and
Japan,'' one of the officials said. Toyota has been aggressively driving sales
of the Prius, which was the best-selling car in Japan last year, with
pioneering hybrid green technology.
Japan's Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry said Wednesday it
has received 14 complaints related to the brakes on the new Prius hybrid,
following more than 100 similar complaints reported in the United States.
As for the Prius model cars that have been manufactured since last month,
Toyota has already taken measures to fix the problem, according to Economy,
Trade and Industry Minister Masayuki Naoshima, who met Toyota Executive Vice
President Shinichi Sasaki on Wednesday.
He was briefed by Sasaki that the automaker has adjusted a computer in the
system that controls the brakes, Naoshima said.
The reports of the complaints came to light as U.S. Transportation Secretary
Ray LaHood warned Tuesday that the recalls dogging Toyota are not over even as
the auto giant scrambles to put them behind it.
''We're not finished with Toyota and are continuing to review possible defects
and monitor the implementation of the recalls,'' LaHood said in a statement.
In the wake of the recalls of some of Toyota's top-selling models over faulty
gas pedals, a U.S. research firm said Tuesday that Toyota's new car sales in
the United States plunged 15.8 percent in January from a year earlier to 98,796
units, marking the first decline in four months.
On the latest model of the gas-electric Prius hybrid, rolled out last May, data
from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed that it has
received more than 100 complaints of brakes temporarily failing to function on
bumpy or slippery roads, with one crash reported.
A sensor malfunction when the system that controls braking power receives a
strong shock has been cited as a possible cause for the problems.
The Japanese transport ministry also said Wednesday that it has told Toyota to
investigate the matter after receiving information on an accident last July in
Chiba Prefecture which left two people injured.
The complaints in Japan pointed to sudden reductions in braking power while
slowing down on bumpy roads, the ministry said.
Industry minister Naoshima expressed a personal view that rejected an immediate
need for Toyota to recall the Prius model.
''It's still not clear whether (the complaints) will lead to safety problems,''
Naoshima told reporters, while adding that Toyota needs to look into the cases
quickly.
The latest Prius model is not part of the latest recalls of eight models,
including the Corolla and Camry, over gas pedals.
On whether Toyota would recall the Prius model, Toyota's Sasaki told reporters
after meeting with Naoshima and transport minister Seiji Maehara, ''It depends
on the nature of the problem and we are investigating it.''
U.S. regulators are stepping up criticism that Toyota's response to the recalls
in the United States of 2.3 million vehicles on Jan. 21 had been too slow.
U.S. media reports said the NHTSA is considering imposing civil penalties on
Toyota for its conduct.
LaHood confirmed that Transportation Department officials flew to Japan in
December ''to remind Toyota management about its legal obligations'' and held a
meeting again in January at the department to push the automaker to address the
gas pedal problems.
''While Toyota is taking responsible action now, it unfortunately took an
enormous effort to get to this point,'' he added.
On Monday, Toyota announced a remedy for the faulty accelerator pedals and said
it will begin repairing the recalled vehicles in the United States, Canada and
Europe by inserting a steel reinforcement bar. It will also resume suspended
production of the eight recalled models in North America next Monday.
The number of vehicles recalled in the United States was later revised to 2.21
million, but recalls have rapidly spread globally and now total about 4.27
million vehicles in places including Canada, Europe and China. Toyota is also
considering a recall or voluntary repair of about 180,000 vehicles in Latin
America, Africa and the Middle East.
==Kyodo
