Posted by Stephanie Brinley on February 3, 2010 at 6:25 pm
The Toyota recalls over sticking accelerator pedals are causing quite a stir this week, one which has grown in volume, really, over months and years. The fallout may be severe for Toyota, depending on how long it takes to fully resolve the issues and whether or not an additional recall regarding the Prius brake system is also required–voluntary or not. The situation is particularly bad for a company that had built a personality based on reliability and safety. No doubt, they will be taken to task. No doubt, mistakes were made. Also no doubt, the media frenzy is turning an already difficult and serious recall situation into recall fever.
But, while the drama plays out on local and national news, and our hard-working Congresspeople ensure they publicly flog Toyota and get their two cents in and “keep us safe,” there are real people with real questions. Toyota has some answers for customers, and we’d like to share them with you.
Follow the jump for Toyota’s relatively thorough and clear FAQs, including information on both the accelerator pedal and floor mat recalls, and what to do in an emergency.
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Posted by Stephanie Brinley on July 10, 2008 at 10:26 am
Even giant Toyota is forced to rethink their production plans and schedules, in light of plummeting truck and large SUV sales. Going into 2008 analysts expected a bad sales year for the U.S. automotive market. Still the first half of the year has been worse than predicted, and marked by a mass exodus from large trucks and SUVs. No one expects truck and large SUV sales to recover to pre-$4 gas levels, but it is impossible yet to know just how much of this dramatic and shocking shift is permanent.
Against this backdrop, Toyota announced today that Tundra and Sequoia production will be suspended in August, resuming again in November of this year. (The Sienna minivan, also built in Indiana, is so far unaffected.) This follows similar announcements over the past few months from Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler of lengthened shutdowns of truck and SUV production, and even Ford’s delayed launch of the new-for-2009MY F-150.
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Posted by Stephanie Brinley on December 14, 2005 at 1:40 pm
VehicleVoice (http://www.vehiclevoice.comhttp://www.autopacific.com) pay close attention to the the dynamics in one of the largest and most dynamic product segments in the North American auto market – the Premium Mid-Size SUV market. This VehicleVoice blog (http:/.vehiclevoice.com) delves into the dynamics between Traditional SUVs and Post-Modern SUV entries.
Are Traditional SUVs Based on Trucks on Their Way Out?
Some say traditional SUVs are on their way out, but their implied death is exaggerated at best or at worst will come only after a lengthy illness that has just begun to take root. That the playing field is changing there is no doubt, but traditional SUV entries will be an important part of the mix well into the next decade, despite the amount of chatter that Post Modern SUVs (some refer to them as crossovers) are generating and the speculation that the product configuration will take over the world. Though segmentation is subjective and a constantly moving target, but a close look at the Premium Mid-Size SUV segment as currently defined indicates that it is not quite time to write off traditional SUVs.
Ford Explorer Versus Toyota Highlander: Which is the Way of the Future?
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