Toyota recently announced a new recall of 907,000 vehicles, mostly Corolla models, for faulty airbags and another 385,000 Lexus IS luxury cars for defective wipers. There have been no accidents or injuries related to either of the defects, though Toyota has received 46 reports of problems involving the airbags from North America and one from Japan.
The recall comes shortly after the automaker agreed to pay more than $1 billion in the United States to settle lawsuits where vehicle owners said the value of their cars and SUV’s significantly decreased after the company recalled millions of vehicles-over 10 million-because of sudden-acceleration problems.
The company also recently settled a case involving a Utah crash that took place back in 2010. The case, which had been scheduled to go to trial in February in Santa Ana, California, where other sudden acceleration cases are consolidated.
Recalls connected to the sudden acceleration problem were for bad brakes, defective gas pedals and improperly installed floor mats. Executives at Toyota have promised to increase quality controls and be quicker with recalls to repair the company’s image. They have not admitted fault in the sudden-acceleration cases, but acknowledge that the company is ready to leave the crisis behind in order to achieve sales growth in Asia and the United States.
Unfortunately for the company, people that were injured are still seeking compensation and there are still legal battles ahead.
Source: CBS News, “Toyota recalls 1.3M Corolla, Lexus sedans,” January 30, 2013,” January 30, 2013