More bad news for Toyota as recalls extended

Toyota has announced it plans to recall a further 1.1 million cars in the US a day after saying it was suspending sales of 8 popular US models.

Last week, the world’s largest carmaker recalled 2.3 million cars in the US with faulty pedals and has now recalled almost 8 million cars in the US in the past four months.
In November last year it recalled 4.2 million cars because of worries over pedals getting lodged under floor mats.

The latest recall affects five models in the US: the 2008-2010 Highlander and the 2009-2010 Corolla, Venza, Matrix and Pontiac Vibe.

To add to the Japanese car maker’s problems and according to an application to China’s quality control office, from 28 February it wants to recall 75,552 RAV4 vehicles there as well.

The Chinese cars were manufactured between 19 March 2009 and 25 January 2010 in Tianjin, according to a notice on the website of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People’s Republic of China.

There is also to be a recall in Europe but the specifics have yet to be decided. Colin Hensley, general manager of Toyota’s European operations, said the carmaker was trying to establish how many European models shared the parts used in the cars recalled in the US.

Toyota has also announced 750 jobs could go before August at its Burnaston plant in the UK.

“[Last year] was a tough year for Toyota Manufacturing UK,” the carmaker said.

“This decision is related to production capacity and efficiency, not to production volumes.”

Toyota said no decision had been taken about how the jobs would go, but added that it was not currently considering compulsory redundancies.