Ford Recalls Fusion Mercury Milan Due to Concern Wheels Can Fall Off.

Ford Recalls 2010 Fusion/Milan

Ford Motor Company has issued a recall for 2010-2011 Fusion and Mercury Milan equipped with 17 inch wheels, due to concerns that the wheel studs may fracture.  This would lead to excessive vibration and if ignored, wheel separation.  That is, the wheels could actually come off.  Ford is unaware of any crashes that might have occurred as a result of the defect.

Owners will be notified the week of Jan. 24th.  Dealers will inspect the rear brake disc surface and replace the discs at no charge if necessary. The lug nuts will be replaced on all four wheels as well.

More Recalls for Toyota

Problems continue for Toyota. Toyota recently announced the recall of 550,000 cars for steering defects. While no injuries have been associated with the defect, Toyota has received reports as far back as 2007. The defect makes it harder to steer.

Read the full article regarding the defect recall here

Government Investigation Fails to Find Electronic’s Flaw in Toyota Recalls

No Electric Flaws for Toyota

The government investigation into Toyota’s recent recalls failed to find a causal connection between Toyota’s electronic controls and the unintended acceleration problems reported. The investigation revealed that prior issues, including stuck gas pedals and defective floor mats were the likely cause of the complaints. Click the link to read the entire article, including government recommendations to reduce the likelihood of future accidents.

Toyota Recalls More Cars.

More Trouble for Toyota

The Courier Journal reports on another round of recalls, this time 1.5 million cars are being recalled for faulty brakes. This round of recalls comes as the automaker tries to repair its image from prior recalls and fines over its failure to disclose problems with its cars. Read the Courier’s article.

Driver Claims 2008 Toyota Prius Went Wild on Freeway

2008 Toyota Prius

The Today Show’s Matt Laurer reports on a driver’s claim that his 2008 Prius went wild on the California freeway prompting a frantic 911 call.  The Toyota Prius was not one of those recently recalled by Toyota, although some Prius models have been.  Watch the responding police officer and the frantic driver talk about his efforts to hit the brakes to slow the car, without success.

Click this link to watch the video of the Today Show report.

According to the Federal Government 34 “Deaths” Alleged in Toyotas Since 2000

Toyota's Acceleration Problems Lead to Deaths

The Lexington Herald’s Kentucky.com reported on consumer data gathered by the federal government revealing 34 deaths linked to sudden acceleration in Toyotas since 2000.  Complaints related to acceleration in vehicles have surged in since Toyota’s recalls were announced.  According to the article:

The new complaints reflect the heightened awareness of the massive recalls among the public and underscore a flurry of lawsuits on behalf of drivers alleging deaths and injuries in Toyota crashes. Three congressional hearings are planned on the Toyota recalls.

In the past three weeks, consumers have told the government about nine crashes involving 13 alleged deaths between 2005 and 2010 due to accelerator problems, according to a NHTSA database. The latest reports are in addition to previous complaints from consumers that alleged 21 deaths from 2000 to the end of last year.

According to Toyota spokeswoman Martha Voss the company takes, “all customer reports seriously and will, of course, look into new claims.” According to Voss, Toyota was taking steps to improve quality control and investigate customer complaints more aggressively.

You can read the entire article here.

The data by the federal government suggests that Toyota knew or should have known of acceleration problems as far back as 2000, yet waited until recently to issue a massive recall of vehicles.  This has led the federal government to question Toyota’s commitment to safety and has shed light on its secretive corporate culture that encourages quiet design changes each model year over embarrassing public recalls.  While this corporate climate may have allowed Toyota to gain market share over the past decade, it has turned into a public relations nightmare with no sign of letting up any time soon.  More embarrassing information is likely to come to light before this issue fades.  Whether it will have a long term impact on Toyota’s reputation is yet to be seen.

Toyota’s Deadly Secrets?

MSN Money has an informative article on the recent spate of recalls by Toyota Motor Company, including regulator’s doubts of Toyota’s commitment to addressing safety defects.  According to MSN:

On Jan. 19, in a closed-door meeting in Washington, D.C., two top executives from Toyota Motor gave American regulators surprising news.

Evidence had been mounting for years that Toyota cars could speed up suddenly, a factor suspected in crashes causing more than a dozen deaths. Toyota had blamed the problem on floor mats pinning the gas pedal. Now, the two Toyota men revealed they knew of a problem in its gas pedals.

The article goes on to chronicle the tension between Toyota and federal regulators governed with overseeing the safety of cars.  You can read the entire article here.

CNBC also reported on Toyota’s problems in a video titled “More Trouble for Toyota”.  Click to play.