LaHood tells owners of recalled Toyotas to stop driving vehicles …

US Transportation Sec’y says Toyota “a little safety deaf” on severity of gas pedal problems

February 2nd, 2010 more imagesmore imagesmore imagesmore imagesAP Interview: LaHood says Toyota slow to respondWASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says Toyota was slow to realize safety problems with its gas pedals that has led to the recall of millions of popular Toyota brands. LaHood tells The Associated Press that Toyota was “a little safety deaf” and that federal safety officials needed to “wake them up” to the seriousness of the pedal problems.

Toyota is shipping gas pedal parts this week, but repairs must wait for technician training

February 1st, 2010 more imagesmore imagesmore imagesmore imagesToyota tells dealers parts on way to fix pedalsWASHINGTON — Toyota Motor Corp. is telling dealers that they should get parts to fix sticky gas pedals later this week.

Toyota says no risk of unintended acceleration if floor mats are installed correctly

November 2nd, 2009 more imagesmore imagesToyota discloses US findings on floor matsNEW YORK — Toyota Motor Corp. said Monday its vehicles are not at risk of accelerating out of control unless the driver’s side floor mat is improperly installed or is not meant for that vehicle.

Toyota recalls 95,700 Toyota, Scion vehicles due to possible brake malfunction

August 26th, 2009 Toyota recalls 95,700 Toyota, Scion vehiclesTORRANCE, Calif. — Toyota Motor Corp.

General Motors offers incentives to woo Toyota owners whose cars have been recalled

January 27th, 2010 more imagesmore imagesGM offers incentives to lure fearful Toyota ownersDETROIT — General Motors is offering interest-free loans and other incentives to Toyota owners who may want to get rid of their cars due to fears about faulty gas pedals. GM General Manager of Retail Sales Steve Hill said Wednesday the company is responding to thousands of inquiries from Toyota owners.

Toyota tells gov’t it is recalling 3.8 million vehicles, including top-selling Camry and Prius

October 5th, 2009 Toyota formally recalls 3.8 million vehiclesWASHINGTON — Toyota Motor Corp. is officially recalling 3.8 million vehicles in the United States to address problems with floor mats that could cause the gas pedal to get stuck and cause a crash.

Toyota’s new device ‘alcolock’ can prevent drink and underage driving

September 1st, 2009 LONDON – World’s largest automaker Toyota has come up with a novel device that prevents a car from starting when the driver is over the alcohol limit. Fitted with a digital camera, the “alcolock” locks the ignition if it detects that the driver has drunk too much, or is under the legal limit, and gives the motorist a warning, reports the Telegraph.

Japan urges Toyota to secure consumer confidence in wake of massive global recalls

January 29th, 2010 more imagesmore imagesJapan urges Toyota to secure consumer confidenceTOKYO — Japan’s trade minister urged Toyota Motor Corp. to secure the confidence of car buyers in the wake of massive global recalls.

New Camaros being recalled to fix battery cable problem that could cause engine stall

May 6th, 2009 GM recalls 300 new Camaros due to cable problemDETROIT — General Motors Corp. says it is recalling about 300 new Chevrolet Camaros because a battery cable could rub against the starter motor, wearing the insulation and potentially causing the car to stop running or fail to start.

Toyota owners warned by government over potential problems with stuck accelerators

September 30th, 2009 Govt warns Toyota owners about stuck acceleratorsWASHINGTON — The government is warning owners of Toyota and Lexus vehicles about safety problems tied to removable floor mats. they say the mats could interfere with the vehicle’s accelerator and cause a crash.

Toyota tells workers it has found fix for stick gas pedals, update coming on Friday

January 29th, 2010 more imagesmore imagesToyota finds fix for gas pedals; update due FridayDETROIT — Toyota Motor Corp. says it has figured out how to fix a problem with sticking accelerator pedals and will update employees with details.

Laptop kills Canadian woman

April 17th, 2009 VANCOUVER – in a freak incident, a young Canadian woman was killed by her laptop during an accident in the Indian-dominated city of Surrey near here, investigation reports said Thursday. According to police, investigation has established that 25-year-old Heather Storey was killed when she was hit by her laptop while driving to work last month.

Toyota’s Prius hybrid best-selling car in Japan for 4th straight month

September 3rd, 2009 Toyota Prius top-selling car in Japan for 4 monthsTOKYO — an auto industry group says Toyota’s hugely popular Prius hybrid ranked as Japan’s top-selling car in August for the fourth straight month. The Japan Automobile Dealers Association said Friday the Prius kept the top spot in auto sales with 21,669 vehicles sold.

APNewsBreak: Toyota sends new gas pedals to plants, not dealers who want the parts

January 29th, 2010 more imagesmore imagesAPNewsBreak: Toyota sends gas pedals to factoriesDETROIT — The Associated Press has learned that Toyota is sending new gas pedal systems to car factories rather than dealerships who want the parts to take care of millions of customers whose pedals may stick. Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons confirms information in a company e-mail obtained by the AP that says parts were shipped to factories.

Consumer Reports pulls recommendations for 8 recalled Toyota models, citing safety concerns

January 29th, 2010 more imagesmore imagesConsumer Reports pulls some Toyota recommendationsWASHINGTON — Consumer Reports, an influential publication for car buyers, has temporarily suspended its “recommended” status for eight recalled Toyota models because of faulty gas pedal systems, dealing another blow to the Japanese automaker’s reputation in the United States. The Yonkers, N.Y.-based publication said Friday it issued the suspension because of reports of the accelerator pedal sticking and causing unintended acceleration.

LaHood tells owners of recalled Toyotas to stop driving vehicles …