Toyota Recall: Suspension of Sales and Production Suggests The Problem Really Is Serious

Wow, the news just keeps getting worse for Toyota. On top of recalls previously announced by Toyota involving floor mats and accelerator pedals, it yesterday took the drastic step of announcing that it was suspending sales and production of the affected models.  

Although there have been relatively few reports of accelerator pedals sticking, the massive nature of the recall coupled with the suspension of sales and production suggests that there is in fact a serious problem that has been identified and that a fix is in the works.

On the other hand, there is an indication from some who have experienced sudden unintended acceleration in their Toyota do not believe that a sticking accelerator pedal describes what has happened to them. Because of this, some safety experts believe that the problems may be a combination of floor mat problems, accelerator pedal issues and electronic throttle controls.

All of this is eerily reminiscent of unintended acceleration claims made against Audi in the late 1980s. The claims hounded Audi for years and nearly caused it to go bankrupt. Toyota seems to have learned from Audi’s experience, in light of the recall, suspension of sales and production. Audi steadfastly blamed the problems on drivers and although Toyota has done this to some extent, the current actions suggest that it realizes that there is indeed a problem that needs to be addressed.