Page 154 - Toyota Under Fire

THE RECALL CRISIS

SUMMAR Y TIMELINE, AUGUST 2009
THROUGH FEBRUAR Y 2010
AUGUST 28, 2009: Saylor accident in San Diego.

SEPTEMBER 29, 2009: Recall and safety advisory on floor mats
in 4.2 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles announced. The com-
pany advises owners to immediately remove their floor mats
and place them in the trunk.

OCTOBER 2, 2009: Toyota president Akio Toyoda publicly apolo-
gizes to the Saylor family and to every customer affected by the
floor mat recall.

OCTOBER 18, 2009: The Los Angeles Times publishes the first
of more than 100 negative stories concerning claims of unin-
tended acceleration and safety issues in Toyota vehicles.
OCTOBER 30, 2009: Toyota begins sending letters to owners no-
tifying them of an unspecified upcoming recall related to unin-
tended acceleration and floor mats. In the letters, Toyota says
that “defect does not exist in vehicles in which the driver side
floor mat is compatible with the vehicle and properly secured.”
NOVEMBER 2, 2009: The NHTSA takes the highly unusual step
of publicly rebuking Toyota, calling the company’s public state-
ments “inaccurate” and “misleading,” and noting that the floor
mat recall was an “interim” measure and that it “does not cor-
rect the underlying defect.” Toyota issues a public apology.
NOVEMBER 25, 2009: Toyota announces the specific details of
the recall to shorten accelerator pedals or increase the distance
between the floor and the pedal in millions of vehicles.
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