This isn't the first major Toyota recall or even the first time Toyota's response has been called into question. In 2006, the company's Hilux trucks experienced safety issues and Toyota was forced to recall more than a million of them. It took the company a long time to admit fault and they were criticized by the Japanese government for their foot-dragging.

Steps to correct the problem have come from Toyota since the death of a CHP officer and his family in a loaned Lexus in August. The 911-call from the officer claiming he couldn't brake or stop the car from accelerating made national news. A month later the Department of Transportation issued a recall on floor mats in certain Toyota and Lexus vehicles, thought to be at blame for the crash, and Toyota followed with a temporary fix until they issued the full recall last week.

Despite the recent flurry of activity, the timeline shows Toyota has been aware of the problem since at least April of last year.

Here's the full press release. We'll be on a conference call in a few minutes to get more details on this non-recall recall of approximately 4 million vehicles. Anyone have any questions they want us to ask?

Toyota Announces Details of Remedy to Address Potential Accelerator Pedal Entrapment

TORRANCE, Calif., Nov. 25 /PRNewswire/ — Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. (TMS) announced today details of the vehicle-based remedy to address the root cause of the potential risk for floor mat entrapment of accelerator pedals in certain Toyota and Lexus models. Toyota issued a consumer safety advisory on September 29 on this issue and has, as an interim measure, commenced the mailing of safety notices to certain Toyota and Lexus owners on October 30.

The models involved are: 2007 to 2010 MY (model year) Camry, 2005 to 2010 MY Avalon, 2004 to 2009 MY Prius, 2005 to 2010 MY Tacoma, 2007 to 2010 MY Tundra, 2007 to 2010 MY ES350, 2006 to 2010 MY IS250, and 2006 to 2010 MY IS 350.

The specific measures of the vehicle-based remedy are as follows:

1. The shape of the accelerator pedal will be reconfigured to address the risk of floor mat entrapment, even when an older-design all-weather floor mat or other inappropriate floor mat is improperly attached, or is placed on top of another floor mat. For the ES350, Camry, and Avalon models involved, the shape of the floor surface underneath will also be reconfigured to increase the space between the accelerator pedal and the floor.
2. Vehicles with any genuine Toyota or Lexus accessory all-weather floor mat will be provided with newly-designed replacement driver- and front passenger-side all-weather floor mats.

In addition, as a separate measure independent of the vehicle-based remedy, Toyota will install a brake override system onto the involved Camry, Avalon, and Lexus ES350, IS350 and IS250 models as an extra measure of confidence. This system cuts engine power in case of simultaneous application of both the accelerator and brake pedals.

Toyota is in the process of completing development of these actions and for the ES350, Camry, and Avalon will start notifying owners of the involved vehicles via first-class mail by the end of this year. The remedy process regarding the other five models will occur on a rolling schedule during 2010.

Dealers will be trained and equipped to make the necessary modifications to these models starting at the beginning of 2010. Initially, dealers will be instructed on how to reshape the accelerator pedal for the repair. As replacement parts with the same shape as the modified pedal become available, they will be made available to dealers for the repair, beginning around April 2010. Customers who have had the remedy completed will have the opportunity to receive a new pedal if they desire.

In the meantime, owners of the involved vehicles are asked to take out any removable driver's floor mat and not replace it with any other floor mat until they are notified of the vehicle-based remedy, as notified in the consumer safety advisory and the interim notice.

The brake override system will be made standard equipment throughout the Toyota and Lexus product lines starting with January 2010 production of ES350 and Camry and is scheduled to be incorporated into new production of most models by the end of 2010.

The safety of our owners and the public is our utmost concern and Toyota has and will continue to thoroughly investigate and take appropriate measures to address any defect trends that are identified.

Owners who have further questions are asked to visit www.toyota.com or www.lexus.com or contact the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1 800 331-4331 or Lexus Customer Assistance at 1-800-295-3987.

Toyota Announces Safety Recall on 2000 through 2003 Tundra Frame Rear Cross Member

Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. will launch a Safety Recall involving approximately 110,000 Tundra vehicles sold in the United States.

Certain 2000 through 2003 model year Tundra vehicles operated in cold climate areas with high road salt use, may exhibit excessive corrosion on the frame rear cross- member. In the worst case, the spare tire stowed under the truck bed may become separated from the rear cross member. Spare tire separation will create a road hazard for following vehicles and increase the likelihood of a crash.

Eventually, excessive corrosion of the rear cross-member may also affect the functionality of the rear brake line at the proportioning valve. If this occurs, it can lead to the loss of the rear brake circuits which will increase vehicle stopping distances and the risk of a crash.

In addition to the District of Columbia, the involved cold climate states with high road salt usage are: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, and West Virginia.

Beginning in December 2009 through early 2010, owners of the involved vehicles will receive a Safety Recall notification via first class mail asking them to take their vehicles to a Toyota dealer for an initial inspection of the rear cross member. During this inspection, the rear cross-member including the surrounding components such as, the brake line at the proportioning valve (which is mounted on the cross-member assembly) will also be inspected. Based upon the inspection, Toyota will do one of the following at no charge:

Tundra

If there is no significant corrosion of the rear cross-member assembly or the rear brake line at the proportioning valve, owners will be notified of that fact and requested to subsequently bring their vehicle back to the dealership so that a corrosion-resistant compound can be applied to the rear cross-member. Toyota will notify the owner when the corrosion-resistant compound is available.

If significant corrosion is detected such that the rear cross-member can no longer safely support the spare tire and replacement components are available, the cross- member assembly will be replaced. In the event replacement components are not available, a temporary solution, such as the removal of the spare tire and securing it to the truck bed, will be performed until parts are available.

In those relatively rare cases where the rear cross-member is significantly corroded and can no longer safely support the spare tire, but the rear cross-member cannot be replaced due to excessive frame corrosion at the mounting location (e.g., if the side rails are too damaged), Toyota will develop an appropriate remedy for those vehicles on a case-by- case basis.

This inspection will take approximately 20 minutes depending on dealer scheduling.

Until your vehicle is inspected, you may minimize the risk of the spare tire separating from the rear cross-member by removing it. If you choose to do so, please be sure not to be under the rear cross-member or spare tire carrier during the lowering process. In addition, if placing the spare tire in the truck bed or other area of the vehicle, it should be secured when driving.

Customers with questions are asked to call the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1 800 331-4331.

###

[Toyota via PickupTrucks]

The ongoing recall now includes the 1995-2002 Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer, 1995-2003 Ford Windstar, 1995-1997 and 2001-2003 Ford Ranger, 2000-2003 Ford Excursion with diesel engine, 1992-2003 Ford Econoline vans, 1993-1997 F35 motor homes and 1999-2003 Ford F-Series Super Duty trucks with diesel engines.

The cruise control deactivation switches were made by Texas Instruments and can overheat, creating a fire hazard even after the vehicle has been switched off. Warning signs of failure can include malfunctioning cruise control and brakes, unusual activation of brake lights and difficulty shifting out of "park." That sounds pretty scary and Ford is suggesting that vehicles included in the recall that haven't been fixed yet shouldn't be parked in garages or near homes. Two deaths have been linked to the fires, as well as several home fires.

Ford's fix is to have dealers install a fused wiring harness that will eliminate the risk of fire, but not replace the faulty switch itself. Concerned owners can call 888-222-2751 for more information.

Here's the story, straight from a Lexus dealership employee and poster on the CamaroZ28 forum — along with the step-by-step instruction manual. Just click next:

so....toyota told dealers that any vehicle listed on the recall is forbidden from sale until this "floormat fix" was performed. this was not up to dealers, toyota gave specific instructions on how to do this.

so for us at lexus, that meant every new and used ES and IS sedan.

loaner cars were not done because they are not for sale at the time.

toyota said to remove all weather mats from cars if they had them in the trunk.

then, take the driver seat floormat and puncture or drill 2 holes behind each matclip, and ziptie to the seat rail.

so, every one of those cars on our lot (including show room cars of course) now looks like this crap.

we shut down service an hour early, and had valets and porters pulling cars in the shop, with techs drilling and ziptieing mats.

it took nearly 2hrs to finish every car.

(Hat tip to Jeremy!)

Nissan is recalling their 2005-2009 trucks and SUVs, which many consider to be the best in the business, due to a faulty crash sensor. In states where cold winters and snow occur, salt is used to clear icy roads and has previously only caused some rusty cars. Nissan is saying that the road salt is causing the crash sensor to corrode which in turn is causing the front-impact airbags to fail.

The recall only affects registered 2005-2009 Xterras, Pathfinders and Frontiers in heavy snow regions including Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. Nissan won’t leave the rest of its owners out in the cold and will be providing a 10 year warranty for the sensor in other states.

Currently there have been no crashes or injuries linked to the faulty sensor and Nissan will notify owners of the affected models in the next couple of weeks.

Press Release

NISSAN IS RECALLING 242,720 MY 2005-2009 PATHFINDER, FRONTIER AND XTERRA VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD IN OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT, WEST VIRGINIA, WISCONSIN, AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. IN THOSE AREAS OF THE COUNTRY WHICH USE HEAVY CONCENTRATIONS OF ROAD SALT IN THE WINTER, A MIXTURE OF SNOW/WATER AND SALT CAN ENTER INTO THE FRONT CRASH ZONE SENSOR (CZS) HOUSING. IF THIS OCCURS, THE CZS MAY INTERNALLY RUST RESULTING IN A SIGNAL INTERRUPTION. IF THIS HAPPENS, THE RED AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT WILL ILLUMINATE TO ALERT THE VEHICLE OPERATOR.

Consequence:
THIS ISSUE COULD RESULT IN THE NON-DEPLOYMENT OF THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER FRONT AIR BAGS IN A CRASH, INCREASING THE RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY.

Remedy:
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT CZS WITH A REDESIGNED SENSOR. THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT YET PROVIDED AN OWNER NOTIFICATION SCHEDULE FOR THIS CAMPAIGN. OWNERS IN THE OTHER STATES WILL RECEIVE EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE FOR THE SENSOR TO 10 YEARS. THESE OWNERS WILL BE NOTIFIED OF THE WARRANTY EXTENSION BY MAIL AND WILL RECEIVE A STICKER TO PLACE IN THEIR WARRANTY BOOKLET EXPLAINING THE EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.

Notes:
CUSTOMERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV .

[via NHTSA]

Identifying a defective valve stem is simple: Dismount each tire from its rim and check. That's right, folks: There's no outward marking to identify the defective valve stems, nor was any tracking system in place to determine who may or may not have received one. So, if you're part of the at-risk group, you probably want to keep both hands on the wheel until NHTSA sorts all this out. [Consumer Reports; Photo and tons of great valve stem info at Techno-Fandom.org]

Recalled vehicles:
2008 Buick Enclave, 2006-2008 Buick Lucerne, 2006-2008 Cadillac DTS, 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade, 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade ESV, 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade EXT, 2007-2008 Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado, Tahoe and Suburban, 2007-2008 GMC Acadia, Sierra, Yukon and Yukon XL, 2006-2008 Hummer H2 and 2007-2008 Saturn Outlook.

For more information, call:
Buick: (866) 608-8080
Cadillac: (800) 982-2339
Chevrolet: (800) 630-2438
Saturn: (800) 972-8876
GMC: (866) 996-9436
Hummer: (800) 732-5493

[Detroit News]

The most depressing part of this whole story comes from an analyst at J.D. Power & Associates who claims it shouldn't hurt Journey sales because owners are so used to minor recalls that they're immune to them. "Quality is job... it's a job for someone... it's a new day." [AutoNews subs. req.]

The recalled cars include 380,000 Pull-Back Action Toy Cars (pictured), 7,500 Dragster and Funny Car toys and 7,200 "Big Red" wagons. Though no illnesses have been linked to these toys, lead is bad for the youngins. [ http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=320398&view=rss&microfeed=true If you're hooning it down a long straight in the outback, suddenly come to a corner at speed and realize that your traction control has quit the team, you might well be driving a Quattroporte! Apparently, a software glitch in the cars disables the system when the battery gets below a certain level. Maser's got a fix for it, and all you have to do is return your pricey Italian sports sedan to your nearest authorized Maserati store. In the meantime, steer clear from full-throttle kangaroo-evasion maneuvers. [News.com.au]

The woes keep on coming. CerebusChrysler DaimlerChrysler is recalling 2007 Jeep Wranglers and Dodge Nitros because an electrical glitch could cause the vehicle to stall. True, both of these vehicles share the family 3.7-liter V6, but the Liberty remains unaffected because it uses an older, glitch-free ECM. While a recall of 80,000 vehicles is just large enough to merit coverage, we're mostly posting this because of the following:

The automaker said the power interruption could lead to a short engine stall, but said the engine would immediately restart if the vehicle was in motion.

Chrysler recalls Wranglers, Nitros over engine [msnbc.com]

Related:
Jalopnik Reviews: 2007 Dodge Nitro R/T 2WD, Part 1; VW to Recall 790,000 Cars. Oof.; SEMA 2007: Jeep Wrangler JT Concept [Internal]

Toyota Tundra may be recalled [Detroit News]

Related:
NHTSA Gives Toyota A Four-Star Black Eye On Tundra Crewmax To Match The First; It's Easy Not Being Green: Biggest Sales Of New Toyota Tundra Coming From Gas-Guzzling V8 [internal]

Screw the recall. Ford should offer an afterburner kit on all its Super Duty pickups. What better way to tell GM and Toyota the blue oval is not to be trifled with than a column of flame shooting from its tailpipe. Extra special bonus for gunning it next to a saw mill or propane distribution center. [Thanks to William for the tip.] – Mike Spinelli

Related:
Buy A Ford Super Duty; If You're Lucky It May Fart Fire! [internal]