Toyota Recall Update: Congressional Hearing Set

While we wait to hear more information about a fix for the millions of Toyotas on the road, there have been new developments involving the issue.

• The U.S. House of Representatives’ Energy & Commerce Committee will hold a hearing about the most recent recall of 2.3 million vehicles on Feb. 25.
• GM is offering $1,000 in cash-back incentives to any current Toyota owner if they buy a new GM vehicle by the end of the month. Other automakers also are offering lucrative incentives, but they’re not directly targeted at Toyota owners.
• Rental car companies Hertz, Avis and Enterprise have pulled all the recalled Toyotas from their fleets. The three are assuring their customers that safety is their main concern and there still will be plenty of cars to rent. Toyotas make up 4% — a small amount — of Enterprise’s fleet.
• In China, fewer than 2,000 Ford vans in China are being recalled for using a similar pedal to the one used in the Toyota recall. The same supplier is involved. Ford has halted all production and sales.
• United Auto Workers and Teamsters protested outside the Japanese Embassy in Washington, D.C., with signs that read, “Toyota Killing American Jobs.” The protest didn’t originally have anything to do with the recalls; instead it was a protest over the closing of a single California factory where Toyota employed union labor.
• The company that makes the faulty parts — CTS — is blaming Toyota for the recall. According to the company, the part was designed by Toyota and CTS just builds it. CTS’ CEO said, “This is their recall.” They’re building new pedals using a new design from Toyota. However, those parts are heading to assembly plants. No fix for current owners has been developed yet.