U.S. transport chief to phone Toyoda over safety fears
Toyota’s president apologized Friday for the recall crisis that’s engulfed the Japanese automaker and promised a new emphasis on quality control.
Toyota Motor Corp. president Akio Toyoda spoke at a hastily arranged late evening news conference in Nagoya, Japan.
Toyoda said he would personally head a special committee that would examine Toyota’s internal quality control and consult with outside experts on what to do with the automaker’s growing list of problems.
It was the first public appearance by Toyoda, grandson of the company’s founder, since the automaker ordered a huge recall of 4.2 million vehicles last month — 270,000 in Canada — over a problem with sticking gas pedals.
« I offer my apologies for the worries, » he said in Japanese. « Many customers are wondering whether their cars are OK. »
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Wednesday he will talk directly with Toyota Motor Corp . President Akio Toyoda soon about the safety concerns involving his company’s cars.
« This is very serious, » LaHood was quoted as saying at a breakfast with reporters in Washington. « After I talk with him, they’ll get it. We’re going to keep the pressure on. »
He also said the Transportation Department may impose civil penalties on Toyota.
Safety concerns have deepened as reports rise about complaints involving the brakes in Toyota’s popular Prius hybrid.
The U.S. government plans to investigate the Prius issue and, if the problem and a solution can be identified, demand a recall. U.S. lawmakers addressed Toyota safety concerns at a House committee Wednesday.
Tom Latham, a Republican congressman from Iowa, asked LaHood if the N H T Safety Administration should broadcast information about how to handle the gas pedal issue.
LaHood replied that safety information has been publicized and added his own advice is to stop driving the recalled Toyota cars.
« My advice is if anyone owns one of these vehicles stop driving it and take it to Toyota dealers because they believe they have a fix for it, » LaHood told the committee.
The NHTSA is probing Toyotas not just for problems with the gas pedals but also for possible electrical system glitches
;Later in the day, LaHood retracted his remarks, acknowledging that advising Toyota drivers to stop driving the vehicles was a mistake.
« What I meant to say or what I thought I said was, if you own one of these cars or if you’re in doubt, take it to the dealer and they’re going to fix it, » he told reporters.
His initial remarks about Toyota cars created a stir on Wall Street sending Toyota shares tumbling. The stock, however, rebounded a bit after he revised the statement.
In Tokyo Thursday, responding to Prius brake complaints, Toyota vaguely said it is thinking of making an announcement soon.
« We are thinking about announcing measures to our customers, » said Hiroyuki Yokoyama, managing officer in charge of quality control.
Yokoyama said it first acknowledged the brake trouble last fall and began taking a closer look in December, when snowfall and claims increased.
Toyota made corrections to the software for the Prius antilock braking system in January after finding it was causing brake-related glitches on bumpy or frozen roads but didn’t issue a recall.
Français
M. Toyoda effectuait sa première conférence de presse depuis le début de la crise.
«Je suis profondément désolé du dérangement et des craintes causés aux clients à cause des rappels dans de nombreuses régions», a déclaré M. Toyoda au cours de cette conférence de presse au siège de Toyota à Nagoya (centre).
Toyota a été contraint de rappeler plus de huit millions de véhicules dans le monde depuis l’automne dernier en raison de pédales d’accélérateur pouvant rester bloquées en position enfoncée. Le constructeur a également reconnu l’existence d’un défaut dans le système de freinage du modèle hybride Prius.
Il s’agissait de la première apparition devant les médias de M. Toyoda depuis le début de la crise, à l’exception d’une conversation impromptue avec la télévision japonaise NHK le week-end dernier en marge du forum de Davos (Suisse), au cours de laquelle il avait déjà présenté des excuses.
«Je m’adresse maintenant au public car les clients s’inquiètent de savoir si leur voiture est ou non en bon état, et je ne voulais pas les laisser dans cet état tout au long du week-end», a expliqué le PDG
Le responsable des “U.S. transport” devait téléphoner à Monsieur Toyoda au sujet des craintes des possesseurs de Toyota aux USA .
Le ministère américain des Transports a publié sur son site internet une vingtaine de plaintes de propriétaires de Toyota Prius ayant rencontré des problèmes de freinage.
Tous les témoignages concernent une perte de contrôle du véhicule qui serait liée à des freins qui ont lâché sur des modèles 2010.
Le constructeur japonais n’a pas tardé à réagir en annonçant qu’il a avait déjà ouvert une enquête pour analyser « le plus vite possible » les raisons de ces dysfonctionnements
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