I am sorry to hear of Toyota’s problems at present – we know they are an organisation committed to quality and that they are not the only car manufacturers with cars to recall and serious safety issues to address.
I was taken aback to read that the adult family who died in the Lexus with the accelerator stuck on had the time to call the US equivalent of 999 but did not necessarily know to brake, declutch or switch the engine off… until it was too late. Perhaps the driver was too scared or perhaps these remedial actions didn’t work?
I heard Toyota UK’s MD on R4’s Today programme this morning and he coped well with some awful questions like ‘Can you give us a cast iron guarantee that Toyota cars are 100% reliable…’ How can anyone be expected to answer such a question in these circumstances?
Let’s hope the recall process is speedy for all concerned and that this message reaches any secondhand Toyota car owners who might be affected but not on the manufacturer or dealership mailing lists.
Of course Toyota will do all it can to sort this out as soon as possible and of course other drivers will be fearful until their car is checked.
And whilst Toyota is taking the public flak, Honda is recalling cars and so is PSA but without the media spotlight on them.
But perhaps there are some lessons to be learned from being the recently largest global car manufacturer in a beleaguered industry and needing to keep an eye on the share price. During the latter part of 2008 I read in a trade publication that Toyota was planning to introduce ten new models into the UK market in 2009 – not good timing with the benefit of hindsight.
I don’t think they all did come to market but it was clear to me then that the strategy was for new product development not the status quo. And whilst quality and reliability have been Toyota’s strengths for many years I understand that the accelerator problem is caused due to changes made to their ABS system so one has to wonder whether the new systems were well enough tested pre new model release. Or if a degree of complacency might have crept in somewhere…
If you were to ask me which manufacturer would be most likely to have safety and reliability at the top of the agenda then I’d refer to the Reliability Index where Toyota appears in fourth position behind Suzuki, Honda and Mazda and well ahead of the likes of Ford, Vauxhall and BMW.
Too soon to measure the cost (£ billions are estimated) but the customer awareness and reassurance campaign that will undoubtedly follow will be every bit as important as the vehicle checks and remedial work to rebuild the customer trust that was part of the Toyota brand.