Toyota Corolla May Be Recalled over Steering Problem

Feb 18, 2010 112 Replies

Many owners have posted about steering problems here, and guess what? There is a problem and Corolla may be recalled!



"Some Corolla drivers in the U.S. have reported experiencing a loss of steering control, typically occurring at higher speeds.



Sasaki says Toyota has received less than 100 complaints about steering issues in the Corolla. At the same Japanese press conference where Sasaki spoke, TMC President Akio Toyoda said he does not plan to visit to the U.S. next week to appear at two U.S. government hearings.



“I trust that our officials in the U.S. will amply answer the questions,” Toyoda is quoted as saying. “We are sending the best people to the hearing, and I hope to back up the efforts from headquarters.”

Yoshimi Inaba, Toyota Motor North America president, will appear at a Feb. 24 hearing of the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and a Feb. 25 House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing.



Toyoda says he will travel to the U.S. at a later date.



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The only problems with the Corolla's steering is the nut behind the wheel...

Moron.

Yes, I'm sure that's the case.

Ever driven a car with electrically enhanced steering?

My bet is for one it's the first Corolla the complainers have ever owned, which takes some getting used to all by itself if you've never owned a Corolla, and the electrically assisted PS, that is a different aniimal all of it's own.

In message , =?iso-2022-jp?q?Hachiroku_$B%O%A%m%/(B?writes

I own two cars with power steering an 02 Nissan Almera and an 09 Toyota Auris. The Nissan has hydraulic power steering, the Toyota has Electric power steering. Personally I can't tell the difference. I can only assume that the American products are somehow inferior.

For people that aren't used to Corollas the steering can be daunting. It's really, really tight, even in the days before rack and pinion. It is very easy to make a Corolla sway back and forth if you're not used to the tightness of the steering. Since my first 4 cars were Toyotas, I was used to the steering right from the start.

Someone used to a more drifty steering system (like Chryslers) might think there's something wrong, but they're just not used to the tightness. You have an Auris...looks kind of like a cross between a Matrix and a Yaris...I'd bet the steering is fairly tight in that, too.

In message , =?iso-2022-jp?q?Hachiroku_$B%O%A%m%/(B?writes

If you mean ,Sharp, or Precise then yes, it's typical Rack and Pinion steering. (As opposed to Recirculating Ball, spongy and imprecise.) If you mean hard to turn, then no.

Ashton Crusher wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Can you tell me where that number comes from? I'd like to see the source(s) behind it.

IF you beleive the news media it is based on the latest total as reported to NHTSA. And it appears to include all UA complaints, not necessarily ones related to the stuck gas pedals. 13 of the claims are very recent (and therefore somewhat open to question). 21 are earlier.

See

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(AP) The government has received new complaints that bring to 34 the total number of alleged deaths in Toyota vehicles due to sudden acceleration since 2000, according to government data posted Monday.

The government has received complaints during the past three weeks alleging 13 deaths. The deaths allegedly tied to this problem happened in nine crashes between 2005 and 2010.

From 2000 to 2009, complaints alleging 21 deaths in Toyota vehicles had been filed with the government.

the paid sociopath presenting allegations and hysteria as "fact". how true to form.

"C. E. White" wrote in news:hlmd9h$ndj$1 @news.eternal-september.org:

And none of the earlier 21 were confirmed as being due to a stuck gas pedal, even after the passage of as many as nine years.

Note the exquisitely careful language in this AP article: variations of the word "allege" are placed in every clause that gives events and numbers.

Also note one of the last paragraphs, quoting an NHTSA official: "Transportation Department spokeswoman Olivia Alair said in a statement it was "normal for NHTSA to receive an increase in consumer complaints after a recall is announced and the public learns of a safety defect."

I restate, this time with more authority: ONE death confirmed, or NO deaths confirmed as being directly caused by a stuck gas pedal that was not due to incorrect or unsecured floor mats.

You have no authority to assert anything. You are talking out of your ass, just like the rest of the Toyota crowd.

How do you prove a stuck accelerator caused it?

I think they're just attributing it to a SA without really knowing.

What, you never heard of usenet authority?

--Vic

Ashton Crusher wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Do you assert that there are deaths which are /confirmed/ (not simply "alleged") to have resulted from stuck gas pedals, and that are not due to incorrect or unsecured floor mats?

If so, I'd like to ask you for your source; I've not personally been able to find any.

=?iso-2022-jp?q?Hachiroku_$B%O%A%m%/(B?wrote in news:hln9u5$oj8$ snipped-for-privacy@news.eternal-september.org:

Nobody has. Yet. And some of those "alleged" SUA incidents involved cars that didn't even have electronic gas pedals.

Remember that SUA incidents are spread across just about all automakers, and always have been.

I read a lot, and have a pretty good memory for certain things. Memories of the mid-'80s Audi 5000 fiasco are still fairly bright in my mind, which is partially why I am /extremely/ suspicious of the doom-and-gloom of the conspiracy and tort crowds this time around.

Not quite. Nobody's "attributing" anything, they're just "alleging".

I see the AP lawyers' fingerprints all over this article, in the variants of the word "allege" plastered everywhere; they don't want to get pinned down in court over this issue.

yes indeed. because they know it's bullshit.

why exactly the press would want to get their trotters in the trough on this one though is something i haven't figured out - the political agenda is ridiculous.

jim beam wrote in news:feKdnQj3EumcpuLWnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@speakeasy.net:

Organized labor gave $21 million to the Democrats over the last election cycle, which was 91% of their total PAC contributions. Automakers contributed about $1 million, split evenly between Blue & Red.

The press is unionized.

Toyota has no union plants, now that they've closed NUMMI.

Obama and the Democrats are union stooges, in a very open and public manner.

Add all that together, and you've got at least a big part of the current mess exposed.

Hardly uncommon, in fact this is exactly how Iraq happened.

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