Toyota has recalled 470,000 vehicles in Japan for engine, steering and motor problems in the most recent indication of rising quality problems as the automaker embarks on ambitious global growth.
Notably, none the recalled models were exported. Toyota has specifically mentioned that there was no account of accidents related to the defects, but more than 300 problems were reported.
Earlier, Toyota was investigated in Japan on suspicion of laxity in a faulty part that may have caused a 2004 head-on crash. The probe hasn’t resulted in any charges but the company’s President has apologized for public fears about quality problems.
Toyota has faced a numbers of recalls in recent years, fairly due to its effort to cut costs by using the same parts across different models and every time Toyota declined to say how much the recall would cost.
Toyota set a goal of selling 10.4 million vehicles globally in 2009, well above the industry’s 30-year-old record held by General Motors and is planning to sell 9.3 million vehicles this year.
[Courtesy: The Wall Street Journal]
