Recall of cars in India and bravo Toyota

Of late Toyota was in news for the recalls it effected on a number of its models for the faulty accelerator pedals and related issues. I had never heard of a recall before until the beginning of this year. The reason may be that I have never been a Quiz participant. But blame me not. Even James Daly’s grandsons, if they had born in India, may have been unaware of many of the recalls of the international auto makers.

Here is the list of global auto recalls over the past decade:

• 2004 - GM recalled nearly 4 million pickups because of corroding tailgate cables.
• April 2005 - GM said it was recalling more than 2 million vehicles to fix a variety of potential safety defects.
• GM said the largest of the safety actions included 1.5 million full-size pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles from the 2003 to 2005 model years with second-row seat belts that might be difficult to properly position across passengers' hips.
• Oct. 2005 - Toyota recalled about 1.41 million cars globally, due to trouble with their headlight switching systems.
• Dec. 2007 - Chrysler LLC said it would recall 575,417 vehicles as long-term wear on the gear shift assembly could cause them to shift out of park without the key in the ignition.
• Aug. 2008 - GM announced a recall of 857,735 vehicles equipped with a heated windshield wiper fluid system for a potential short-circuit problem.
• Sept. 2009 - Toyota said it would recall approximately 3.8 million vehicles in the U.S. because of floor mats that could have come loose and force down the accelerator. The problem was suspected in crashes that killed five people.
• Oct. 2009 - Ford completed a series of recalls affecting 14 million vehicles due to a faulty cruise control deactivation switch. The latest recall involved some 4.5 million vehicles. The action effectively closed out a 10-year saga over the switches made by Texas Instruments that led to more than a half-dozen recalls, the automaker said.
• Jan. 2010 - Toyota issues a series of recalls covering 5.6 million vehicles in the United States due to sudden acceleration in some vehicles. It is the largest ever recall for Toyota and among the biggest for an automaker in U.S. history.
• Jan. 2010 - Honda Motor Co recalled 646,000 of its Fit/Jazz and City automobiles globally over a faulty window switch after a child died when fire broke out in a car last year.
• Toyota's problems touched other carmakers too: France's PSA Peugeot Citroen said it recalled nearly 100,000 Peugeot 107s and Citroen C1s made in the Czech Republic, where Toyota and PSA jointly make cars.
• Feb. 2010 - Toyota recalls a total of 437,000 units of its 2010 Prius, Sai, Prius PHV (plug-in hybrid) and Lexus HS250h hybrids globally, including 155,000 in North America, 223,000 in Japan 53,000 in Europe.
• Feb. 2010 - Honda said it would recall another 438,000 cars globally to replace an airbag deflator that could rupture. The expanded recall was concentrated in the United States.
• Feb. 2010 - Nissan Motor Co, Japan's third-biggest carmaker, said on Feb. 25 it would recall 76,415 cars across 10 models in Japan and 2,281 cars overseas due to a possible defect that may cause engine failure.
• Feb. 2010 - Suzuki Motor Corp, Japan's No.4 carmaker, said it would recall 432,366 units of two minicar models in Japan after two reported incidents of fire due to a possible defect in air conditioners. Daihatsu Motor Co recalled 60,774 units of four minicar models in Japan due to wiring problems.
• March 2010 - GM says on March 2 it is recalling 1.3 million compact cars covering the 2005-2010 model year Chevrolet Cobalt and 2007-2010 Pontiac G5 in the U.S.; the 2005-2006 Pontiac Pursuit sold in Canada; and the 2005-2006 Pontiac G4 sold in Mexico.
• March 2010 - Nissan said on March 3 it will recall about 540,000 vehicles worldwide due to potential defects in brake pedal pins and fuel-gauge components, mostly in the United States. Five models from 2008 to 2010 model years, including the Titan pickup truck and Armada SUV, would be recalled.
• April 2010 - Toyota agreed on April 19 to pay a record $16.4 million federal fine for delaying a safety recall over defective accelerator pedals. Toyota also announced a recall for nearly 10,000 Lexus GX 460 vehicles sold in the U.S. and Canada to fix software in the electronic stability control system. The GX 460 is new for 2010 and has only been on sale for a few months.
• April 16, 2010 - Toyota will recall 870,000 Sienna minivans sold in the United States and Canada because the rear-mounted spare tire could drop into the road. Models years involved are 1998 to 2010. In cold weather areas where road salt is used, corrosion to a cable holding the spare tire could cause the cable to lose its hold on the spare tire.
• April 27, 2010 - Performance sports car maker Porsche AG recalled all 11,300 Panameras it built -- months after the model line was launched to much fanfare -- to fix possible faulty seatbelt tensioners.
• April 28, 2010 - Toyota will recall 50,000 Sequoia sport utility vehicles because the stability system could cause an unexpected problem with low-speed acceleration. No injuries or accidents have been reported to Toyota regarding this problem, the company said.

[Courtesy: www.reuters.com]

Are Indian manufacturers oblivious towards the quality issues that arises once the product is customer’s hands? ‘Yes’ was the answer until very recently some of the recalls that have happened. I came to know this from the articles I read through as I was gathering information for this blog. I read through some incidents where Skoda India shirked away from a lot of consumer complaints over its faulty parts. The recent Recall season started by the world’s largest auto maker Toyota could have been the sole reason to pressurize its counterparts in India to own up.

The culprit, by no degree of doubt, is the loop holes in the law to protect the consumers. Perhaps, it is this law and government which let out Anderson and sold ‘Dead Indians cheaper’ as somebody in a News Channel interview put it.

Another article which I read gave me somewhat comforting information. ‘Recalls in India do happen, but they do discreetly’. Your car could perhaps be part of a recall exercise conducted under the cover of a `free service week'. But unless they are not brought to the open these surreptitious operations will not ensure the quality of the product as most of these will be just crisis prevention measures. Ideally, ethical liability should be the core driver of the recalls. But no body will mind if it happens in the guise of ethical liability.

Automakers don't like to conduct recalls. They are very expensive and don't exactly do wonders for marketing efforts. But Toyota has shown it to the world. And thus it will remain in the good books of its millions of customers and the golden aura of unassailable quality will not dim for years to come. I bet the Japanese automaker will emerge stronger from the recession.