Toyota says 270,000 vehicles have faulty engines

[SAmadei]

TOKYO (AP) -- Toyota Motor Corp. said Thursday about 270,000 cars sold worldwide -- including luxury Lexus sedans -- have faulty engines, the latest quality lapse to hit the automaker following massive global recalls.

Japan's top-selling daily Yomiuri said in its evening edition that Toyota will inform the transport ministry of a recall on Monday. The paper cited no sources.

Toyota spokesman Hideaki Homma said the company was evaluating measures to deal with the problem of defective engines that can stall while the vehicle is moving. He would not confirm a recall was being considered.

The automaker has been working to patch up its reputation after recalling more than 8 million vehicles worldwide because of unintended acceleration and other defects.

Of the 270,000 vehicles with engine problems, some 180,000 were sold overseas and the rest in Japan. They include the popular Crown and seven models of luxury Lexus sedans.

Read more HERE.

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

Toyota says 270,000 vehicles have faulty engines

BY Shino Yuasa / Associated Press

Tokyo -- Toyota Motor Corp. said today about 270,000 cars sold worldwide -- including luxury Lexus sedans -- have potentially faulty engines, the latest quality lapse to hit the automaker following massive global recalls of top-selling models.

Japan's top-selling daily Yomiuri said in its evening edition that Toyota will inform the transport ministry of a recall on Monday. The paper cited no sources.

Toyota spokesman Hideaki Homma said the company was evaluating measures to deal with the problem of defective engines that can stall while the vehicle is moving. He would not confirm a recall was being considered.

The automaker has been working to patch up its reputation after recalling more than 8 million vehicles worldwide because of unintended acceleration and other defects.

Of the 270,000 vehicles with engine problems, some 180,000 were sold overseas and the rest in Japan. They include the popular Crown and seven models of luxury Lexus sedans.

Toyota said it has received around 200 complaints in Japan over faulty engines. Some drivers told Toyota that the engines made a strange noise.

Homma said there have been no reports of accidents linked to the faulty engines.

U.S. authorities recently slapped Toyota with a record $16.4 million fine for acting too slowly to recall vehicles with defects. Toyota dealers have repaired millions of vehicles, but the automaker still faces more than 200 lawsuits tied to accidents, the lower resale value of Toyota vehicles and the drop in the company's stock.

In the aftermath of the recalls, Congress is considering an upgrade to auto safety laws to toughen potential penalties against automakers, give the U.S. government more powers to demand a recall and push car companies to meet new safety standards.

Toyota said last week it will recall 17,000 Lexus luxury hybrids after testing showed that fuel can spill during a rear-end crash.

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20100701/AUTO01/7010428/1148/auto01/Toyota-says-270-000-vehicles-have-faulty-engines#ixzz0sRFtUMFP

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

BREAKING: Toyota admits 270,000 cars have faulty engines worldwide

by Zach Bowman (RSS feed) on Jul 1st 2010 at 9:25AM

2010 Lexus LS460 Sport – Click above for high-res image gallery

In 20 years, odds are few people will remember that 2010 was one of the worst years for Toyota in terms of recalls, but for now, it seems like the company just can't win for losing. The company has announced that it is currently preparing to recall a total of 270,000 Toyota Crown and Lexus LS, GS and IS models worldwide. As it turns out, some of the company's 4.6-liter V8 and 3.5-liter V6 engines were built using faulty valve springs that may cause the car to stall while driving. Around 180,000 of the faulty powerplants were sold outside of Japan.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the company says that some Toyota Crown, Lexus LS460, Lexus LS600h, Lexus LS600hL, Lexus GS350, Lexus GS450h, Lexus GS460 and Lexus IS350 models will be affected by the recall, and that it will initiate a procedure to fix the problem as soon as it can figure out a way to do so with the least amount of inconvenience to its customers.

The news comes as Toyota continues to try to put this year's bevy of recall issues behind it, including paying a $16.4 million fine to the U.S. government for delaying certain recalls. Thanks for the tip, everyone!

link:

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/01/breaking-toyota-admits-270-000-cars-have-faulty-engines-worldwi/

[Carguy]

If this is some sort of valve spring problem Toyota calling it "faulty engines" is vary STUPID!! Are they trying to get pity from us in an attempt to restore that unreal previous image that they once had?? Something does not ring true here!---BEWARE this WEIRD PITY PLAY by Japan Inc.

Edited July 1, 2010 by Carguy

[siegen]

If this is some sort of valve spring problem Toyota calling it "faulty engines" is vary STUPID!! Are they trying to get pity from us in an attempt to restore that unreal previous image that they once had?? Something does not ring true here!---BEWARE this WEIRD PITY PLAY by Japan Inc.

It would be vary stupid, since that wouldn't get them any pity, just more negative press. I don't see anything weird about this. Toyota has quality problems and it's shining through.