Recalling Toyota's Recalls: Over 14 million Vehicles recalled in the past 12 months.

[Drew Dowdell]

Recalling Toyota's Recalls:

Over 14 million in past 12 months, 25.6 million since January 2005

November 1, 2010 - Drew Dowdell - Chief Editor CheersandGears.com

No one can argue that it hasn't been a roller-coaster year for the world's largest car company. It was a year ago tomorrow that Toyota issued it's largest recall ever for possible gas pedal entrapment caused by loose floor mats. That initial recall of 3.8 million vehicles seemed to unleash a blizzard of further recalls. In the past 12 months, the grand total for Toyota's recalls has been more than 14 million units. To put that in some perspective, there were only 10.4 million vehicles sold, by all manufacturers, in the US in 2009. The industry wide forecast for 2010 is around 12 million units. What is even more stunning for a company that built it's reputation on a perception of high quality vehicles is the 5 year number. Since January 1st, 2005, Toyota has recalled 25.67 million units.

What became evident as I was researching on the NHTSA's website was that Toyota's issues with sudden acceleration go back to at least 2005. In every year from 2005 through 2010, with the exception of 2008, Toyota had a recall involving a jammed accelerator pedal in some fashion. The revised pedal assembly is mentioned in the NHTSA's database for the IS250 recall issued December 21st 2005. The flurry of recalls in 2010 compared to previous years leads me to believe that either Toyota really dropped the ball on quality starting around 2008 OR these were issues that Toyota has known about for some time and is taking the time to catch up on stuff that should have been recalled years ago. Either way, it's still a bad thing for Toyota's quality perception.

Large recalls are going to be more commonplace in the future and no company will be immune. All it takes is a single component that is used company wide to not function as intended to cause a cascade of recalls. Ford learned this the hard way when an ignition component that had been used on vehicles from 1983 through 1995 sparked a 6.5 million vehicle recall. As manufacturers continue to move closer to becoming globally integrated, this issue becomes magnified. Ford's "One Ford" program where model lines are consolidated globally leave little room for error on this front. All manufacturers are going to have to be more careful and listen to the recommendations of their engineers to make changes even if there is a marginal increase in cost. They also need to pay attention to customer complaints as they come in.

Up until the end of last year, Toyota had an untouchable perception regarding quality that was untouchable among the general public. To accuse Toyota of lying or covering up issues was heresy amongst gearheads. We at Cheersandgears.com admit a bias in favor of domestic brands, but we also admit the problems that exist at the domestics and the major steps to remedy them that the Big 3 have taken.... it's all part of being Detroit's biggest fans and toughest critics. It has been Toyota's perception of quality in the general public that has driven GM, Ford, and Chrysler to improve or die. However, in the face of over 25 million units recalled, Toyota needs to take better steps to admit it has a problem. Toyota must change it's culture completely or else it will continue to suffer from these major recalls. While we're no fans of Toyota, competition is a good thing, without the need to continuously improve to beat your competitor, companies become stagnant.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="502"><col style="width: 64pt;" width="85"> <col style="width: 202pt;" width="269"> <col style="width: 111pt;" width="148"> <tbody><tr style="height: 31.5pt;" height="42"> <td colspan="3" class="xl68" style="height: 31.5pt; width: 377pt;" width="502" height="42">Toyota Recalls - CheersandGears.com</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">Recall Date</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Reason</td> <td class="xl65"> Total vehicle recalled </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl70" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">11/2/2009</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Floor Mat recall </td> <td class="xl65"> 3,800,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">11/24/2009</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Additional Tundra frame recall</td> <td class="xl65"> 110,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl70" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">11/26/2009</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Floor Mat recall - Brake Override</td> <td class="xl65"> 400,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">12/29/2009</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">China - Oil leak issue</td> <td class="xl65"> 43,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl70" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">1/21/2010</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Stuck Gas Pedal</td> <td class="xl65"> 2,300,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl70" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">1/27/2010</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Additional floor mat recall</td> <td class="xl65"> 1,100,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl70" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">1/29/2010</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Europe/China additional gas pedal recall</td> <td class="xl65"> 1,800,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">2/9/2010</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">ABS problem</td> <td class="xl65"> 400,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">2/9/2010</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Power Steering Hose /Brake tube</td> <td class="xl65"> 7,300 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">2/12/2010</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Tacoma drive shaft issue</td> <td class="xl65"> 8,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">3/9/2010</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Tundra weld issue - 2 vehicles</td> <td class="xl65"> 2 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">4/16/2010</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Spare Tire Cable</td> <td class="xl65"> 600,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">4/19/2010</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Stability Control System</td> <td class="xl65"> 21,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">4/28/2010</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Stability Control System</td> <td class="xl65"> 50,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">5/21/2010</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Steering system software update</td> <td class="xl65"> 11,500 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">6/25/2010</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Leaking fuel in crash</td> <td class="xl65"> 17,801 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">7/5/2010</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Valve Spring Issues</td> <td class="xl65"> 270,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">7/29/2010</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Steering Lock Bar</td> <td class="xl65"> 412,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">8/28/2010</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Engine Control Module</td> <td class="xl65"> 1,130,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">10/15/2010</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Engine Belt</td> <td class="xl65"> 10,750 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">10/20/2010</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Replace Brake Master Cylinder Seal</td> <td class="xl65"> 1,530,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">

</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">

</td> <td class="xl65"> 14,021,353 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">

</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">

</td> <td class="xl65">

</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">8/27/2009</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Cold Weather braking concern</td> <td class="xl65"> 97,500 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">5/14/2009</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Stainless steel exhaust tips</td> <td class="xl65"> 3,499 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">4/30/2009</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Stainless steel exhaust tips</td> <td class="xl65"> 39,100 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">1/29/2009</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Yaris seatbelt pre-tensioners and Exhaust</td> <td class="xl65"> 1,350,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 30pt;" height="40"> <td class="xl70" style="height: 30pt;" height="40">1/21/2009</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Sienna floormat recall - called a "safety improvement campaign"</td> <td class="xl65"> 26,501 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">1/16/2009</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Aluminum fuel line corrosion</td> <td class="xl65"> 214,570 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">

</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">

</td> <td class="xl65"> 1,731,170 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">

</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">

</td> <td class="xl65">

</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 30pt;" height="40"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 30pt;" height="40">9/8/2008</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Sport grill option could cause hood to not latch properly</td> <td class="xl65"> 67 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">6/3/2008</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Sienna power rear liftgate strut failures</td> <td class="xl65"> 192,222 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">5/7/2008</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Frame rot on Tacoma</td> <td class="xl65"> 813,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">4/22/2008</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Highlander 3rd road seatbelt issue</td> <td class="xl65"> 90,189 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 30pt;" height="40"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 30pt;" height="40">4/10/2008</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Power Window regulater bolts coming loose</td> <td class="xl65"> 662,178 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">2/25/2008</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Tundra lugnut issue</td> <td class="xl65"> 1,555 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">

</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">

</td> <td class="xl65"> 1,759,211 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">

</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">

</td> <td class="xl65">

</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">12/18/2007</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">4wd slip yolk issue</td> <td class="xl65"> 15,616 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">11/29/2007</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Cracked fuel lines</td> <td class="xl65"> 33,343 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl70" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">9/27/2007</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">All Weather Floor Mats for Camry and ES</td> <td class="xl65"> 55,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">7/26/2007</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Propeller shaft not welded propperly </td> <td class="xl65"> 108 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">1/19/2007</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Ball joint problems</td> <td class="xl65"> 533,124 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">1/8/2007</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Engine Sludge issue</td> <td class="xl65"> 3,500,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">

</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">

</td> <td class="xl65"> 4,137,191 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">

</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">

</td> <td class="xl65">

</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 30pt;" height="40"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 30pt;" height="40">12/28/2006</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Side curtain airbag wires routed incorrectly</td> <td class="xl65"> 160 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">10/27/2006</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Airbag my inadvertantely deploy</td> <td class="xl65"> 29,542 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">7/29/2006</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Oil can inter crank position sensor</td> <td class="xl65"> 34,771 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 30pt;" height="40"> <td class="xl70" style="height: 30pt;" height="40">7/13/2006</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">clips from driver side console can come loose and trap the gas pedal</td> <td class="xl65"> 365,594 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 30pt;" height="40"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 30pt;" height="40">6/1/2006</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Steering intermediate shaft could separate</td> <td class="xl65"> 986,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">4/16/2006</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Seatbelt tensioner</td> <td class="xl65"> 28,947 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">4/3/2006</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Airbag inflater insufficient</td> <td class="xl65"> 133 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">3/2/2006</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Tire mounted improperly</td> <td class="xl65"> 12,020 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 30pt;" height="40"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 30pt;" height="40">1/30/2006</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Rear seat seatbelt mount insufficient strength</td> <td class="xl65"> 38,510 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">

</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">

</td> <td class="xl65"> 1,495,677 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">

</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">

</td> <td class="xl65">

</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 30pt;" height="40"> <td class="xl70" style="height: 30pt;" height="40">12/21/2005</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Accellerator pedal may become stuck in carpet</td> <td class="xl65"> 3,567 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">10/18/2005</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Sunroof deflector glass</td> <td class="xl65"> 71,392 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">10/14/2005</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Prius Electrical defect</td> <td class="xl65"> 160,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">9/7/2005</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Cracked steering relay rod</td> <td class="xl65"> 977,839 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">7/21/2005</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Missing Airbag status light</td> <td class="xl65"> 2,527 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 30pt;" height="40"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 30pt;" height="40">7/20/2005</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Seatbelt Binding allows for improper fitment on passenger</td> <td class="xl65"> 345,443 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">6/28/2005</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Seatbelt status sensor connection</td> <td class="xl65"> 11,592 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 30pt;" height="40"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 30pt;" height="40">6/6/2005</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Missing child seat anchors and passenger seat airbag switch</td> <td class="xl65"> 156,111 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 48pt;" height="64"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 48pt;" height="64">5/18/2005</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Improper weld in steering system could cause wheel to seperate from steering shaft</td> <td class="xl65"> 4,855 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 30pt;" height="40"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 30pt;" height="40">5/17/2005</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Lower front ball joint issue causing increased steering effort</td> <td class="xl65"> 768,379 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 45pt;" height="60"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 45pt;" height="60">3/30/2005</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">TRD dual exhaust may rub against rear brake line on vehicles with stability control</td> <td class="xl65"> 5,726 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 30pt;" height="40"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 30pt;" height="40">2/11/2005</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Parking brake mount might not be tight enough</td> <td class="xl65"> 22,228 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">

</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">

</td> <td class="xl65"> 2,529,659 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">

</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">

</td> <td class="xl65">

</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">

</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">

</td> <td class="xl65">

</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">

</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">

</td> <td class="xl65">

</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">

</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" align="right" width="269">2010</td> <td class="xl65"> 14,021,353 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">

</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" align="right" width="269">2009</td> <td class="xl65"> 1,731,170 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">

</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" align="right" width="269">2008</td> <td class="xl65"> 1,759,211 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">

</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" align="right" width="269">2007</td> <td class="xl65"> 4,137,191 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">

</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" align="right" width="269">2006</td> <td class="xl65"> 1,495,677 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">

</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" align="right" width="269">2005</td> <td class="xl65"> 2,529,659 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">

</td> <td class="xl67" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Grand total</td> <td class="xl65"> 25,674,261 </td> </tr> </tbody></table>

[Intrepidation]

Nice data chart. So, has Toyota surpassed Ford and GM for most recalls in a year? I know Ford had a couple big ones with their cruise control issues and GM had big ones decades ago.

[Drew Dowdell]

They'd have to. No one else has ever recalled more vehicles in one year than have been sold in the U.S. in the same amount of time.

[Intrepidation]

That would make twice that they've earned such an achievement (more vehicles recalled than sold).

[balthazar]

i doff my cap to you, Drew; nice, shiny tabulation with a BIG FAT number at the end. Wow, what a tremendous fall from grace.

Allow me to quote:

25,674,261

Now, to spread the word, spread the word, SPREAD THE WORD !

Edited November 1, 2010 by balthazar

[Drew Dowdell]

That would make twice that they've earned such an achievement (more vehicles recalled than sold).

Well yes... but they've recalled more vehicles than have been sold in the U.S. buy all manufacturers. So Toyota has recalled more vehicles than Toyota + GM + Ford + Chrysler + Honda + Etc.... sold combined.

[Drew Dowdell]

Now.... the addendum to that chart is this. I didn't include any recalls that involved a mislocated, misprinted, or missing stickers for tire sizes/pressure or airbag warning. No need to get that petty.

[balthazar]

^ Agreed, beyond the number, this is basically a PSA to warn consumers how crappy their vehicles are and to avoid them- things like that are an intangible, more legalese than a real problem.

But some of the problems listed above; WHEW! that's some really bad, basic carbuilding 101 stuff.

[SAmadei]

Well yes... but they've recalled more vehicles than have been sold in the U.S. buy all manufacturers. So Toyota has recalled more vehicles than Toyota + GM + Ford + Chrysler + Honda + Etc.... sold combined.

Yeah, its real hard to determine exactly what the largest recall was due to each one being a apples to oranges comparison... in your numbers, I'm sure that there are many cars affected by numerous recalls and it looks like some recalls are interrelated to each other... I imagine some supersede others. How this should "count", I don't know... it's too complicated. This infographic seems to put the Toyota numbers at 5.3 million... 4th ranked all time... but was made in May... and its numbers, wherever they came from, don't really come close to correlating with your numbers to May.

Tough to tell. But you know what they say about statistics.

[Drew Dowdell]

I actually was careful about superceding recalls. If there was a recall announcement that was in addition to an existing recall, I didn't recount the previous vehicles again. You can see that in the 11/2/2009 and 11/26/2009 recalls. Most press stories on 11/26 quoted the cumulative number, I only counted the additional vehicles added to the recall. In the case of the sudden acceleration recalls, the same model was recalled multiple times to try to cure the same symptom. For example, the Camry was first recalled for the floor mats, it was then recalled again to re-shape the pedal, it was recalled a third time when they found it was a problem with the mechanics of the gas pedal and they wanted to install a brake override in the ECM. To me, that counts as 3 recalls on the same vehicle.

That said, by model, the worst Toyota for recalls is easily the Tundra with the 2005 being the worst model year. The Avalon is the worse of their cars.

And even all of this is just a hint of what else is out there. There is still Avalon and Camry transmission issues that there was never a recall campaign for so there is no official way to account for how many vehicles have been affected.

[Drew Dowdell]

This infographic seems to put the Toyota numbers at 5.3 million... 4th ranked all time... but was made in May... and its numbers, wherever they came from, don't really come close to correlating with your numbers to May.

That graphic is showing the largest recall over a single issue and only accounts for the vehicles recalled in the US. My list includes as many recalls as I can find including those in Europe, Japan, and China....... I'm sure there are more that I haven't found.

[A Horse With No Name]

i doff my cap to you, Drew; nice, shiny tabulation with a BIG FAT number at the end. Wow, what a tremendous fall from grace.

Allow me to quote:

25,674,261

Now, to spread the word, spread the word, SPREAD THE WORD !

Your still just utterly bitter that your significant other bought that Malibu rather than that sienna.

That graphic is showing the largest recall over a single issue and only accounts for the vehicles recalled in the US. My list includes as many recalls as I can find including those in Europe, Japan, and China....... I'm sure there are more that I haven't found.

don't forget that Toyota likes to cover their as with TSB's. to avoid recall.

The total number of defective vehicles has to be over 40 million...has to be...in my mind.

[Drew Dowdell]

And that's why things like the engine sludge issue don't show up in the recall database, because it's not officially a recall.

[A Horse With No Name]

...and that's why...dollar for dollar...I'd rather own a GM product.

[Nick]

Honestly, this is not what I expected to see when logging in this afternoon. While I note the effort you put into it, I don't feel this makes for a good representation of the site as a whole. Despite the truths this article contains, it comes off as nothing more than a smear which, in my opinion, doesn't garner any respect, and if anything, detracts from it. Do I think it shouldn't have been written? Not at all. I feel there should be a place for all editorials. On the other hand, I do believe that place should most definitely not be the homepage.

Maybe there is a fine line between an analysis and an attack, but this particular article I just can't support while it is being advertised as the main feature on the homepage of this site. I can understand and accept this on one of the many automotive news blogs. Articles like this are great for attracting the lowest common denominator and generating many hits, but is this how we want our site to be represented?

Just my

Now, considering this site is supposed to house "Gm's Biggest Fans and Toughest Critics" it most definitely would not be out of place to see an article like this written for GM (or even perhaps multiple automakers). Something along the lines of "The Past Decade of GM Recalls and What They Mean to You".

[Drew Dowdell]

I am not above criticism.... in fact it's basic policy at this site that no one is above criticism. With that said, let me respond to yours Nick.

The point of this article was to point out something that hasn't been reported in the more mainstream press even with all the Toyota recall news of the past year. If in fact GM had been recalling vast amounts of it's product we would have been reporting on that instead. I'm not against reporting on GM recalls, however that hasn't been an issue for GM like it has for Toyota in the past 12 month.

The fact is, Toyota has broken some records here. Has there ever been year where a single manufacturer recalled more vehicles than were sold in the US in that same amount of time? There hasn't been, and that's news. Tomorrow is the 1 year anniversery of the first huge floormat recall, hence the timing.

Would the article have carried more weight if it came from a brand agnostic (at least officially) website like Autoblog or Jalopnik? Probably, but they didn't write the article, I did. I noticed with the last batch of Toyota recalls in October that the press was glossing over the full volume of recalls. They would put a blurb mentioning 10.6 million units recalled in 2010 in paragraph 19 of the article, but I remembered that the biggest batches of recalls actually came in 2009. The imaginary cut off date of January 1, 2010 just didn't cut it with me. It did not absolve Toyota of the recalls they issued prior to that date. Furthermore, once I began looking into the recall database, it became clear that Toyota has been fighting the acceleration issue the same way since at least 2005.... and who knows how long they know about it before then. For them to feign surprise at the issue is a farce. Add to that the accusations that Toyota was trying to force owners to remain quiet about their experience, and how can there not be a news story there.

I have (and anyone else has) the full NHTSA database going back to 1966 available. If you think there is a recall story that is being unreported about one of the other manufacturers, point it out and I'll look through the database to try and flush it out. Otherwise, the sheer volume of the Toyota recalls in the past 12 months AND 5 years, along with clear evidence they knew about the acceleration issue in 2005, is news.

[Nick]

Fair enough. Don't get me wrong, I definitely share a similar point of view about the topic, and I completely respect your opinion. I just wanted to mention how I feel about the way in which it is presented. I appreciate the response.

Edited November 2, 2010 by Nick

[balthazar]

^ Olds is right; it's news, it HASN'T been reported en total by the media, and it's hard fact (not a 'smear').

And to me, it's the media issue that's primary- the 'kid glove' treatment toward foreign automakers has been going on en mass for decades... hell, I became conscious of it in 1985.

If one piece opens one 'journalists' eyes via professional embarrassment, maybe we can get media in general to improve their quality, too.

As a bonus, the consumer is alerted to a real potential for a substandard product they'd prevfer to avoid if they knew.

That's a win/ win/ win in my book.

[Drew Dowdell]

Fair enough. Don't get me wrong, I definitely share a similar point of view about the topic, and I completely respect your opinion. I just wanted to mention how I feel about the way in which it is presented. I appreciate the response.

If you ever met me in person, I am very blunt. I actually have to restrain myself for the things I post on here. I could never be a politician because what I am thinking just falls right out of my mouth (maybe Vice President.....)....

Anyway, sometimes I shock people with my bluntness about things; To that I always reply "It's not mean if it's true."

[Camino LS6]

Kudos to you for writing this piece, Drew.

It is stunning that the mainstream press has been so lax in their duties to not report the overwhelming facts of the matter.

I'm especially galled by their ignoring the Tacoma debacle completely. That fiasco alone should have Toyota hanging their collective head for decades. Truly shameful product.

[balthazar]

^ Agreed WRT the tacoma. We still get occasional, non-automotive media mention of the Vega, yet 30 years later a major manufacturer's products are BREAKING IN HALF- they should be pop culture joke fodder by now.

[Camino LS6]

Exactly.

It floors me that most people don't even know about it.

[balthazar]

And absolutely nothing against Nick -we are all entitled to our own opinions- but the idea that speaking the truth about a situation is somehow a disservice at large likewise floors me.

Will the playing field ever be leveled ???

[A Horse With No Name]

Will the playing field ever be leveled ???

Honestly, probably not.

[CSpec]

It looks like the market agrees with people here:

Contrast that with Ford, which has doubled in the same time period!

[A Horse With No Name]

Ford is indeed on a roll....

[Camino LS6]

Toyota deserves every bit of pain this causes them - they've earned it.

[Nick]

And absolutely nothing against Nick -we are all entitled to our own opinions- but the idea that speaking the truth about a situation is somehow a disservice at large likewise floors me.

Will the playing field ever be leveled ???

I never said anything about not speaking the truth, nor did I claim it to be a disservice to post such a piece for the info it contains. In fact, I acknowledged that the piece is truthful. I just do not feel it is an appropriate headlining article for the front page of a GM website. It is SEMA season, and GM has on display quite a few awesome vehicles. Why aren't those proudly being displayed on the front page?

I thought this was the kind of stuff we were trying to get away from. It seems I see more comments on articles pertaining to other makes (especially when it comes to something of Asian origin) than I do on articles about GM. Hell, GM even had a recall recently and I watched that article fade into the background with only one actual reply and around 100 views.

But please, continue on with the discussion about the article. This was probably something I should have PM'd Olds on anyway, and I hate to sidetrack the intent of this thread. I'd be happy to discuss my point of view further through PM.

Edited November 2, 2010 by Nick

[balthazar]

Nick - No offense meant, I don't think I put words into your mouth and you clearly did acknowledge it was truthful.

Your post is certainly within reason if the point was the topicality of putting it on the front page, it's just I reacted to your use of the term 'smear', and what that implies.

[knightfan26917]

Drew,

What a stunning look at the recalls. I remember when you first told me about this ... I couldn't quite believe the number you mentioned to me. And, now, seeing the documentation on this in writing ... certainly is eye opening. Kinda puts a new spin/perspective on some current Toyota commercials where they say something like, "it's a car ... only better."

Oh really?

lol

...the idea that speaking the truth about a situation is somehow a disservice at large likewise floors me.

If floors me, too, yet I usually get flamed whenever I note the lineage of the 2000-current "impala" and the 1995-2007 "monte carlo"....both coming from the Lumina, which replaced the Celebrity....

*shrugs*

Cort | 37.m.IL.pigValve.pacemaker | 5 Monte Carlos + 1 Caprice Classic |* Chicagoland Meets, 2011?

MCs.CC + CHD.models.HO.legos.RadioShows + RoadTrips.us66 = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort

"For a moment you can hardly breathe" ... John Mayer ... 'Dreaming With A Broken Heart'

[ParrisBoyd]

Very impressive post. Toyota makes a great acronym for "The One You Ought To Avoid," and I've been bloggin' 'bout the currently-charged-with-racketeering Recall King for quite some time at http://www.uc2.blogspot.com