Toyota knew about Lexus problem 2 years ago
Unfortunately for Toyota, new information has surfaced in its latest debacle concerning Engine failures in certain Lexus cars. The automaker “knew two years ago about the engine problem behind its latest Lexus recall, even changing the spring part to correct it, but did not think a recall was warranted until recently.” (Y. Kageyama, AP Business, 7/6). Considering the incidents of the past year, as a products liability attorney I am becoming increasingly concerned about all that Toyota knows but is trying to keep quiet.
The latest recall affects 270,000 vehicles that need replaced valve springs. If these crucial parts are not replaced, the engines could stall.
In August 2008, “Toyota changed that spring part, making it thicker, to prevent the problem…[which] is why the latest recall does not affect vehicles produced after August 2008.” However, the fix in 2008 shows that Toyota was aware of the problem in older models then but did not act until now.
Although, “Toyota executives have repeatedly vowed to put customers first… it has been criticized as lagging in its response to quality lapses, and was slapped with a record $16.4 million in the United States for responding too slowly when the recall crisis erupted.” I hope this stalling behavior will not occur in the future as consumers need to know immediately about defects.