Govt could recall faulty Toyota cars this week

Vietnamese authorities will officially conclude on the Toyota case this week, said a senior official Wednesday, adding that faulty cars could be forced to be recalled.

According this official from Vietnam Register, a government agency responsible for vehicles’ safety, the organization will issue strict solutions and other measures to Toyota Vietnam.

This person also did not rule out the possibility of a recall of all the sold faulty Toyota vehicles.

Toyota Vietnam must correct this technical flaw not only on the defective cars but also on the whole assembly line, the official added.

Meanwhile, Toyota Vietnam said it is working with the mother company in Japan to work out timely measures.

On April 1, Toyota Vietnam held a press meeting and admitted that there were technical problems with nearly 9,000 cars of the Innova model, which could cause unsafe incidents when driving.

According to Yoshida, production director of Toyota Vietnam, engineers detected technical problems on Nov, 22, 2010 on Inova J models: problems in their brake systems, their screws or their seats.

However Toyota executives said a recall would not be necessary.

Still, Toyota Vietnam said the cars will not be recalled since the technical problems are minor and do not affect driver safety. The company also said it has not received any complaint from customers concerning the problems so far.

Toyota is the largest carmaker in Vietnam and its products are best sellers in Vietnam car market. It was established in Sep 1995 and sold 2,223 units in February 2011. Innova, in particular, is a popular model in the country, used widely by many taxi companies.

The announcement came after a local quality control agency said it had been tipped off by an engineer about technical problems on Toyota cars that he said could compromise driver safety.

Earlier, Vietnam Register, said engineer Le Van Tach, working for Toyota Vietnam, released documents showing three major problems with cars of the Innova and Fortuner models.

Tach said the cars made in Vietnam face balance issues since their screws are not tightened properly the way the Japanese company has instructed. He pointed out that the brake systems and seats do not meet safety standards either. – Tuoitre

Tags: Toyota recall, Toyota Vietnam