Toyota, GM Recall 1.3M Vehicles for Stalling
WASHINGTON - Toyota Motor Corp. and General Motors Co. today announced recalls of 1.3 million vehicles from the 2005-2008 model years following complaints of engine stalling, Automotive News reported.
Toyota issued a recall of 1.1 million Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles after more than 1,000 complaints.
GM will recall 200,000 Pontiac Vibes, including 162,000 in the United States, after a “handful” of complaints, said GM spokesman Alan Adler.
The Vibe, a sister vehicle for the Matrix, was produced as part of the New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. joint venture between the two companies in California that is now defunct.
Toyota said it was addressing some engine control modules -- the computer that controls the engine -- that may have been improperly made.
Cracks may develop at solder points or on the electronic component used to protect circuits against excessive voltage -- in some cases stopping the engine while the vehicle is being driven, the statement said.
The announcement today raises Toyota recalls since November 2009 to about 12.3 million vehicles worldwide and 10.5 million in the United States, most for sudden acceleration, Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons said.
The supplier of the modules at issue in today's recall was Delphi Corp., a Delphi spokesman said.
“The ECM's supplied to Toyota were designed and validated in accordance with specifications provided to us by Toyota,” said Delphi spokesman Lindsey Williams. “We continue to work collaboratively with Toyota and support them in this recall campaign.”
All the affected Toyota vehicles were sold in North America.
"Our goal is to help ensure that Toyota drivers are completely confident in the safety and reliability of their vehicles,” Steve St. Angelo, Toyota's chief quality officer for North America, said in a prepared statement.
Earlier this week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it was upgrading its investigation of the Corollas.
Toyota's popular Corolla model also faces other regulatory concerns. Since February, NHTSA has been investigating dozens of complaints of steering problems with the Corollas from model years 2009 and 2010.
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