TEXT OF INTERVIEW
BOB MOON: And you heard right: Toyota has issued yet another big recall of it cars. This time it involves some engine problems in the popular Corolla.
Marketplace’s Amy Scott joins us live this morning with details. Good morning, Amy.
AMY SCOTT: Good morning, Bob.
MOON: So what’s the problem this time? Sticky gas pedals again?
SCOTT: No, this time it’s engine trouble. Toyota is recalling more than a million Corolla sedans and Matrix hatchbacks, the 2005 through 2008 model years. A defective part can apparently cause the engines to stall at any speed. Meanwhile, General Motors is recalling 200,000 Pontiac vibes for the same issue. Those cars were built in a joint venture with Toyota.
MOON: You know, it seems there have been so many of these recalls. At this point what’s the significance of another recall?
SCOTT: Right. Well it does add to the 10 million cars recalled in the last year, most famously for unintended acceleration. But I talked this morning with Hans Greimel from Automotive News. He says this one is significant partly because it involves one of Toyota’s most popular models.
HANS GREIMEL: The Corolla has a long history of being one of the most reliable and affordable cars in the Toyota lineup, and it’s really what helped Toyota make its reputation for reliability and quality.
Now I should point out that Toyota says there have been just three unconfirmed accidents alleged to be related to this problem and with one minor injury.
MOON: We’ve been hearing a lot about Toyota’s efforts to fix all these safety problems, including that unintended acceleration earlier. When do we see that pay off?
SCOTT: Right. Well, it does take a while to discover these things as people spend more time driving the cars, so Greimel says it may be a few years before we see if Toyota’s really managed turned things around.
MOON: Marketplace’s Amy Scott live. Thank you.
SCOTT: You’re welcome.
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