The Lemon Law Blog

Toyota's problems continue to cascade through a series of announcements and news reports. In October 2012, media drew its attention to Toyota's world-wide recall of about 7.43 million vehicles, for defects in the power window switches causing a risk of fire. That was the manufacturer's largest single recall ever.

Now the popular Japanese brand has announced the recall of another 2.8 million cars, involving multiple model years. The latest announcement concerns problems in the steering system and electric water pumps.

The good news is that Toyota is owning up to defects and giving its broad fleet of consumers fair notice and an opportunity to have the problems fixed. The bad news is that Toyota might soon surpass its competition for the dubious distinction of being most-recalled auto maker ever. At the same time, it is important to note that the absolute number of vehicles recalled reflects Toyota's high global market share, and the recalls are not for the entire vehicle, but particular components. Toyota Prius owners, in particular, are notably loyal to the brand and Toyota's dominance among hybrids is likely to continue.

Just as we finished reporting on a fuel sensor defect in certain Infinitis, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Office of Defects Investigation now announces two additional recalls.

Campaign number 12VO79 reports a side airbag recall in certain 2003-2005 Infiniti Q45 vehicles. A defect in the wiring connector may cause non-deployment in the event of a crash. Even though these vehicles are otherwise out-of-warranty, Nissan will modify the wiring connector free of charge. Affected owners can expect a notice from Nissan beginning March 12, 2012.

Campaign number 12VO76 draws attention to the 2011-2012 Nissan Quest. Certain vehicle of this make and model, manufactured from July 29, 2010 through February 21, 2012 have a stalling problem due to software programming.

Some manufacturers contend that stalling or sudden deceleration is merely a driveability, or performance, problem. This is not the case. Loss of speed can be a serious safety problem in many situations – heavy traffic, turning left, changing lanes, freeway entry, or normal freeway driving. Nissan and NHTSA are reporting this as a safety recall, scheduled to begin in mid-March 2012. Owners ay contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261 for more information.