Word: toyotas
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...Toyota has now made two recalls in the U.S. The first, involving 4.9 million cars, was triggered by a problematic floor mat that could come loose and jam the gas pedal open. The second, of 2.3 million vehicles on Jan. 21, concerned a problem with the gas-pedal mechanism itself. Toyota told drivers to remove the floor mats; its fix for the sticky pedal requires a free 30-min. shop repair. The DOT has urged owners of the 11 recalled models to use caution and get to a dealer. Still unknown: whether an electronic problem is also a culprit...
...parable of Toyota may be that the tortoise became the hare. Over decades, Toyota built its reputation and market share in tiny increments through its renowned "continuous improvement" method. In the Toyota mantra, quality was always first, because it led to lower costs, which would eventually lead to higher market share. Eventually. (See the top 10 product recalls...
...Toyota set out to become the world's top auto company. Being the best and being the biggest created a tension that Toyota couldn't resolve, says MIT operations expert Steven Spear: "If quality is first, it drives a certain set of behaviors. If market share is the goal, it drives a different set of behaviors." Even as Toyota was catching up to the global No. 1, General Motors, the reputation of its cars was slipping. Spear, who has apprenticed in Toyota factories, says the problem was that the "Toyota way" - in which knowledge accumulated by élite cadres...
...they do. "We have to strengthen quality control," says Shinichi Sasaki, executive vice president for quality. It's a startling admission from a company that made reliability its quest. Toyota will fix its manufacturing problem. Restoring its reputation is going to take a lot longer...
...interior of my mom’s silver Toyota RAV4 was packed to its metal seams with an explosion of family possessions. A lifetime’s collection of life-size Care Bears held the backseat captive while everything from pillows to plates occupied the remaining space. This car and its contents were the earliest of our things to be transported in a cross-country move from Livermore, Calif. to Wellesley, Mass. It was the first to take the plunge...