Toyota's coveted safety record took a big new hit today as a massive recall caused by an accelerator problem grew in the US and spread to Europe and China for the first time.
Toyota raced past US giant General Motors in 2008 to become the world's top-selling car maker, but it has been bedevilled by a series of safety issues that have raised questions about whether its quality control has suffered.
Toyota Ireland says the models and numbers of potentially affected vehicles should be known by the middle of next week.
Toyota has had 30 reported cases of sticking accelerators across Europe, none of which resulted in accidents.
Toyota shares tumbled almost 4% in Tokyo today, after a drop of 4.26% the previous day in response to the group's decision to suspend sales in US of eight models due to the safety concerns.
The Japanese giant announced a new recall of almost 1.1 million more vehicles in the US to replace floor mats that could trap accelerator pedals. The company said five models had been added to the recall: the 2008-2010 Highlander, the 2009-2010 Corolla, the 2009-2010 Venza, the 2009-2010 Matrix and the 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe.
The total number of cars and trucks affected by that action now stands at almost 5.3 million - equivalent to more than two-thirds of Toyota's worldwide sales last year of 7.81 million vehicles.
Alongside the floor mat trouble, Toyota last week recalled 2.3 million US cars and trucks because of problems with sticking accelerator pedals.
The company said that in rare cases, the pedal mechanism could become worn and harder to depress, or get stuck in a partially depressed position.
Toyota said it now plans to extend that recall to Europe, although it has not yet decided which models and how many vehicles will be affected there.
The same accelerator defect is prompting Toyota to recall just over 75,000 RAV4 sport utility vehicles in China, made in 2009-2010, the Chinese government's product safety watchdog said.
China's car sales surged past those in the US in 2009 to make it the world's biggest car market, and Japanese makers are competing hard for a slice of the pie to offset weak domestic sales.
The Japanese manufacturer has long prided itself on rigorous safety controls but has been beset by a series of quality issues. The company expanded rapidly over the past decade to meet strong demand, prompting critics to question whether it might have sacrificed its legendary quality in its quest to become the global number one.
Aiming to regain lost market share following its bankruptcy last year, General Motors is offering US owners of Toyota cars and trucks $1,000 or free financing if they buy a GM model by the end of February.
Meanwhile, Ford has said it is suspending production of a commercial vehicle sold in China which may be suffering the same accelerator problems as rival Toyota. The suspension is a precautionary measure which will allow Ford and its Chinese to review the vehicles produced with a pedal made by the supplier of Toyota's problematic pedals.
