A U.S. Congressman has suggested issuing a subpoena for the head of Toyota when he visits the U.S. in March. Rep. Darrell Issa of California, the top Republican on the House Oversight and Government committee, recently wrote to the committee’s chair suggesting the subpoena as a way to compel Akio Toyoda to answer the panel’s questions about Toyota’s recent safety problems and recalls.

“Whether it is for a microprocessor engineer or the top executive, we have a duty to determine what Toyota knew, when they knew it and if they met their full obligation of disclosure to U.S. regulators and the American people,” the letter said. (more…)

Complaints about steering problems with the Toyota Corolla are being reviewed by U.S. regulators, and could prove to be the newest safety headache for the automaker.

Toyota has recalled millions of vehicles for safety problems over the past several weeks. In January, it recalled eight models for problems with unintended acceleration. And just yesterday, the automaker recalled 400,000 hybrid vehicles, including the 2010 Prius and the Lexus HS250h, to fix their breaks. (more…)

A U.S. probe into reports of dangerous, unintended acceleration with some Toyota vehicles has expanded to look at the vehicles’ electronic throttle system. Meanwhile, Toyota has admitted to a design flaw in the brakes on its popular Prius hybrid, and another recall could be in the works.

Yesterday, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the U.S. investigation into the acceleration issue would expand to look at the possibility of electromagnetic interference with electronic throttle systems. According to The Wall Street Journal, electronic throttles replace mechanical links between the gas pedal and the throttle with electronic relays. As part of the probe, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administraion (NHTSA) will meet with manufacturers and suppliers to gain more understanding of their electronic throttle systems and ways in which these companies address any possible interference effect, the Journal said. (more…)

Just weeks after it recalled millions of vehicles because of a sticking accelerator pedal, Toyota announced today that it has received reports of problems with brakes on its popular Prius hybrid.

According to Marketwatch, the reports involve Prius brakes that had temporarily stopping working on bumpy or slippery roads. One such report involved a crash. (more…)

General Motors is recalling Corvettes because of a removable roof that may inadvertently separate from the car’s frame. This recall involves just over 22,000 model year 2005-2007 Corvettes and model year 2006-2007 Corvette Z06 vehicles.

General Motors dealers will fix the problem by installing a new roof panel of different design starting in January. (more…)

More Ford vehicles are being recalled today because of a fire hazard associated with a faulty cruise control switch.

Over the past ten years, Ford has issued six recalls of cars and trucks with cruise control switches that can  develop a short circuit and spark a raging fire, usually when the car is parked and unattended. The faulty cruise control switch was also suspected as the cause of several house fires. At least three wrongful death suits have been filed as a result of such fires. (more…)

Toyota will soon be issuing its largest-ever U.S. safety recall.  According to the Detroit Free Press, the recall will involve some 3.8 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles with potentially defective floor mats.

According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), it has received reports of 102 incidents in Toyota vehicles from 2004-09 model years involving floor mats interfering with pedals.  A third of those incidents involved the Lexus ES 350, the Free Press said.  The vehicles affected by this issue are: (more…)

We have another All-Terrain Vehicles (ATV) recall to report.  This time, Polaris is recalling more than 4,000 2009 Model Year ATVs because of a fire hazard.

The recall involves the following 2009 Model Year Polaris ATVs: (more…)

Yamaha Rhino off-road vehicles are being recalled for repairs, following reports of dozens of accidents and deaths involving the vehicles. The recall involves all Rhino 450 and 660 models sold since 2003.  According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), about 120,000 such vehicles are affected.

According to the CPSC, it  has investigated more than 50 incidents involving 46 driver and passenger deaths in these two Rhino models. More than two-thirds of the cases involved rollovers and many involved unbelted occupants. Of the rollover-related deaths and hundreds of reported injuries, some of which were serious, many appear to involve turns at relatively low speeds and on level terrain, the CPSC said. (more…)

A heated windshield washer system that is prone to overheating and catching fire has prompted the recall of nearly one million General Motors cars, trucks and SUVs. According to General Motors, a short circuit in the circuit board that controls the windshield washer system could cause a grounding wire to overheat. That could lead to smoke and the malfunctioning of other electrical components, GM said in a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). There is a possibility this could lead to a fire.

According to General Motors, there have been at least three fires cause by this defect, but no injuries. (more…)