Toyota recalls 52,000 early model Prius cars
Toyota has announced the recall of 52,000 Prius cars, model year 2001-2003 due to issues with the steering wheel. Owners are encouraged to contact Toyota to schedule a repair of the pinion shaft at no cost to the vehicle owner.
Toyota says, "If the steering wheel is repeatedly and strongly turned to the full-lock position, there is a possibility the nuts securing the pinion shaft in the steering gear box assembly may become loose."
Read more:
New York Times: Steering Difficulty Prompts Recall of 52,000 Toyota Priuses
As Toyota recalls; we recall Ford-Firestone
As stories of “unintended acceleration” in new Toyota models continue to surface, we are reminded of the Ford-Firestone disaster that took the lives of 271 drivers and passengers in the early 2000s. Now, a decade later and after approximately 34 wrecks related to a manufacturing defect, consumers are left wondering who is looking out for them.
Defective Firestone tires on Ford Explorers took the lives of at least 271 people and seriously injured many more before the companies issued the largest tire recall in history. Internal company documents would later show that the two corporations had known of the deadly tire separation and associated rollover problems for years but had done everything they could to hide it. They were undeterred by federal regulators at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which only had the power to impose a maximum fine of $925,000.
