Toyota has issued a number of recalls over the past few years – more than six million in April alone, and another two million in June – and things don’t seem to be improving. The problem? Three separate brake defects which affect a number of their models, including:

  • Corolla Auris
  • Corolla Rumion
  • Crown
  • Crown Majesta
  • Noah
  • Voxy

More than a dozen Lexus models have also been recalled. This is a voluntary recall for the following defects, according to the Huffington Post:

  • 802,000 Crown, Crown Majesta, Noah and Voxy models – June 2007 through June 2012: A rubber seal ring in the master brake cylinder may fail to keep the car from leaking brake fluid. Toyota will replace the brake booster is a leak already occurred.
  • 759,000 non-specified vehicles: A faulty fuel delivery pipe has the potential to cause a fire
  • 190,000 front-wheel drive Corolla Rumion and Auris models – October 2006 through October 2014: The fuel evaporative emission control unit is defective, and the cars lack an idling feature which would alleviate the problem.

What automotive recalls can tell us

Toyota is not alone in its recalls; all of the major car manufactures, from Audi to Volvo, have been forced to recall at least one model for one defect. The question is, why are cars with potentially defective parts allowed to roll off the line in the first place?

  • The workers. In some cases, poor training or supervision can lead to mistakes during assembly.
  • The engineers. Because cars are manufactured on an assembly line, every engineering defect is passed along into every car. One defective cog can ruin millions of cars.
  • The designers. Sometimes, the cars are built to the exact specifications – but those specifications are incorrect. Design problems that aren’t caught can lead to big problems later.

Why defective cars are allowed on the road may remain a mystery, but their dangers are very clear. When manufacturers recall faulty products on their own, we are supposed to take it as a sign that the companies are trying to protect us. Perhaps if they spent more time developing safe cars instead of trying to get new ones out on the floor, we’d all be safer.

If you have questions about a recall-related car accident, please contact us.