ConsumerAffairs.com Automotive

In the less than three months since Toyota’s reputation for safety imploded, the company has been hit with dozens of class action lawsuits and personal injury suits from angry owners. But on Monday, a group of consumers took litigation against the carmaker to a new level, demanding a full refund in separate cases filed in Washington state and Arizona. “When we talked with Toyota owners, they all voiced the same desire -- to drive the car back to the lot, hand them the keys and pick up a... Read Full Story

It's been a rough winter for Toyota, with everyone from drivers to members of Congress castigating the carmaker for its series of safety-related recalls. Now, the embattled company may be preparing to strike back at its critics. Over the weekend the Wall Street Journal reported that Toyota plans a series of public events and statements to blunt the cascading criticism. It has marshaled its own group of experts to discredit a study that traces the sudden acceleration problem to Toyota's... Read Full Story

Have Toyota's record recalls solved its sudden acceleration problem? Maybe not. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is contacting Toyota owners who have taken their cars to dealers to undergo the prescribed repair and so far, 10 consumers have reported the fix hasn't ended the problem. NHTSA made it clear the reports have not been verified but said the agency would follow up. It also said it would continue to communicate with owners of affected Toyotas. "If... Read Full Story

A silver lining for Toyota, which has been under the dark cloud ofunintended acceleration and braking failure recently. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has selected to two Toyota models -- the Scion xB and Toyota Corolla -- for its Top Safety Pick awards. The naming of the xB and Corolla brings to seven the number of small cars consumers have to choose from that earn the Institute's highest safety designation. It's the second straight year the two models have earned the Top... Read Full Story

AConsumer Reports survey finds the intense publicity surrounding Toyota's recent recalls having a pronounced effect on the company's image among its current customers. In a recent follow-up to the Consumer Reports 2010 Car Brand Perception Survey, among consumers who drive a Toyota regularly, 60 percent said they would most likely purchase a Toyota the next time they are in the market for a new car. That's down 10 percentage points from the December 2009 survey. As a result, Toyota... Read Full Story

Gasoline prices remain volatile this year, with the nationwide average of self-serve regular jumping nearly eight cents in the last week to $2.701 a gallon, according to AAA. Prices are now back were they were a month ago, before going down in early February, mirroring the fluctuation in crude oil prices. The average price of diesel fuel is $2.872 a gallon, up nearly five cents since last Friday. Prices have risen, fallen and are now rising again despite the fact that little has... Read Full Story

Motorists are paying less per gallon for gasoline today than they did last Friday, but not by much. The national average price of self-serve regular is $2.623 a gallon, down from $2.628 a gallon last week, according to AAA. That's about a dime less than the price a month ago but 70 cents higher than motorists were paying a year ago, after oil prices collapsed. Prices are about 17 cents lower than their high for the year, reached last month. The national average price of diesel... Read Full Story

The upward trend in gasoline prices that began last month has reversed direction, with prices headed lower for a third straight week. The national average price of self-serve regular today is $2.664 a gallon, according to AAA's daily Fuel Gauge Report. That's down four cents from last Friday, reaching its level of one month ago. The national average price of diesel fuel is $2.852, two cents cheaper than last week. Once again, it's Wall Street's actions that are driving the price... Read Full Story

For decades, Toyota has been a squeaky clean brand, providing motorists a quality automobile at a competitive price. It, among a handful of firms, was largely responsible for turning the once derisive phrase "made in Japan" to one denoting quality. But the recent recall of Toyotas to fix a design flaw in the accelerator, followed by the suspension of U.S. sales of eight Toyota models, has shown just how quickly perceptions can change. In fact, Toyota's troubles might have... Read Full Story

Toyota says it will begin fixing accelerator pedals in recalled vehicles this week. The car company says its engineers have developed and "rigorously tested a solution that involves reinforcing the pedal assembly in a manner that eliminates the excess friction that has caused the pedals to stick in rare instances." Toyota says it also has developed an "effective solution" for vehicles in production. Parts to reinforce the pedals are already being shipped for use by dealers, and dealer... Read Full Story