Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. 19001 South Western Ave. Torrance, CA 90501 Telephone: 800-331-4331 Fax: 310-468-7814 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 20, 2011
Contact: Michele Hladik 310-4685297
TOYOTA AUTOMOBILES BACK ON TRACK Automaker Puts Safety, Customers First to Restore Reputation Torrance California (March 20, 2011) – Improved customer service, quality and safety has accelerated Toyota back into the public’s good graces after a tumultuous ride of safety recalls over the last five years. The largest of those recalls involved problems and potential problems with the acceleration pedals. This recall involved more than 9 million vehicles globally and negatively affected the way consumers view Toyota. “We are taking major steps to become a more responsive, safety focused organization – listening more closely to our customers, responding more quickly to their concerns and those of our regulators, and taking concrete actions to ensure that we are among the industry’s leaders in safety,” according to Toyota Motor Sales USA President Jim Lentz. Since the accelerator recall, Toyota has initiated several tactics toward improving safety and customer relations including:
Inspecting and repairing vehicles affected by the recall
Installing additional safety devices to affected and new vehicles
Creating the Quality Advisory Panel -more-
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Appointing a Chief Quality Officer to serve as the voice of the consumer and
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Creating SMART response teams to immediately investigate unintended acceleration complaints
The company firmly believes these measures are already regaining the favor of many customers and it believes continued use of these measures will encourage others to become loyal Toyota customers. For additional information contact Michele Hladik in the Toyota Motor Sales Corporate Communications Office at 310-468-5297. -30-
Reference Toyota USA Newsroom. (2010). Toyota Motor Sales USA. Retrieved March 21, 2011, from http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/default.aspx