Timeline: Toyota’s troubles

TORONTO – A problem with the passenger side airbag has led to a massive recall of Honda, Toyota, Mazda and Nissan vehicles.

The automakers are recalling about two-million vehicles worldwide — and at least 180,000 in Canada because the airbag’s inflator may burst, sending plastic pieces flying.

Airbag manufacturer, Takata Corporation of Japan, says the recall affects non-Japanese manufacturers as well, and may reach as many as three-million vehicles.

About 1.7 million vehicles that are being recalled by Toyota include 580,000 across North America, including some 75,000 in Canada.

This is not the first recall in the company’s recent history. Global News takes a look at Toyota’s troubles.

Jan. 19, 2007: Toyota recalls 533,000 Tundra pickup trucks and Sequoia SUVs, because wear to a section of the front suspension could make steering more difficult.

July 27, 2007: Troy Johnson, 39, is killed when his Honda Accord is hit from behind by a 2007 Toyota Camry whose accelerator pedal was jammed by a floor mat. The Camry was travelling at 190 km/h before it slammed into Johnson’s car, killing him instantly. His car burst into flames and burned his body beyond recognition.

Sept. 26, 2007: Toyota recalls “all-weather” floor mats used in the 2007 Lexus ES 350 and Camry vehicles, an optional accessory that is placed on top of standard mats.

March 12, 2008: Toyota says it will extend the warranty of 813,000 1995-2000 Tacomas to 15 years with unlimited mileage in order to handle a rusting frame problem. The automaker says it will buy back rusted-out models for 1.5 times the suggested value in Kelley Blue Book.

Aug. 26, 2009: Toyota recalls 95,700 Toyota and Scion vehicles in the U.S. because ice collected on the braking system may reduce brake power and lengthen stopping distances.

Aug. 28, 2009: Four people are killed in California when their Lexus ES 350 crashes through an intersection, overturns several times and comes torest in a river basin. Moments before the crash, one of the victims called 911 and says the accelerator was stuck and the car had reached 193 km/h.

Aug. 29, 2009: Dimitrios Biller, a former Toyota attorney, sues the automaker, accusing it of illegally withholding evidence in hundreds of rollover death and injury suits brought against it. Biller was the lead counsel for rollover cases resulting in injury or death from 2003 to 2007.

Sept. 29, 2009: Toyota and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration warn drivers to remove mats from Lexus and Toyota cars.

Sept. 30, 2009: Toyota extends the warning to Canada.

Nov. 24, 2009: Toyota recalls 110,000 1st generation Toyota Tundras due to frame rust concerns.

Nov. 25, 2009: Toyota recalls 4.2 million vehicles over concerns accelerator pedals could become lodged under floor mats, causing sudden acceleration.

Jan. 21, 2010: Toyota recalls approximately 2.3 million vehicles in the U.S. and an undetermined number in Canada to correct sticking accelerator pedals on specific models. This action is separate from the on-going recall of approximately 4.2 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles to reduce the risk of pedal entrapment by incorrect or misplaced floor mats.

Approximately 1.7 million Toyota Division vehicles are subject to both separate recall actions.

Jan. 27, 2010: Toyota halts production of eight models in Canada and the U.S. while it searches for a solution to the accelerator glitch. The temporary shut-down affects six of its plants, including those in Woodstock and Cambridge, Ont.

Jan. 28, 2010: Toyota extends the recall for faulty accelerators and floor mats to China and Europe. The recall affects 75,552 RAV4 sport-utility vehicles sold in China.

Ford Motor Co. halts production in China of a bus that uses accelerators made by the same company involved in a massive recall by Toyota.

Feb. 1, 2010: Toyota Canada announces a plan to fix the faulty accelerator pedals in more than 270,000 vehicles across the country. The company says that by installing a reinforcement bar into the accelerator pedal mechanism, the friction that caused the pedals to stick would be greatly reduced.

Feb. 4, 2010: The U.S. Transportation Department launches investigation into brake problems in the 2010 Toyota Prius. Toyota acknowledges design problems with the anti-lock brake system of the latest model of its gas-electric Prius hybrid.

Feb. 9, 2010: Toyota says it will recall nearly half a million new Prius and other hybrid cars for braking problems as it battles criticism of its response to the spiralling safety crisis.

Feb. 13, 2010: Toyota Canada announces a fifth recall, this time for possible cracks in drive shafts of the Tacoma pickup truck. The recall involves about 1500 trucks.

Feb. 17, 2010: Toyota says it will install a system to ensure braking trumped acceleration in all new car models. Toyota quality control executive Shinichi Sasaki says the company is considering recalling the Corolla subcompact, the world’s best-selling automobile, amidst a number of power steering complaints.

Feb. 23, 2010: U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood issues a statement saying he will hold Akio Toyoda to his assurance that the carmaker is working to address all safety issues. Toyota’s top-ranking American executive Jim Lentz apologizes for what he calls unacceptable delays in dealing with safety issues as well as poor communication with regulators and consumers.

Toyota Canada announces it will install a brake override system on an expanded range of vehicles that will automatically reduce engine power when the brake and gas pedals are simultaneously applied under certain driving conditions.

March 9, 2010: A Toyota Prius accelerates out of control on a busy California freeway before police intervene to bring the vehicle to a standstill. The terrified motorist, helpless as the car hurtled out of control along the road at speeds of more than 145 kilometres per hour, was able to call police. Officers using a loudspeaker talked the driver through the process of slowing down by using his emergency brake and then turning off the engine.

March 11, 2010: Senior Transport Canada officials tell a parliamentary committee that the agency received 17 complaints regarding unexplained acceleration issues in Toyota vehicles in the years before the company began a major series of safety recalls, but that there was no evidence suggesting the need for a recall prior to the previous fall.

March 12, 2010: Toyota is hit by a planned lawsuit by California prosecutors over vehicle defects and by renewed political pressure to co-operate with investigators on cases of runaway cars.

April 16, 2010: Toyota will recall 870,000 Sienna minivans sold in the United States and Canada because the rear-mounted spare tire could drop into the road. Models years involved are 1998 to 2010.

April 19, 2010: Toyota agrees to pay a record $16.4 million federal fine for delaying a safety recall over defective accelerator pedals.

Toyota also announces a recall for nearly 10,000 Lexus GX 460 vehicles sold in the U.S. and Canada to fix software in the electronic stability control system. The GX 460 is new for 2010 and has only been on sale for a few months.

June 24, 2010: Toyota President Akio Toyoda apologises to shareholders for the car maker’s troubles after recalls of more than 10 million cars since late 2009.

July 29, 2010: Toyota recalls 412,000 passenger cars and SUVs in the U.S. to fix potential problems with steering. The recall involves older-model Toyota Avalon sedans and Lexus LX470 sport utility vehicles.

Aug. 26, 2010: Toyota recalls 1.3 million Corolla and Matrix cars, from 2005-2008 model years, in the United States and Canada carrying defective engine control modules.

Oct. 21, 2010: Toyota will recall a total of about 1.66 million vehicles, mostly in Japan, the United States and China, for problems involving brakes and fuel pumps.

Jan. 26, 2011: Toyota recalls 1.2 million units of the Noah minivan and other models in Japan as well as 140,000 Avensis models overseas to fix faulty fuel pipes and high-pressure fuel pumps. It is also recalling 335,000 Lexus units due to trouble with a fuel pressure sensor connected to an engine fuel delivery pipe.

Feb. 8, 2011: The Obama administration’s investigation into Toyota safety problems has found no electronic flaws to account for reports of sudden, unintentional acceleration and other safety problems. Government investigators said Tuesday the only known cause of the problems are mechanical defects that were fixed in previous recalls.

The U.S. Transportation Department, assisted by engineers with NASA, said its 10-month study of Toyota vehicles concluded there was no electronic cause of unintended high-speed acceleration in Toyotas. The study, which was launched at the request of Congress, responded to consumer complaints that flawed electronics could be the culprit behind Toyota’s spate of recalls.

Feb. 24, 2011: Japanese automaker Toyota on Thursday recalled 2.17 million vehicles to fix floor mats and carpets that could jam accelerator pedals

The flaws affect some Lexus GS, RX and LX models as well as Toyota’s Highlander, 4Runner and RAV4s.

Nov. 9, 2011: Toyota recalls about 550,000 vehicles worldwide (mostly in the U.S.) for steering problems. The latest recall is due to the possibility that the outer ring of the engine’s crankshaft pulley may become misaligned with the inner ring, causing noise or a warning signal to light up, the company’s U.S. sales unit said in a press release. If the problem isn’t corrected, the belt for the power steering pump may become detached from the pulley, making it suddenly more difficult to turn the driving wheel.

Oct. 10, 2012: Toyota recalls 7.4-million vehicles around the world to fix a faulty power-window switch that may stop working in more than a dozen 2005-to-2010 models.

Nov. 14, 2012: Toyota recalls 2.77 million vehicles around the world for a steering shaft defect that may result in faulty steering and a water pump problem.

Apr. 11, 2013: About 1.7 million vehicles are being recalled by Toyota due to reports of airbag problems. The recall includes 580,000 vehicles across North America, including some 75,000 in Canada.

Airbag manufacturer, Takata Corporation of Japan, says the recall affects non-Japanese manufacturers as well, and may reach as many as three-million vehicles.

Toyota Canada said vehicles being recalled for inspection in Canada include certain model year 2003 Toyota Corolla, Matrix, Sequoia, and Tundra vehicles and model year 2002 and 2003 Lexus SC 430 vehicles.

– with files from The Canadian Press and The Associated Press