Chinese drywall on trial in New Orleans By WINK News Story Created: Mar 15, 2010 at 5:13 AM EDT Story Updated: Mar 15, 2010 at 5:13 AM EDT Toxic chinese drywall is going on trial Monday in New Orleans. The lawsuit is one of more than 3,000 filed nationwide. Homeowners say the defective material is corroding their pipes and causing health problems. The decision in this federal case could set a precedent for future lawsuits. Previous article Runaway Prius: Views split on story Next article SUV drives into Cape Coral apartment building
March 15, 2010 | Posted in
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Cape Council to appoint Eric Grill’s replacement By WINK News Story Created: Mar 15, 2010 at 5:42 AM EDT Story Updated: Mar 15, 2010 at 5:42 AM EDT The Cape Coral City Council will choose a new member today to replace Eric Grill. The Governor removed Grill from his seat after being charged with a felony. 17 people have applied to represent District 5. The Council will interview the applicants in a special meeting at 4 p.m., then pick a new member and swear them in. Previous article Addicted to Facebook? You’re not alone Next article Runaway Prius: Views split on story
March 15, 2010 | Posted in
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Toyota recalls Prius hybrids to fix brake problems By WINK News By Associated Press Story Created: Feb 9, 2010 at 4:18 AM EST Story Updated: Feb 9, 2010 at 4:18 AM EST TOKYO (AP) – Toyota says it is recalling about 437,000 Prius and other hybrid vehicles worldwide to fix brake problems – the latest in a string of embarrassing safety lapses at the world’s largest automaker. “I apologize for causing trouble and worries for many customers over the quality and safety of Toyota,” President Akio Toyoda said at a press conference Tuesday in Tokyo. “We sincerely acknowledge safety concerns from our customers,” he said. “We have decided to recall as we regard safety for our customers as our foremost priority.” The recall is the latest blow to Toyota Motor Corp., which is in the midst of recalling more than 7 million vehicles worldwide because of problems with floor mats, which can trap gas pedals, and faulty gas pedals that are slow to return to the idle position. The 2010 Prius wasn’t part of those recalls. There have been about 200 complaints in Japan and the U.S. about a delay when the brakes in the Prius were pressed in cold conditions and on some bumpy roads. The delay doesn’t indicate a brake failure. The company says the problem can be fixed in 40 minutes with new software that oversees the controls of the antilock brakes. Toyota officials went to Japan’s Transport Ministry earlier Tuesday to formally notify officials the company is recalling the 2010 Prius gas-electric hybrid – the world’s top-selling hybrid car. The automaker is also recalling two other hybrid models in Japan, the Lexus HS250h sedan, sold in the U.S. and Japan, and the Sai, which is sold only in Japan. The 223,000 cars being recalled in Japan include nearly 200,000 Priuses sold from April last year through Monday, according to papers the automaker filed with the ministry. The Prius is Japan’s top-selling car. In the U.S., Toyota will recall 133,000 Prius cars and 14,500 Lexus HS250h vehicles. Nearly 53,000 Priuses are also being recalled in Europe. Owners in Japan of the 2010 Prius can get their cars fixed starting Wednesday, said Ryusuke Itazaki, chief of the recall department at the Transport Ministry. He said Toyota would suspend production of the Sai and Lexus HS250h in Japan as the company doesn’t have the updated software for those models yet. If drivers experience any delayed reaction when depressing the brakes in any of these models, they should keep pressing, he said. Itazaki said complaints about the brakes started coming in as the weather got colder, particularly from northern Japan. He also said Toyota should have taken action sooner. “If the company had paid more attention to consumers’ viewpoint, it could have realized that there was a safety problem.” Toyoda, the president, has been criticized for being largely invisible during the two weeks after the company announced Jan. 21 the gas pedal recall in the U.S., Europe and China. He apologized at his first public press conference last Friday, but was criticized by the Japanese media for failing to outline concrete steps to tackle the safety crisis and reassure customers around the world. In contrast to his halting English in response to questions from foreign reporters at last week’s news conference, Toyoda seemed much better prepared Tuesday, reading from an English statement after doing so in Japanese. “We will redouble our commitment to quality as a lifeline of our company,” he said in English. “We will do everything in our power to regain the confidence of our customers.” U.S. safety officials have launched an investigation into problems with the brakes. The problem is suspected in four crashes resulting in two minor injuries, according to data gathered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is investigating the matter. Toyota says it’s cooperating with NHTSA’s investigation. Problems with hybrid braking systems haven’t been limited to Toyota. Ford Motor Co. said last week it plans to fix 17,600 Mercury Milan and Ford Fusion gas-electric hybrids because of a software problem that can give drivers the impression that the brakes have failed. The automaker says the problem occurs in transition between two braking systems and at no time are drivers without brakes. Toyota’s plug-in hybrid is also being recalled in Japan – a largely experimental model for rental and government use, with 159 sold. The Prius holds a cherished spot in Toyota’s vehicle lineup and is symbolic of its leadership in the “green” car market. Toyota was one of the first companies to mass-market a hybrid that combines an electric motor with a gas engine, introducing the Prius in Japan in 1997. Its high gas mileage made it popular among environmentally conscious drivers, especially when gas prices spiked two years ago. But the complexity of the Prius, a highly computerized car, has led to problems in the past. In 2005, the company repaired 75,000 of them to fix software glitches that caused the engine to stall. It has also had trouble with headlights going out. Next article Jack Hanna kicks off Naples Zoo giraffe project
February 9, 2010 | Posted in
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Putting the Toyota recall fix to the test By Jeremiah Jacobsen Story Created: Feb 8, 2010 at 10:23 PM EST Story Updated: Feb 8, 2010 at 10:23 PM EST FORT MYERS, Fla. – As Toyota recalls its popular hybrid Prius model in Japan, service garages in the U.S. are already filling up with customers getting fixes on two earlier recalls. WINK News rode along in a repaired vehicle to see how the fix works. Fort Myers Toyota service director Gary Meyer, showed us how a repaired car comes to a complete stop, even when the accelerator is pressed all the way to the floor. “The braking system on a car is designed to overpower an accelerator,” Meyer said. “If a person’s firm on the brakes, there’s no way they cannot control the vehicle.” It’s part of the three-step repair process in Toyota’s recall for problem floormats. Service techs remove a portion of floor padding, trim about half-inch off the accelerator pedal itself, then reprogram the car’s computer to ensure the brakes overtake the accelerator. It’s a two hour process for the floor mat issue, even less for the larger “sticky pedal” recall, where a small shim is installed in the pedal to increase tension on the spring and make it more responsive. “We’ve had approximately 500 vehicles so far,” Meyer said. “Our biggest problem right now has been availability of parts.” Fort Myers Toyota says the recall repairs have gone smoothly, so they haven’t had to stay open round-the-clock as planned. While they’ve never actually seen a case of sticky pedal in their shop, they say the recall repairs should give customers peace of mind. “If they have their foot on the brake, its definitely going to stop, there’s not going to be any question about it,” Meyer said. Owners of recalled Toyotas can expect a letter in the mail from the automaker with a notice to call their local Toyota dealer to schedule a repair. Previous article Jack Hanna kicks off Naples Zoo giraffe project Next article Cut cable causes thousands to miss Super Bowl
February 9, 2010 | Posted in
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Toyota to hold press conference Friday on recalls By WINK News By Associated Press Story Created: Feb 5, 2010 at 5:15 AM EST Story Updated: Feb 5, 2010 at 5:15 AM EST Toyota’s chief executive is about to speak out on the company’s increasing quality control woes over gas pedals and brakes. Akio Toyoda holds his first news conference today since the automaker issued massive global recalls. Criticism has been growing that Toyoda, the grandson of the company’s founder, has largely been invisible amid the automaker’s worst crisis since it was founded. Meanwhile the tarnish to Toyota’s image continues to spread. Japan’s leading business newspaper reports a brake problem is prompting the automaker to recall 270,000 Prius hybrids – the vehicle that’s a symbol of its technological prowess and green car ambitions. Toyota is also investigating possible brake problems with its luxury Lexus hybrid and the luxury Sai sedan, also a hybrid. That’s in addition to millions of recalls over gas pedal problems. A transport ministry official, said the government has yet to receive a recall notice from Toyota. Previous article Bonita Historical Society Building hit with bullets Next article Schwarzenegger: Florida “for the old people.”
February 5, 2010 | Posted in
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Fix coming for millions of recalled Toyotas By Jeremiah Jacobsen Story Created: Feb 1, 2010 at 11:33 PM EST Story Updated: Feb 1, 2010 at 11:33 PM EST LEE COUNTY, Fla. – The president of Toyota apologized to Toyota owners Monday after problems with accelerators and floor mats led to two separate recalls; the most recent involving sticky accelerator pedals, affecting more than two million vehicles in the United States. Last year, the government linked up to five deaths to the floor mat problem. Repair parts for the “sticky pedal” problem are now being sent to Toyota dealers around the country, who expect to begin repairs late this week or this weekend. “Of all the repair orders we wrote in ‘08 and ‘09, my service director has never had a confirmed case of sticky pedal,” said Pamela Templeton at Fort Myers Toyota. Toyota says it’s a rare problem, but millions of vehicles will see repairs as a precaution; even as corporate leaders work to repair the automaker’s image. “I know that our recall has caused many of you concern, and for that, I am truly sorry,” said Toyota President and COO Jim Lentz in a statement Monday. One local dealer says they’re concerned the recall has been over-hyped, leading to Toyota owners having their fears preyed on by others. “In that panic and concern over a very rare occurrence is people have been told by other automakers, we’ll trade you out of that vehicle, we’ll buy your Toyota,” Templeton said. But Fort Myers Toyota says it hasn’t lost its customer base; they say they continued to do solid sales over the weekend, even with fewer models available on its lot. “One of my first questions to the sales associate was about the recall, and he explained to me how the Prius is not affected by the recall,” said customer Nick Kastan. Now, the focus for dealers is fixing the issue as quickly as possible. “We’re prepared to stay open 24/7 in our service department to get this job done,” Templeton said. Next article Wallabies poisoned to death on Collier farm
February 2, 2010 | Posted in
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